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Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That's not the place to become discouraged.
Thomas Edison Categories
Monthly Archives: October 2009
Zions Direct Again Featured in Wall Street Journal
For the second time this year, Zions Direct Chairman W. David Hemingway was featured in the Wall Street Journal. The October 26, 2009 article examined Zions Direct’s bond offerings and the recent interest by investors towards purchasing bonds. The author also highlighted the growth in Zion Direct’s auction platform and bond pricing model, in addition to investigating the allure consumers are now finding in individual bonds (as compared to the traditional approaches of investing in fixed income). read more Read More
Vote for the Weekly Cartoon
Images used under Creative Commons licenses 3.0 & 2.5 (Dylan Horrocks, Greg Williams, and Nina Paley) Read More
Cartoons: Now You Decide
It has been reported that New Yorker editor David Remnick once remarked, “98% of the people who get the magazine say they read the cartoons first—and the other 2% are lying.”
We’ve noticed a similar behavior among the readers of Think. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise when several of you wrote to us with concerns about a few of the cartoons used recently. The goal of this publication and its associate newsletter is to educate and engage, and that only works if you speak up. Thank you for taking the time to express your point of view.
So from now on we want our readers to choose. read more Read More
Vote for the Weekly Cartoon
Images used under Creative Commons licenses 3.0 & 2.5 (Dylan Horrocks, Greg Williams, and Nina Paley) Read More
CB&T Completes Conversion of Vineyard Branches
California Bank & Trust is pleased to announce that it has completed the conversion of the former Vineyard Bank accounts and branch locations into California Bank & Trust. More than 31,000 loan and deposit accounts have been fully integrated into the California Bank & Trust banking system. California Bank & Trust acquired the deposits and loans of Vineyard Bank from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on July 17, 2009.
“The conversion of Vineyard Bank branches and accounts to California Bank & Trust went very smoothly. We look forward to working with our new customers and providing them with quality financial products, excellent customer service as well as the strength and security of a sound financial institution,” said Frank Lee, executive vice president of the retail business banking division at California Bank & Trust. Read More
Top Lender for 16 Consecutive Years
Helping infuse small businesses with the capital they need to grow and create jobs, Zions First National Bank announced October 15, 2009 its rank as the top lender of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 7(a) loans in Utah for 2009. Zions has ranked as Utah’s No.1 SBA lender for the past 16 consecutive years. It has also ranked as the top SBA lender in Idaho’s Boise District for the past eight consecutive years.
Zions Bank approved 869 SBA 7(a) loans in Utah totaling $58.7 million for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2009. These loans represent 38 percent of the 2,247 SBA-backed loans approved in the state during fiscal year 2009.
“At a time when questions are being raised about banks’ willingness to make loans, Zions Bank is proud to continue to demonstrate our institution-wide commitment to supporting small businesses as they build and drive our economies,” said Zions Bank President and CEO Scott Anderson. “Even in a challenging environment, the fact that we approved just 40 fewer SBA loans than we did in fiscal year 2008 further demonstrates our willingness to lend to small businesses.” Read More
21 Straight
September employment data was nothing to write home about as the jobless rate rose again and job losses were worse than expected. The employment data adds to views that while the U.S. economy has likely turned the corner toward positive economic growth, the growth pace is not likely to be very impressive.
The U.S. Labor Department reported a net loss of 263,000 jobs during September—worse than the 180,000 loss expected, led by a substantial drop in local government employment. In addition, previously reported losses in July and August were revised to show the addition (or is it subtraction?) of 13,000 more job losses. Read More
Forex Trading and Variable Annuity Scams
Today’s investors face many choices and daunting decisions when it comes to choosing where to put their nest egg. The Utah Division of Securities cautions investors on two types of investment schemes: foreign currency (forex) trading and variable annuity sales … Read More
A Voice for More Regulation & A Cautionary Word
The nation’s banks are among the country’s most heavily regulated industries. Zions Bank, along with all other banks, complies with more than 6,000 pages of regulations intended to protect the safety and soundness of your deposits and the banking system.
So you wouldn’t expect a banker to come out in favor of more regulation. Yet that’s just what I’m doing — up to a point. Read More
Strategy Corner—Roth IRAs: New Opportunities
In this article, Contango Capital Advisors explores the benefits and pitfalls of Roth IRAs and why you might want to take a fresh look at them. All of you have heard of Roth IRAs, but most of you have not paid too much attention to them because they have had income limitations that have made them irrelevant to all income categories.
However, in 2005 Congress passed an amendment to the rules that will expand Roth IRA opportunities to everyone regardless of their wealth, beginning in 2010. Read More
Autumn View
The majority of forecasting economists see U.S. economic growth returning in the current quarter, with most forecasts actually revised higher in recent weeks to reflect stronger performance. Reasonably solid growth during 2009’s final quarter also seems on tap, with positive, … Read More
