Ford, General Motors and Verizon are among a growing number of U.S. companies taking measures to reduce the risk in their pension plans and, according to Ari Jacobs of Aon Hewitt, increase the liquidity of their assets.
Institutional Investor
December 5, 2013
Read more: More Pension Plan Sponsors Adopt De-Risking Strategies
Advance Emerging Capital Is in Russia for the Long Haul
Russian equities may be out of favor, but cheap valuations make them attractive on a long-term basis, says a U.K. fund manager.
Institutional Investor Magazine
November 19, 2013
Read more: Advance Emerging Capital Is In Russia for the Long Haul
Ozymandias (Ozy.com)
October 31, 2013
By Nate Barksdale
The financial news has been abuzz about JPMorgan Chase’s record $13 billion penalty agreement over the bank’s lending practices leading up to the 2008 financial crisis. And rightly so — it’s refreshing to see at least a little responsibility being taken for the train wreck of subprime mortgages, exotic securitizations and suddenly frozen cash flows.
The Hayman Capital Management founder explains why he thinks Abenomics won't work in the long-term.
Institutional Investor's Alpha
October 16, 2013
The Fed has entered a period of policy uncertainty as it seeks to strike a difficult balance between concerns about inflation and the economy. Expect a watchful eye on potential rising labor costs, any pass-through of higher energy costs, and pricing fallout from high capacity utilization. And expect the central bank to monitor closely the housing sector for any signs it may become a drag on the overall economy.
Mortgage Banking
April 2006
Higher rates have led to lower origination volumes and a shift from refis to the purchase-money market. For Wells Fargo, the shift is boosting portfolio lending.
Mortgage Banking
October 2013
Istitutional Investor Magazine
September 6, 2013
Read more: Against All Odds: The Long Bet on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
As the government-sponsored mortgage agencies wind down, a former British member of Parliament warns not to forget the mistakes made.
Institutional Investor Magazine
August 23, 2013
The co-author of an important new bipartisan housing finance bill, Senator Bob Corker, talks about prospects for his legislation.
Mortgage Banking Magazine
September 2013
e-Signature technology is proving helpful to retail banks as they struggle to cut costs and boost efficiency in their branches
BAI Banking Strategies Executive Report
August 2013
The shift to global stocks, which was mirrored in Europe, was a stark departure from investors' preference for bonds in late 2012.
Institutional Investor Magazine
August 8, 2013
By Robert Stowe England
Read more: Opportunity Knocks in International Equities for U.S. Investors
The returns for defined benefit plans continue to outpace those of defined contribution plans, but the gap is narrowing.
Institutional Investor Magazine
August 5, 2013
The nation has discouraged foreign junior miners from bringing its wealth to the surface.
Economist Intelligence Unit
July 9, 2013
Robin Diamonte, the chief investment officer of United Technologies, talks about her company’s new initiative to provide its employees with lifetime income through 401(k) plans.
Institutional Investor
June 24, 2013
Read more: United Technologies CIO Robin Diamonte Has Lifetime Income Plans
The Financial Stability Oversight Council has a new systemic risk concern on its radar: the potential for a sudden, disorderly sell-off of mortgage-backed securities by leveraged mortgage real estate investment trusts.
American Banker
June 1, 2013
A number of factors are driving institutional investor interest in emergin market equities, as reflected in fund flows and consultant search data.
Institutional Investor
May 20, 2013
By Robert Stowe England
Read more: Data Show Investors Still Bullish on Emerging Market Equities
Leveraging the Trans-Siberian system would see more Far East freight hauled through Russia to Europe
Economist Intelligence Unit
May 21, 2013
While still at modest levels, acquisition lending for small businesses is likely to increase with the improving economy.
Banking Strategies Executive Reports
May 2013
Read more here.
Declaring Cyprus just a 'rounding error,' veteran investor Wilbur Ross nevertheless has mixed feelings on investment opportunities in southern Europe.
Institutional Investor
March 28, 2013
Read more here.
A Q&A with financier and author James Rickards
Economist Intelligence Unit
March 12, 2013
Proposed Basel III capital rules for mortgage servicing rights could sharply curtail servicing assets held by large banks and radically reshape the mortgage industry.
Mortgage Banking
February 2013
Pension observers anticipate a rise in interest rates and with it corporate pension funding status. But when?
Institutional Investor Magazine
January 14, 2013
Read more here.
Legislature Amends Laws, Calling on Government to Do More and for Adult Children to Assist Their Parents
Carlos Tejada, Wall Street Journal, December 31, 2012
Story quotes Mr. England and mentions his book Aging China.
Read more here.
Forty thousand emails in two weeks isn't bad for a lobbying group that spends less than 1 percent as much as the Chamber of Commerce.
Institutional Investor
December 17, 2012
Read more here.
The mortgage insurance subsidiary of AIG has been breaking new ground and grabbing market share with a new approach to pricing its coverage.
Mortgage Banking Magazine
December 2012
Tax benefits for employee retirement plans could end up on the chopping block as Congress and the White House seek ways to raise federal revenue, experts fear.
Institutional Investor
November 30, 2012
Read more here.
Former Comptroller of the Currency Eugene A. Ludwig says the banking industry will need time to establish regulatory ‘equilibrium’ following the recent flood of new rules and regulations.
BAI Banking Strategies
November 30, 2012
Read morer here.
This outspoken expert on the financial services industry shares his thoughts on current bank regulation and hot topics like Basel III.
Mortgage Banking
November 2012
The opportunity for equipment makers is immense, but the competition is stiff
Economist Intelligence Unit
October 25, 2012
The movement of bank customer transactions to electronic channels has led call centers to focus more on problem resolution.
BAI Banking Strategies
October 18, 2012
Social media is evolving as a channel where bank marketers can learn more about their customers than from traditional methods of gauging customer sentiment.
Banking Strategies
October 12, 2012
Mortgage brokers are adapting their business model to survive, after looking like an endangered species. Some insiders now believe the cycle is turning and the role of mortgage brokers is poised to grow.
Mortgage Banking Magazine
October 2012
Robert England was a guest on David Lykken's online radio talk show Lykken on Lending, Monday, September 17, 2012. The topic was Mr. England's cover story in the September issue of Mortgage Banking, "A Pivotal Election: The NEXT Administration," along with a second article in the same issue, a Q&A with Richard Cordray, director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau.
The interview with Mr. England is the second half of the hour-long show. Listen Here.
With voters focused on a number of high-profile issues as they approach the fall elections, mortgage finance topics are being overshadowed. Still, there is a lot at stake. The next administration will preside over a critical restructuring of the mortgage finance system. Dodd-Frank Act rulemaking will continue to make waves, and the top job of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau may be in new hands.
Mortgage Banking
September 2012
The director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau talks about the January 2013 deadline he faces for a long list of new rulemakings. He says the industry has “a long way to go” in improving the consumer experience in servicing.
Mortgage Banking
September 2012
Much like rotary phones, snail mail and pension plans in general, cost-of-living allowances are increasingly becoming a thing of the past, new research finds. But, for those organizations considering a COLA, experts say they should implement one on an age-segmented basis to the workforce.
HR Executive Online
July 25, 2012
Read more here.
A key player in the Senate when it comes to financial reform and housing policy, Senator Corker offers his views on Fannie and Freddie, Dodd-Frank, the Qualified Mortgage rulemaking and whether the GOP will take back the Senate.
Mortgage Banking
Juy 2012
Thre's not much left in FHA's Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund to cushion against future claims.
Mortgage Banking
June 2012
The powerful subcommittee chairman in the House with jurisdiction over Fannie and Freddie talks about reform of the secondary mortgage market.
Mortgage Banking
June 2012
As customer needs and technology change, the role of bank chief marketing officer has evolved from chief marketer to chief customer advocate.
Banking Strategies May 8, 2012It's not enough to expect workers to delay retirement as a way to stretch out their savings, says the head of the PBGC -- because they already are delaying retirement. Josh Gotbaum says his agency not only protects workers from losing assets because of failing pension plans, it also works with companies to maintain their voluntary private plans.
Human Resource Executive Online
May 10, 2012
Read more here.
The big servicing settlement with the state attorneys general is being actively debated. Mortgage investors, it seems, are not among its biggest fans
Mortgage Banking
May 2012
The once high-flying California housing sector has endured a hard correction--and it’s not over. The outlook is starting to diverge between the hopeful coast and the struggling inland areas. Which will be the face of the state’s future?
Mortgage Banking
March 2012
Constant collaboration with law enforcement agencies is required to combat the increasing threats from cyber criminals, say BAI Payments Connect panelists.
Banking Strategies Daily
February 28, 2012
Read more, click here:
A one-on-one interview with the inspector general for the Federal Housing Finance Agency
Mortgage Banking
February 2012
Following another report that finds fault with the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.'s audit processes and valuation of plan assets, the agency has cut most of its ties with one auditor and has promised to change procedures so that errors are prevented -- or corrected. Critics say it's about time the agency responded to problems.
Human Resource Executive Online
January 12, 2012
Read more at this link.
The former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency talks about lawsuits against private-label issuers, finding a new CEO for Freddie and recent changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program.
Mortgage Banking
December 2011
The housing sector has struggled in recent years to find some balance between supply and demand. But equilibrium on a national scale seems to be slipping further away. As a result, a fully recovered housing market may not return until 2016.
Mortgage Banking
October 2011
This leading Yale economist, perhaps best known for the home-price index that bears his name, offers his views on real estate market behavior and what’s holding back the housing recovery.
Mortgage Banking
September 2011
One More Blow
Fed policy, inflation pressures and other market forces may be conspiring to drive mortgage rates higher later this year and into next. Higher rates are the last thing the struggling housing market needs.
Mortgage Banking
September 2011
Banks are responding to new regulations on overdraft fees and debit card interchange with multi-level training programs to adjust frontline staff to necessary product changes.
Banking Strategies
July 19, 2011
