
Search
Monday, 21 September 2009
Several large national banks to hike credit card

Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Exxon Mobil Corp. unseated

NEW YORK: Exxon Mobil Corp. unseated Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in the 2009 Fortune 500 list, shrugging off the oil price bubble and weathering what the magazine called the worst year ever for the country's largest publicly traded companies.Fortune's closely watched list, released Sunday, ranked companies by their revenue in 2008. Irving, Texas-based Exxon took in $442.85 billion in revenue last year, up almost 19 percent from 2007. The company also raked in the biggest annual profit, earning $45.2 billion.Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart had held the top spot for six of the last seven years but fell to No. 2 this year. Still, the retail giant's 2008 revenue climbed 7 percent to $405.6 billion, as the battered economy sent more consumers searching for bargains. The world's largest retailer took in $13.4 billion in annual profit, an increase of about 5 percent.Although it may have been a good year for Exxon and Wal-Mart, 2008 was far from rosy for most of remaining companies on the list. Overall earnings plunged 85 percent to $98.9 billion from $645 billion in 2007, the biggest one-year decline in the 55-year history of the Fortune 500 list."America is getting used to the sound of bubbles bursting," Fortune said.Energy companies continued to dominate many of the top positions, as last summer's skyrocketing oil and gas prices more than compensated for their plunge later that fall. Chevron Corp. held on to third place with $263.16 billion in revenue, up 25 percent. ConocoPhillips climbed one place to fourth, with $230.76 billion in revenue.General Electric Co., the diverse conglomerate whose troubled financial arm has been weighing on recent results, rose one notch to fifth. Battered automaker General Motors Corp. fell two spots to sixth, as revenue fell 18 percent and losses totaled $30.86 billion amid the imploding car market. Crosstown rival Ford Motor Co. followed, with $146.28 billion in revenue.Telecom giant AT&T Inc. moved up two notches to take eighth place, with Hewlett-Packard Co. and Valero Energy Corp. rounding out the top 10.Among the hardest hit in 2008 were financial services companies, Fortune said. Banks, securities firms and insurers took cumulative losses of $213.4 billion, accounting for almost 70 percent of the total dollar decline from the peak year of 2006, the magazine said. Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp., which were No. 8 and No. 9 respectively last year, each slipped a couple notches from the Top 10.Thirty-eight companies fell off this year's list, including financial firms Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., Washington Mutual Inc. and Wachovia Corp., all of which have either gone under or been acquired by rival banks.Engineering and construction company URS Corp. moved the most up the list, leaping 185 spots to No. 264. But the title of "biggest loser" went to AIG Corp. The insurer, which has received more than $180 billion in government bailout aid since last fall, fell 232 spots to 245 in this year's ranking.
What is Forex Trading ?

Global economy, a lot of people have started trading in Forex

Forex trading works

profitability I advice you to open a demo Forex account and practice until you are achieving the financial results you are expecting.

Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Stronger Capital and Liquidity Standards for Banking Firms

Sept 4 - Department of the Treasury Statement:
The global regulatory framework failed to prevent the build-up of risk in the financial system in the years leading up to the recent crisis. Major financial institutions around the world had reserves and capital buffers that were too low; used excessive amounts of leverage to finance their operations; and relied too much on unstable, short-term funding sources. The resulting distress, failures, and government bailouts of these firms imposed unacceptable costs on individuals and businesses around the world. Going forward, global banking firms must be made subject to stronger regulatory capital and liquidity standards that are as uniform as possible across countries. Today the Treasury Department set forth the core principles that should guide reform of the international regulatory capital and liquidity framework to better protect the safety and soundness of individual banking firms and the stability of the global financial system and economy.
Stronger capital and liquidity standards for banking firms:
- Capital requirements should be designed to protect the stability of the financial system, not just the solvency of individual banking firms, including banks, bank holding companies, financial holding companies and large, interconnected firms.
- Capital requirements for all banking firms should be increased, and capital requirements for financial firms that could pose a threat to overall financial stability should be higher than those for other banking firms.
- The regulatory capital framework should put greater emphasis on higher quality forms of capital that enable banking firms to absorb losses and continue operating as going concerns.
- The rules used to measure risks embedded in banks' portfolios and the capital required to protect against them must be improved. Risk-based capital requirements should be a function of the relative risk, including systemic risk, of a banking firm's exposures, and risk-based capital rules should better reflect a banking firm's current financial condition.
- The procyclicality of the regulatory capital and accounting regimes should be reduced and consideration should be given to introducing countercyclical elements into the regulatory capital regime.
- Banking firms should be subject to a simple, non-risk-based leverage constraint.
- Banking firms should be subject to a conservative, explicit liquidity standard.
- Stricter capital and liquidity requirements for the banking system should not be allowed to result in the re-emergence of an under-regulated non-bank financial sector that poses a threat to financial stability.
- A comprehensive agreement on new international capital and liquidity standards should be reached by December 31, 2010 and should be implemented in national jurisdictions by December 31, 2012.
Illinois: MB Financial Bank Assumes Deposits of InBank

The three branches of InBank will reopen on Saturday as branches of MB Financial Bank, N.A. Depositors of InBank will automatically become depositors of MB Financial Bank, N.A. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship to retain their deposit insurance coverage. Customers should continue to use their existing branches until MB Financial Bank, N.A., can fully integrate the deposit records of InBank.
This evening and over the weekend, depositors of InBank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.
As of August 3, 2009, InBank had total assets of $212 million and total deposits of approximately $199 million. In addition to assuming the deposits of the failed bank, MB Financial Bank, N.A., agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.
MB Financial Bank, N.A., will purchase all of Inbank's deposits, except those from certain deposit brokers. The FDIC will pay these brokers directly for the amount of their funds. Customers who placed money with brokers should contact them directly for more information about the status of their deposits.
Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-640-2607. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Central Daylight Time (CDT); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., CDT; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., CDT; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., CDT. Interested parties can also visit the FDIC's Web site at www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/inbank.html.
The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund will be $66 million. MB Financial Bank, N.A.'s acquisition of all the deposits was the "least costly" resolution for the FDIC's DIF compared to alternatives. InBank is the 86th FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the 14th in Illinois. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Mutual Bank, Harvey, on July 31, 2009.
Illinois: FDIC Approves the Payout of Platinum Community Bank

The FDIC will mail customers checks for their insured funds on Tuesday, September 8. Platinum Community Bank, as of August 29, 2009, had total assets of $345.6 million and total deposits of $305.0 million.
The FDIC entered into an agreement with MB Financial Bank, National Association, to accept the failed bank's direct deposits from the federal government, such as Social Security and Veterans' payments. Customers must use MB Financial's branch located at 2251 Plum Grove, Palatine, Illinois, to access their federal government direct deposits.
Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll free at 1-800-640-2751. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Central Daylight Time (CDT); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., CDT; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., CDT; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., CDT. Interested parties can also visit the FDIC's Web site at http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/platinum-il.html.
Beginning Tuesday, depositors of Platinum Community Bank with more than $250,000 at the bank may visit the FDIC's Web page "Is My Account Fully Insured?" at www2.fdic.gov/dip/Index.asp to determine their insurance coverage.
Platinum Community Bank is the 88th FDIC-insured institution to fail this year and the 15th in Illinois. The FDIC estimates the cost of the failure to its Deposit Insurance Fund to be approximately $114.3 million
California: Sunwest Bank Assumes Deposits of First State in Arizona

Due to the Labor Day holiday, the six branches of First State Bank will reopen on Tuesday as branches of Sunwest Bank. Depositors of First State Bank will automatically become depositors of Sunwest Bank. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their banking relationship to retain their deposit insurance coverage. Customers should continue to use their existing branches until Sunwest Bank can fully integrate the deposit records of First State Bank.
This evening and over the weekend, depositors of First State Bank can access their money by writing checks or using ATM or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.
As of July 24, 2009, First State Bank had total assets of $105 million and total deposits of approximately $95 million. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Sunwest Bank agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.
Customers who have questions about today's transaction can call the FDIC toll-free at 1-800-537-4048. The phone number will be operational this evening until 9:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time (MST); on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., MST; on Sunday from noon to 6:00 p.m., MST; and thereafter from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., MST. Interested parties can also visit the FDIC's Web site at www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/firststate-az.html.
The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund will be $47 million. Sunwest Bank's acquisition of all the deposits was the "least costly" resolution for the FDIC's DIF compared to alternatives. First State Bank is the 89th FDIC-insured institution to fail in the nation this year, and the third in Arizona. The last FDIC-insured institution closed in the state was Union Bank, National Association, Gilbert, on August 14, 2009.
-->
Fed Offers $75 Billion in 84-day Credit Through its TAF
Description of Offering and Auction ParametersOffering Amount: $75 billion Term: 84-day loan Bid Submission Date: September 8, 2009 Opening Time: 11:00 a.m. EDT Closing Time: 12:30 p.m. EDT Notification Date: September 9, 2009 Settlement Date: September 10, 2009 Maturity Date: December 3, 2009 Minimum Bid Amount (per bid): $5 million Bid Increment: $100,000 Maximum Bid Amount (per institution): $7.5 billion (10% of Offering Amount) Minimum Bid Rate: 0.25 percent Incremental Bid Rate: 0.001 percent Minimum Award: $10,000 Maximum Award: $7.5 billion (10% of Offering Amount)
Submission of BidsParticipants must submit bids by phone to their local Reserve Bank between the opening time and closing time on the bid submission date.
NotificationSummary auction results will be published on the website of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/taf.htm) at approximately 10:00 a.m. EDT on the notification date. Between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. EDT on the notification date, Reserve Banks will notify individual institutions in their districts that have submitted winning bids of their awards. Participants have until 12:30 p.m. EDT on the notification date to inform their local Reserve Bank of any error.
Rounding ConventionPro rata awards will be rounded to multiples of $10,000. Normal rounding convention will be used, except that awards under $10,000 will be rounded to $10,000.
Sunday, 6 September 2009
G20 finance ministers

We reiterated the need for swift and full implementation of all the commitments made at the Washington and London summits and have agreed the further necessary steps to strengthen the financial system, as set out in the accompanying declaration.
2. Our unprecedented, decisive and concerted policy action has helped to arrest the decline and boost global demand.
Financial markets are stabilising and the global economy is improving, but we remain cautious about the outlook for growth and jobs, and are particularly concerned about the impact on many low income countries.
We will work to achieve high, stable and sustainable growth
G20 agreement
G20 pledges tougher bank action
We will continue to implement decisively our necessary financial support measures and expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, consistent with price stability and long-term fiscal sustainability, until recovery is secured.
3. We must build on what we have already achieved and tackle the significant challenges that lie ahead. It is vital for growth that we act to support lending, including dealing with impaired assets and conducting robust stress tests where necessary.
We must promote employment through structural policies, active labour market policies, and training and education.
We will work to address excessive commodity price volatility by improving the functioning and transparency of physical and financial markets and promoting a closer dialogue between producer and consumer countries.
We welcome the swift implementation of the $250 billion trade finance initiative and reaffirm our commitment to fight all forms of protectionism and to reach an ambitious and balanced conclusion to the Doha Development Round.
Mr Darling said that global agreement on bonuses was needed
4. We agreed the need for a transparent and credible process for withdrawing our extraordinary fiscal, monetary and financial sector support as recovery becomes firmly secured. Working with the IMF and the FSB we will develop co-operative and co-ordinated exit strategies, recognising that the scale, timing and sequencing of actions will vary across countries and across the types of policy measures.
5. We will work to achieve high, stable and sustainable growth, which will require orderly rebalancing in global demand, removal of domestic barriers and promotion of the efficient functioning of global markets. The need to combat climate change is urgent, and we will work towards a successful outcome in Copenhagen.
6. We have made significant progress in strengthening the IFIs, but more needs to be done.
We are close to completing the delivery of $850 billion of additional resources agreed in April, including an expanded, more flexible new arrangement to borrow; and $50 billion to support social protection and safety nets, boost trade and safeguard development in low income countries. We welcome the overhaul of the IMF's lending facilities.
We encourage the multilateral development banks to make full use of their balance sheets and reaffirm our commitment to ensure they have appropriate capital, recognising that they are fully on track to deliver $100 billion of additional lending.
The voice and representation of emerging and developing economies... must be significantly increased to reflect changes in the world economy
G20 statement
In the period ahead we need to focus on providing resources to low income countries to support structural reforms and infrastructure development.
7. We look forward to prompt implementation of the 2008 IFI governance reforms, and will complete World Bank reforms by spring 2010 and the next IMF quota review by January 2011.
We recognise that the IMF should remain a quota-based organisation; and as part of the reforms, the voice and representation of emerging and developing economies, including the poorest, must be significantly increased to reflect changes in the world economy.
To achieve this we look forward to substantial progress in Pittsburgh. We also reaffirm our commitment to increase accountability, strengthen the involvement of fund governors in strategic oversight, and agree to move to an open, transparent and merit-based selection of IFI management.
To improve the role and effectiveness of the fund in supporting stronger co-operation and ensuring a more sustainable global economy and international financial system, candid, even-handed, and independent surveillance will be vital.
We call on the IMF, working with other international institutions, to continue assessing our actions to secure a sustainable recovery.
