Blog Entries

ORACLE OF OMAHA COULD HAVE BEEN TALKING TO LENDERS

eoleary — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:33:18 +0100

Warren Buffet's shareholder letter is required reading for credit officers.

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Two weeks ago, Warren Buffett, the "Oracle of Omaha,"
commented on the successful year that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, enjoyed in
2009. In his letter to stockholders, he shared his beliefs with new investors. The
advice hasn't changed much over the years, so it's well that we bankers take a
look, too, and find if there are principle [...]

Haunted by the Ghost of Loan Participations Past and Present?

arovira — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:45:24 +0100

Here’s some advice on how to find a better future, while cleaning up the current mess

By Dave Weir and Curt Petersen, partners and co-founders of Lenders Capital Resources, LLC, Wayzata, Minn. Additional information appears at the end of this article.

[This article was posted on March 12, 2010, on the website of ABA
Banking Journal, www.ababj.com, and is copyright 2010 by the American
Bankers Association in its edited form. [...]

CONSIDERING TARP-LIKE SMALL BUSINESS LENDING HELP

scocheo — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Headache: Washington wants to see more small-business lending.

Our Question: President Obama proposed transforming $30 billion in TARP funds into a separate, new "Small Business Lending Fund." How would your bank respond if this proposal were passed by Congress?

Come see what other bankers think, and add your own views

One banker [...]

MAKING EXAMINATIONS GO BETTER

scocheo — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Headache: Coping with bank examinations in a troubled industry environment

Our Question: Examinations have been a trying experience in this environment for most community banks. In your own recent exam, were there any steps that your bank took that helped ease the understandable tension?

Come share your ideas and views, see what other bankers have tried

We've heard bankers joke about bank examinations--you have to have something to [...]

ORACLE OF OMAHA COULD HAVE BEEN TALKING TO LENDERS

eoleary — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100
Warren Buffett's shareholder letter is required reading for credit officers.

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Two weeks ago, Warren Buffett, the "Oracle of Omaha," commented on the successful year that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, enjoyed in 2009. In his letter to stockholders, he shared his beliefs with new investors. The advice hasn't changed much over the years, so it's well that we bankers take a look, too, and find if there are principles that we can [...]

TOO MUCH INFORMATION OR TOO LITTLE?

Byrne — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100
We need to decide what we need.

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In this age of acronyms, due to the growth of texting and Twitter (two "inventions" that continue our rapid decline to poor communication), the feeling of "TMI," or "too much information" is common. Whether it is some celebrity's acknowledgement of personal problems, or simply the access to volumes of data on the Internet, all of us have examples of Too Much [...]

"AN ORDER ALWAYS HAS TO BE IN PLACE"

jgerrish — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100
Will inflexible bureaucrats drive off would-be bank investors?

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Sometimes I wonder what the FDIC representatives are really thinking. They are very protective of the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund, as they should be. Unfortunately, what the troops on the ground view as being protective of the Fund, if it was viewed at a higher level, Chairman Bair would probably say, "This is a ridiculous position you are taking. You will cost the Fund $100 million du [...]

TWO STEPS FORWARD AND ONE STEP BACKWARD

eoleary — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100
Kay the executive secretary, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and Ed O'Leary on better management of your career...and yourself

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Many bankers I speak with today feel that their careers are in a backwater.

Banks and bankers are taking a drubbing by the politicians and the public.

Lending demand is not robust and there's genuine concern about the future of the industry.

[...]

ALCO BEAT: Don’t trash a trusty hammer!

arovira — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:00:50 +0100
Wholesale funding remains a critical tool regulators shouldn’t remove

By George Darling, CEO, Darling Consulting Group, Newburyport, Mass., gdarling@darlingconsulting.com, www.darlingconsulting.com

[This article was posted on February 26, 2010, on the website of ABA Banking Journal, www.ababj.com, and [...]

Social media damage control: Why you must plan now

arovira — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:58:42 +0100
If one little online video could move FDIC, why should your bank be different?

By Karen L. Garrett, partner, Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP, Kansas City, Mo. For more biographical details, see the end of this article.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information only. It is not intended to be a comprehensive summary of the law or to treat exhaustively the subjects covered. This information does not constitute legal advice or opinion [...]

ARE YOU HAVING ANY FUN?

eoleary — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100
Take a break from today's credit headaches, and let Ed tell you how lenders used to be when "grim" wasn't the rule.

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Dwight Eisenhower used to say that you should never take yourself too seriously, but always take your work very seriously. Some of you reading this may be Rotarians, as I am, and the new official Rotary line is to be sure to have some fun. That's hard sometimes, as bankers are supposed to be pretty straight-l [...]

Book Review: OOPS! 13 Management Practices That Waste Time and Money (And What To Do Instead)

arovira — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:06:52 +0100
Avoid management malpractice and find better ways to guide your people

[This article was posted on February 19, 2010, on the website of ABA Banking Journal, www.ababj.com, and is copyright 2010 by the American Bankers Association.]

OOPS! 13 Management Practices That Waste Time And Money (And What To Do Instead). By Aubrey C. Daniels, 169 pp., Performance Management Publications.

arovira — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:26:54 +0100

Convergence carries big payoffs

Convergence of banks’ anti-money-laundering and anti-fraud efforts would pay off in numerable ways. But logic and reality take a lot of effort and the right backing to meet

By John Byrne, CAMS, and Chris Swecker. Byrne was recently named the executive vice-president of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists. Swecker, an attorney, is a consultant with Swecker Enterprises. [...]

CIT'S HISTORY AND ITS LESSONS FOR LENDERS

eoleary — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100
John Thain's appointment to CIT executive suite gets Ed thinking about which lenders take which risks

Recently CIT Group announced the election of a new Chairman and CEO, John Thain. Thain is the former CEO of Merrill Lynch and presided over his company's acquisition by Bank of America in January of last year.

I became interested in the CIT situation a few months ago when the company's problems burst into the headlines. I [...]

FHA SETS TEMPORARY EXEMPTION TO "FLIPPING RULE"

nderr — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100
FHA's one-year shift is no blank check for fraudsters

You may have read recently that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced a temporary and partial exemption to their rule prohibiting FHA insurance for "flipped" properties. FHA is not suddenly unconcerned about the predatory practice of flipping mortgage fraud. It is still very much concerned about flipping mortgage fraud.

So, you ask, what is "flipping, [...]

YOUR 2010 MORTGAGE COMPLIANCE ROADMAP

nderr — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100
A special report on mortgage compliance challenges, to be featured in the March ABA Banking Journal print edition

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Did you miss Nancy Castiglione's online full-length article about 2010's mortgage compliance challenges? You can read it right now by clicking here.

About Nancy Derr-Castiglione