Gallup Survey Reports U.S. Consumer Spending Rises 4.1% Between Thanksgiving and Christmas

February 7th, 2012 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (PRWEB) January 03, 2012

According to a recent Gallup survey, self-reported consumer spending rose by 4.1% over the five week period of Nov. 21 to Dec. 25. This is consistent with the National Retail Federation’s holiday sales expectations of a 3.8% increase. With the uptick in consumer spending, it is more important than ever for families to develop a budget and stick to it. Rainy-day funds, savings for college, or just making your rent payment can all be made easier with a budget. American National Bank supports its customers efforts to budget and save by offering expert guidance.

A financial goal can be very motivating, said Moyle Fritz, American National Bank Executive Vice President, COO, and CFO. Whether you are saving for a family vacation, a down payment for a house or a new pair of shoes, if you stick to a plan, youre likely to achieve your goal.

Putting together a household budget requires time and effort. American National Bank offers the following steps to create a budget:


????Be a Spending Sleuth. Track every penny you spend for a month. Keep receipts and write everything down. This will be an eye-opening experience and will help you see where you can cut back.

????Count Your Money. Determine the total amount of money coming in. Include only your take home pay (your salary minus taxes and deductions). Your income may also include tips, child support, investment income, etc.

????Itemize, Categorize, Organize. Review the records and receipts youve been collecting over the last month. Categorize your spending using a budget sheet like the one offered by the American Bankers Association Education Foundation (also available in Spanish).

????He Shoots, He Scores. Set a realistic financial goal and develop your budget to achieve that goal. Subtract your monthly expenses from your monthly income. Find ways to cut spending and set limits on things like entertainment expenses.

????Save, Save, Save. Make one of your financial goals to save a certain dollar amount each month. Start an emergency fund if you dont already have one. You never know when you may need it.

????Stick to it. Keep track of your spending every month. Update your budget as expenses or incomes change. Once you achieve your financial goal, set another.

About American National Bank

American National Bank is South Florida’s premier community bank. With over $ 200 million in assets, ANB has been serving small business owners, doctors, lawyers, accountants, and other professionals since 1985. Visit American National Bank’s website to learn more.

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National Housing Advocate To Help Madison Wisconson Rebuild

February 4th, 2012 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

Madison, WI (PRWEB) February 03, 2012

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company is hosting a workshop designed to help individuals realize a dream of affordable housing. The two day event takes place in Madison, Wisconson on February 18th and 19th of 2012. Jay Shafer, founder of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, is the featured speaker. Shafer, and his company, have appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNNs 360 with Anderson Cooper, and in Time Magazine. Tickets for the Madison Tiny House Workshop are available online.

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company has set up several events around the US, such as the one in Madison, WI, as an introduction to his company – but more importantly as an introduction to the Tiny House Movement. The February 18th & 19th workshop offer people a chance to meet with Jay Shafer and ask a series of questions about how to build a house and the small house movement. Shafers focus will be to walk the audience through the building process; from laying the foundation to setting the roof on a Tiny Home. Shafer will also speak candidly about his personal experiences as a Tiny Home owner, which includes using a composting toilet, driving his house around the country, and finding free places to live. These workshops are a perfect way to learn about building ones own home and down-sizing in a supersized culture.

For decades corporations like those from the housing, insurance and lumber industries (under the banner of the International Code Council and state) have maintained that our houses need to be of a certain size to be legal. These mandatory consumption laws ensure a vibrant economy, as they increase spending on virtually everything- from heating fuel and property taxes to more trips to Ikea. While the program has been benefiting Corporate America for a long time, now, it wasnt until just recently that our banks realized its full potential. Says Jay Shafer on why Americans should consider owning a Tiny Home. It turns out that when a bank tacks even larger house-size requirements onto those already imposed, they can get people to buy more house than they can afford, then, kick them out when theyre unable to make payments. Its a win-win for banks at the front and the back end of the deal.

The workshops are a great way for people to learn how to build a home, gain a comprehensive understanding of the Tiny House Movement, or consider why a Tiny Home is a sound investment even as a second home! These events are scheduled to accommodate sixty people in each workshop. As seen with prior events, Jay Shafer expects a wide demographic of people to attend and.

More about Tumbleweed Tiny House Company: Tumbleweed Tiny House Company isnt just a business, it is a movement! With over twenty small house plans choose from, the company designs homes with a socially responsible platform. Tumbleweed markets houses that range from 65 square feet to 874 square feet. The company is founded by tiny house guru Jay Shafer – who is a recognized leader in popularizing the tiny homes concept. For more information on the company, Jay Shafer, and to view the homes, please visit: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com

To RSVP to this event, request a media kit, or submit an interview request, please contact:

Brett Torrey Haynes

brett(at)tumbleweedhouses(dot)com

(877) 331-8469 x 2

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Bank of America Restarts their Foreclosure Processes

February 4th, 2012 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

Bank of America Restarts their Foreclosure Processes

A week back, when majority of the banks announced that they would stop all foreclosure evictions during the holiday period, it was taken for granted that there would be no evictions even before the holiday period. However, there is bad news for some as Bank of America on Friday 10 December announced it had asked its attorneys to start sales on delinquent properties with immediate effect. The announcement was made by Bank of America spokesperson, Dan Frahm. Nevertheless, foreclosure sales will take place until 20 December and then will be resumed after 3 Jan 2011.

Bank of America had declared moratoriums across the country to review its paperwork. Three weeks later, the bank announced that they were going to re-file about 102,000 inappropriately processed cases. The bank initially started to re-file cases in 23 states, where a judicial procedure is mandatory to process a foreclosure, until last week when it lifted its ban on rest of the 27 states.

As per the announcement on Friday, the bank is looking at closing about 16,000 houses by the end of this month. They will start with properties that are vacant or unoccupied by the owner. Among the 16,000 cases, 7,800 foreclosure properties come under states where judicial proceedings are required and majority of the cases are from Florida State.

Florida is one of the worst hit states by foreclosures. Amid 102,000 cases, 70 percent cases to be re-filed are in Florida. Other states that Bank of America will cover under the 16,000 houses to be evicted are Texas, California, Michigan, and Georgia. Reason Bank of America provided for restarting the processes is that they have almost finished reviewing all the cases and have revamped their internal processes as well.

President of Bank of America, Barbara Desoer confirmed on the foreclosure statement by saying, “We have identified areas of our processes that can be improved, and while we make these improvements, it’s important that we move ahead with efforts to reduce the number of abandoned properties across the country.

These properties can drag down home values in neighborhoods and slow the eventual recovery of the housing market.”

In addition to that, Chief Executive of Bank of America, Brian Moynihan, stated that the bank would be moving up to 2500 employees to its mortgage units to help approximately 29,000 delinquent homeowners. The shift was made under the “homeownership retention initiatives”. It is important to implement such initiatives to curb foreclosure rate as 14 percent of Bank of America loans are under default.

Original post: http://www.e-foreclosuresearch.com/blog/bank-america-restarts-foreclosure-processes/ on E-ForeclosureSearch.com, your source of foreclosed properties.

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Debit Cards in Use Worldwide to Reach 5.3 Billion by 2015, According to a New Report by Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

February 4th, 2012 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

San Jose, California (Vocus) November 1, 2010

The global economic meltdown and rising unemployment levels have forced consumers across the world to re-evaluate spending patterns, with credit cards segment severely affected by consumers restricting spending. The enhanced emphasis on limiting expenditure and difficulty in availing credit is contributing to the increased use of debit cards across the world. Growth of debit market is also attributed to the growing acceptance of small ticket debit transactions among the merchant community. Consumer focus on scaling back expenditure by adopting pay-as-you-go strategy is proving beneficial for the debit card market. The steady growth in debit transactions even during adverse economic conditions indicates the rising consumer preference for using debit cards in payments of routine purchases. Debit card industry faces challenges due to conflict associated with interchange rates, and rising incidences of fraud and data breach.

Asia-Pacific and Europe account for more than two-third share of the total debit cards in use across the world, as stated by the new market research report on debit cards. Increasing adoption among young consumers and growing number of online transactions are major factors driving debit cards market. Apart from offering a convenient mode of payment to consumers, debit cards provide easy payment options for government and business sectors in applications such as benefits, payroll and food stamps. Rising use of debit cards is led by the advent of advanced technologies that facilitate higher card usage by enabling faster, convenient and efficient transactions. Further, the loyalty and reward program offers are also fuelling prospects in the debit card industry.

Debit card market in the US continues to register steady growth even during adverse economic conditions, largely due to consumer preference for debit as well as growing acceptance of small ticket debit transactions among the merchant community. The economic downturn has compelled consumers to re-evaluate their spending patterns, and seek convenient modes of payments for purchases. The cautious approach adopted by credit card issuers is also contributing to the growing use of debit cards. US consumers are increasingly exhibiting preference for PIN debit rather than signature debit, due to the enhanced security offered in such payments and the relatively ease of managing such transactions. Signature debit card programs generate higher interchange revenue for financial institutions as compared to the online/PIN-based debit card initiatives. As a result, card issuers focus on promoting offline card programs.

Asian countries are active users of debit cards, particularly PIN-based debit cards, which are being used as replacements for cash-based transactions. India and China are projected to drive debit card numbers in Asia-Pacific region. In Australia and New Zealand, debit cards are gaining momentum as ideal alternatives for credit cards and cash. China and Korea offer extensive and advanced infrastructure for electronic payments.

The report discusses several global and regional debit card issuers and EFT/card processing companies. Major players profiled include Bank of America Corporation, Barclays Bank Plc, Citigroup Inc., Cr?dit Agricole S.A, Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC Bank plc, ING Group N.V., JCB Co., Ltd., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Laser Card Services Ltd., Lloyds Banking Group PLC, Wells Fargo & Company, PULSE EFT Association, First Data Corporation, MasterCard Incorporated, and Visa Inc.

The research report titled Debit Cards: A Global Strategic Business Report announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., provides a strategic review of industry, key market trends, recent product launches, strategic corporate initiatives, and profiles of key market participants. The report provides annual estimates and projections for the following geographic markets – US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World.

For more details about this comprehensive market research report, please visit http://www.strategyr.com/Debit_Cards_Market_Report.asp????

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a reputed publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company is globally recognized as one of the worlds largest market research publishers. The company employs over 800 people worldwide and publishes more than 1200 full-scale research reports each year. Additionally, the company also offers thousands of smaller research products including company reports, market trend reports, and industry reports encompassing all major industries worldwide.

Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Telephone 408-528-9966

Fax 408-528-9977

Email press(at)StrategyR(dot)com

Web Site http://www.StrategyR.com/

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Scott & Scott, LLP Sponsors 2nd Annual Special Olympics Texas Casino Night Charity Event

February 2nd, 2012 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

Dallas, TX (Vocus) September 3, 2010

Scott & Scott, LLP, an intellectual property and technology law firm, is the title sponsor for the second annual Special Olympics Texas Casino Night, a charity event complete with dinner and drinks, casino games, silent auction, palm/tarot reading and entertainment to raise money for Special Olympics Texas on Thursday, September 16th.

The Vegas-style bash is part of the firms annual efforts to support Special Olympics Texas. The firm supports fundraising events to further Special Olympics Texass mission to provide training and competition opportunities to Special Olympics athletes throughout the Lone Star State.

Last years event sponsors included: Supreme Lending, Preferred Care Partners, Jim Lee Events, Integrity Marketing Associates, Plains Capital Bank, AGM Creative, Ashley Scroggins, Julie Fennell, Isolog, KPMG, Leisure Living Pools, Pro-Source Group, Tanya Boyd & Associates, Save Electronics, Bo and Anna Wolf, Bill Didlake, Julie Machal, P.C., Speedpro Imaging Addison, and The Joule Hotel.

Additional support opportunities exist including sponsorships, silent auction donations, and cash donations.

About Special Olympics Texas Scott & Scott Casino Night:

Who:

Special Olympics Texas & Scott & Scott, LLP

What:

Charity Gala featuring dinner and drinks, casino games, live and silent auctions,and entertainment by DFW Tunes

Where:

Starlight Room, 603 Munger Avenue, Dallas 75202

When:

September 16, 7:00 PM 12:00 AM

Admission:

$ 100 Individual, $ 175 Couple

Palm/Tarot Card Reading by Psychic Diane: $ 20

Purchase Tickets: Click here

Make a Cash Donation: Click here

Sponsorship:

Presenting Sponsor – $ 5,000

High Roller Sponsor – $ 2,500

Food & Beverage Sponsor – $ 1,000

Gaming Entertainment Sponsor – $ 500

About Scott & Scott, LLP

Scott & Scott, LLP is a business and technology law firm in Dallas with a global practice representing clients on issues where technology, media and the law intersect. The firms primary practice areas include software, security and privacy, intellectual property, licensing transactions, and litigation. Clients range from multi-national corporations to local mid-market businesses spanning many industries including financial institutions, software and technology companies, architectural firms, health care, security alarm monitoring, retail and real estate companies. For more information about Scott & Scott, LLP, call 214-999-0080 or visit http://www.scottandscottllp.com.

About Special Olympics Texas

Special Olympics Texas is a privately funded non-profit organization, providing year-round sports training and athletic competition for 36,311 children and adults with intellectual disabilities in the Lone Star State. For more information about Special Olympics Texas, call 1.800.876.JOIN or visit http://www.sotx.org.

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Troux Positioned in Leaders Quadrant in Enterprise Architecture Tools Magic Quadrant

February 2nd, 2012 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

Austin, Texas (PRWEB) November 4, 2010

Troux Technologies, Inc., the leader in Strategic IT Planning and Enterprise Architecture software, today announced it has been positioned by Gartner, Inc. in the leaders quadrant in the ‘Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Architecture Tools1 report. The Magic Quadrant placements are drawn from rigorous evaluation around two primary axes: completeness of vision and ability to execute.

We believe our position in the leaders quadrant is largely due to our unrelenting focus on delivering business value and ensuring our customers success with Strategic IT Planning and the next generation of Enterprise Architecture. We serve more than 300 Global 2000 companies and meet the demanding and intersecting needs of IT and business stakeholders, and ultimately change the way our clients invest and operate, said David Hood, CEO of Troux Technologies.

Leaders Deliver Value to Many Stakeholders

According to the authors of the report, With the global economic downturn continuing throughout 2010, and only now starting to improve, the adoption of EA tools has reflected the need to provide better management, analysis and communication capabilities to demonstrate the value these tools bring to an organization. The chief architect and EA team are not the only stakeholders benefiting from an EA tool.

They continue, the richness of tool capabilities have continued to increase, particularly in areas that enable them to support a range of EA activities such as task management, governance, risk, compliance, communication and collaboration, while maintaining a common repository.

To obtain your copy of the report, please visit: http://www.troux.com/gartner

About the Magic Quadrant

The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted 2010 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner’s analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the “Leaders” quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Troux

Transformation at the speed of business is what Troux is all about. To keep pace in globally connected markets, where shocks and innovations happen at an unprecedented rate, business and IT must radically update their antiquated approaches to planning and executing transformations. A global leader in Strategic IT Planning and Enterprise Architecture software, Troux guides customers to success with a unique combination of software, know-how, community and partners. A global leader in Strategic IT Planning and Enterprise Architecture software, Troux guides customers to success with a unique combination of software, know-how, community and partners.

Troux customers benefit with improved business and IT agility, and with immediate cost savings through a simplified IT environment, all enabled by bridging the deadly information gap between business and IT planning. Just ask these Troux customers and partners: Accenture, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Barclays Bank, Beiersdorf, Cisco, the U.S. Department of Labor, Fiducia, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, GMAC, Merck, Raytheon, Vattenfall, and Vodafone.

1Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Architecture Tools, by Chris Wilson and Julie Short October 28, 2010.

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Micoley & Companys Bank Ordered Liquidation Sale – November 12th, 2011

February 2nd, 2012 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

Green Bay, WI (PRWEB) September 28, 2011

Micoley & Company will be hosting a multi-state auction event on November 12, 2011 for bank owned properties in several different states. States include Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Kansas and Indiana. Properties include commercial land and buildings, hunting and recreational land & cabins, residential lots, subdivisions and homes, waterfront property, office/retail space and even a boat. All auctions will take place on November 12, 2011 at TBD locations. Check your area for auction times and locations.

There are currently 60+ properties scheduled to hit the auction block in November. This bank ordered liquidation sale will feature some of the best deals on real estate in your area. All bank owned properties are great investment opportunities with minimum bids set well below their list prices. The auction event contains a wide array of properties from the Northwoods of Wisconsin to Michigans Upper Peninsula, all the way down to Kansas. If youre in the market for your dream home, hunting cabin or commercial space to expand your growing business, Micoley & Company has what youre looking for.

Properties include a 2004 Sea Ray Sundancer 28 ft sport cruiser with a minimum bid of only $ 39,000. A 40 acres wooded sanctuary in Portage, MI priced at only $ 32,500. Perry, IN will feature a commercial property that contains a total of 30,000 total building square feet on 7 acres of land with a minimum bid set at only $ 225,000. There are also several waterfront properties in numerous areas of Wisconsin. In Stiles, there are two waterfront lots on the Oconto River, minimum bids starting at $ 20,000. And in Elcho, WI there are three separate lots up for auction, all with gorgeous views of Post Lakes situated between Rhinelander and Antigo, minimum bids set well below their list prices.

Visit Micoley & Company’s website for a complete list of auction properties and locations, http://www.NovemberAuctions.com.

If interested in bidding, all are encouraged to submit bids prior to auction, as most Micoley & Company properties sell before their scheduled auction date.

All prospective bidders are encouraged to call to ensure times for private tours. Just this month a residential home sold within 24 hours of being placed on the market with an accepted off well above the minimum bid.

Wisconsin based Micoley & Company Auctions has grown exponentially in the last few years, branching out into 30 states. They have experienced growth in this economy due to their unique approach to real estate and marketing process with a 30+ year track record of successful operations. They offer a complete portfolio of services for their rapidly expanding client base. Visit http://www.micoleyauctions.com for a full list of auction properties or to learn more about their very unique approach to real estate. You can also call them directly at 888-662-1020.

SOURCE: Micoley & Company

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Callcredit And miiCard Team Up To Launch Financial Digital Passport

February 2nd, 2012 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

Edinburgh, UK (PRWEB) January 10, 2012

Opening a new savings account or credit card online is set to become a lot easier thanks to a new partnership between digital passport providers miiCard and data specialists Callcredit.

Until now, fraud and money-laundering regulations have meant that customers applying for a financial product online have usually had to follow this up by providing proof of identity and other documents by post.

As a result, up to 90% of sign-ups are never completed meaning many customers are missing out on the attractive online only rates offered by banks.

But in a major step for both consumers and the finance industry, miiCard and Callcredit have joined forces to provide a unique online identity service that removes the need for paper-based checks.

The miiCard (My Internet Identity Card) service allows a consumer to prove their identity online and in real-time, creating the same level of trust as a passport or driving licence. Callcredits award-winning identity verification software, which contains data on millions of UK consumers, gives an extra, robust layer of protection that ensures the service meets strict anti-money laundering and fraud regulations.

James Varga, Chief Executive of miiCard, said: “In a digital economy where there is a 70% to 90% drop out rate when selling financial products online as soon as the process goes offline, removing the drivers licence, passport and utility bill checks is critical. Creating this level of trust online will not only change the face of financial services but anywhere you need to know who youre dealing with.”

Graham Lund, Managing Director of Callcredit, said: “At this time of year, many consumers will be looking to get their finances in order for 2012 by taking advantage of competitive online banking offers.

As a recognised leader in identity verification and fraud prevention, we have been working closely with miiCard to make it easier for customers to complete the sign-up process without compromising compliance with regulations or fraud rates. The new service provides a consumer-focused solution that combines the latest cutting edge technology with the widest range of robust data sources. Today represents a shift in the way consumers and companies will view identity verification in the future.

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WorldRemit Launches Instant Online Money Transfer to Bangladesh

February 2nd, 2012 by Bank Loan | No Comments | Filed in Bank

London, UK (PRWEB) January 12, 2012

WorldRemit, the online money transfer system, has added Bangladesh to its network of 38 recipient countries as the country’s dependence on migrant-senders increases.

The new WorldRemit online money transfer enables Bangladeshis to send money and airtime top-up from the comfort of their own home using a variety of payment methods including debit cards, credit cards and online bank transfers. It is a convenient and low cost means of sending money back home.

Bangladesh is the seventh largest recipient of global remittances in the world, receiving $ 11.10 billion in 2010 according to the World Bank. Migrant workers remittances also make the biggest contribution to Bangladeshs foreign exports, making up 13% of GDP in 2010. This figure could be even greater, as estimates from the World Bank suggest high transfer costs by some services for remittances relative to the value sent swallow up as much as $ 15 billion per year in developing countries.

The new service offers pay-out options including instant cash pickup, bank deposits to any bank and international airtime top-up. The instant cash pickup service is available at more than 3,000 locations across the country.

WorldRemit uses a transparent system with clearly displayed and guaranteed exchange rates giving the sender the freedom to decide how much to send and the peace of mind that comes from knowing exactly how much will be received.

About WorldRemit

WorldRemit, regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for the provision of payment services, is an innovative online money transfer business enabling customers to send money to family and friends back home using various payment options including debit cards, credit cards and local payment methods.

WorldRemit has built a robust compliance system that eliminates common problems and risks associated with money laundering and card fraud in international money services. WorldRemit now offers online money transfer to over 38 countries.

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