BANKING SERVICE

HSBC becomes first international bank to enter Kuwait

2010-04-12T09:10:00.001-07:00

HSBC becomes first international bank to enter Kuwait ... - AME Info

Posted: 11 Apr 2010 09:59 PM PDT

Speaking at the launch event in Kuwait, Simon Cooper, CEO of HSBC Middle East and North Africa said, "Our Premier proposition has really struck a chord with our Middle East customers. In 2009, we saw a 32% rise in Premier customers across the region.

"Today's launch is the next stage of growth for Premier, and underlines HSBC's long term commitment and investment in the Middle East."

HSBC Premier offers seamless cross-border banking with the promise that customers can, for the first time, take their accounts, credit history and banking relationships with them wherever they choose to live and work. Premier accounts can be opened in local as well as foreign currencies with customers having access to global emergency cash assistance. Customers can also benefit from access to overdraft facilities without arrangement fees as well as a range of wealth management services.

Lloyd Maddock, CEO of HSBC Kuwait, said:

"Globalization changes both business and social habits. More and more people, including Middle East nationals and residents lead an international, mobile lifestyle. It has an impact both on their professional behaviour as well as on the way they spend their leisure time."

"Business people and citizens travelling abroad are looking for far more support and help from their bank in international financial services and wealth management."

He continued: "We are looking forward to offering the benefits of HSBC Premier's international connectivity, enhanced rewards program and wealth management services to our Kuwaiti customers."

To date, HSBC has opened over 290 international Premier Centres, situated in major cities around the world, and more than 8,500 branches with Premier service points.

With this launch HSBC Premier centres are now available in all GCC countires.

HSBC Premier at a glance:

• Eligibility - To become a HSBC Premier member, customers need to have at least $100,000/- in total relationship balance with HSBC

• Ability to pre-open overseas accounts in the home country and transfer credit history

• HSBC Premier Current account:

- Accounts in local and foreign currencies: EUR, USD; GBP.

- No monthly fee on any of the current accounts

- Access to cash worldwide at any Cirrus, Maestro or MasterCard ATM machines worldwide, free from any HSBC fees, when using the Premier International.

• HSBC Premier credit card (no annual fees included, gives access to emergency assistance). It also gives free membership to the HSBC Rewards Programme, whilst the Home&Away Programme encourages customers to visit almost 40 countries and to enjoy exclusive offers and privileges at over 3600 restaurants, hotels, stores and spas worldwide

• Transfer of funds between the HSBC Premier accounts free of charge.

• Emergency assistance- in case of the loss of cash or cards, the bank will provide an emergency replacement credit card within the next day. Also local currency to the equivalent of $2,000 in cash will be provided at the nearest HSBC branch

• Wealth Management services with regular market information for retail investors,

• One globally accessible number 1-908-PREMIER for emergency assistance

• Access to a relationship manager who provides dedicated 1-on-1 service

• A high interest rate saving account

• Term deposit with no monthly fees

Mortgage Chat - Boston Globe

2010-04-10T09:16:00.001-07:00

Mortgage Chat - Boston Globe

Chat with mortgage expert Arthur Lindberg Monday at 9 a.m., watch how an energy audit can save you money, and get details about Energy Star homes all next week.

Also, be sure to browse our improved search listings, complete with property maps, broker contacts, and open house times.

Banco Santander (SAN.MC, STD.N, BNC.LN) is a retail and commercial bank, based in Spain, with presence in 10 main markets. At the end of 2008, Santander was the largest bank in the euro zone by market capitalization and third in the world by profit. Founded in 1857, Santander had EUR 1,271 billion in managed funds at the end of 2008. Following the acquisition of Sovereign Bancorp. of the U.S. in January 2009, Santander had 90 million customers, around 14,000 branches - more than any other international bank - and over 170,000 employees. It is the largest financial group in Spain and Latin America, with leading positions in the United Kingdom and Portugal and a broad presence in Europe through its Santander Consumer Finance arm. In the first half of 2009, Santander registered EUR4,519 million in net attributable profit.

In the UK, Santander operates two retail businesses - Santander, which was formed out of the Abbey and Bradford & Bingley retail network, and Alliance & Leicester. Together they have over 1300 branches, around 4,500 cash machines and they provide a full range of retail and corporate banking services to 25 million customers.

New Fixed Rate 5 Year Account Offers 4.5%gross/AER

2010-04-09T09:50:00.001-07:00

New Fixed Rate 5 Year Account Offers 4.5%gross/AER From ... - PRLog (free press release)

St Helier, Jersey, 09 April 2010

A new sterling 5-Year Fixed Rate Saver account offering 4.50% gross/AER has been launched by Jersey based Abbey International. The account is aimed exclusively at new and existing Premium Banking clients. Premium Banking from Abbey International is an enhanced service suitable for those clients requiring a more personalised service from their offshore bank, with preferential early access to selected products and services and preferential interest rates on qualifying products.

The Premium Banking service is built around the core of Abbey International' s Gold account, a multi currency, internet enabled current account which offers a range of benefits including Visa Infinite deferred debit cards and Monthly Offshore Saver, a high interest regular savings account.

A second version of the 5-Year Fixed Rate Saver account paying an attractive 4.00% gross/AER is also available for clients who have not signed up for Premium Banking which is linked to an Abbey International Call account, again offering multi currency banking facilities and internet access.

In both cases, a minimum deposit of £50,000 is required to open the account, with no additional deposits or withdrawals permitted during the five year term, although additional accounts can be opened to accommodate further deposits, if the account is still available. Interest is paid annually on the anniversary date of the account opening and either transferred to a Gold or Call account, depending upon which option the client has selected.

Commenting on the new account, Head of Client Experience Jane Matthews said, "This new account offers our clients a known and stable rate of return for the next five years and complements our other shorter term fixed rate savings accounts, such as our 18 month account. As a part of our Premium Banking services, clients can expect a more personalised service, ideally suited to the demanding lifestyle many of our clients may have."

Abbey International is part of the Global Division of Santander Private banking. The Santander Group has more than 150 years experience in banking, with clients all over the world.

For further information on banking with Abbey International in Jersey call + 44 (0)1534 828 828 or log onto www.abbeyinternational.com

Berhan Bank Launches Computerised Network

2010-04-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

Berhan International Bank SC (BIB) has started a fully computerised broadband network system at its eight branches.

The bank officially began operations at its first three fully networked branches on October 3, 2009.

Currently, it has raised its number of branches by five additional networked branches (for a total of eight) and plans to expand the branches to 10 by establishing two more branches.

The broadband Internet banking service system enables bank customers to have SMS message reports of their deposited capitals.

The system will also enable customers to access their accounts without bringing their bank book or presenting an ID.

"The automated teller machine (ATM) service will speed up the banking service and reduce wasting the time of the banker and the customer," Solomon Mamo, director of Information Systems for Berhan, told Fortune.

The customer of one branch is also a customer of every branch of Berhan, enabling them to deposit and withdraw money from any branch, because customer data is accessible from any branch, according to Belachew Bogale, president of the bank.

"Customers can access their accounts without coming in to the bank branches," Belachew told Fortune.

This technological project was finalised within a one month period. The system's hardware and software were purchased from a United Kingdom IT company called Neptune. The bank declined to name the financial figures involved to make the purchase of the hardware and software.

"The bank has made a non-disclosure agreement because of a promotional discount that was provided to it," Girum Tariku, spokesperson of the bank, told Fortune.

The bank lends money based on collateral and, on the track record and financial capability of the borrowers, according to Belachew.

The bank has 6,200 shareholders, more than 95 million Br in paid up capital, and 137 million Br in registered capital.

It employs 150 employees and has international banking service deals with Commerz Bank (Germany), Standard Chartered Bank (United States of America), Naticsis Bank (France), UniCredito Bank (Italy) and Banque Indosuze Mer Rouge (Djibouti), according to Berhanu.

plus 3, Fiserv Launches Bill Pay Widget - Credit Union Times

2010-04-05T09:18:00.001-07:00

plus 3, Fiserv Launches Bill Pay Widget - Credit Union Times

Fiserv Launches Bill Pay Widget - Credit Union Times
Mercantile Bank Corporation Announces Webcast of First ... - Stockhouse
D.A. Davidson & Co. Acts as Exclusive Financial Advisor ... - PR Inside
Fiserv Improves Accessibility of Online Bill Payment ... - Businesswire.com

Fiserv Launches Bill Pay Widget - Credit Union Times

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 06:29 AM PDT

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Mercantile Bank Corporation Announces Webcast of First ... - Stockhouse

Posted: 05 Apr 2010 05:03 AM PDT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Apr 5, 2010 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX News Network) --

Mercantile Bank Corporation (Nasdaq:MBWM) will hold a conference call to discuss first quarter results on Tuesday, April 20, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

Date: April 20, 2010 Time: 10:00 AM ET

Listen via Internet: https://www.mercbank.com/investor/index.asp

Schedule this webcast into MS-Outlook calendar (click open when prompted): http://apps.shareholder.com/PNWOutlook/t.aspx?m=41426&k=E9F4514B

Toll-free: (877) 303-9123 Telephone: (970) 315-0421 Access code: 63362209

The webcast can be accessed live via the company's website, www.mercbank.com. An audio archive will be available on the Mercantile website for one month following the call. In addition, a digital recording of the conference will be available for seven days starting two hours after the call's completion.

Replay Toll-free: (800) 642-1687

Replay Telephone: (706) 645-9291

Replay Access ID: 63362209

About Mercantile Bank Corporation

Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mercantile Bank Corporation is the bank holding company for Mercantile Bank of Michigan. Founded in 1997 to provide banking services to businesses, individuals, and governmental units, the Bank differentiates itself on the basis of service quality and its banking staff expertise. Mercantile currently has seven full-service banking offices in Grand Rapids, Holland, and Lansing, Michigan. Mercantile Bank Corporation's common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "MBWM."

This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com

SOURCE: Mercantile Bank Corporation

CONTACT: Mercantile Bank Corporation Charles Christmas, CFO 616-726-1202 cchristmas@mercbank.com

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D.A. Davidson & Co. Acts as Exclusive Financial Advisor ... - PR Inside

Posted: 31 Mar 2010 04:15 PM PDT

2010-04-01 01:20:02 -

D.A. Davidson & Co., the largest full-service investment banking firm based in the Northwest, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive financial advisor to Market Contractors, Ltd., a leading commercial retail program management, construction, and casework manufacturer headquartered in Portland, Oregon, in its acquisition of Financial Supermarkets, Inc. (FSI), a leading bank consulting company that specializes in the

design, development and management of in-store banking service centers headquartered in Cornelia, Ga., for an undisclosed amount.

Market Contractors, Ltd. was founded in 1978 and started out as a construction company providing major remodels, fixturing, and maintenance services for the grocery industry in Oregon and Southwest Washington. In the mid-2000s, Market Contractors recognized the growing demand for in-store banking and quickly became a leader in bank retail engineering and construction services. The company now specializes in all types of tenant improvements, retail renovations and provides custom store fixtures, in-store bank construction, store fixture installations, and in-house architectural services. The company provides services nationwide in a variety of industries including banking/financial, medical/dental, retail, grocery, and restaurants.

In December 2009, Market Contractors engaged D.A. Davidson to assist the company in structuring the deal with FSI. Davidson advised the company throughout the negotiations, due diligence, feasibility, financing, documentation, and final closing. FSI is an excellent strategic fit for Market Contractors. Market Contractor's President, Steve Sorensen, stated, "We could not have done it without the Investment Banking team at D.A. Davidson."

Founded in 1935, D.A.

Davidson & Co : . is the largest full-service investment firm and investment bank based in the greater Northwest, with offices in 16 states. During the past two years, D.A. Davidson has helped structure and close more than 20 merger and acquisition transactions and raised over $2.1 billion of equity capital for companies in the Pacific Northwest and nationwide. The firm is celebrating its 75 th year in business.

Davidson Companies | D.A. Davidson & Co.Jacquie Burchard,

406-791-7465 jburchard@dadco.com : mailto:jburchard@dadco.com www.davidsoncompanies.com :

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Fiserv Improves Accessibility of Online Bill Payment ... - Businesswire.com

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 06:56 PM PDT

New tool enables consumers to pay bills from the online banking homepage

BROOKFIELD, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), the leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, today announced the launch of a bill payment widget that enables consumers to pay bills from within their online banking homepage. The widget is now available to financial institutions that use the company's CheckFree^® RXP^®online bill payment service. The bill payment widget is also being deployed through the latest versions of the company's industry-leading Corillian^® Online and eCom™ online banking solutions, making the new functionality available to millions of online banking consumers nationwide.

"Fiserv research has consistently shown that consumers who use online banking and bill payment are more loyal and profitable for the financial institution, and these benefits increase with each additional bill paid online"

The bill pay widget is designed to increase consumer usage of online bill payment by increasing the visibility of the service within the user interface and adding to the overall convenience and functionality of online banking.

A condensed display of payment criteria that can be integrated into any page within the online banking service, the widget enables consumers to schedule transactions without visiting a dedicated bill payment page. The widget allows users to make payments quickly by displaying only information essential to the transaction, including the bill to be paid, the pay date and the amount.

"Taking advantage of the opportunities presented by Gen Y bill pay prospects may mean taking the service in new directions," wrote Emmett Higdon, senior analyst, Forrester Research in the October 2009 report US Online Bill Payment Forecast: 2009 To 2014. "[This includes] better integrating bill pay with online banking. For too long, bill pay has been an offshoot of most online banking sites. Visible largely only from within its own section, bill pay functionality needs to be front and center with payment reminders, recent payments, and new eBill availability shown at login."

The bill pay widget makes it easy for consumers to schedule bill payments from the bank or credit union's online banking homepage. This prominent placement keeps bill payment "top of mind" for current users and exposes the service to potential new users.

"Fiserv research has consistently shown that consumers who use online banking and bill payment are more loyal and profitable for the financial institution, and these benefits increase with each additional bill paid online," said Jamie Deterding, senior vice president, Bank Solutions, Fiserv. "The average online banking user logs into the service 15 times per month, and the payment widget makes bill payment more easily accessible during these frequent visits. This improved accessibility leads to improved convenience for consumers, which can result in substantial increases in adoption and usage of the service."

About Fiserv

Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV) is the leading global provider of information management and electronic commerce systems for the financial services industry, driving innovation that transforms experiences for financial institutions and their customers. Ranked No. 1 on the FinTech 100 survey of top technology partners to the financial services industry, Fiserv celebrated its 25^th year in 2009. For more information, visit www.fiserv.com.

FISV-G

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plus 2, New Yorkers Barter Talents Under Time-Banking ... - WNYC

2010-04-04T09:07:00.001-07:00

plus 2, New Yorkers Barter Talents Under Time-Banking ... - WNYC

New Yorkers Barter Talents Under Time-Banking ... - WNYC
Clydesdale Bank analyst gives Ayrshire businesses ... - PRLog (free press release)
South Africa’s Vodacom to launch M-PESA mobile money ... - Intomobile.com

New Yorkers Barter Talents Under Time-Banking ... - WNYC

Posted: 04 Apr 2010 08:32 AM PDT

NEW YORK, NY April 04, 2010 —Trading a trip to the airport for a massage, or getting an hour of Spanish lessons for picking up someone's prescriptions, are now possible in New York.

REPORTER: The city has started a time-banking initiative that allows people to barter their talents, time and energy. Chief Service Officer, Diahann Billings-Burford is in charge of promoting volunteerism for the city:

BILLINGS-BUFORD: To date we've had about 238 of these service exchanges and that has amounted to about 550 time bank hours. ]

REPORTER: Billings-Burford says each borough has its own service exchange. To become a time banking member, the city requires three personal references and attendance at a 90-minute orientation.

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Clydesdale Bank analyst gives Ayrshire businesses ... - PRLog (free press release)

Posted: 04 Apr 2010 07:42 AM PDT

PR Log (Press Release) – Apr 04, 2010 – Ayrshire, Scotland--Ayrshire businesses got the chance to discuss how the Chancellor's Budget will affect the local economy with a top market commentator as part of a series of events hosted by Clydesdale Bank last week.

Nick Parsons is Head of Markets Strategy Europe for National Australia Bank Limited, the parent company of both Clydesdale Bank and Yorkshire Bank.

He spoke to 100 local businesses at lunch and dinner sessions on the 25 and 26 March, organised by the Clydesdale Bank's Financial Solutions Centre (FSC) in Ayrshire.

Local businesses, professional firms and farmers all got the opportunity to hear and discuss the economy with Nick. The impact of the Budget, future trends in the economy and the agricultural sector were the main topics discussed across the two days.

Nick Parsons said: "During the two days in Ayrshire businesses wanted clarification on how the Chancellor's changes will affect them and to get a steer on how future market conditions will affect the local, UK and global economy.

"The events in Ayrshire are always well attended and the discussions spark interesting and insightful debates, making coming back to the area worthwhile.

Willie Mackie, managing partner at the Clydesdale Bank Financial Solutions Centre In Ayrshire said: "Nick's informative and insightful commentary is always well received by local businesses. His willingness to open the discussions to a wide range of issues results in the attendees going away with valuable information that will benefit their business."

Nick Parsons addressed members and guests of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle at its latest business networking meeting on Thursday 25 March.

Norman Geddes is executive chairman of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, and senior partner at Ayr-based Frazer Coogans Solicitors.

Norman commented: "As usual, Nick gave us a forthright and enlightening update about the current state of the UK and world economies.

"Particularly thought provoking was his warning that although the recession is officially over, recovery will be slow and possibly erratic, especially here in the UK. Economic recovery is entirely consistent with an occasional month of zero or even negative growth.

"Nick's point was that businesses would be well advised not to attempt to expand too quickly or too soon.

"After all, it would be unfortunate to say the least for a business to survive the recession, only to fail during the subsequent economic recovery.

"The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle would like to thank Nick for his latest visit to Ayrshire, and we look forward to his return in the not too distant future."

Clydesdale Bank

Clydesdale Bank is part of the National Australia Group. Clydesdale Bank was established in 1838 in Glasgow and has a proud history of innovation and support for Scottish industry and communities. With over 150 retail branches and a network of Financial Solutions Centres, Clydesdale is one of Scotland's largest banks. The Bank is currently expanding its operations into the South of England with its innovative Financial Solutions Centres, offering customers a highly integrated business and private banking service.

Financial Solutions Centres

Clydesdale Bank Financial Solutions Centres (FSC) offer Members a tailored range of business and private banking services under one roof. A team of specialist partners, each with considerable local experience, work together to provide Members with end to end solutions for their business and private banking needs. In addition to banking services, the FSCs also operate as a hub for local business, with a range of networking opportunities and meeting facilities available as a benefit of membership.

Over 70 FSCs are located around the UK and in 2006 represented over half of the National Australia Bank Group's UK income.

Clydesdale Bank
Financial Solutions Centre
43 Alloway Street
Ayr KA7 1SP
Ayrshire, Scotland

Contact: Willie Mackie, Managing Partner
Tel: 01292 272072
Fax: 01292 280202
E-mail: william.mackie@ eu.nabgroup.com
Web: http://www.cbonline.co.uk

THE ELITE AYRSHIRE BUSINESS CIRCLE

The Clydesdale Bank Financial Solutions Centre in Ayrshire is a founder member of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle.

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle is an association founded in 2007 by some of the top companies in Ayrshire.

Its purpose is to publicise its members, and to celebrate and promote the rich diversity of industry, commerce and business services available within the county boundaries of Ayrshire.

Members include the Clydesdale Bank, Ayr Racecourse, Western House Hotel and South Ayrshire Council. and member company activities include broadcasting, building and construction, architectural practice, estate agency and land management, chartered accountancy, insurance broking, legal services, golf club management, marketing services and brand creation, web design and public relations consultancy.

For further information about The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle and to apply for membership, e-mail eliteayrshire@ gmail.com

Issued by:

Murdoch MacDonald
Fame Publicity Services
E-mail FamePublicity@ gmail.com
Web: http://www.famepublicity.co.uk
Telephone: 01292 281498
Mobile: 07833 667322

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South Africa’s Vodacom to launch M-PESA mobile money ... - Intomobile.com

Posted: 04 Apr 2010 04:43 AM PDT

South Africa's Vodacom is teaming up with local banking group Nedbank to launch the mobile money service – M-PESA. The service, which was originally created as a pilot funded jointly by Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) and the UK Department for International Development [DFID] Financial Deepening Challenge Fund, has proved immensely successful in Kenya, Tanzania and Afghanistan, and has managed to attract more than 10 million customers to date.

Vodacom is obviously happy to introduce the service, hoping to repeat the success in South Africa. The company's Managing Director, Shameel Joosub, said that he's confident M-PESA is going to change the lives of "unbanked" South Africans. "M-PESA has a successful track record in other markets. With the backing of Nedbank and Vodafone, as well as the power of the public's trust in the Vodacom brand, all of the signs are there that M-PESA is going to revolutionize the way South Africans transfer, share and spend their money," he added.

Personally I'm a big fan of mobile money services and can't wait to see them being adopted on a wider scale, all around the world…

[Via: CellularNews]

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plus 3, Top Online Banking Threats to Financial Service Providers in 2010 - Bank Info Security

2010-04-03T09:08:00.001-07:00

plus 3, Top Online Banking Threats to Financial Service Providers in 2010 - Bank Info Security

Top Online Banking Threats to Financial Service Providers in 2010 - Bank Info Security
Western Union Money Transfer® Service Now Available at ... - PR Inside
D.A. Davidson & Co. Acts as Exclusive Financial Advisor ... - PR Inside
D.A. Davidson & Co. Acts as Exclusive Financial Advisor ... - Forbes

Top Online Banking Threats to Financial Service Providers in 2010 - Bank Info Security

Posted: 02 Apr 2010 10:03 PM PDT

Securing a financial services network environment can be a daunting challenge. At issue is not only meeting the basic business requirement of ensuring that a customer's financial information remains private and secure, but to do so in accordance with the variety of regulations that have been implemented by state and federal governments, and the credit card industry as well. Security breaches can have a far-reaching impact to not only a company's finances, but to their reputation as well. Companies are required to prove their compliance with these regulations and will be held liable for their failure to do so. Offering a wider range of online services alone will not be sufficient to reduce customer churn; it must be accompanied by enhanced security features that provide the customer with confidence and, in turn, results in winning their long-term trust and loyalty.

It is, therefore, essential that financial services providers take a proactive approach to identifying potential cyber attack threats and the areas of vulnerability within their own infrastructure. To aid in this process, this paper will provide insight into the top five threats to the financial services industry and SafeNet's recommended solutions for a defense that not only provides a secure transaction environment for customers but also satisfies stringent government and industry compliance regulations.

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Western Union Money Transfer® Service Now Available at ... - PR Inside

Posted: 01 Apr 2010 08:07 AM PDT

2010-04-01 17:09:04 -

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a global leader in the money-transfer segment of global payments, and Fifth Third Bank, jointly announced today the rollout completion of the Western Union ® global money-transfer service at more than 1,300 Fifth Third banking center locations in 12 states: Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina.

"We

are excited to offer our customers and walk-in consumers the ability to send and receive money transfers at our Fifth Third banking centers," said Marilyn Mocilnikar, senior vice president and director of retail products & delivery at Fifth Third Bank. "Our relationship with Western Union enables us to expand beyond our traditional product and service offerings to better meet the diverse needs of our customers and the communities we serve."

The signing of Fifth Third Bank is an important step in Western Union's North America "go-to-market" strategy to continue to expand its footprint and attract new consumer segments, specifically, within the banking channel.

As Western Union expands its money-movement service offerings, in an effort to strengthen both its relationship and value proposition with consumers, it looks to tap into cash, account, and card-based delivery solutions.

Stewart A. Stockdale, President, The Americas and Executive Vice President, Global Key Accounts and Global Cards, Western Union, stated, "Fifth Third and Western Union are brands consumers trust. Consumers can now transfer money through an outstanding global network."

"For many consumers, the Western Union service represents a fast, convenient and reliable connection with family and friends. Making that connection easier is an example of the tremendous value the Western Union brand adds to banked consumers," Stockdale added.

Fifth Third Bank announced that it would become an agent of Western Union in July 2009. Today's announcement completes the rollout throughout Fifth Third Bank locations.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Custom House branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, as well as send payments and purchase money orders. The Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services are offered through a combined network of more than 410,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In 2009, The Western Union Company completed 196 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $71 billion of principal between consumers, and 415 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com : .

About Fifth Third

Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $113 billion in assets, operates 16 affiliates with 1,309 full-service Banking Centers, including 103 Bank Mart® locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,365 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses.
Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors. Fifth Third also has a 49% interest in Fifth Third Processing Solutions, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of December 31, 2009, has $187 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $25 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com : .
Fifth Third's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ® National Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB."

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6234939&lang=en :

WU-G

The Western Union CompanyMelissa Sachs, 720-332-4489 melissa.sachs@westernunion.com : mailto:melissa.sachs@westernunion.com orFifth
Third BankStephanie Honan, 513-534-6957 Stephanie.honan@53.com : mailto:Stephanie.honan@53.com

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D.A. Davidson & Co. Acts as Exclusive Financial Advisor ... - PR Inside

Posted: 31 Mar 2010 04:15 PM PDT

2010-04-01 01:20:02 -

design, development and management of in-store banking service centers headquartered in Cornelia, Ga., for an undisclosed amount.

Founded in 1935, D.A.

Davidson Companies | D.A. Davidson & Co.Jacquie Burchard,

406-791-7465 jburchard@dadco.com : mailto:jburchard@dadco.com www.davidsoncompanies.com :

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D.A. Davidson & Co. Acts as Exclusive Financial Advisor ... - Forbes

Posted: 31 Mar 2010 04:29 PM PDT

BusinessWire - D.A. Davidson & Co., the largest full-service investment banking firm based in the Northwest, is pleased to announce that it served as exclusive financial advisor to Market Contractors, Ltd., a leading commercial retail program management, construction, and casework manufacturer headquartered in Portland, Oregon, in its acquisition of Financial Supermarkets, Inc. (FSI), a leading bank consulting company that specializes in the design, development and management of in-store banking service centers headquartered in Cornelia, Ga., for an undisclosed amount.

Article Controls

Founded in 1935, D.A. Davidson & Co. is the largest full-service investment firm and investment bank based in the greater Northwest, with offices in 16 states. During the past two years, D.A. Davidson has helped structure and close more than 20 merger and acquisition transactions and raised over $2.1 billion of equity capital for companies in the Pacific Northwest and nationwide. The firm is celebrating its 75th year in business.

SOURCE: D.A. Davidson & Co.

Davidson Companies | D.A. Davidson & Co. Jacquie Burchard, 406-791-7465 jburchard@dadco.com www.davidsoncompanies.com

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plus 3, Wachovia Corporation - IT Sales Opportunities - 2008 - TMCnet

2010-04-02T09:34:00.000-07:00

plus 3, Wachovia Corporation - IT Sales Opportunities - 2008 - TMCnet

Wachovia Corporation - IT Sales Opportunities - 2008 - TMCnet
Myanmar launches online banking services - TMCnet
RDSI Contracts With Edon State Bank - Investors Business Daily
Clydesdale Bank urges Cambridge businesses to chase ... - PRLog (free press release)

Wachovia Corporation - IT Sales Opportunities - 2008 - TMCnet

Posted: 02 Apr 2010 02:58 AM PDT

(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Wachovia Corporation (Wachovia) is a financial and bank holding company. It provides commercial and retail banking, and trust services through full-service banking offices in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Company also provides various other financial services, including mortgage banking, investment banking, investment advisory, home equity lending, asset-based lending, leasing, insurance, international and securities brokerage services, through other subsidiaries. The company's retail securities brokerage business is conducted through Wachovia Securities, LLC, and operates in 49 states.( http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=113956&rt=Wachovia-Corporation-IT-Sales-Opportunities-2008.html ) Industry trends and drivers have a direct or indirect affect on IT spending of all companies operating within an industry. For example - increased threat perception and incidence of fraud would result in increase in demand for security software and hardware. Thus, we can conclude that industry spending on any particular IT product or service is an important indicator of the criticality of that product or service for the industry. Based on the IT spend information available in 'TechNavio', we have computed a 'criticality score' for various IT products and services, for Wachovia.

Various company level developments and events are important indicators of selling opportunities and drive the sales of IT products and services. For example - an acquisition by Wachovia might result in opportunities for IT migration and integration services. By tracking these sales drivers (using 'TechNavio'), we have arrived at a demand score for each product and service.Through an in-depth analysis of industry trends and drivers and company level developments and events, we have made the 'IT Selling Opportunities Map' for hardware, software and IT services for Wachovia. These maps have been divided into four zones representing Level I, Level II and Level III opportunity areas. Level I opportunity areas have the highest scores and hence, there is a high probability that Wachovia will buy these products and services. Level II opportunity areas have lower scores and hence, lower probability to sell to Wachovia. Level III opportunities have the lowest scores and hence, unlikely to sell to Wachovia.

The report is meant for IT vendors and intends to help them identify selling opportunities within the company. Further, the identified sales drivers can be used to penetrate these accounts or increase current share of the customer''s wallet. Also, the report lists key IT spending decision makers, which will enable salesperson to directly contact the key executives within the company.

TechNavio Insights is a set of reports based on TechNavio - a market intelligence platform for the IT industry. It builds on the intelligence available within TechNavio, and leverages on the custom research experience of the ''Technology Navigators''. TechNavio is built on years of experience of Infiniti Research in deep dive custom research and consulting for over 30 Fortune 500 companies and numerous large and mid-sized companies.

To know more and to buy a copy of your report feel free to visit : http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=113956&rt=Wachovia-Corporation-IT-Sales-Opportunities-2008.html ((Comments on this story may be sent to info@m2.com)) (c) 2010 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

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Myanmar launches online banking services - TMCnet

Posted: 02 Apr 2010 07:58 AM PDT

YANGON, Apr 02, 2010 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The state-owned Myanmar Economic Bank (MEB) started launching a quick-cash online banking services Friday to facilitate customers in exchanging cash with the use of smart card, sources with the bank said.

Working with the state-run Myanma Posts and Telecommunications, branches of the MEB in Yangon and Mandalay will provide full time service using ADSL, IPStar systems and fiber optics cables to go online, the sources said.

MEB said it has experienced online banking system since May 2007 in collecting insurance premium from those leaving for foreign countries at Internal Revenue Department in Yangon and in collecting deposit for submitting passport at Passport Office in Yangon, and in providing one stop service at one of the Yangon branch.

Test-run of such online banking services has proved workable with smart card, the sources added.

Meanwhile, Myanmar has also introduced a banking network system in some six banks in the country to interlink state and private banks to facilitate traders for banking transactions, according to the Bankers Association.

The system, being practiced with Yoma bank, Myanmar Citizens Bank, Tun Foundation Bank, Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank, Myawaddy Bank and Myanmar Industrial Development Bank, is carried out by local information technology companies of MIT and Global Net.

There are four state banks and 15 private banks in Myanmar all governed by the government's Central Bank.

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RDSI Contracts With Edon State Bank - Investors Business Daily

Posted: 02 Apr 2010 08:48 AM PDT

RDSI Contracts With Edon State Bank

Posted 11:47 AM ET

Apr 02, 2010 (FinancialWire via COMTEX) -- (Comment on this article at http://www.financialwire.net/2010/04/02/rdsi-contracts-with-edon-state-bank/)

April 1, 2010 (FinancialWire) -- Rurban Financial Corp. (RBNF), a provider of full-service community banking, investment management, trust services and bank data and item processing, said Edon State Bank, of Edon, Ohio, has selected the Single Source(TM) core banking application being offered exclusively through RDSI Banking Systems.

Rurban Financial Corp. is a publicly-held financial services holding company based in Defiance, Ohio.

FinancialWire(tm) is committed to serving the financial community through true journalism and providing relevant resources to investors. Standards-based, independent equity research on numerous public companies is available through the Investrend Research Syndicate (http://www.investrend.com/reports) written by FIRST Research Consortium (http://www.investrend.com/FIRST) member-providers. Free annual reports and company filings for companies mentioned in the news are available through the Investrend Information Syndicate (at http://investrend.ar.wilink.com/?level=279). FinancialWire(tm), in cooperation with the Investrend Broadcast Syndicate, also provides complete, daily conference call and webcast schedules as a service to shareholders and investors via the FirstAlert(tm) Network's "FirstAlert(tm) Daily" (http://www.financialwire.net/news-alerts/).

FinancialWire(tm) is a fully independent, proprietary news wire service. FinancialWire(tm) is not a press release service, and receives no compensation for its news, opinions or distributions. Further disclosure is at the FinancialWire(tm) website (http://www.financialwire.net/disclosures.php). Contact FinancialWire(tm) directly via inquiries@financialwire.net.

http://www.financialwire.net

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Clydesdale Bank urges Cambridge businesses to chase ... - PRLog (free press release)

Posted: 02 Apr 2010 03:48 AM PDT

PR Log (Press Release) – Apr 02, 2010 – Cambridge, England--A leading figure in the Cambridge banking sector is calling on businesses to actively pursue new international trading opportunities in an effort to counter the UK economic downturn.

Martin Guildford, Clydesdale Bank's managing partner for Cambridge, said the diverse range of sectors operating in the East of England meant the region was well placed to capitalise on the international demand for UK products and services.

As well as being home to one of the world's leading technology clusters in Silicon Fen, the extensively rural region is also the base for major agricultural businesses and a flourishing food and drink sector.

Martin said: "A number of years ago, Far East exporters were able to profit from the huge demand for cheap consumer goods on the basis of cost. Following the international downturn, there has been a flight to value for money and quality, and we are well-placed to benefit in this region.

"Countries such as Russia, India and China are experiencing a tremendous growth in the classes with high disposable income. The skills, expertise and products on offer from East of England companies are being exported around the world in growing numbers. More companies should be riding that wave of demand during a period when their domestic market may have contracted."

Many of the region's firms and business have cited a lack of bank funding for hindering expansion plans, not just internationally, but also in the domestic market. Martin counters that argument with the fact that the Bank's doors have remained open for business throughout the economic downturn.

Last year Clydesdale Bank lent £4.1bn to UK businesses and at the end of 2009, pledged its commitment to the East of England economy with a further lending commitment of £1bn over the next two years to business and mortgage customers.

Martin said: "Ultimately, the lending decision has to be a commercial one based on the information available to the bank, the perceived risk and of course the business' continued ability to meets all its financial commitments, not just those to the bank.

"Banks want to lend money to sound businesses and are committed to helping SMEs and larger corporate organisations find financial solutions to meet their individual needs."

While there are a host of opportunities available for East of England businesses, Martin said companies should also be aware of a number of issues such as the security and stability of the country in which they are hoping to trade, international legislation, letters of credit and varying exchange rates.

He added: "A stumbling block for many businesses in their pursuit of new international markets is a not necessarily a lack of bank funding but a lack of local knowledge, particularly in the areas of international exchange rates and the basic question of – 'Will I get paid for this?'"

Enquiries:

Clydesdale Bank
Financial Solutions Centre
1st Floor Terrington House
13-15 Hills Road
Cambridge
CB2 1NL

Contact: Martin Guildford, Managing Partner

Tel: 01223 444000
E-mail: martin.guildford@ eu.nabgroup.com
Web: www.cbonline.co.uk

Clydesdale Bank

Financial Solutions Centres

Over 70 FSCs are located around the UK and in 2006 represented over half of the National Australia Bank Group's UK income.

Issued by:

Murdoch MacDonald
Fame Publicity Services
E-mail FamePublicity@ gmail.com
Web: http://www.famepublicity.co.uk
Telephone: 01292 281498
Mobile: 07833 667322

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plus 3, Western Union Money Transfer(R) Service Now Available ... - Stockhouse

2010-04-01T09:29:00.001-07:00

plus 3, Western Union Money Transfer(R) Service Now Available ... - Stockhouse

Western Union Money Transfer(R) Service Now Available ... - Stockhouse
Citibank India wins ‘Excellence in Internet Banking ... - Financial Express
Jack Henry & Associates Announces 250th Mobile Banking ... - TMCnet
April 1: Service Representative - Teller - WGNtv.com

Western Union Money Transfer(R) Service Now Available ... - Stockhouse

Posted: 01 Apr 2010 08:07 AM PDT

Offering to Better Serve Money-Transfer Needs of Banked and Walk-in Consumers

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. & CINCINNATI, Apr 01, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a global leader in the money-transfer segment of global payments, and Fifth Third Bank, jointly announced today the rollout completion of the Western Union(R) global money-transfer service at more than 1,300 Fifth Third banking center locations in 12 states: Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina.

"We are excited to offer our customers and walk-in consumers the ability to send and receive money transfers at our Fifth Third banking centers," said Marilyn Mocilnikar, senior vice president and director of retail products & delivery at Fifth Third Bank. "Our relationship with Western Union enables us to expand beyond our traditional product and service offerings to better meet the diverse needs of our customers and the communities we serve."

Fifth Third Bank announced that it would become an agent of Western Union in July 2009. Today's announcement completes the rollout throughout Fifth Third Bank locations.

About Western Union

About Fifth Third

Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $113 billion in assets, operates 16 affiliates with 1,309 full-service Banking Centers, including 103 Bank Mart(R) locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,365 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors. Fifth Third also has a 49% interest in Fifth Third Processing Solutions, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of December 31, 2009, has $187 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $25 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ(R) National Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB."

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6234939&lang=en

WU-G

SOURCE: The Western Union Company

The Western Union Company Melissa Sachs, 720-332-4489 melissa.sachs@westernunion.com or Fifth Third Bank Stephanie Honan, 513-534-6957 Stephanie.honan@53.com

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Citibank India wins ‘Excellence in Internet Banking ... - Financial Express

Posted: 01 Apr 2010 02:23 AM PDT

Mumbai: Citibank India has won the "Excellence in Internet Banking" for the year 2009 in The Asian Banker Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards Programme. Citibank India's internet offering was chosen as the best amongst 120 banks and financial institutions from 23 countries across the Asia Pacific, Gulf and Central Asian regions. The prestigious Programme, administered by The Asian Banker is refereed by prominent global bankers, consultants and academics. The Winner was determined after a stringent three month-long evaluation process based on a balanced and transparent scorecard.

"Citibank India's strength in online product innovation and online portfolio management has led to its continued online leadership," said Mr. Chris Kapfer, head of the Excellence in Retail Financial Services Programme at The Asian Banker.

Citibank India's internet and mobile banking is its largest channel for customer interaction, providing a convenient and efficient banking service. The well engineered online offering enables customers to manage their accounts through an easy to use and functionality loaded interface. It allows them to perform every possible banking transaction online at www.citibank.com/india and the linkages to credit cards, loans, mutual funds, brokerage and insurance products differentiate Citibank Online from the other entrants. Potential customers can also access information on the entire range of financial products that Citibank India offers, and can apply online for straight-through approvals for most products. Citibank India was one of the first banks to launch multi-factor authentication - using a combination of instruments such as hardware tokens, one-time passwords and email and sms alerts for its domestic and NRI customers.

Speaking on the occasion, N. Rajashekaran, Country Business Manager, Consumer and Commercial Banking, Citi India, said, "Online and mobile banking has become a key convenience driver for our customers. As forerunners in offering digital banking, this service has been built to be user friendly and secure. We will continue to invest and innovate in this area based on our customers' feedback and evolving needs."

Citi was also named "Best Regional Retail Business in Asia" for 2009 by The Asian Banker for the second consecutive year. In addition to these, Citi also picked up awards for "Best Retail Bank" in Taiwan, "Excellence in Branch Innovation" in Singapore and Hong Kong and "Excellence in Customer Relationship Management" in China.

The award evaluation process uses a balanced scorecard approach and a comprehensive methodology to evaluate the strength of individual banks' retail banking businesses that involve extensive research and probing interviews, and taps on...

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Jack Henry & Associates Announces 250th Mobile Banking ... - TMCnet

Posted: 01 Apr 2010 08:14 AM PDT

MONETT, Mo., April 1, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (Nasdaq: JKHY), a leading provider of integrated technology solutions and data processing services for financial institutions, today announced that goDough, its state-of-the-art mobile banking solution, has been selected by 250 of its core financial institution clients. goDough was introduced in November 2007 and now supports more than 63,000 subscribers of 63 mobile service carriers.

goDough, the browser-based solution developed internally by Jack Henry & Associates, is compatible with any Web-enabled mobile device regardless of make or model and all mobile phone carriers. This proprietary solution enables bank customers and credit union members to conduct traditional in-branch and online transactions such as balance inquiries, funds transfers between accounts, and transaction viewing; and supports all account types, including checking, certificates-of-deposit, money markets, loans, and lines-of-credit. goDough also enables users to receive designated alerts and make mobile payments to entities other than the offering financial institution.

Jack Henry & Associates also recently announced the addition of several high-demand enhancements to goDough including the ability to initiate SMS text-based balance and history inquiries, the availability of an iPhone application that financial institution customers can download directly from the Apple Store, the ability for financial institutions to provide a bank-branded smart phone application, and enhanced reporting designed to accurately and efficiently analyze mobile banking usage.

Pete Hopkins, general manager of Internet Solutions for Jack Henry & Associates, said, "Nearly half of all mobile phone owners now have access to mobile banking and more and more of them are moving from Internet banking to mobile banking. We believe goDough is the most widely adopted mobile banking solution offered by any core provider and as mobile banking continues to evolve into a key service financial institutions must have to attract and retain technology-savvy consumers, we expect goDough will continue to generate strong adoption rates among our financial institution clients and their customers. goDough is extremely easy for financial institutions to implement, provides contemporary and advancing functionality, and is intuitive and easy-to-use." Ohio Valley Bank recently announced the launch of its mobile banking application for the iPhone which is available for free download at the App Store. According to Thomas E. Wiseman, the bank's president and chief operating officer, "In July 2008, we established CellTeller, our mobile banking solution based on Jack Henry Banking's goDough solution. We have now moved beyond our initial mobile offering to extend this special service to our iPhone customers. We have a long-standing tradition of actively seeking new technology. In fact, 30 years ago, Ohio Valley Bank installed Gallia County's very first ATM." Wiseman also noted a growing trend in the number of Ohio Valley Bank customers with iPhones and in the number of Ohio Valley Bank Internet banking and mobile banking users.

According to Tony Wormington, president of Jack Henry & Associates, "Mobile banking is a natural extension of financial institutions' Internet and retail strategies, and an essential component of the emerging electronic wallet. Implementation of our goDough mobile banking solution nearly doubled during the past 12 months and is now supporting more than 63,000 people with anytime, anywhere banking that enables them to stay even more connected to their finances and their financial institutions. It enhances customer convenience, self-sufficiency, and service. It can help financial institutions attract and retain technology-focused consumers. And it can strengthen financial institutions' positioning in today's highly competitive financial services marketplace." goDough is fully integrated with the three functionally distinct core banking systems - SilverLake System(R), CIF 20/20(R), and Core Director(R) - provided by the company's Jack Henry Banking(TM) division, and the industry-leading core platform for credit unions - Episys(R) - which is provided by Symitar(TM).

About Ohio Valley Bank Ohio Valley Banc Corp. owns and operates Ohio Valley Bank, with 16 offices in Ohio and West Virginia, and Loan Central, with six offices in Ohio. Ohio Valley Banc Corp. stock is traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol OVBC. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ovbc.com. For more information about Ohio Valley Bank's iPhone application, visit www.ovbc.com/go/iphone or http://itunes.com/apps/ohiovalleybank.

About Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.

Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. (NASDAQ: JKHY) is a leading provider of computer systems and ATM/debit card/ACH transaction processing services primarily for financial services organizations. Its technology solutions serve more than 11,800 customers nationwide, and are marketed and supported through three primary brands. Jack Henry Banking supports banks ranging from de novo to mid-tier institutions with information and transaction processing solutions. Symitar is the leading provider of information and transaction processing solutions for credit unions of all sizes. ProfitStars(R) provides highly specialized products and services that enable financial institutions of every asset size and charter, and diverse corporate entities to mitigate and control risks, optimize revenue and growth opportunities, and contain costs. Additional information is available at www.jackhenry.com.

Statements made in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking information. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking information. Specifically, there are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by any forward-looking information. Additional information on these and other factors, which could affect the Company's financial results, are included in its Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings on Form 10-K, and potential investors should review these statements. Finally, there may be other factors not mentioned above or included in the Company's SEC filings that may cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking information.

SOURCE Jack Henry & Associates

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April 1: Service Representative - Teller - WGNtv.com

Posted: 01 Apr 2010 08:21 AM PDT

Careerbuilder's job of the day on the WGN Midday News

WGN News

Today's Job of the Day posting: Service Representative - Teller

Job Description:

At our company, we have been helping our customers and communities for over 125 years. Working with us means being part of a team of talented, passionate individuals with a shared focus on working together to deliver great customer experiences. We stand behind your success with the support you need to turn your potential into performance.

Harris is committed to an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace. By embracing diversity, we gain strength through our people and our perspectives. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Seeking a Part-Time - Service Representative (Teller) for our Elmhurst, IL location.

As a high performing team member of Harris, the Service Representative (Teller) is accountable for delivering superior customer service in performing a variety of basic banking services. The Service Representative is also accountable for referring customers to Personal Bankers and other banking groups and reaching monthly referral goals

JOB REQUIREMENTS

he qualified candidate will be expected to develop customer relationships and make sound transactional decisions to ensure policies and directives are met. This individual will have the ability to accurately understand and respond appropriately when interacting with customers, co-workers, and management. We prefer one year of cash handling experience in the financial services industry or a minimum six months cash handling experience. We require a High School Diploma or GED equivalent.

The scheduled work hours for this position are Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm, Saturday 8:00am1:00pm. Hours will vary with days off during the week.

To explore this opportunity to join Harris N.A., visit our website and apply for position #64430 at www.harrisbank.com.

Harris thanks all applicants. We advise only those who qualify for an interview will be contacted.

Apply for this job

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plus 3, After decades of service, Lodi banking icon Ole Mettler ... - Lodi News-Sentinel

2010-03-31T09:49:00.001-07:00

plus 3, After decades of service, Lodi banking icon Ole Mettler ... - Lodi News-Sentinel

After decades of service, Lodi banking icon Ole Mettler ... - Lodi News-Sentinel
Bankers launch practice code - Stabroek News
Government wants children to save with Post Office - This is Wiltshire
BECU launches CashEdge's Popmoney payments service - TMCnet

After decades of service, Lodi banking icon Ole Mettler ... - Lodi News-Sentinel

Posted: 30 Mar 2010 11:11 PM PDT

Indexes

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

After decades of service, Lodi banking icon Ole Mettler officially steps down

After more then 50 years of loyal service to Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Ole Mettler will work his last official day with the company's board of directors today.

Mettler, a native Lodian who has served as chairman of the board for 37 years, was unanimously voted to the position of chairman emeritus earlier this month. The honorary and non-voting role will enable Mettler to serve as a community ambassador for F&M Bank, as well as an adviser to executive management.

"Words cannot describe the positive and long-lasting impact that Ole Mettler has had on this outstanding 94-year-old institution and the Lodi community," said Kent Steinwert, CEO and president of Farmers & Merchants Bank, in a press release. "Throughout his lifetime, Ole has been involved in various human service organizations committed to improving the quality of life for citizens in California's Great Central Valley."

'A straight-laced all-American'

One group Ole Mettler is committed to is the Lodi-Tokay Rotary Club. Larry Mettler, a distant cousin of Ole Mettler's, said he's never seen him miss a meeting in the 30 years he's been a part of the organization.

"When he commits to something, he does it," Larry Mettler said. "It says a lot about his commitment to make a meeting every week."

Rotary meetings can be rescheduled due to travel or illness, but Larry Mettler said Ole Mettler makes sure to give the organization his time and efforts. If he's ever been away while a meeting is conducted, Larry Mettler said, he makes it up before the next one.

Although he hasn't worked directly with Ole Mettler, Frank Alegre, owner of Alegre Trucking, knows he is an honest and hard-working man.

"You can tell just by seeing him in public and how he carries himself," he said. "I've never heard a bad word about him."

A friend of Mettler's was quick to talk about his giving nature, selfless attitude and professional demeanor.

"He's always in a suit and tie," said Mark Armstrong, general manager of the Lodi Grape Festival and Harvest Fair. "He's a straight-laced all-American."

Ole Mettler's professionalism and dedication to the Grape Festival is unparalleled, Armstrong said. He was recently given an award from the Western Fairs Association for his 60 years of service to the group, just one of many awards he has received during his lifetime.

"We've given him every award and named a building after him," Armstrong said, referring to the Ole Mettler Grape Pavilion on the Grape Festival Grounds.

Mettler's sacrifice and giving nature are just a part of who he is, he said. He doesn't do what he does for attention, awards or accolades, Armstrong said.

Not completely gone, and never forgotten

While Mettler is cutting back his duties with the bank, Steinwert said he was grateful to still have access to the man's vast experience and knowledge.

"All of us at the bank deeply appreciate Ole's valuable leadership. We are extremely pleased that he is willing to remain involved at the company as chairman emeritus," Steinwert said in a press release.

Leadership has always come naturally to Mettler. The native Lodian served as president of the Future Farmers of America when he attended Lodi High School. Years later, after he graduated from University of California, Berkeley, with a degree in agriculture economics, he would serve as chairman of the board and CEO for the California Future Farmers of America Foundation.

In 1960, Mettler started his career with F&M Bank. He served a president until 1994 and helped the bank grow from $37 million to $1.7 billion in total assets. He also helped oversee the bank as it expanded into new territories and markets.

Service to family and the community

He has given his time and energy to a plethora of organizations, including Lodi Memorial Hospital, the American Legion, the Lodi District Grape Growers, the Lodi Grape Festival and National Wine Show, the University of California Agricultural Advisory Council and the San Joaquin County Farm Bureau.

Obviously, Mettler's leadership experience in the banking industry is vast as well.

He served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, president of both the Independent Bankers of Northern California and the California Bankers Association.

In 2002, he was the first banker to receive the California Bankers Association's annual Distinguished Banker of the Year award.

Despite his well-earned reputation as hard-working businessman, articles from the Lodi News-Sentinel's archives showed that Mettler was capable of living life to the fullest and enjoying himself as well. An article from the sports section of the Jan. 21, 1941, News-Sentinel talked about a skiing trip to Sun Valley Mettler and four of his friends went on. They reported seeing famous skiers who were at Sun Valley practicing for an upcoming competition.

Mettler lives in Lodi with his wife of 68 years, Dorothy. The couple have two children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Despite scaling back his duties with the bank, Mettler said in a press release that he won't stop serving the city he loves.

"I am looking forward to enjoying more time with my wife Dorothy and our family," he said. "However, my commitment to Farmers & Merchants Bank and our community will continue."

Ole Mettler at a glance

Former president of F&M Bank.

Former director for the American Institute of Banking and the California Community Reinvestment Corporation.

He was a founding member of the San Joaquin Partnership, a nonprofit economic development organization.

Served on the Grape Festival's board of directors for more than 50 years.

Elected to Lodi's Hall of Fame in September 2007.

News-Sentinel staff

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Bankers launch practice code - Stabroek News

Posted: 31 Mar 2010 02:39 AM PDT

In an effort to promote good banking practice, the Guyana Association of Bankers yesterday formally launched its Code of Banking Practice- the first of its kind in the country.

The purpose of the code is to outline standards of good practice and service, promote the disclosure of information that is both relevant and useful to customers, promote informed and effective relationships between banks and their customers and to ensure that banks have procedures for resolution of disputes with its customers. The Code is subject to review every three years.

On the question of bank charges which has attracted criticisms over the years, the code says at 5.1 "A bank shall, before or at the time of providing a particular banking service to a customer for the first time or otherwise on request by a customer, make available to the customer a schedule containing the standard fees and charges which currently apply to the Banking service". Where the bank provides the customer with a payment service the bank shall make available to the customer details of any fees applying to the service.

In relation to dispute resolution, the code states that a dispute arises when a customer lodges a complaint with the bank concerning a matter. Thereafter, the code states that the bank shall have an internal process for handling the dispute which will be done at no charge to the customer.

This process is expected to be completed within a maximum of two months and the outcome should be communicated to the customer in writing.

Meanwhile, under the code, the bank is sworn to privacy and confidentiality regarding the affairs of a customer, except under specific situations provided under the Financial Institutions Act, Companies Act, The Securities (Industry) Act, Tax Act and the relevant aspects of the Anti-Money Launder-ing Law.

At the launching ceremony held at the Republic Bank Head Office, Chairman of the Association John Tracey pointed out that the code seeks to foster greater communication between financial institutions and their customers. He pointed out that the code represented a formal documentation of banking practices that were already in existence.

He pointed out that such codes were not new to banking institutions and explained that the local code was patterned after that which currently exists in Trinidad and Tobago. Now that the code has been launched, Tracey explained that the Bankers Association will now engage in a massive education campaign.

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh saluted this initiative as the latest of several positive developments that have occurred in the banking sector in recent years. He noted that the voluntary subscription to the code by the banks offers greater openness and transparency in the relationship between these financial institutions and their customers. Singh also opined that it will promote healthy competition among the banks.

Meanwhile, Singh also called on the banks to work together on a single point-of-sales terminal which would be able to process all the cards from the different banks. This, he suggested, would be easier on customers and would be cheaper on the banking institutions. He urged the banks to embrace the use of technology even more and use it to increase their coverage to various sections of the population.

Singh further said that the task of promoting competitiveness and growth in the economy was not solely the responsibility of the government but also extended to the private sector. He also urged domestic and private operators to reflect on how they can improve competitiveness. Speaking specifically about the banking sector in Guyana, the Finance Minister, said that local banks have performed well especially when compared with other such institutions internationally.

He stated too that local banks have responded favourably to the regulating regimes that have been put in place.

The Guyana Association of Bankers consists of Republic Bank, GBTI, Scotiabank, Demerara Bank Ltd, Citizens Bank and the Bank of Baroda (Guyana) Inc.

Copies of the code are expected to be distributed to bank customers from today.

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Government wants children to save with Post Office - This is Wiltshire

Posted: 31 Mar 2010 03:07 AM PDT

Government wants children to save with Post Office

11:10am Wednesday 31st March 2010

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CHILDREN in Swindon will be encouraged to save their pocket money in Post Office accounts under a Government plan to transform the network into a neighbourhood banking service.

Ministers hope the Children's Savings Account, which will be introduced over the next 12 months, will help bring more customers to sub-post offices in the wake of the national closure programme that culled several Swindon branches.

Business Secretary Peter Mandelson yesterday announced £180m of new Government funding for the Post Office in 2011/12 to maintain the network around its current size.

The cash will go beyond the £1.7bn that is already being invested between 2007 and 2011.

Unveiling his rescue plan, Lord Mandelson announced that the Post Office would offer first-time buyers mortgages for a deposit of just 10 per cent and would double the amount it lent to customers over the next year.

The Post Office would also offer customers access to accounts with other banks, and a new account would be launched – known as a Saving Gateway– to encourage workers on lower incomes to start saving, with the Government adding 50p for every £1 deposited.

The push to expand financial services follows pressure on the Government to secure the network's future after 2,500 branches, including 36 in Wiltshire and West Berkshire, were earmarked for closure by the Network Change programme, launched in 2007.

Nationally, about 11,500 branches survived the programme.

Lord Mandelson said: "Since the global banking crisis we have set about re-inventing the financial services industry piece by piece, building a system that is fairer, trusted and more responsible.

"Today is the next step in that process. The Post Office is a well-loved community institution and this move will bring more banking services back to the heart of those communities."

George Thomson, the general secretary of the National Federation of sub postmasters, said: "While the Government's proposals for financial services at the Post Office are a potential significant next step, we repeat our concern that more needs to be done to safeguard the future viability of the post office network."

Shadow Business Secretary Ken Clarke said: "We welcome any plans to offer new services through the Post Office but this is all too little, too late.

"Labour have had 13 years to reform the Post Office, but have allowed it fall into decline with more than 6,000 closures as a result.

"Conservatives will prevent the closure of any profitable post office, reform the Post Office Card Account to help with utility bills, free up sub-postmasters and allow branches to offer a wide range of business services."

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Your Say YourWiltshire

Ian13, Swindon says...
12:08pm Wed 31 Mar 10

The Government want children to save at the Post Office... . The public want the Government and especially our MP's to save the Post Offices!

Bobfm, South Marston says...
12:23pm Wed 31 Mar 10

So they now want to save the Post Office, which they allowed the EU to destroy. Doesn't give a warm glow.

Or probably a Hot Rage if you were one of the Post Masters who lose their business.

Not an election coming is there.

So they now want to save the Post Office, which they allowed the EU to destroy. Doesn't give a warm glow. Or probably a Hot Rage if you were one of the Post Masters who lose their business. Not an election coming is there.

Your sayYour Wiltshire

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BECU launches CashEdge's Popmoney payments service - TMCnet

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 06:32 PM PDT

Mar 24, 2010 (Datamonitor via COMTEX) -- Boeing Employees's Credit Union or BECU has launched CashEdge's Popmoney, a person-to-person payments service, to its members.

Popmoney is an e-mail and mobile person-to-person (P2P) payments service that allows credit union members and bank customers to send money directly from their online or mobile banking service, using the recipient's e-mail, mobile number or bank account information.

Popmoney provides support for text messaging, WAP and downloadable mobile applications, enabling financial institutions to extend their P2P functionality to mobile phones.

Howie Wu, vice president of virtual banking at BECU, said: "We are excited to be the first credit union in the country to offer this service. At BECU we strive to make banking as easy and convenient as possible for our members. That means offering services that allow them to bank wherever and whenever they want.

"Popmoney helps us meet that goal by extending the reach of our online and mobile banking capabilities to include person-to-person payments - a simple, secure and convenient way for our members to send money directly from their BECU account to anyone for free." http://www.datamonitor.com Republication or redistribution, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent. Datamonitor shall not be liable for errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon

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plus 2, Mr. Faisal Aqil, GM Retail Banking at Emirates Islamic ... - Zawya.com

2010-03-30T09:10:00.001-07:00

plus 2, Mr. Faisal Aqil, GM Retail Banking at Emirates Islamic ... - Zawya.com

Mr. Faisal Aqil, GM Retail Banking at Emirates Islamic ... - Zawya.com
RBC becomes first Canadian bank to offer indigenous ... - CNW Group
Assessing the Budget - Belfast Telegraph

Mr. Faisal Aqil, GM Retail Banking at Emirates Islamic ... - Zawya.com

Posted: 30 Mar 2010 05:32 AM PDT

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content]

And to provide customers with the most friendly banking solutions, the bank have developed a wide range of Alternate Banking Channels such as Mobile Banking Service, Internet & Phone banking. with EIB alternate banking channels, customers will be ...

RBC becomes first Canadian bank to offer indigenous ... - CNW Group

Posted: 30 Mar 2010 05:53 AM PDT

TORONTO, March 30 /CNW/ - RBC today announced the introduction of Cree and Inuktitut, two of the most commonly-spoken indigenous languages in Canada, to its multi-language telephone banking service. RBC is the first Canadian financial institution to offer telephone services in these languages.

Launched in 2008, RBC's multi-language telephone service has more than 2,600 specialized interpreters who help with day-to-day basic business and personal banking inquiries such as opening an account, paying bills or requesting foreign exchange information at no cost to the client. Interpreters are available to help translate 180 different languages.

"Canada is home to a variety of languages that many organizations do not recognize, or have the capacity to service through translation," explained Dale Sturges, national director, Aboriginal Banking, RBC. "We are pleased to be able to continue reaching out to an underserved market by incorporating Cree and Inuktitut into our customer service capabilities. RBC has a long history of building relationships with the Aboriginal community and we remain committed to finding innovative ways to partner with our clients to meet their financial needs."

Clients can call 1-800 ROYAL 2-0 (1 800 769-2520) to access the RBC agent-assisted service and within minutes will be connected with an interpreter via a three-way confidential conference call.

"Access to banking services plays an important role in the creation of wealth and economic sustainability in Aboriginal communities," added Phil Fontaine, special advisor to RBC. "Cree is spoken by approximately 117,000 people and there are roughly 35,000 Canadians who speak Inuktitut, making them two of the most common indigenous languages spoken across the country. The fact that RBC is providing services in these languages is a testament to its deep understanding of the unique needs of the Aboriginal market it serves."

About RBC and Aboriginal Canadians

RBC has a proud history of strong relationships with Aboriginal peoples. We are committed to serving Aboriginal governments, communities, organizations, businesses and individuals by creating opportunities for sustainable economic development through: access to banking and capital; community and social development; employment, education and training; and procurement. RBC has been operating in the far north since 1921, and currently has six branches located north of 60 degrees, with additional agency banking operations located in remote First Nations communities. We employ approximately 100 full- and part-time employees in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. In 2009, RBC invested more than $250,000 in community initiatives across the far north. For more information visit www.rbcroyalbank.com/commercial/aboriginal/pdf/rbc-aboriginal-ptnr-2008-e.pdf.

For further information: Media contacts: Matt Gierasimczuk, (416) 974-2124, matthew.gierasimczuk@rbc.com; Janet Gibson Eichner, (416) 974-7622, janet.gibson-eichner@rbc.com

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Assessing the Budget - Belfast Telegraph

Posted: 30 Mar 2010 03:37 AM PDT

Although the Budget made the headlines, its impact was limited. And the impact in Northern Ireland is even more limited – especially regarding changes to stamp duty on home purchases.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling announced that for the next two years, there will be no stamp duty for first time buyers on properties costing under £250,000: up from £125,000. The cost of that will be paid for in part by the permanent introduction of a new top rate of stamp duty of 5% on homes sold for over a million pounds. At present the top rate is 4%, for transactions valued above £500,000.

The temporary raising of the threshold is good news for first time buyers in many well-heeled areas of England. But it will have little affect on the housing market here. Average prices for both apartments and town houses are below the £125,000 mark, so those whose home purchases are in the affected £125,000 to £250,000 band are unlikely to be first time buyers.

Tom McClelland, Northern Ireland spokesman for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, believes that the measure will mostly affect regions where starter homes are more expensive than they are here. "The average house price in the last University of Ulster survey in January was £161,000," he explains. The number of properties affected by the higher rate of stamp duty will also be fairly small. "The amount of activity at the top end is still not that great," says McClelland.

Taking from the rich

Wealthy people in Northern Ireland will probably be irritated at the introduction of the higher rate stamp duty, but their pain from the so-called 'Robin Hood budget' does not end there. Last year's Budget announced a new top rate of income tax of 50% on annual income above £150,000 would be introduced from next month, while personal allowances will be gradually withdrawn for those earning above £100,000. In addition, new restrictions on tax relief on pension contributions for those earning above £130,000 a year were announced last week by the Chancellor.

Stronger measures will be taken against people who are evading UK tax by hiding assets offshore. Penalties for UK taxpayers who fail to disclose funds held in tax havens will rise to potentially 200% of the value of the assets hidden. Many more non-payers are likely to be caught as a result of information sharing agreements reached with other countries, plus new legal obligations on UK banks to disclose information on clients who hide assets offshore. Various tax avoidance schemes are to be closed.

Public sector workers may also be unhappy, with a new cap on top pay rates and a commitment to introduce further reforms to public sector pension schemes to cut costs.

Helping the poor

One of the most interesting aspects of the Budget is that every adult is to be given a guaranteed right to open a basic bank account. "This will mean, over the next five years, up to a million more people will have access to bank accounts – something essential in the modern world," said Chancellor Darling. The Government is concerned that without access to banking it becomes very difficult for people to pay bills, access cash or even to obtain work. Ensuring that welfare recipients can be paid electronically should also reduce government costs.

But banking market analysts Defaqto warn that banks and building societies will trying to sign-up new customers onto charged-for accounts, rather than necessarily offering them a free banking service. In particular, the Defaqto warns consumers against opting for packaged current accounts that come with a range of added benefits that may never be used.

David Black, banking specialist at Defaqto, explains: "Packaged accounts usually have an associated fee which can range from £5 to £40 per month. Consumers need to weigh this up with the benefits offered and figure out what they actually need and whether the features they do need are suitable for their individual circumstances, or could be purchased elsewhere. Added value accounts clearly suit some people, but not others."

Commission free currency exchange and free travel insurance are the most common added benefits on packaged current accounts, according to Defaqto's analysis. Defaqto warns that while many banks currently offer free banking services for customers who stay in credit, people who will now be offered basic bank accounts may have difficulty obtaining the free accounts.

Northern Ireland's Consumer Council issued its own warnings about the move towards basic bank accounts. Consumer Council chief executive Antoinette McKeown says: "Creating bank accounts for all will essentially push more people into a relationship with businesses which are not yet regulated in the way the Consumer Council feels they need to be. Many consumers still feel the charges they have to pay for slipping into the red are unfair and excessively high."

The Consumer Council fears it is premature to create a right to a bank account when banks are still being criticised for allegedly overcharging many of their customers.

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plus 1, Better banking for low income people - News Wales

2010-03-29T09:01:00.001-07:00

Better banking for low income people - News Wales

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson today announced a major expansion of the financial services offered by the Post Office, in a drive to put banking back into the heart of communities and making the Post Office network of 11,500 branches more sustainable.

Lord Mandelson said: "The Post Office is a well-loved community institution and this move will bring more banking services back to the heart of those communities."

Business Minister Pat McFadden said: "The Post Office can provide a range of good value, simple financial products for everyone. These are the clear messages that people have given us and we are acting on them – a major step towards making the Post Office a sustainable neighbourhood banking service."

Measures announced include:

Weekly budgeting account - An account which would help people on low incomes manage their household budgets, save money by taking advantage of the discounts for using direct debit to pay their utility bills and which would be available through the Post Office. The Government is already working with the Post Office and utility companies to make this account a reality as quickly as possible.

Children's Savings Account - the Post Office will launch a Post Office Children's Savings Account in the next twelve months, encouraging children to save through visits to their local Post Office.

Post Office Current Account - the Post Office will launch its own current account that will be accessible from any Post Office in the country.

Access to accounts from other banks - detailed negotiations are taking place with RBS and Santander to give access to their current accounts - this would mean that around 86% of current accounts would be accessible at Post Offices.

Business services - a new agreement between the Post Office and Santander will allow all its business account holders to access their accounts at the Post Office. The Post Office will also explore the development of a Post Office business bank account, which would be available throughout the network. Additionally, following responses made to this consultation, the Post Office and the Regional Development Agencies will explore how they can best work together to serve small and medium enterprises in each region.

Mortgages - the Post Office will offer a new mortgage product with a 90% loan-to-value ratio aimed at first-time buyers. The Post Office will also increase its lending substantially, aiming to double the value of its mortgage book in the financial year 2010/11

plus 1, Cord Blood America Acquires Controlling Interest in One ... - PR-USA.net

2010-03-28T09:20:00.001-07:00

plus 1, Cord Blood America Acquires Controlling Interest in One ... - PR-USA.net

Cord Blood America Acquires Controlling Interest in One ... - PR-USA.net

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 06:45 AM PDT

Cord Blood America, Inc., the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells, a biological insurance policy, to families nationwide and internationally, announced today that it has acquired 51 percent of stellacure GmbH, the third largest cord blood banking service in Germany.

"Europe is quickly becoming a global force in the storage of stem cells for future medical use. We believe this acquisition is a perfect example of our business strategy to use acquisitions as part of the process to grow Cord Blood America into a major stem cell storage company globally," said Matthew Schissler, Cord Blood America co-founder and CEO.

stellacure (www.stellacure.com) is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. It began storing cord blood for families in 2006 throughout Germany, and within the past year has established sales channels in Spain and Italy. It operates in conjunction with the German Red Cross Bloodservices Baden-Wuerttemberg/Hessen, which has collected cord blood for a public bank since 1996.

"Becoming a 51% stakeholder of one of Europe's most meaningful stem cell banking companies is extremely important for us to carry out our goal of becoming the globally dominant stem cell storage company. We see acquiring a majority stake in stellacure as an important first step to further penetrate other European markets. CBAI is extremely pleased that it was chosen as stellacure's preferred partner to foster further growth of the company and equally excited to establish a long term relationship with the largest blood service unit of the German Red Cross, as we all know a respected name globally," Mr. Schissler said.

The transaction was introduced by specialist life sciences advisory firm CFP BioConnect AG, based in Frankfurt/Germany.

About Cord Blood America

Cord Blood America is the parent company of CorCell, which facilitates umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation for expectant parents and their children. Its mission is to be the most respected stem cell preservation company in the industry. Collected through a safe and non-invasive process, cord blood stem cells offer a powerful and potentially life-saving resource for treating a growing number of ailments, including cancer, leukemia, blood, and immune disorders. To find out more about Cord Blood America, Inc., visit our website at www.corcell.com. For investor information, visit www.cordblood-america.com.

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Qatar- Banks focus on retail services, once again - MENAFN

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 10:32 PM PDT

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) As the era of high banking service charges is over, thanks to cracking of the whip by Qatar Central Bank (QCB), retail services are back in focus at most of the banks here.

Some banks seem to be liberalising their consumer lending schemes for personal as well as car loans offering lower interest rates and other concessions.

And now that the service charges have been unified by the banking regulator QCB, almost every bank is claiming that it had not raised service charges during the peak of the world financial turmoil last year.

The fact, though, remains that many banks ruthlessly raised charges even for basic services in 2009 to help offset possible losses.

At some banks, the charges for issuing a loan clearance certificate, for example, had reached a whopping QR1,000, while it was common for a hapless customer to cough up QR250 for a six-month bank statement.

Industry sources estimate that there are no less than 30 basic banking services.

These services, they say, should be either free or minimal charges should be levied because they are basic and additionally, when the banks are offering low deposit margins they have no justification to make retail services a source of revenue.

Given the exorbitant rates, for some banks revenues from their retail banking services would have soared to millions of riyals until the QCB intervened cracking the whip on the greedy lot.

However, now that charges have been forced down to the bare minimum, banks seem to be vying with one another to woo customers with 'better services and products'.

The customer is now emerging 'the king'.

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plus 1, FNB, PayPal team up on online banking service - Mail & Guardian Online

2010-03-27T09:27:00.001-07:00

plus 1, FNB, PayPal team up on online banking service - Mail & Guardian Online

FNB, PayPal team up on online banking service - Mail & Guardian Online

Posted: 25 Mar 2010 02:31 AM PDT

FNB and PayPal, a unit of eBay, said on Thursday that they have teamed up to bring international online banking services to Africa's largest economy.

The agreement will enable customers to make or receive payments for goods and services online, and be able to pay for things and send money without sharing their financial information.

FNB customers in South Africa would be able to sell goods and services to PayPal global users base of more than 81-million active customers and 190 markets.

FNB is owned by FirstRand, South Africa's second-biggest banking group, which is also looking for expansion opportunities in Nigeria.

EBay, a vast e-commerce marketplace where buyers and sellers connect, has long striven to ensure that brands sold on its site are legitimate and that posts from sellers peddling counterfeit goods are quickly removed. - Reuters

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Gemalto and to Embed Mobile Banking Service in TI ... - Cellular-News

Posted: 22 Mar 2010 06:03 AM PDT

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content]

plus 3, Mobile Banking Application for BlackBerry and iPhone - TopNews United States

2010-03-26T09:21:00.001-07:00

plus 3, Mobile Banking Application for BlackBerry and iPhone - TopNews United States

Mobile Banking Application for BlackBerry and iPhone - TopNews United States
BECU Launches CashEdge's Popmoney(TM) Person-to-Person ... - Earthtimes
BECU launches CashEdge's Popmoney payments service - TMCnet
African Mobile Broadband, Data and Mobile Media Market - TMCnet

Mobile Banking Application for BlackBerry and iPhone - TopNews United States

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 06:48 AM PDT

ING Direct is the first Canadian bank which offers new mobile banking application for Blackberry and Apple iPhone.

According to ING Direct Canada President and Chief Executive Peter Aceto, all the Canadians love their mobile devices and can download this application for free. With the help of this application, the ING customers can check their balances, review transactions, transfer funds, locate ABMs and find the nearest ING Direct Save Your Money Cafes.

In 2009, Scotiabank partnered with Atlanta-based MCom, an international mobile payments solution provider to bring full mobile banking service, while others are working on the same projects and are planning to get similar applications in the market next year.

The new application on Blackberry and iPhone also talks about savings on Twitter.

ING Direct had also launched a twitter.

In Canada, around 20% of the people are planning to start with mobile banking, from where they can pay their bills, whereas 9% of the Canadians already have mobile banking accounts.

ABI Research shows that consumers would spend $119 by 2015 through mobile banking.

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BECU Launches CashEdge's Popmoney(TM) Person-to-Person ... - Earthtimes

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 05:47 AM PDT

NEW YORK, March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- CashEdge, Inc. (www.cashedge.com), the leading provider of Intelligent Money Movement? services, announced today that Boeing Employees' Credit Union (BECU), the largest credit union in Washington and one of the top five financial cooperatives in the United States, has launched CashEdge's person-to-person (P2P) payments service, Popmoney?, to its members. BECU, which has over 600,000 members, began offering Popmoney on March 20 through its website www.becu.org.

Popmoney is the first email and mobile person-to-person payments service that allows credit union members and bank customers to send money directly from their online or mobile banking service, simply using the recipient's email, mobile number or bank account information. Popmoney provides support for text messaging, WAP and downloadable mobile applications, enabling financial institutions to extend their P2P functionality to mobile phones.

"We are excited to be the first credit union in the country to offer this service. At BECU we strive to make banking as easy and convenient as possible for our members. That means offering services that allow them to bank wherever and whenever they want," said Howie Wu, Vice President of Virtual Banking, BECU. "Popmoney helps us meet that goal by extending the reach of our online and mobile banking capabilities to include person-to-person payments ? a simple, secure and convenient way for our members to send money directly from their BECU account to anyone for free."

"BECU is a great partner," said Neil Platt, Senior Vice President and General Manager, US Banking, CashEdge Inc. "They understand the importance of bringing innovation and service to their clients, and they've demonstrated that understanding by being industry leaders in delivering Popmoney. We expect that Popmoney will help drive acquisition and client engagement ? creating new revenue streams for them."

Popmoney leverages the proven reliability, security and strength of CashEdge's money movement platform, which in 2008 processed nearly $50 billion in funds transfers for bank customers. For current CashEdge clients, Popmoney is a simple upgrade of their existing TransferNow service.

To learn more about CashEdge's Intelligent Money Movement Services, visit www.cashedge.com.

About BECU

Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, BECU is a not-for-profit credit union owned by the members. Profits are returned to the members in the form of better rates and fewer fees. With more than 600,000 members and more than $8.6 billion in assets, BECU is the largest credit union in Washington and one of the top five financial cooperatives in the country. BECU currently operates over 40 locations in the Puget Sound region. All Washington state residents and students attending Washington colleges and universities are eligible to join.

About CashEdge

CashEdge is a leading provider of Intelligent Money Movement? solutions for financial institutions, including mobile and online person-to-person (P2P) payments, account transfers, account opening and funding, small business applications and financial account aggregation. The Company's clients include hundreds of leading financial institutions, including seven of the ten largest banks in the country, for which they move more than $50B every year. CashEdge's newest offering, Popmoney?, is a bank-enabled P2P service that is live at leading banks in the U.S.

CashEdge's industry-leading products include Popmoney? for person-to-person payments; OpenNow®/FundNow® for new account opening and funding; TransferNow® for Consumers, which includes Me-to-Me and Third Party Transfers; and TransferNow® for Small Businesses, which includes Invoicing, Me-to-Me Transfers, Employee Payments and Vendor Payments. All CashEdge products are supported by industry-leading risk management capabilities that leverage proprietary technology to help financial institutions mitigate risk and decrease fraud exposure.

The Company is headquartered in New York with offices in Silicon Valley and India. For more information, visit www.cashedge.com.

The above contains statements that are based on subjective views, opinions or beliefs of the management. The data provided herein is based solely on CashEdge's solutions and does not relate to any specific financial institution or client or the industry.

SOURCE CashEdge, Inc.

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BECU launches CashEdge's Popmoney payments service - TMCnet

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 06:32 PM PDT

Mar 24, 2010 (Datamonitor via COMTEX) -- Boeing Employees's Credit Union or BECU has launched CashEdge's Popmoney, a person-to-person payments service, to its members.

Popmoney provides support for text messaging, WAP and downloadable mobile applications, enabling financial institutions to extend their P2P functionality to mobile phones.

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African Mobile Broadband, Data and Mobile Media Market - TMCnet

Posted: 26 Mar 2010 04:46 AM PDT

Mobile data and broadband technologies are increasingly being used as a substitute for poor or non-existent fixed-line infrastructure in Africa. In vast parts of the continent, the mobile network operators are the only providers of any kind of telecommunication service apart from satellite services. As subscriber growth peaks, many of them have established themselves as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and are playing an increasing role in the broadband sector, competing directly with fixed broadband services such as DSL – a welcome new revenue stream in an environment of shrinking average revenue per user (ARPU) in the voice market.

Third generation (3G) mobile technologies, coupled with improvements in international fibre and national backbone network infrastructure are now capable of delivering broadband Internet access to a wider part of the continent's close to one billion population. However, the price of end user devices will be a key factor. The prepaid mass market will only adopt advanced services on a broad scale once prices for 3G handsets and modems as well as personal computers have reached affordable levels.

Like elsewhere in the world, Short Message Service (SMS) still accounts for the bulk of Africa's mobile data traffic and revenue, but in recent years there has also been an increasing interest in Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and other forms of mobile messaging and social media, downloads of ring tones, logos, music and games, as well as SMS-based information and lifestyle services. Premium rate and bulk SMS services are generating millions in revenues. Third parties are continuously developing new value-added services and applications.

Mobile TV services have been launched in at least ten African countries. A boost for these services is expected from the FIFA World Cup to be hosted in South Africa in 2010.

M-payments and mobile banking is another key growth area that is revolutionising Africa's financial sector, where only a small percentage of the population has access to traditional banking system. In the continent's most advanced markets, m-commerce, mobile content, applications and media have reached a level of development that is beginning to foster an associated advertising and marketing industry.

Market highlights: * 3G mobile networks have been launched in more than 20 African countries, with rollouts in progress in many others; * Most operators have included High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) mobile broadband in their service offerings; * There are more 3G mobile broadband users than ADSL subscribers in key African markets; * The first 20Mb/s mobile broadband service is expected in Africa in 2010; * African mobile operators make up to 13% of their revenues with mobile data services; * Non-messaging mobile data revenue grew by 70% in South Africa in 2009 while overall mobile data revenue increased by 30%; * Mobile data services have helped to reverse declining average revenue per user (ARPU) in some markets; * The UMTS Forum forecasts that revenues of African 3G operators will exceed US$7 billion in 2010; * The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is expected to deliver a boost to Mobile TV services which have been launched in at least ten African countries; * Some African banks have more customers using mobile banking than online banking; * More than 10% of Kenya's GDP pass through the M-Pesa mobile payment and banking service, which has more users than there are bank account holders in the country.

To know more and to buy a copy of your report feel free to visit : http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=89467&rt=African-Mobile-Broadband-Data-and-Mobile-Media-Market.html Or Contact us at : Bharat Book Bureau Tel: +91 22 27578668 Fax: +91 22 27579131 Email: info@bharatbook.com Website: www.bharatbook.com Blog: http://bharatbookresearch.blogspot.com Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/3bbharatbook

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plus 3, FNB, PayPal team up on online banking service - Mail & Guardian Online

2010-03-25T09:12:00.001-07:00

plus 3, FNB, PayPal team up on online banking service - Mail & Guardian Online

FNB, PayPal team up on online banking service - Mail & Guardian Online
Gemalto and to Embed Mobile Banking Service in TI ... - Cellular-News
UPDATE 1-S.Africa FNB, PayPal team up on online banking ... - Reuters
FNB, PayPal team up on online banking service - Mail & Guardian Online

FNB, PayPal team up on online banking service - Mail & Guardian Online

Posted: 25 Mar 2010 02:31 AM PDT

FNB and PayPal, a unit of eBay, said on Thursday that they have teamed up to bring international online banking services to Africa's largest economy.

The agreement will enable customers to make or receive payments for goods and services online, and be able to pay for things and send money without sharing their financial information.

FNB customers in South Africa would be able to sell goods and services to PayPal global users base of more than 81-million active customers and 190 markets.

FNB is owned by FirstRand, South Africa's second-biggest banking group, which is also looking for expansion opportunities in Nigeria.

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Gemalto and to Embed Mobile Banking Service in TI ... - Cellular-News

Posted: 22 Mar 2010 06:03 AM PDT

[fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content]

UPDATE 1-S.Africa FNB, PayPal team up on online banking ... - Reuters

Posted: 25 Mar 2010 02:10 AM PDT

* FNB customers to make or receive payment for goods online

Financials | Technology

* FNB users to have access to more than 81 mln PayPal users

(Adds details, background)

JOHANNESBURG, March 25 (Reuters) - South Africa's FNB and PayPal, a unit of eBay Inc (EBAY.O), said on Thursday that they have teamed up to bring international online banking services to Africa's largest economy.

The agreement will enable customers to make or receive payments for goods and services online, and be able to pay for things and send money without sharing their financial information.

FNB customers in South Africa would be able to sell goods and services to PayPal global users base of more than 81 million active customers and 190 markets.

FNB is owned by FirstRand Ltd (FSRJ.J), South Africa's second-biggest banking group, which is also looking for expansion opportunities in Nigeria.

(Reporting by Alison Raymond)

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FNB, PayPal team up on online banking service - Mail & Guardian Online

Posted: 25 Mar 2010 02:31 AM PDT

FNB and PayPal, a unit of eBay, said on Thursday that they have teamed up to bring international online banking services to Africa's largest economy.

The agreement will enable customers to make or receive payments for goods and services online, and be able to pay for things and send money without sharing their financial information.

FNB customers in South Africa would be able to sell goods and services to PayPal global users base of more than 81-million active customers and 190 markets.

FNB is owned by FirstRand, South Africa's second-biggest banking group, which is also looking for expansion opportunities in Nigeria.

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plus 3, Cord Blood America Acquires Controlling Interest in One ... - Forbes

2010-03-24T09:01:00.001-07:00

plus 3, Cord Blood America Acquires Controlling Interest in One ... - Forbes

Cord Blood America Acquires Controlling Interest in One ... - Forbes
Five Suggestions for Banking Reform - MSN Money
mBlox Survey Finds Mobile Banking Overtakes Telephone ... - Businesswire.com
Japan's gov't steps back from LDP postal privatization ... - People's Daily Online

Cord Blood America Acquires Controlling Interest in One ... - Forbes

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 08:02 AM PDT

LAS VEGAS, March 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Cord Blood America, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CBAI), the umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company (http://www.cordblood-america.com) focused on bringing the life saving potential of stem cells, a biological insurance policy, to families nationwide and internationally, announced today that it has acquired 51 percent of stellacure GmbH, the third largest cord blood banking service in Germany.

"Europe is quickly becoming a global force in the storage of stem cells for future medical use. We believe this acquisition is a perfect example of our business strategy to use acquisitions as part of the process to grow Cord Blood America into a major stem cell storage company globally," said Matthew Schissler, Cord Blood America co-founder and CEO.

Article Controls

"Becoming a 51% stakeholder of one of Europe's most meaningful stem cell banking companies is extremely important for us to carry out our goal of becoming the globally dominant stem cell storage company. We see acquiring a majority stake in stellacure as an important first step to further penetrate other European markets. CBAI is extremely pleased that it was chosen as stellacure's preferred partner to foster further growth of the company and equally excited to establish a long term relationship with the largest blood service unit of the German Red Cross, as we all know a respected name globally," Mr. Schissler said.

The transaction was introduced by specialist life sciences advisory firm CFP BioConnect AG, based in Frankfurt/Germany.

About Cord Blood America

Cord Blood America (OTC Bulletin Board: CBAI) is the parent company of CorCell, which facilitates umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation for expectant parents and their children. Its mission is to be the most respected stem cell preservation company in the industry. Collected through a safe and non-invasive process, cord blood stem cells offer a powerful and potentially life-saving resource for treating a growing number of ailments, including cancer, leukemia, blood, and immune disorders. To find out more about Cord Blood America, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: CBAI), visit our website at www.corcell.com. For investor information, visit www.cordblood-america.com.

CONTACT: Paul Knopick E & E Communications 949/707-5365 pknopick@eandecommunications.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We use words such as "anticipate,'' "believe,'' "expect,'' "future,'' "intend,'' "plan,'' and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. These statements, including those related to the growth of the industry, new stem cell treatments, and the Company's performance, are only predictions and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Additional risks are identified and described in the Company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements made herein are as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as of any subsequent date. The Company's past performance is not necessarily indicative of its future performance. The Company does not undertake, and the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, events, or circumstances after the date of such statement.

SOURCE Cord Blood America, Inc.

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Five Suggestions for Banking Reform - MSN Money

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 07:48 AM PDT

Peter Atwater

Editor's Note: The following was posted in real time on our premium Buzz & Banter (click for a free trial).

First, as a public service announcement, I must preface my comments with the explicit request from the Treasury Secretary that you not listen to me. You see, I'm all but certain that my 10 years building JPMorgan's (JPM) securitization business during the late 1980s and early 1990s likely qualify me as one of the early "masters of noble financial innovation" whom Mr. Geithner earlier this week explicitly requested that you "listen less to" during this period of time that banking reform is being debated.

With that now out of the way, let me offer a few thoughts, which I hope may contribute to a constructive dialogue on the topic.

First, as much as I admire Mr. Volcker and the noble intentions of the "Volcker Rule," I'm afraid that attempting to re-silo the financial services industry is akin to trying to unscramble an egg. In fact, with all due respect to the myriad of regulators currently in place, I think our existing silo'ed regulation contributed mightily to our crisis. How can it be that no single regulator had a full grasp of the "too entangled to fail" world of OTC derivatives along with the authority to deal with it?

Until regulation aligns with enterprise and systemic risk, we risk more crises in the future. Banks, insurance companies, money managers, hedge funds, and broker dealers are all in the same business -- they take someone else's money and do something with it all with the hopes of making money in the process. Until we have uniform rules (globally too), I assure you we'll have regulatory arbitrage, which results in failed oversight.

Second, and at the risk of being bold, I believe the time has come to eliminate FDIC insurance. When the FDIC was created in the 1930s, it was intended to be a temporary solution. Today, it puts the US taxpayer on the hook for more than $7 trillion in bank liabilities. But as a consequence, depositor due diligence is non-existent. And putting Wall Street aside, this crisis has shown, even with specific oversight, hundreds of now-failed banks took excessive risk in their traditional banking businesses and their insured depositors neither cared nor were adversely impacted. Their risk was borne by the government, while they earned returns far in excess of comparable US Treasuries. If we're truly going to eliminate "moral hazard"/"too big to fail" we must eliminate deposit insurance in the process.

Third, we must demand that the rating agencies disregard "systemic support" when ascribing debt ratings. The fact that we still have some financial institutions receiving "uplifts" of as many as five ratings levels because of their systemic importance is unacceptable and I believe currently poses one of the greatest financial risks to our nation.

Fourth, we must repeal the "Levitt Rule." In good times, loan loss reserves must be built in anticipation of bad times. And, should FDIC deposit insurance not be repealed, as I recommend, fund premiums must also adopt a countercyclical methodology. That banks were releasing reserves and the FDIC was reducing/eliminating premiums at the top of the market defies basic logic.

Finally, our regulators must act courageously. This past week Moody's wrote:

We observe… that the current regulatory regime is already authorized to protect the soundness of banks and the financial system as a whole. In addition, the current banking laws give bank regulators the power to have banks cease and desist from activities and to require banks to have higher capital ratios. Thus, we believe that the benefits of a revamped regulatory regime will depend more upon how regulators implement and execute the law -- rather than depend on the words of the law itself -- because the proposed regulatory framework doesn't appear to be significantly different from what exists today.

Don't get me wrong, I fully understand and appreciate the value of the "safety net" provided by the government to economic growth. But as we have seen in housing, banking, (and I suspect soon in higher education), an oversized safety net -- in which risk is ultimately fully borne by taxpayers -- results in wildly misdirected capital flows. And while at the time it all feels great, as we are now seeing, the ultimately consequences are devastating.

Over the past 80 years, while done with the noblest of intentions, we've traded bank runs for country runs. The sooner we address this risk, the better.

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MSN Money: Search MSN Money; Message Boards; Site Status

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mBlox Survey Finds Mobile Banking Overtakes Telephone ... - Businesswire.com

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 04:53 PM PDT

Greater Access to Services, Convenience and Time-Saving Cited as Main Reasons for Growth, Concerns Over Security and Cost Persist

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CTIA Wireless 2010, Booth 107 - Today mBlox (www.mblox.com), the world's largest mobile transaction network, released the results of consumer research that found mobile banking to have gained a foothold in the U.S. and U.K. markets. Surpassing both branch and telephone banking in terms of popularity, the survey found that 25 percent of U.S. mobile phone users and 37 percent of U.K. mobile phone users have adopted mobile banking services.

"access banking services anywhere, at any time"

When asked which banking method users preferred, respondents found mobile banking more convenient and easier to use than telephone banking (voice and touchtone) by a margin of 3 to 1 in the U.S. and by a 1 percent margin in the U.K. Conversely, when asked about branch banking, fewer respondents selected it as their favorite method of banking, with only 2 percent in the U.S. and 3 percent in the U.K. choosing it as their preferred method.

Research revealed that the greatest benefits of mobile banking for consumers (52 percent in the U.S. and 46 percent in the U.K.) are the ability to "access banking services anywhere, at any time," as well as "convenience" and "time-saving."

"It's clear from the findings of this survey that consumer behavior is shifting to adopt the capabilities afforded by mobile banking," said Andrew Dark, CEO, mBlox. "We are seeing strong interest in the mobile sector from a wide variety of industries including transportation, retail, marketing and entertainment, which shows there is an opportunity for financial services to benefit from this increasingly popular channel."

The research also identified the services consumers are most interested in using on their mobile phones. In both countries, respondents rated as their top four services: daily balance notifications; suspicious activity notifications; fraud alert notifications; and low balance, overdraft, and credit limit notifications. U.S. respondents also cited as a key service the ability to transfer funds between accounts, while U.K. respondents favored the ability to view statements and transaction history.

"Consumers today want real-time, round-the-clock access to their finances and are demanding a higher level of convenience for managing such information," said Soren Bested, Managing Director of Monitise Americas, an mBlox partner providing mobile banking and payment services to North American financial institutions. "It's no surprise that the 'anywhere, anytime' aspect of mobile banking was one of the greatest benefits found in the mBlox research, and we see SMS as a key ingredient in providing that convenience factor. Whether it be requesting an account balance or receiving a text alert notifying consumers of activity on their account, SMS provides a method of financial control. We're delighted to partner with mBlox to deliver high-quality, reliable, and secure mobile messaging to our customers."

The research highlighted two factors, however, that may be slowing down the growth of mobile banking services. These top two reservations were identified by respondents as "security" (33 percent in the U.S. and 49 percent in the U.K.) and "cost" (31 percent in both the U.S. and U.K.).

"We understand that security will be a consumer concern with any banking service. For this reason, mBlox continues to invest significant sums in its data centers, processes and networks to ensure that it is on par with the latest financial security standards," said Dark. "With regards to cost, SMS is an inherently cost-effective solution for the transmission of information, with minimal or no cost to the end user. Our ability to facilitate the safety and integrity of consumer's financial information is paramount and is what sets us apart from our competitors. The industry needs to work together to educate users to the secure and cost-effective nature of mobile banking services and we at mBlox intend to lead in this respect."

About the research

The U.S./U.K. research was carried out by global research company, OnePoll between March 15–18, 2010. The results in the release are U.S./U.K. specific from nationally representative samples of 1,798 U.S. and 1,000 U.K. mobile phone users aged 16 and above.

About mBlox

mBlox is the world's largest mobile transaction network. The company specializes in simplifying the complexities, commercial and technical, of mobile billing and message transmission for our clients. Via a carrier-grade network, mBlox enables companies to communicate with mobile subscribers on more than 600 carriers in 180 countries, millions of times each day. The company has U.S. headquarters in Silicon Valley, with EMEA headquarters in London, Asia headquarters in Singapore and offices around the world. For further information, visit www.mBlox.com.

About Monitise Americas

Monitise Americas is a joint venture between FIS, one of the world's largest providers of banking and payments technology to financial institutions and businesses worldwide, and Monitise plc (MONI.L), a specialist in mobile banking and payments technology. Monitise Americas provides mobile banking and payment services to North American financial institutions predicated on an "ecosystem" principle, which allows multiple mobile carriers and financial institutions to deliver services over a single platform. Current partners of Monitise Americas include FIS, NYCE, Everlink, Corporate Network eCom, and eCommLink. For more information on Monitise Americas and details of how to benefit from participating in its cross-America ecosystem, please visit www.monitiseamericas.com.

Trademarks

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Japan's gov't steps back from LDP postal privatization ... - People's Daily Online

Posted: 24 Mar 2010 05:10 AM PDT

The government led by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on Wednesday unveiled a plan to roll back an Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) initiative that would have seen the nation's postal service fully privatized.

Financial Services Minister Shizuka Kamei said at a news conference that under a bill to be put before parliament, the state will retain more than one third of the shares in Japan Post Holdings Co. that it currently owns.

The move will pull back a plan put forward by the administration of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that would have seen the postal service fully privatized. On the basis of that plan, the LDP crushed the opposition in the so called "postal vote " of 2005.

Since then, sentiment in Japan has changed amid an economic downturn that has put many of Koizumi's pro-market reforms in a new light.

The Koizumi plan for the postal service would have seen the institution fully privatized by 2017.

Under the DPJ plan, the government will retain some control over the institution, while giving it more freedom to expand its operations and allowing larger deposits to be placed within its banking service.

The bill on postal reform is expected to be sent to parliament in April, just a few months before a key upper house election.

Source: Xinhua

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plus 3, BECU Launches CashEdge's Popmoney(TM) Person-to-Person ... - Earthtimes

2010-03-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

plus 3, BECU Launches CashEdge's Popmoney(TM) Person-to-Person ... - Earthtimes

BECU Launches CashEdge's Popmoney(TM) Person-to-Person ... - Earthtimes
'Porting to Avea available via Garanti Bank's internet ... - TMCnet
Fixed Mobile Convergence - TMCnet
Senate Dems Push Reform Through Banking Committee - Daily Finance

BECU Launches CashEdge's Popmoney(TM) Person-to-Person ... - Earthtimes

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 05:47 AM PDT

To learn more about CashEdge's Intelligent Money Movement Services, visit www.cashedge.com.

About BECU

About CashEdge

The Company is headquartered in New York with offices in Silicon Valley and India. For more information, visit www.cashedge.com.

SOURCE CashEdge, Inc.

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'Porting to Avea available via Garanti Bank's internet ... - TMCnet

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 06:37 AM PDT

(DMeurope Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Turkish mobile operator Avea has partnered local financial services provider Garanti Bank to enable its customers demanding to become Avea subscribers to switch to Avea using Garanti's internet banking service. To join Avea, individual or corporate Garanti Bank customers can do so by entering Garanti's internet banking channel and accessing the 'GSM number portability' option from the Applications Menu. After the required form is filled, Avea customer representatives visit the subscribers at the addresses they previously specified and inform them about Avea campaigns.

((Comments on this story may be sent to tww.feedback@m2.com)) (c) 2010 M2 COMMUNICATIONS

[ Back To 4g-wirelessevolution.tmcnet.com/wimax's Homepage ]

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Fixed Mobile Convergence - TMCnet

Posted: 19 Mar 2010 09:41 AM PDT

BGL BNP Paribas launches mobile banking service

Mar 19, 2010 (Datamonitor via COMTEX) -- BGL BNP Paribas, a member of the BNP Paribas group, has launched a new mobile banking service in Luxembourg.

The new mobile banking service will reportedly allow clients to consult account balances and transactions, order transfers, track securities portfolios and even conduct simulations for personal loans from mobile phone.

The company has said that the launch of mobile phone banking solution, compatible with LuxTrust security systems, reflects its ambition to be a pioneer in Luxembourg for mobile banking services.

http://www.datamonitor.com Republication or redistribution, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent. Datamonitor shall not be liable for errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon

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Senate Dems Push Reform Through Banking Committee - Daily Finance

Posted: 23 Mar 2010 03:52 AM PDT

In less than 30 minutes, the Senate Banking Committee this afternoon approved major financial service reform legislation by a party-line 13-10 vote.

The panel took the action after committee Republicans withdrew hundreds of amendments they had filed, electing to save their fight on the bill when the full Senate takes up the more than 1,300-page legislation after the Easter recess.

Instead, the brief "mark-up," which was held at 5:00 p.m. Monday, consisted primarily of Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Ranking Member Richard Shelby, R-Ala., making opening statements about the need for financial services regulatory reform.

Since 2007, when the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression began, "Some of the most prominent financial institutions in our nation have been destroyed or seriously weakened," Dodd said. In March 2008, Bear Stearns collapsed and was sold in a fire sale to JPMorgan Chase. Lehman Brothers' collapse followed in September 2008, becoming the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history, with over $600 billion in assets.

Yet, "The far worse damage has been done to millions of our fellow citizens, ordinary families across the nation, who did nothing wrong but are paying a terrible price for this terrible crisis," Dodd said, citing the loss of 8.4 million jobs and almost 7 million foreclosures, along with huge losses to retirement funds.

"Americans are frustrated; they're angry about what's happened and they want answers," Dodd said. "How could this have happened, and what are we going to do to make sure it doesn't happen again?"

Shut Down Failing Firms

Dodd claimed that the bill, which he authored, would end bailouts, ensuring that failing firms would be shut down without taxpayer funding or threatening economic stability. To do that, financial firms would be discouraged from growing too large through strict rules for capital, leverage, liquidity and risk management. Proprietary trading that only profits a financial services firm could not be conducted by banks that take federally backed deposits.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council also would be tasked with serving as an early warning system to spot unsafe financial institutions, products or practices before they threaten the stability of the economy.

A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would be created within the Federal Reserve Board with an independent head and an independent budget, to protect consumers from unsafe products such as subprime mortgages that helped lead to the financial crisis.

Exotic financial instruments such as hedge funds and derivatives would face more regulation and open disclosure requirements.

Dodd pledged that the bill would "restore our financial security, so that our economy can create jobs and offer middle-class families the chance to build wealth."

While there will be a "spirited debate" in the weeks ahead on the bill, "We are moving forward on this issue," Dodd said. He predicted that financial services reforms would be adopted this year.

Bipartisan Agreement?

Shelby was conciliatory, predicting that Democrats and Republicans will try to come to an agreement, as they had unsuccessfully attempted to do until recent weeks, when Dodd moved to go ahead with a Democratic-backed measure. He pledged to continue to work with Democrats as the bill goes to the floor "in hopes or reaching a broad consensus."

Shelby outlined areas of common agreement between Democrats and Republicans, including a desire to end the concept of "too-big-to-fail" financial institutions that the markets assume the government will back financially if necessary. Although the bill approved today takes some steps in the right direction, it still falls short of getting away from bailouts, he said.

Shelby commended the Financial Stability Oversight Council, which he said would strengthen the financial system and improve financial regulation.

The regulatory structure needs to be modernized and streamlined, and the scope of the Federal Reserve's authority should be closely examined, consumer protections need to be strengthened, and derivatives trading needs to be made more transparent, standardized and competitive, Shelby said.

"These broad areas were, and I believe remain, the foundation of bipartisan legislation," Shelby said, adding that a bipartisan agreement is still not out of reach. "I do not view today's markup as the end of the road, but rather just another step in the process."

Regulatory Structure Imbalance

Noting that the controversial Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has received the most public attention, Shelby said that there is an "imbalance in our regulatory structure between consumer protection and safety-and-soundness regulation." But he said consumer protection should be elevated to the same level of importance that banking regulators give to the safety and soundness oversight of banks.

"While I continue to believe that a safe and sound banking system is the best consumer protection, there are steps that need to be taken to strengthen the role of consumer protection," he said.

Market expectations regarding bailouts need to be changed, private sector due diligence must improve, and regulators must be given realistic objectives and the tools to achieve them, Shelby said.

He was most critical of regulations in the bill that would subject derivatives transactions to reporting, clearing and execution requirements. Companies that use derivatives to hedge legitimate business risks would be subject to the new requirements, unless they qualify for narrow exemptions under the bill.

Jumping Through Hoops

Companies should able to use swaps to hedge business risks without being required to "jump through unnecessary regulatory hoops, or have to set aside resources that could otherwise be used to create jobs and develop new products," Shelby said.

"Forcing clearing to essentially all derivatives ignores the risk of central clearing," Shelby said, warning that that could expose taxpayers to the risk of future bailouts of clearinghouses. "We need to carefully weigh the risk of mandating the clearing of products that are complex, illiquid, and hard to price," he said.

Regulators need access to all information about the full range of activities in the derivatives markets, but the bill allows some types of swaps to continue to be transacted without full transparency, Shelby charged.

Corporate governance provisions in the bill, such as giving shareholders more say on executive pay and allowing shareholder votes on corporate directors, are unrelated to the crisis and would "impose costs on shareholders and empower special interests," Shelby said.

Shelby also said that more needs to be done to address problems with credit rating agencies, securitization and funding of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The bill would allow the SEC to keep the transaction and filing fees it now collects, which would increase its funding significantly and provide it with a budget that Congress wouldn't have to approve through the annual appropriations process.

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plus 3, Gemalto and to Embed Mobile Banking Service in TI ... - Cellular-News

2010-03-22T09:20:00.001-07:00

plus 3, Gemalto and to Embed Mobile Banking Service in TI ... - Cellular-News

Gemalto and to Embed Mobile Banking Service in TI ... - Cellular-News
Gemalto and to Embed Mobile Banking Service in TI ... - Cellular-News
Bank of Kigali to Introduce SMS Banking - TMCnet
Australia & Nz Bank. Anz Completes Acquisition Of Rbs ... - NASDAQ

Gemalto and to Embed Mobile Banking Service in TI ... - Cellular-News

Posted: 22 Mar 2010 06:03 AM PDT

Gemalto says that it has inked a deal to incorporate its Mobile Financial Services on Texas Instruments' OMAP platform and M-Shield security technology for mobile devices. Applications can be secured with strong two-factor authentication - verifying the user and the phone - which requires the user to enter securely a personal identification number (PIN) prior to gaining access to financial services applications.

"Gemalto's Mobile Financial Services applications are currently used by millions of people around the globe," stated Philippe Valle, Executive Vice President, Telecommunications Business Unit, Gemalto. "This partnership with an industry leader like TI to place secure software within an OMAP platform provides the end customer of our combined offering the ability to enjoy the convenience of banking from their mobile device while resting assured that the application they are using is secure."

"This integration brings together the domain expertise of companies with a long history of serving the banking, telecommunications and mobile industry," added Dominique Bolignano, President of Trusted Logic. "This combined effort enables to now demonstrate a complete and immediately operational solution for m-banking, with a strong level of integration and end-to-end security."

Gemalto acquired Trusted Logic in September 2009.

Posted to the site on 22nd March 2010

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Gemalto and to Embed Mobile Banking Service in TI ... - Cellular-News

Posted: 22 Mar 2010 06:03 AM PDT

Gemalto acquired Trusted Logic in September 2009.

Posted to the site on 22nd March 2010

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Bank of Kigali to Introduce SMS Banking - TMCnet

Posted: 22 Mar 2010 09:01 AM PDT

Kigali, Mar 22, 2010 (The New Times/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- Bank of Kigali (BK) will launch Short Message Service (SMS) banking this month to assist its clients to easily access their bank accounts, the bank's Marketing Manager, Januario Mucyo, said on Thursday.

The Rwf30m project targets 56,000 subscribers by the end of this year with 560, 000 transactions per month.

Mucyo said, the bank intends to work with all telecom operators but at the moment they will start with MTN Rwanda.

"Depending on the cost of an SMS from a particular telecom operator, we will be subsidizing the cost for alerts and responses (transactions), and the cost will also depend on the number of services that the user has applied for," Mucyo explained.

He added that the product involves a wide range of services including requesting for account balance, account movement alerts and forwarding information about a transaction that occurred on the account.

It will also facilitate account statement request, check book request and electricity voucher request.

How the service will work The first step is sending a pull SMS - where a user sends a request to the bank. The bank then responds through a push SMS- a message from an SMS banking application server to the clients mobile phone.

[ Back To 4g-wirelessevolution.tmcnet.com/wimax's Homepage ]

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Australia & Nz Bank. Anz Completes Acquisition Of Rbs ... - NASDAQ

Posted: 22 Mar 2010 12:12 AM PDT

 TIDM67DC RNS Number : 9217I Australia & New Zealand Banking Grp 22 March 2010 ? Media Release For Release: 22 March 2010 ANZ completes acquisition of RBS retail and commercial businesses in Hong Kong - launches new priority service for affluent retail customers - ANZ today announced it had completed the acquisition of The Royal Bank of Scotland's (RBS) retail and commercial businesses in Hong Kong. To coincide with the completion ANZ launched a new service to meet the needs of affluent retail customers - ANZ Signature Priority Banking - which it will roll out across Asia Pacific over the next 18 months. The first ANZ Signature Priority Banking branch was launched in Central Hong Kong at the International Finance Centre (IFC), one of six ANZ branches now open for business in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong for the launch, ANZ CEO Asia Pacific, Europe and America Alex Thursby said: "The RBS integration is progressing to plan and today we welcome more than 40,000 customers and 350 staff in Hong Kong. "Our business here is particularly important in connecting customers across Greater China, as well as across our Asia Pacific network, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and America." Features of the new ANZ Signature Priority Banking service, which is available for individuals in Hong Kong with assets greater than HK$1 million to invest, include: &#183; individual service through a personal relationship manager, access

to investment and portfolio management specialists, and 24-hour phone and internet banking; · full banking and wealth management services including savings, current accounts, investment products, insurance, mortgages and personal loans; and · international banking and investments, including services in Australia,

New Zealand and across ANZ's regional Asia Pacific network. "ANZ has a different philosophy to many banks in the retail and wealth market," Mr Thursby said. "With ANZ Signature Priority Banking we will be spending more time building relationships with clients and really getting to know their needs and individual goals, rather than simply selling them products. "We will also give these clients the stability and confidence of ANZ's stability and safety, including our AA-rating." Mr Thursby said ANZ would also be focusing on growing its commercial banking business in Hong Kong: "ANZ has a very strong heritage in commercial banking, and we'll provide a relationship-led service for our new commercial clients, backed by our institutional product range and network across more than 30 countries globally." .../2 - 2 - ANZ has re-branded the former RBS Hong Kong branches and brought customers and staff across to ANZ with minimal disruption. Former RBS customers retain their existing relationship managers and can continue to access branches, ATMs and internet banking facilities as usual. Hong Kong is the third of six markets to transition to ANZ ownership after the RBS acquisition was completed in the Philippines and Vietnam in late 2009. ANZ is acquiring the RBS retail and commercial businesses in Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong, and the institutional businesses in Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam. Further information about ANZ's services in Hong Kong, including ANZ Signature Priority Banking, is available on www.anz.com/hongkong For media enquiries contact: +---------------------------------+---------------------------------+ | Fiona Gibb | Mairi Barton | | Regional Communications | Head of Communications, Asia | | Manager, North East Asia, | Pacific, Europe and America | | Europe & America | Tel: +61 3 8654 3209 or +61 411 | | Tel: +852 3929 5403 or +852 | 104425 | | 6390 0641 | Email: mairi.barton@anz.com | | Email: fiona.gibb@anz.com | | +---------------------------------+---------------------------------+ ANZ branches in Hong Kong: +--------------------------------+---------------------------------+--+ | Central Branch | Pacific Place Branch | | | Units 3809-3816 | Suites 2201 - 2207, Two Pacific | | | 38/F Two International Finance | Place | | | Centre, | 88 Queensway, Admiralty | | | 8 Finance Street, Central | Hong Kong | | | Hong Kong | | | | | | | +--------------------------------+---------------------------------+--+ | International Commerce Centre | Festival Walk Branch | | | Branch | Suite 301, Festival Walk Tower | | | Suites 1906 - 1907 | 80 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon | | | International Commerce Centre | Tong | | | 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon | Hong Kong | | | Hong Kong | | | | | | | +--------------------------------+---------------------------------+--+ | Causeway Bay Branch | ANZ Private Bank branch | | | Suites 3704 - 3709, Shell | Suites 3101-5, One Exchange | | | Tower | Square | | | Times Square, 1 Matheson | 8 Connaught Place, Central, | | | Street | Hong Kong | | | Causeway Bay | | | | Hong Kong | | | +--------------------------------+---------------------------------+--+ | | | | +--------------------------------+---------------------------------+--+ ANZ Hong Kong branch opening hours: &#183; Monday to Friday: 9.00am to 5.00pm &#183; Saturday: 9.00am to 1.00pm This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange END MSCELLBLBXFBBBF

 (END) Dow Jones Newswires 03-22-100315ET Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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plus 2, Deal between Sri Lankan, Kerala banks - The Gaea Times

2010-03-21T09:17:00.001-07:00

plus 2, Deal between Sri Lankan, Kerala banks - The Gaea Times

Deal between Sri Lankan, Kerala banks - The Gaea Times
Mobile market ripe for growth - Nashville Tennessean
Mission Valley Bank - Santa Clarita Radio

Deal between Sri Lankan, Kerala banks - The Gaea Times

Posted: 21 Mar 2010 03:55 AM PDT

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala-based South Indian Bank (SIB) will Tuesday ink an agreement with Hatton National Bank (HNB), the largest private sector bank in Sri Lanka, to enable the exchange of expertise and services between the two financial institutions, an SIB official said here Sunday.

"The memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be inked between V.A. Joseph, managing director and chief executive officer of SIB, and Rajendra Theagarajah, managing director of HNB, Tuesday in Thiruvananthapuram," the SIB official told IANS on condition of anonymity.

"Once the MoU is in place, it would enable the customers of the two banks, wherever they are, to make remittances under demand draft drawing arrangements," he added.

SIB, which will close this fiscal with a business of more than Rs.38,000 crore, is planning a business turnover of Rs.48,000 crore in the next financial year.

"In the last one decade India has emerged as the largest trade partner of Sri Lanka, so our customers can now look forward for smoother trade-related business like issuing of letter of credits and also discounting of import and export bills," the official said.

SIB has achieved a credit growth of 30.47 per cent in the current fiscal and a deposit growth of 23.69 per cent, well above the industry average.

The bank recovered stressed assets to the tune of Rs.241 crore and, thus, exceeded the target of Rs.225 crore for this fiscal with a fairly good margin, SIB had said in a statement.

The gross non-performing assets (NPA) have come down to 1.46 per cent and net NPA to 0.39 per cent as of December 2009. In the next fiscal, SIB plans to open 60 more branches that will take the total number of its core banking service branch network to 640 in the country, it said.

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Mobile market ripe for growth - Nashville Tennessean

Posted: 21 Mar 2010 12:06 AM PDT

(2 of 2)

"All my questions were answered in a matter of two minutes (of browsing), rather than waiting on a phone call and hoping that person can answer my questions," Benhard said.

Sarah Townsend, a 25-year-old training program coordinator, said she likes to reserve tables through her Palm Pre. "I could be sitting in the car and do it, so I don't have to think about it all day," she said.

Inexpensive add-on

Producing a mobile Web site is relatively inexpensive if a company already has an existing Web site on the Internet, analysts said. That's because a mobile Web site often has fewer features than what's available online to make it easier for the consumer to browse on a phone.

However, the process of making a mobile site can be "fairly complex and requires a good amount of testing," said John Tighe, director of e-commerce for Genesco Retail. Most companies try to program their sites for the most popular platforms such as an iPhone or BlackBerry.

The Journeys clothing and shoe store chain, a division of Nashville-based Genesco Inc., is launching its mobile Web site in a few weeks to appeal to its target demographic — consumers ages 13 to 24, who often have cell phones. The division includes Journeys, Journeys Kidz and Shi by Journeys stores.

"Our core customer is more comfortable with that device. That's their computer," Tighe said. "It's even more personal than it's ever been because they are carrying it with them."

The mobile site will be an extension of Journeys' existing Web site, letting consumers browse and buy on their phones. Success on the mobile site will be measured by the amount of traffic, not necessarily sales, Tighe said.

Nashville-based Avenue Bank last month launched a mobile banking Web site that allows clients to review their accounts and balances, transfer funds and see their account transactions. About 2,200 clients use Avenue Bank's online banking system, and the bank expects within a year to see 10 percent to 20 percent of that clientele using its mobile banking services, said Vickie Storm, executive vice president and director of client services.

Five days after its launch, 44 people signed up for the bank's mobile banking service, Storm said.

Analysts say they believe mobile commerce will continue to grow in the future. Iacobucci said there are opportunities for businesses to take on a new type of impulse buying through the cell phone. For example, stores could use GPS technology on customers' cell phones to recognize if the customers are near one of their stores and send mobile coupons to attract them inside, she added.

"It could be very opportunistic in a good way," Iacobucci said.

Benhard, who is already using Avenue Bank's mobile banking services, is constantly looking for new ways to use his iPhone to simplify his life. The owner of Master Restoration Group, he plans to collect credit card payments through his phone.

"I'm ten times more productive," Benhard said of using his iPhone.

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Mission Valley Bank - Santa Clarita Radio

Posted: 21 Mar 2010 01:17 AM PDT

When we originally opened for business in July 2001, Mission Valley Bank was the first new independent bank in more than four years in the San Fernando Valley. With a continuum of acquisitions and mergers in the banking industry, the resulting decline in service levels created an opportunity for a Valley-based, community-owned bank specializing in service excellence.

Our organizers and founders are local business people and bankers who have worked in—and served—the community for many years. It's this community involvement that allows us to provide unsurpassed financial service to growing businesses, and offer highly responsive banking relationships to every customer.

Our business model has proven successful from its inception. We continue to grow and thrive. Mission Valley Bank has opened a new, state-of-the-art Branch and Production Office in the fast growing area of Centre Pointe in Santa Clarita!

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plus 2, Market Watch for Pacific Capital Bancorp Issued by ... - MSN Money

2010-03-19T09:12:00.001-07:00

plus 2, Market Watch for Pacific Capital Bancorp Issued by ... - MSN Money

Market Watch for Pacific Capital Bancorp Issued by ... - MSN Money
RDSI Banking Systems Announces Contract With Somerville ... - MSN Money
Chemung Canal Trust launches new service - Press & Sun-Bulletin

Market Watch for Pacific Capital Bancorp Issued by ... - MSN Money

Posted: 19 Mar 2010 03:57 AM PDT

DALLAS, March 19, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StockPreacher.com announces an investment report featuring Pacific Capital Bancorp (Nasdaq:PCBC). The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and industry information you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

The full report is available at: http://www.stockpreacher.com/n/PCBC

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Pacific Capital Bancorp (PCBC) is a community bank holding company providing full service banking, including consumer and commercial lending, trust and investment advisory services, and other consumer and business banking products through its subsidiaries' retail branches, commercial and wealth management centers, and other distribution channels to consumers and businesses primarily located in the central coast of California. PCBC has five wholly owned subsidiaries, Pacific Capital Bank, National Association (the Bank or PCBNA), a banking subsidiary and four unconsolidated subsidiaries. The Company operates in three segments: Community Banking, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management. In January 2010, the Company announced that it has completed the sale of its Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL) and Refund Transfer (RT) businesses (together, the Tax Division) to Santa Barbara Tax Products Group LLC.

Message Board Search for PCBC: http://www.boardcentral.com/boards/PCBC

In the report, the analyst notes:

"The Company's net loss for the fourth quarter of 2009 was ($20.0) million, or ($0.43) per common share, compared to a net loss of ($42.9) million, or ($0.92) per common share, in the same period of the prior year.

"PCBC recently announced that Frederick W. Clough, 66, will retire as executive vice president and general counsel of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Pacific Capital Bank, N.A., effective March 31, 2010. Clough will continue to serve the Company as a consultant. Clough joined PCBC in February 2001 from his position as Managing Partner of the Santa Barbara law firm of Reicker, Clough, Pfau, Pyle, McRoy & Herman, LLP, which he and his partners established in July 1996."

To read the entire report visit: http://www.stockpreacher.com/n/PCBC

See what investors are saying about PCBC at penny stock forum

StockPreacher.com is a small-cap research and investment commentary provider. StockPreacher.com strives to provide a balanced view of many promising small-cap companies that would otherwise fall under the radar of the typical Wall Street investor. We provide investors with an excellent first step in their research and due diligence by providing daily trading ideas, and consolidating the public information available on them. For more information on StockPreacher, please visit: http://www.stockpreacher.com.

StockPreacher.com Disclosure

StockPreacher.com is not a registered investment advisor and nothing contained in any materials should be construed as a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. StockPreacher.com is a Web site wholly owned by BlueWave Advisors, LLC. StockPreacher.com nor its affiliates have a beneficial interest in the mentioned company; nor have they received compensation of any kind for any of the companies listed in this communication. Please read our report and visit our Web site, StockPreacher.com, for complete risks and disclosures.

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RDSI Banking Systems Announces Contract With Somerville ... - MSN Money

Posted: 19 Mar 2010 08:01 AM PDT

DEFIANCE, Ohio, March 19, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rurban Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:RBNF), a leading provider of full-service community banking, investment management, trust services and bank data and item processing, today announced that Somerville National Bank of Somerville, Ohio, has selected the Single Source(TM) core banking application offered exclusively through RDSI Banking Systems.

Paul E. Taylor, President of Somerville National Bank, stated, "The contract with RDSI Banking Systems made the best business sense for us as we examined our options. The Single Source(TM) application, which offers real-time capability, will provide our bank the necessary tools to stay current in the banking industry and provide us the options to extend superior products and services to our customers."

Kenneth A. Joyce, President and Chief Executive Officer of RDSI, stated, "Our commitment in helping our client banks succeed is foremost in RDSI's culture. We pride ourselves on delivering personalized service that allows our customers to offer the best of breed products and services. RDSI is looking forward to continuing a relationship with Somerville Bank."

About Rurban Financial Corp.

Rurban Financial Corp. is a publicly-held financial services holding company based in Defiance, Ohio. Rurban's wholly-owned subsidiaries are The State Bank and Trust Company, including Reliance Financial Services and RDSI Banking Systems (RDSI), including DCM. The State Bank and Trust Company offers financial services through its 19 banking centers in Allen, Defiance, Fulton, Lucas, Paulding, Williams and Wood Counties, Ohio and Allen County, Indiana and a Loan Production Office in Franklin County, Ohio. Reliance Financial Services, a division of the Bank, offers a diversified array of trust and financial services to customers throughout the Midwest. RDSI and DCM provide data and item processing services to community banks in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin. Rurban's common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol RBNF. The Company currently has 10,000,000 shares of stock authorized and 4,861,779 shares outstanding. The Company's website is http://www.rurbanfinancial.net.

 CONTACT: Rurban Financial Corp. Investor Contact: Valda Colbart 419-784-2759 rfcinv@rurban.net

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Chemung Canal Trust launches new service - Press & Sun-Bulletin

Posted: 19 Mar 2010 08:29 AM PDT

REGION Chemung Canal Trust Co. said its trust and investment division has expanded its services to include private banking. J. Edmond Morton IV, of Owego, has been hired to manage this new service.

"We have created a seamlessly coordinated approach to handling all of our high net worth clients' financial needs through one point of contact, our private banker," President and CEO Ronald M. Bentley said.

Morton has more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry. He spent the past decade focusing on private banking and wealth management in the Philadelphia area while employed at Mellon Bank, Bank of America, Sovereign Bank and The Bancorp Bank.

Chemung Canal Trust operates through 23 branch offices in Broome, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins counties in New York, as well as in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. The bank also operates full-service trust and investment centers in downtown Binghamton, Elmira and Herkimer.

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plus 1, S'pore bank sees mobile users doubling - Zd Net Asia.com

2010-03-18T09:15:00.001-07:00

plus 1, S'pore bank sees mobile users doubling - Zd Net Asia.com

S'pore bank sees mobile users doubling - Zd Net Asia.com

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 11:38 PM PST

update SINGAPORE--The Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Bank (OCBC) says its mobile banking user base has doubled every year since it launched the service in 2006.

Patrick Chew, head of delivery for consumer financial services at OCBC, said in a press briefing here Friday that mobile banking is moving from its early-adopter base to the mainstream audience.

Transaction volumes have also doubled each year, reflecting increased trust in the security of mobile banking services, said Chew.

He could not specify how many customers were using OCBC's mobile services, but noted that the figure has reached 30 percent of its Internet banking customer base.

The rate of adoption for mobile banking is taking a faster upswing, compared to that of automated teller machines (ATMs) in the 1980s, and Internet banking in the 1990s, he noted.

Chew also said the majority of the bank's mobile users are between the ages of 25 and 45, with 70 percent of them transacting on their phones at least once every two weeks, or more frequently.

While early users turned to mobile banking primarily to perform passive tasks such as checking their bank balances, more users now perform transactions over their phones, including making bills payments, he said. He added that the volume of bill payments has quadrupled each month over the past year.

"More users are managing their cash through their phones, beyond just monitoring bank balances," he said.

In an e-mailed response to ZDNet Asia, Sandeep Lal, managing director and head of consumer e-business at local bank, DBS Bank, said: "We are in an advanced stage of implementing our mBanking [mobile banking] service in Singapore and we intend to lead in the space, too."

Lal added that DBS has an Internet banking customer base covering 1.35 million users.

Citibank launched its mobile service, called Citi Mobile, in Hong Kong toward the end of 2008. It extended this service to Singapore in August last year.

The iPhone touch
Chew also emphasized the impact of the Apple iPhone on the bank's increased mobile banking traffic.

He noted a 10 to 20 percent rise in usage among OCBC customers after SingTel brought the device to Singapore, followed by a similar spike when competing telcos, StarHub and MobileOne, also began offering the iPhone.

While OCBC has made mobile banking available via a Java applet since 2006, the arrival of more smartphones and generous data bundles have helped push mobile banking up, he said.

He added that early banking through mobile phones involved a slower process because of lower data speeds, and faced barriers such as expensive cellular data costs and the need for users to manually configure some phone models to get online. Today, most phones are configured to get online out of the box, said Chew.

In addition, OCBC is eyeing the slate space to continue the ramp up of mobile banking services, he said. Chew's team has plans to import a few sets of the Apple iPad once the product debuts next month, so the bank can perform tests on the device.

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Boost for Mobile Banking for the Unbanked as CGAP, DFID ... - Consumer Electronics Net

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 02:09 AM PST

March 11, 2010 --

Housed at the World Bank, CGAP Technology Program working for poor people to get safe ways to send, receive, and save money

WASHINGTON and LONDON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- CGAP, an independent microfinance center based at the World Bank, today announced a new partnership with the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to expand ongoing global efforts to use information and communication technologies (ICT), especially mobile phones, to increase access to basic financial services for the poor. In addition to a 2006 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and CGAP funding, DFID will provide GBP 8 million to the CGAP Technology Program.

"Giving people access to financial services can help them lift themselves out of poverty. I am therefore pleased that the DFID-supported Technology Program at CGAP will work to improve poor people's access to financial services such as payments, savings, loans, and insurance. The Program will also support the delivery of social protection payments in developing countries and make the transfer of international remittances cheaper and safer," said UK Minister for Development Gareth Thomas.

Today's announcement builds on more than six years of work on mobile banking and access to finance. In that time, CGAP has provided financing and technical advice to projects with more than a dozen providers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to develop innovative banking solutions, and conducted in-depth policy assessments of 13 countries. CGAP has also published a series of white papers focusing on business models, client needs, and regulatory conditions, which can be accessed at http://www.cgap.org/technology.

"The idea that a mobile phone could replace a bank branch has gone from concept to reality at an amazing pace. Now with support from DFID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, it's time to get beyond the early excitement of the past few years and shift into the build-out stage for mobile money so that millions of poor people everywhere get access to formal financial services," said Stephen Rasmussen, manager of the CGAP Technology Program.

Communication technologies such as point of sale devices and ATMs, but also notably mobile phones, are increasingly connecting poor people to the financial grid. With CGAP technical support and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funding, CGAP's project partners in India, Mongolia, Pakistan and the Philippines have created the world's first mobile phone-enabled savings accounts aimed at reaching poor, unbanked people.

"Savings is a highly neglected financial service available to the poor, and despite what most people may think, the poor do need a safe place to save money," said Amolo Ng'weno, deputy director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "Mobile phones and other front-end technology solutions can bring low-cost financial services to poor people, giving them opportunities to build financial security and improve their lives."

Notes to editors

-- A CGAP survey in 2009 found there are 2.7 billion people globally who don't have basic banking service, which matters because poor people need safe ways to send, receive, and save money. -- DFID's best known grant for financial inclusion was a challenge grant to Vodafone which helped create M-PESA, which in three years has reached more than 8.5 million people with mobile money transfer in Kenya.

Key areas of focus for the technology program at CGAP

-- Helping policymakers develop regulations that support effective use of mobile technologies for financial inclusion. -- Harnessing existing government payments and remittance flows to provide banking services to large numbers of unbanked people. -- Improving broad industry knowledge and practice in the areas of customers, agents, business models and regulatory frameworks. -- Demonstrating innovation and scale in branchless banking projects resulting from CGAP's technical assistance and/or grant funding.

Facts about CGAP

-- CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) is supported by over 30 development agencies and private foundations who share a common mission to alleviate poverty, and is housed at the World Bank. -- CGAP serves as technical advisor to the G-20 in the G-20's efforts to promote the use of technology to increase financial inclusion. -- Since 2007 CGAP has shaped 14 projects in nine countries with governments, telecom operators, microfinance institutions, and commercial banks. -- CGAP has led or partnered with others on market research covering more than 6,000 mobile money users in Kenya, Philippines, Brazil and South Africa.

About CGAP

CGAP is an independent policy and research centre dedicated to advancing financial access for the world's poor. It is supported by over 30 development agencies and private foundations who share a common mission to alleviate poverty. Housed at the World Bank, CGAP provides market intelligence, promotes standards, develops innovative solutions and offers advisory services to governments, microfinance providers, donors, and investors. More at http://www.cgap.org.

About DFID

The Department for International Development is the UK Government's department that manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty. You can find out more at www.dfid.gov.uk.

For CGAP Jim Rosenberg jrosenberg@cgap.org +1 202 473 1084 Una Gallagher Pulizzi upulizzi@cgap.org +1-202 473 8869 For DFID DFID Press Office +44 (0) 207 023 0600

SOURCE CGAP

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plus 1, V.P. Credit Union Selects Acumen From Fiserv For Core ... - Street.Com

2010-03-17T09:22:00.001-07:00

plus 1, V.P. Credit Union Selects Acumen From Fiserv For Core ... - Street.Com

V.P. Credit Union Selects Acumen From Fiserv For Core ... - Street.Com

Posted: 17 Mar 2010 06:30 AM PDT

Fiserv Solutions of Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), announced today that V.P. Credit Union of Vancouver, British Columbia has chosen to implement its advanced Acumen™ account processing solution. V.P. Credit Union is the 14 ^th organization in Canada to select Acumen since January 2008.

Serving the employees of the Vancouver Police Board and other municipal peace officers and their immediate families since 1944, V.P. Credit Union selected Acumen to increase productivity and add functionality. V.P. is moving from an in-house core banking system to a service bureau with the implementation of Acumen.

The $120 million credit union needed a partner committed to ongoing development, innovation and integration with all future channels. Leaders for V.P. Credit Union recognized that Fiserv has the financial resources and stability of a market leader, as well as a wide range of ancillary products and services. Recent selections of Acumen by other leading credit unions in Canada also influenced the credit union's decision.

"With the installation of Acumen, our credit union will be switching from an in-house core system to the Acumen service bureau environment. Increased legislative and regulatory requirements surrounding data privacy and data operations convinced us that our needs would be more fully met by outsourcing the IT operations, and we know that Fiserv will ensure the integrity of our data operations," said Larry Hill, General Manager of V.P. Credit Union.

Designed to support the business initiatives of market-leading credit unions, Acumen (formerly known as iSpectrum™) was built from the ground up as an open platform using the latest Internet technologies. With unlimited scalability, real-time processing, global capabilities and 360-degree member views, Acumen delivers unsurpassed flexibility that credit unions cannot outgrow. Acumen is available throughout Canada via in-house, service bureau or resource management deployment models.

"The growing list of Canadian credit unions choosing Acumen from Fiserv can only enhance the progressive credit union movement across Canada," said Kevin Sparks, Fiserv segment executive for the Acumen product line. "We believe V.P. Credit Union's selection is further proof that Acumen is the choice for credit unions seeking a long-term technology partner."

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Moody's reports: Stable outlook for Lebanese banking ... - Zawya.com

Posted: 17 Mar 2010 04:50 AM PDT

17 March 2010
The credit outlook for the Lebanese banking sector is stable, reflecting the buoyant performance of the local economy in 2009, improvement in Lebanese politics and relative stability in the region, says Moody's Investors Service in its new Banking System Outlook on Lebanon. However, this outlook could weaken rapidly in the event that the recent political posturing in the wider region deteriorates into more serious acts of aggression.
Moody's stable outlook for the Lebanese banking system expresses the rating agency's view on the likely future direction of fundamental credit conditions in the industry over the next 12 to 18 months. It does not represent a projection of rating upgrades versus downgrades.
"The stability of the Lebanese banking sector reflects, to a significant extent, its remarkable success in attracting a constant large stream of foreign funding from the Lebanese diaspora and Gulf investors. Indeed, bank deposits have displayed a notable resilience to political shock throughout the country's turbulent recent history," says Stathis Kyriakides, a Moody's Assistant Vice President-Analyst, and author of the report. At the same time, given the systemic risks inherent in operating within Lebanon's volatile operating environment, Lebanese banks have traditionally maintained high liquidity, much of it with international financial institutions.
Moody's does not anticipate either a significant overhaul in Lebanese banks' liquidity policies or any short-term impediments to the stable inflow of foreign funding in the absence of a significant deterioration in regional politics.
Meanwhile, the buoyant performance of the economy in 2009 and expectations of good growth in 2010 together with a relatively stable domestic political scene (within the Lebanese context) are supportive of credit conditions in the country. That said, a key feature of the Lebanese banking system is the banks' sizeable exposure to sovereign debt, which
-- given Lebanon's B2 sovereign rating -- constitutes a highly risky investment. "Banking and government finances remain co-dependent in

Lebanon: the government relies on ongoing financing of its sizeable debt by domestic banks and the banking sector has embedded interest in preserving monetary stability. Thus, government securities will continue to comprise a large portion of banking assets in the foreseeable future, linking banks' asset quality to the performance of the government's debt rating," Mr Kyriakides explains.
Domestic and regional politics have a more pronounced impact on Lebanon's economy, sovereign debt rating and banking system than global economic conditions. In this context, Moody's cautions that, despite its current stable credit outlook for the Lebanese banking sector amid the recent relative stability, political risk remains high for as long as the country continues to be the theatre for proxy conflicts among regional and international stakeholders in the region.
The principal methodologies used in rating Lebanese banks are "Bank Financial Strength Ratings: Global Methodology", February 2007 and "Incorporation of Joint-Default Analysis into Moody's Bank Ratings: A Refined Methodology", March 2007, which can be found at www.moodys.com in the Rating Methodologies sub-directory under the Research & Ratings tab.
Other methodologies and factors that may have been considered in the rating process can also be found in the Rating Methodologies sub-directory on Moody's website.
The "Banking System Outlook: Lebanon" is available on www.moodys.com
-End-

For more information please contact:
EMEA Press Information in London +44-20-7772-5456;
New York Press Information +1-212-553-0376;
Juan Pablo Soriano in Madrid +34-91-310-1454;
Alex Cataldo in Milan +39-02-914-81-100;
Eric de Bodard in Paris +331-5330-1076;
Detlef Scholz in Frankfurt +49-69-707-30-700;
Mardig Haladjian in Limassol +357-25-586-586;
Alex Sazhin in Moscow +7495-228-6060;
Petr Vins in Prague +4202 2422 2929; T

okyo PressInformation +813-5408-4110;
Hilary Parkes in Toronto +1-416-214-1635;
Hong Kong Press Information +852-2916-1150;
Hector Lim in Sydney +612 9270 8102;
Luiz Tess in São Paulo +5511-3043-7300;
Alberto Jones Tamayo in Mexico City +5255-1253-5700;
Daniel Rúas in Buenos Aires +54 11-4816-2332 ext. 105;
Craig Jamieson in Johannesburg +27-11-217-5470;
Jehad el-Nakla in Dubai +971 4 401 9536;
web site at www.moodys.com
Limassol
Mardig Haladjian
General Manager
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service Cyprus Limited
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
Limassol
Stathis A. Kyriakides, CFA
Asst Vice President - Analyst
Financial Institutions Group
Moody's Investors Service Cyprus Limited
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
SUBSCRIBERS: 44 20 7772 5454
© Press Release 2010

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plus 2, SBT Online Makes Banking Easy - The Gaea Times

2010-03-16T09:19:00.001-07:00

plus 2, SBT Online Makes Banking Easy - The Gaea Times

SBT Online Makes Banking Easy - The Gaea Times
Diners Club International MD visits Bahrain - Zawya.com
Laurentian Bank Releases Its 2009 Social Responsibility ... - CNW Group

SBT Online Makes Banking Easy - The Gaea Times

Posted: 15 Mar 2010 11:36 PM PDT

Online dating similar to face-to-face meetings

March 4th, 2010 WASHINGTON - People dating online behave similarly to those who meet face-to-face, researchers have found. Experts at the University of Kansas quizzed more than 5,000 participants in a national Internet matchmaking service to determine what kinds of people are most likely to lie about topics such as personal interests, attributes, past relationships, age and weight during the online dating process.

Swift's Guitar A Hot Item Online

February 20th, 2010 TAYLOR SWIFT's lucky guitar has sparked an online bidding war after the LOVE STORY singer put it up for auction. In just six days, bids for the instrument - embellished with Swift's lucky number 13 - have reached $8,000 (GBP5,000).

Elton Under Fire For 'jesus Is Gay' Remark

February 19th, 2010 ELTON JOHN has sparked a storm of internet protest after suggesting JESUS CHRIST was gay in a new online interview. The Rocket Man has been targeted by outraged bloggers and 'tweeters' over comments he made to Parade.com as part of an article which will appear in the website's sister weekend magazine.

How Internet has changed our lives for good

February 2nd, 2010 LONDON - A study has found that the Internet is making people lead busier lives than usual. With modern technology people are able to do three times more than what their parents did 30 years ago, and they are having six times as many conversations.

Hitler is an easy scapegoat, says Oliver Stone

January 11th, 2010 LONDON - Oliver Stone has courted controversy after suggesting that Hitler was nothing less than an "easy scapegoat" by history. The controversial director has come up with a new documentary series, called "The Secret History of America", which he hopes would put figures including Hitler and Stalin "in context".

Jackson Estate Hit With New Creditor Claim

January 5th, 2010 more images more imagesMICHAEL JACKSON's estate has been hit by yet another creditor's claim - from an investment banking firm that handled the late pop legend's finances. According to the latest creditor's claim, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Jackson's estate owes over $328,299 (GBP205,187) in unpaid fees to Signal Hill Capital, a small investment banking firm based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Usher's Album Leaks Online Months Early

January 3rd, 2010 R&B superstar USHER has been dealt a New Year's blow - his upcoming album has leaked online more than two months before its expected release date. The Yeah! hitmaker's sixth studio release, Raymond vs.

Children's lives online giving parents nightmares

November 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Parents across the United States have a wide range of concerns about the safety of their children's lives online, according to a new report. Eighty-one percent of parents report their children, ages 9 - 17, use the Internet and access Web sites without adult supervision.

'Avatar' trailer debuts online to mixed response just ahead of global 'Avatar Day'

August 21st, 2009 'Avatar' trailer debuts online to mixed responseLOS ANGELES — Social networking sites are abuzz over an online trailer for "Avatar," a day before more than 15 minutes of James Cameron's anticipated 3D sci-fi adventure was to screen in theaters. Fan response to the two-minute version was mixed Thursday on sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Kanye West denies saying he's the new King of Pop

August 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Rapper Kanye West is upset with reports claiming that he's the new King of pop after Michael Jackson's death. The Stronger hitmaker has taken to his blog stating that he's saddened by the fake comments that have been made online on his behalf.

Kim Kardashian slams infertility reports

July 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Kim Kardashian has taken to her blog for rubbishing claims that she can't have children. Kardashian's fertility has been at the centre of speculation after she gave an interview to People.com, admitting she would love to adopt.

How news stories rise and fall in popularity

July 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Cornell computer scientists say that they have successfully managed to track and analyse how news stories rise and fall in popularity, by mapping the flow of articles appearing on the Internet. Jon Kleinberg, the Tisch University Professor of Computer Science at Cornell, postdoctoral researcher Jure Leskovec and graduate student Lars Backstrom tracked 1.6 million online news sites, including 20,000 mainstream media sites and a vast array of blogs, over the three-month period leading up to the 2008 presidential election.

Samuel L. Jackson slams online critics

July 10th, 2009 LONDON - Samuel L Jackson has challenged his online critics to talk to him personally. In fact, the actor has given them his phone number too.

India's BB housemate told to shut the m***********g' hell up

June 12th, 2009 LONDON - The Indian inhabitant of the Big Brother House was at the receiving end of another housemate's fury, who started swearing at him, and told him to shut the m***********g' hell up during a slanging match. Sophia, the loud-mouthed banking assistant, was getting aggrieved with Sree Dasari at the dining table and told him to shut up.

Kim Kardashian hunts for her own engagement ring worth $20 Million. WTF!

June 2nd, 2009 NEW YORK - American socialite Kim Kardashian has been revealed to be hunting for her own engagement ring, even though she and her NFL player boyfriend Reggie Bush are not officially engaged. Kardashian, 28, is yet to receive a marriage proposal from Bush, 24, but that has not stopped her from shopping for own ring.

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Diners Club International MD visits Bahrain - Zawya.com

Posted: 16 Mar 2010 12:05 AM PDT

Manama, Bahrain 16 March 2010: Diners Club Bahrain, a subsidiary of Bahrain based BMI Bank (BMI), recently hosted Matt Sloan, Managing Director of Diners Club International EMEA and Graham Gertz-Rombach, the retiring Managing Director of Diners Club International EMEA, at their corporate offices at the Bahrain World Trade Center.
The officials met with the senior management team of Diners Club Bahrain as well as Andrew Bainbridge the Chief Executive Officer of BMI and reviewed strategies to better serve the Bahraini market. This included exploring options to enhance current products and services offered to corporate and personal cardholders alike, as well as improving the acceptance of Diner Club cards within Bahrain.
Andrew Bainbridge, Chief Executive officer of BMI said:
"We were delighted to meet the new Managing Director of Diners Club International EMEA. This visit demonstrates their commitment towards us as their partners and was a forum to review the performance of Diners Club Bahrain as well as discuss the strategy for 2010 and beyond. Matt outlined their global strategy and initiatives to strengthen and grow the Diners Club franchise.
BMI has been able to add value to Diners Club through its market-leading card business expertise, management, distribution and service channels. We have one of the fastest growing credit card businesses in the Kingdom today supported by a network of 8 branches and 26 ATMs as well as an award winning e-banking service that enables customers to conduct their personal and business transactions in a safe and secure environment. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Graham for his contribution to Diners Club Bahrain and wish him our very best."

Diners Club, a premium brand card issuing and acquiring business, currently services local merchants as well as affluent customers and Corporates residing in Bahrain. Key benefits include:
access to over 140 airport lounges worldwide
accolades rewards program, redeem points for air miles, gifts or cashback
option of 1% cash back on all local purchases with the accolades reward program
low interest rate & APR
Over 650,000 ATM and cash locations in over 100 countries around the world
free travel insurance (up to US 300,000 worth of cover)
Free Gold membership to Regus Business World for two years with unlimited access to 1000 business lounges featuring high-speed internet, in 450 cities in the world
-Ends-
About BMI Bank B.S.C. (c)
BMI, an associate of BankMuscat the largest financial services provider in Oman today, is a retail bank, registered in Bahrain and regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain offering a full range of retail and commercial banking services. BMI Bank operates in Bahrain through a network of 8 branches and 26 ATMs with net banking for easy access to services. The online platforms offered by BMI were recently awarded the prestigious Bahrain e-Content Award 2009 in the e-Banking category, recognizing ease of use of its comprehensive e-banking services in a safe and secure environment in which to conduct personal and business transactions.
BMI also operates an Offshore Bank in the Seychelles, a branch in Qatar and has a 21.33% shareholding in Gulf African Bank in Kenya. BMI owns the Diners Club Services Bahrain W.L.L and operates the Diners Club cards franchise in Bahrain, Syria and Yemen. BMI's shareholders include some of the strongest and most respected financial institutions across the GCC, including BankMuscat. BMI, rated as Investment Grade, maintains total equity (share capital and reserves) of USD 341 million.
BMI currently offers its customers a range of retail products and services including savings and current accounts, Al Mazyona saving certificates, Sapphire, its Premier Banking service, credit cards including Diners Club and La Carte, a co-branded credit card in partnership with Geant Hypermarket Bahrain, consumer and vehicle loans, mortgages and fixed deposits. In addition to Retail Banking, BMI offers full SME Banking, Premier Banking, Private Banking, Corporate Banking, Islamic Financial Services, and Treasury services.
For further information, please contact:
Gordon Andrade
Head, Corporate Communications
BMI Bank - Bahrain
E-mail: gordona@bmi.com.bh
Cell: +97339782225
© Press Release 2010

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Laurentian Bank Releases Its 2009 Social Responsibility ... - CNW Group

Posted: 16 Mar 2010 06:24 AM PDT

MONTREAL, March 16 /CNW Telbec/ - Laurentian Bank is proud to be releasing its Social Responsibility Report for fiscal 2009. Entitled More Involved Than Ever and Always As Agile, the publication presents the Bank's commitments to its various publics - its clients, employees, shareholders, and the community at large. The document is now available on the Bank's Internet site at www.laurentianbank.ca under the Laurentian Bank tab of the Your Bank section.

"Our institution received numerous distinctions during fiscal 2009," underlines Réjean Robitaille, President and Chief Executive Officer. "These honours serve to recognize our determination to remain vigilant and to manage our activities with integrity, prudence and rigour. We are constantly striving to be more efficient, to bring our culture of quality service to the fore, to respect best practices in the area of governance, and to enhance the value we offer to investors. Moreover, we are increasingly committed to the communities in which we operate and to contributing to the well-being of the population as a whole."

Laurentian Bank's 2009 Social Responsibility Report offers an overview of the institution's numerous involvements and achievements during 2009. Following are a few highlights:

Responsibility to Employees The Bank possesses a streamlined hierarchical structure that promotes proximity between employees and managers. In addition, it adheres to a corporate culture that enables employees to assume their responsibilities and further their advancement. Laurentian Bank invests substantially in the development of its human capital and, in view of its sustained growth, is in a position to offer an ever-increasing variety of career opportunities. Responsibility to Clients In order to better respond to the needs of its clients, the Bank pursued the development of its Tele-Banking service, which serves as an extension of its branch network. With some 50 advisors in place, this service offers clients great flexibility and the individualized attention of advisors who are personally assigned to them and available by phone or e- mail. In fact, Laurentian Bank is the only financial institution to offer such a service. Responsibility to Communities As a way of giving back to the communities in which it operates, the Bank contributed more than $2 million to over 160 organizations and events in 2009. Furthermore, in order to show its support to and further enrich the experience its prime public consisting of families, , the Bank created an entertaining and educational Internet site aimed at young people and their parents - www.littleheroesclub.ca. Responsibility to Shareholders Laurentian Bank also continued to assure the healthy management of its affairs in 2009. In so doing, the past fiscal year saw the institution post a record profit of $113.1 million. This unprecedented performance is attributable, first and foremost, to prudent risk management and enlightened decision making.

About Laurentian Bank

Laurentian Bank of Canada is a banking institution operating across Canada and offering its clients diversified financial services. Distinguishing itself through excellence in service, as well as through its simplicity and proximity, the Bank serves individual consumers and small and medium-sized businesses. The Bank also offers its products to a wide network of independent financial intermediaries through B2B Trust, as well as full-service brokerage solutions through Laurentian Bank Securities.

Laurentian Bank is well established in the Province of Quebec, operating the third-largest retail branch network. Elsewhere throughout Canada, it operates in specific market segments where it holds an enviable position. Laurentian Bank of Canada has more than $23 billion in balance sheet assets and more than $14 billion in assets under administration. Founded in 1846, the Bank employs more than 3,600 people.

For further information: Gladys Caron, Vice-President Public Affairs, Communications and Investor Relations, (514) 284-4500, extension 7511, gladys.caron@banquelaurentienne.ca

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plus 1, Mashreq expands scope of Islamic banking services - Zawya.com

2010-03-14T10:09:00.001-07:00

plus 1, Mashreq expands scope of Islamic banking services - Zawya.com

Mashreq expands scope of Islamic banking services - Zawya.com

Posted: 13 Mar 2010 08:29 PM PST

Sunday, Mar 14, 2010

Gulf News

Dubai MashreqMashreq Group announced yesterday the introduction of its Islamic banking division, Mashreq Al Islami, made available to customers throughout all of its 58 branches in the UAE.

Initially established in 2006 as Badr Al Islami, the Islamic banking division of MashreqbankMashreqbank has been advised by the respected Sharia Supervisory Board, whose members will continue to guide Mashreq Al Islami, the official Islamic service provider for all MashreqMashreq Group-related instruments.

"Islamic banking is expected to contribute around 30 per cent of the total banking sector in the next three years in the UAE, underpinning the importance of this market segment. Islamic banking is becoming increasingly preferred as an alternative to mainstream banking for all banking and finance segments and attracts all types of customer," Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, CEO of MashreqMashreq, said in a press release

Mashreq Al Islami will be offering a full suite of Sharia-compliant products and services, with a host of new products to be rolled out during 2010 to both retail and corporate customers. Mashreq Al Islami will also provide Islamic advisory services, structuring finance solutions, sukuk advisory, Islamic investment products and Islamic treasury products, among others.

"The move to Mashreq Al Islami is part of the natural evolution of the business. Over the course of the past three years we have focused our attention on developing Sharia-compliant Islamic products and services in the field of corporate finance, project finance, sukuks and other products. By taking these services mainstream under the Mashreq Al Islami brand, customers will directly benefit from MashreqMashreq's 40 years of banking and finance experience across the region, its wide network of branches and strong reputation in both retail and corporate finance," said Moinuddin Malim, CEO of Mashreq Al Islami.

Staff training

Mashreq Al Islami is being led by a fully independent management team.

As the Islamic products and services will be marketed throughout all of the existing MashreqMashreq outlets, existing MashreqMashreq personnel are being trained and Sharia-certified.

All staff operating in MashreqMashreq branches will be qualified to advise on Sharia-compliant products and services.

Staff Report

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Boost for Mobile Banking for the Unbanked as CGAP, DFID ... - Consumer Electronics Net

Posted: 11 Mar 2010 02:09 AM PST

March 11, 2010 --

Housed at the World Bank, CGAP Technology Program working for poor people to get safe ways to send, receive, and save money

Notes to editors

Key areas of focus for the technology program at CGAP

Facts about CGAP

About CGAP

About DFID

For CGAP Jim Rosenberg jrosenberg@cgap.org +1 202 473 1084 Una Gallagher Pulizzi upulizzi@cgap.org +1-202 473 8869 For DFID DFID Press Office +44 (0) 207 023 0600

SOURCE CGAP

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