banking - E-banking (Online Banking) and Its role in Today's Society

The world is changing at a staggering rate and technology is considered to be the key driver for these changes around us (Papers4you.com, 2006). An analysis of technology and its uses show that it has permeated in almost every aspect of our life. According to Tero et al (2004) many activities are handled electronically due the acceptance of information technology at home as well as at workplace. Internet can be seen as a truly global phenomenon that has made time and distance irrelevant to many transactions. According to Heikki et al. (2002), the transformation from the traditional banking towards e-banking has been a 'leap' change. The evolution of electronic banking started from the use of automatic teller machines (ATM) and has passed through telephone banking, direct bill payment, electronic fund transfer and the revolutionary online banking (Alter, 2002). The future of electronic banking according to some is the acceptance of WAP enabled banking and interactive-TV banking (Petrus & Nelson, 2006). But it has been forecasted that among all the categories, online banking is the future of electronic financial transactions. The rise in the e-commerce and the use of internet in its facilitation along with the enhanced online security of transactions and sensitive information has been the core reasons for the penetration of online banking in everyday life (Papers4you.com, 2006). According to the latest official figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS, 2006) indicate that subscriptions to the internet has grown more than 50% from 15 million in 2000 to 35 million in 2005 in the UK. It has also been estimated that 60% of the population in the UK use internet in their daily lives. The fundamental shift towards the involvement of the customer in the financial service provision with the help of technology especially internet has helped in reduce costs of financial institutions as well as helped client to use the service at anytime and from virtually anywhere with access to an internet connection. According to theorists (Walfried et al., 2005) customer evaluation of the electronic services is influenced by attributions of success and failure in inter personal service situations. The use of electronic banking has removed the banking personnel that facilitate the transactions and has placed additional responsibilities on the customers to transact with the service. Although the use of E-banking is provided for the benefit of the customers but these changes require increased work or involvement on the part of customers. These and other factors might be seen as lesser service provided in terms of customer service. But these assumptions would be wrong if the customer knows the value of using the electronic service. Thus it can be concluded that a fit between task i.e. the banking; technology i.e. the user interface and its reliability; and individuals i.e. the customers and their knowledge about using the service, is the key to successful E-banking services (Zigurs & Buckland, 1998). References: Alter, S. (2002), "Information Systems" 4th Edition, Prentice Hall Heikki Karjaluoto, Minna Mattila, Tapio Pento (2002), "Factors underlying attitude formation towards online banking in Finland", International Journal of Bank Marketing; Volume: 20 Issue: 6; 2002 Research paper ONS (2005), "Office of National Statistics", www.statistics.gov.uk Papers For You (2006) "C/B/93. Dissertation. Will online business replace the traditional business in the banking industry in UK?", Available from http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/sprtfina35.htm Papers For You (2006) "P/F/174. Dissertation. Adoption of Online Banking", Available from http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/sprtfina35.htm Petrus Guriting, Nelson Oly Ndubisi (2006), "Borneo online banking: evaluating customer perceptions and behavioural intention", Management Research News; Volume: 29 Issue: 1/2; 2006 Conceptual Paper Tero Pikkarainen, Kari Pikkarainen, Heikki Karjaluoto, Seppo Pahnila (2004), "Consumer acceptance of online banking: an extension of the technology acceptance model", Internet Research; Volume: 14 Issue: 3; 2004 Research paper Walfried M. Lassar, Chris Manolis, Sharon S. Lassar (2005), "The relationship between consumer innovativeness, personal characteristics, and online banking adoption", International Journal of Bank Marketing; Volume: 23 Issue: 2; 2005 Research paper Zigurs, I. & Buckland, B. (1998), "A Theory of Task/Technology Fit and Group Support Systems Effectiveness", MIS Quarterly, Sep98, Vol. 22 Issue 3, p313-334, 22p Copyright 2006 Verena Veneeva. Professional Writer working for http://www.coursework4you.co.uk Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Verena_Veneeva banking - Home Equity Line Of Credit - Tips On How To Make The Most Of It Without a doubt, your home is your biggest asset, and a home equity line of credit can help you take full advantage of it. When you stop to consider how much equity your home builds up over the years, it only makes sense to use it when you need it. A home equity loan or line of credit will help you during times when you need financial assistance. Sure, you can go to your bank and try to get a personal loan, but at what rate of interest? Same with a credit card. You can easily be looking at a 12%-18% APR on these transactions, compared to an equity loan of 6% or & 7%. The key is in how you will be using the funds with this type of loan or credit line. They are best utilized in these types of situations: 1. Medical emergency - A home equity credit line works well during times of unexpected medical emergencies, or even a funeral. It gives you a way to get the money you need, quickly and without damaging your credit. 2. Paying off debt - If you are trying to manage and pay off debts from credit cards, loans, etc. then a home equity loan makes sense. Pay off the high interest credit cards and loans, and pay it back with a low interest loan. 3. College expense - If you have kids in school then you know how expensive college can be. Even a community college will run in the thousands every semester. Using some of the equity in your home to pay these expenses can be invaluable. 4. Home remodeling projects - This is one of the best ways to utilize the funds from a home equity loan or credit line. Use the funds to build a new addition, or update a bathroom, etc., and further increase the value of your home. Not only do you get to enjoy the updates, but the benefits of adding more value as well. These are some of the biggest reasons for getting a home equity line of credit. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active and do not edit the article in any way.

banking - Home Equity Line Of Credit - Tips On How To Make The Most Of It

Without a doubt, your home is your biggest asset, and a home equity line of credit can help you take full advantage of it. When you stop to consider how much equity your home builds up over the years, it only makes sense to use it when you need it. A home equity loan or line of credit will help you during times when you need financial assistance. Sure, you can go to your bank and try to get a personal loan, but at what rate of interest? Same with a credit card. You can easily be looking at a 12%-18% APR on these transactions, compared to an equity loan of 6% or & 7%. The key is in how you will be using the funds with this type of loan or credit line. They are best utilized in these types of situations: 1. Medical emergency - A home equity credit line works well during times of unexpected medical emergencies, or even a funeral. It gives you a way to get the money you need, quickly and without damaging your credit. 2. Paying off debt - If you are trying to manage and pay off debts from credit cards, loans, etc. then a home equity loan makes sense. Pay off the high interest credit cards and loans, and pay it back with a low interest loan. 3. College expense - If you have kids in school then you know how expensive college can be. Even a community college will run in the thousands every semester. Using some of the equity in your home to pay these expenses can be invaluable. 4. Home remodeling projects - This is one of the best ways to utilize the funds from a home equity loan or credit line. Use the funds to build a new addition, or update a bathroom, etc., and further increase the value of your home. Not only do you get to enjoy the updates, but the benefits of adding more value as well. These are some of the biggest reasons for getting a home equity line of credit. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active and do not edit the article in any way. By the way, you can learn more about a Home Equity Line Of Credit as well as more information on everything to do with home equity loans by visiting us at http://www.HomeEquityLoansA-z.com Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Edwards banking - An Analysis of Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) is a huge Western and Midwestern bank that provides a diverse array of financial services to its more than 23 million customers. The company employs more than 150,000 people at its over 6,000 locations nationwide. Wells Fargo has about $500 billion in assets. While the company continues to derive more than half its revenues from interest income (about $26 billion), its activities are not limited to collecting deposits and lending money. Wells Fargo engages in other businesses such as brokerage services, asset management, and investment banking. The company also makes venture capital investments. Over the last ten years, Wells Fargo has averaged a 1.57% return on assets and an 18.19% return on equity. Location Wells Fargo is closely associated with California in the minds of most investors. The company now operates in 23 different states. However, the concentration in California remains. Mortgage lending in California accounts for approximately 14% of Wells Fargo's total loan portfolio. Commercial real estate loans in California account for another 5% of the company's total loans. No other single state accounts for a similarly sized portion of total loans. In fact, neither mortgage lending nor commercial real estate lending in any other state accounts for more than 2% of Wells Fargo's total loans. Cross-Selling Wells Fargo's focus on cross-selling is well known. The company has a stated goal of doubling the number of products the average consumer and business customer has with Wells Fargo to eight products per customer (from the current four products per customer). Cross-selling increases customer stickiness. It also helps increase profitability by decreasing expenses relative to revenues. The need for a large physical footprint is reduced - as is the need for a large number of bankers. Instead, the existing infrastructure is able to provide additional revenue from the same customers. Wells Fargo's Chairman & CEO, Richard Kovacevich, explains the importance of the company's cross-selling in the "Vision & Values" section of the corporate website: Cross-selling ' or what we call "needs-based" selling ' is our most important strategy. Why? Because it is an "increasing returns" business model. It's like the "network effect" of e-commerce. It multiplies opportunities geometrically. The more you sell customers the more you know about them. The more you know about them the easier it is to sell them more products. The more products customers have with you the better value they receive and the more loyal they are. The longer they stay with you the more opportunities you have to meet even more of their financial needs. The more you sell them the higher the profit because the added cost of selling another product to an existing customer is often only about ten percent of the cost of selling that same product to a new customer. This gives us'as an aggregator ' a significant cost advantage over one product or one channel companies. Cross-selling re-invents how financial services are aggregated and sold to customers ' just like other aggregators such as Wal-Mart (general merchandise), Home Depot (home improvement products) and Staples (office supplies). Mr. Kovacevich's enthusiasm for the cross-selling model is well justified. It is difficult to quantify the importance of meeting all the varied needs of your customers, because you can not measure the opportunities you missed. However, it is obvious that reducing each customer's interest in considering a competitor's services will greatly increase long-term profitability for any company engaged in any line of business - not just for a bank. Later, in the same website section, Mr. Kovacevich addresses the importance of customer stickiness: (Cross-selling) is our most important customer-related sales metric. We want to earn 100 percent of our customers' business. The more products customers have with Wells Fargo the better deal they get, the more loyal they are, and the longer they stay with the company, improving retention. Eighty percent of our revenue growth comes from selling more products to existing customers. This focus on retention is an important part of a long-term plan to maintain Wells Fargo's above-average returns on assets and equity. Extraordinary profitability comes from differentiating your product or service from those of your competitors. Increasing customer stickiness and reducing "comparison shopping" is a key part of maintaining extraordinary profitability. Some businesses are blessed with enviable economics because of their product's natural prominence in the minds of their customers. Most businesses are obsessed with market share. But, how many really think about "mind share"? Obviously, a product like Coke (KO), Hershey (HSY), or Snickers is going to have a positive association in the minds of consumers. For many people, these products will also have a prominent place in each customer's mind (relative to other products and services on which money can be spent). A few other businesses have a healthy mind share without the positive association; GEICO is the most obvious example. The company's brand conjures up nothing but the words "auto insurance". Of course, that's all the GEICO brand has to do. So, what does all this have to do with Wells Fargo? Mind share isn't just the result of exposure to advertising. In fact, in most cases, exposure to advertising can not duplicate the kind of results that a direct, differentiated experience creates. Entertainment properties are by far the leaders in mind share. People who saw and loved Star Wars remember the film. In fact, they don't just remember the film, they actually file it away (or, more precisely, cross reference it) in countless ways within their mind. The evidence for this particular example is abundant. There are countless references to Star Wars in other media. The name, the music, the opening text and countless other elements are immediately recognizable. Even the films Star Wars fans hated made more money than almost any other movies in the history of cinema - and this was decades after the original came out. So, obviously Star Wars has the kind of lasting mind share any business should aspire to if it hopes to continuously earn extraordinary profits. Unfortunately, most businesses, however well run, can not attain this kind of mind share. The products and services they provide can never be as differentiated and memorable as a motion picture. Just as importantly, the positive associations will not be present, simply because the product or service is not inherently exciting, entertaining, or pleasant. This is clearly the case in financial services. So, what can a financial services company do to improve its mind share? The most obvious tactic is simply to "wow" its customers. In fact, Wells Fargo's CEO discusses this particular option in the "Vision and Values" section of the company's website: We have to "wow!" them. We know what that feels like because we're all customers. We go to the cleaners, the grocery store, a restaurant or whatever, and we find a situation where we're "wowed!" We walk out and we say, those people really listened to me and helped me get what I need. All of us hear stories about customers, say, who pick a certain line at the supermarket because they know the person who bags the groceries connects with customers ' smiles, greets regular customers by name, asks how their families are doing. When a personal banker helps a customer in one of our stores, or when a customer gets help from one of our phone bankers or does transactions on wellsfargo.com we want them to say, "That was great. I can't wait to tell someone." Another option worth pursuing is widening the associations present in the customer's mind. Financial services is a business where associations tend to be more conscious, categorized, and hierarchical than the associations formed in more heavily branded businesses. Put simply, the (potential) customer usually thinks of a "set" before thinking of an "element" within that set. Like many mental associations, the information can be returned in either direction. For example, the customer may normally think "banks" and then think "Wells Fargo", but will also be able to return the word "bank" if prompted by the name "Wells Fargo". This categorization is important, because it provides (limited) permission for Wells Fargo to expand its mind share horizontally (across service categories). In other words, providing a diverse range of financial services doesn't just make sense from the provider's perspective, it also makes sense from the user's perspective, because the user of financial services has already grouped deposits, borrowing, credit cards, insurance, brokerage services, asset management, etc. together in a very loose way within his mind. As a result of this mental network, one positive experience with Wells Fargo will greatly affect a customer's desire to pay for an additional service, even if the two services are not really all that similar. The three key elements here are: a broader definition of what Wells Fargo is (a place that does "money things", not just a bank), a positive experience, and some sense of trust that the quality of service will be consistent. The last requirement is the easiest to meet, because it's natural for a customer to assume that the positive experience was not a fluke, much the way a diner assumes the good meal he had at a particular restaurant was not caused by his picking the best offering from the menu. The diner usually assumes the overall quality of the restaurant's various entrees is superior. Likewise, a good experience with one of Wells Fargo's products or services will likely rub off on its other offerings. Valuation Shares of Wells Fargo currently yield just over 3%. The stock trades at a price-to-book ratio of just under 2.75 and a price-to-earnings ratio of less than 15. Conclusion Over the last 5, 10, 15, and 20 years shareholders of Wells Fargo & Company have fared better than the S&P 500. As of the end of last year, WFC's total return over the last ten years was 17% vs. 9% for the S&P. Over the last 20 years, WFC outpaced the S&P 500 by an even wider margin: 21% vs. 12%. Wells Fargo has a stellar reputation with investors. The company is the only U.S. bank to earn Moody's highest credit rating. Wells Fargo also boasts a well-known major shareholder. The largest owner of the company's common stock is Berkshire Hathaway. Warren Buffett's holding company has a roughly 5.5% stake in Wells Fargo. Berkshire's last reported purchase occurred during the first quarter of this year. Wells Fargo has a stated goal of achieving double-digit growth in earnings and revenue while managing a return on assets over 1.75% and a return on equity over 20%. Those are both very ambitious goals. The company has achieved some of the highest returns on assets and equity of any major U.S. bank. However, Wells Fargo will probably need to increase the percentage of revenue it derives from fee businesses if it is to achieve these goals. In the years ahead, the company may well become more of a diversified financial services business. In fact, that's what I expect will happen. The company's commitment to cross-selling is not some fad. Eventually, this commitment will change the way investors think about Wells Fargo. Soon, it may be considered much more than a bank. Wells Fargo's CEO makes the case that his company's P/E is simply too low. Wells Fargo has a solid history of strong growth and profitability. So, why should it be valued similarly to most other banks? Shouldn't it be awarded a multiple more in line with a growth company? There's actually some merit to this argument. Wells Fargo is unusually well positioned for a bank. Often, those banks that seem certain to earn very high returns on assets and equity for many years to come are poorly positioned for future growth. These banks are often smaller than their competitors and focused on a specific geographic niche. Any acquisitions would dilute the exceptional profitability of the bank's niche. Of course, there are also many consolidators in the banking industry. Unfortunately, many of these banks do not have a history of earning the kind of returns on assets and equity that Wells Fargo has achieved. Even more importantly, there is little differentiation between these titans of the banking industry and their national competitors. Therefore, their moats are highly suspect. Wells Fargo is a different kind of bank. It has a history of extraordinary growth and profitability. There are two obvious opportunities for future growth: geographic expansion and cross-selling. Of these two opportunities, it's clear I'm more enamored with the latter. An eastward push is not necessary, and certainly not via an ill-advised acquisition. There is a lot of value in the Wells Fargo franchise and there is plenty of room within that franchise for future growth. That's one of the great advantages of the financial services industry. With the right model, limits to growth are almost non-existent. In other highly-profitable industries, there is often nowhere to reinvest new capital at a similar rate of return. If Wells Fargo is a growth stock, it is a peculiar sort of growth stock. Maybe that is what attracted Buffett to the company in the first place. Here is a business with a strong franchise that can grow for many years to come. Perhaps most importantly, it is a growth business that frequently trades in the market at value like multiples, simply because it's a bank. At the current market price, Wells Fargo is the sort of investment you make once and forget. The valuation is not so cheap as to promise a good return if the business falters. But, the business is not so suspect as to require the margin of safety be provided by a low P/E ratio. Sometimes, near certain growth is the margin of safety. On a separate topic, I'd like to encourage anyone with an interest in competitive advantages to read the entire "Vision and Values" section of the Wells Fargo site. Superficially, it looks like any other online presentation to investors. In truth, it is nothing like those hollow, sugary slide shows. It's actually an engaging exploration of competitive advantages within an industry that seems totally unlike the sort of branded, consumer-oriented businesses one normally associates with strong franchises. Even if you aren't interested in the banking industry in particular, I recommend reading this section for its insights into customer psychology and behavior.

banking - An Analysis of Wells Fargo & Company (WFC)

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) is a huge Western and Midwestern bank that provides a diverse array of financial services to its more than 23 million customers. The company employs more than 150,000 people at its over 6,000 locations nationwide. Wells Fargo has about $500 billion in assets. While the company continues to derive more than half its revenues from interest income (about $26 billion), its activities are not limited to collecting deposits and lending money. Wells Fargo engages in other businesses such as brokerage services, asset management, and investment banking. The company also makes venture capital investments. Over the last ten years, Wells Fargo has averaged a 1.57% return on assets and an 18.19% return on equity. Location Wells Fargo is closely associated with California in the minds of most investors. The company now operates in 23 different states. However, the concentration in California remains. Mortgage lending in California accounts for approximately 14% of Wells Fargo's total loan portfolio. Commercial real estate loans in California account for another 5% of the company's total loans. No other single state accounts for a similarly sized portion of total loans. In fact, neither mortgage lending nor commercial real estate lending in any other state accounts for more than 2% of Wells Fargo's total loans. Cross-Selling Wells Fargo's focus on cross-selling is well known. The company has a stated goal of doubling the number of products the average consumer and business customer has with Wells Fargo to eight products per customer (from the current four products per customer). Cross-selling increases customer stickiness. It also helps increase profitability by decreasing expenses relative to revenues. The need for a large physical footprint is reduced - as is the need for a large number of bankers. Instead, the existing infrastructure is able to provide additional revenue from the same customers. Wells Fargo's Chairman & CEO, Richard Kovacevich, explains the importance of the company's cross-selling in the "Vision & Values" section of the corporate website: Cross-selling ' or what we call "needs-based" selling ' is our most important strategy. Why? Because it is an "increasing returns" business model. It's like the "network effect" of e-commerce. It multiplies opportunities geometrically. The more you sell customers the more you know about them. The more you know about them the easier it is to sell them more products. The more products customers have with you the better value they receive and the more loyal they are. The longer they stay with you the more opportunities you have to meet even more of their financial needs. The more you sell them the higher the profit because the added cost of selling another product to an existing customer is often only about ten percent of the cost of selling that same product to a new customer. This gives us'as an aggregator ' a significant cost advantage over one product or one channel companies. Cross-selling re-invents how financial services are aggregated and sold to customers ' just like other aggregators such as Wal-Mart (general merchandise), Home Depot (home improvement products) and Staples (office supplies). Mr. Kovacevich's enthusiasm for the cross-selling model is well justified. It is difficult to quantify the importance of meeting all the varied needs of your customers, because you can not measure the opportunities you missed. However, it is obvious that reducing each customer's interest in considering a competitor's services will greatly increase long-term profitability for any company engaged in any line of business - not just for a bank. Later, in the same website section, Mr. Kovacevich addresses the importance of customer stickiness: (Cross-selling) is our most important customer-related sales metric. We want to earn 100 percent of our customers' business. The more products customers have with Wells Fargo the better deal they get, the more loyal they are, and the longer they stay with the company, improving retention. Eighty percent of our revenue growth comes from selling more products to existing customers. This focus on retention is an important part of a long-term plan to maintain Wells Fargo's above-average returns on assets and equity. Extraordinary profitability comes from differentiating your product or service from those of your competitors. Increasing customer stickiness and reducing "comparison shopping" is a key part of maintaining extraordinary profitability. Some businesses are blessed with enviable economics because of their product's natural prominence in the minds of their customers. Most businesses are obsessed with market share. But, how many really think about "mind share"? Obviously, a product like Coke (KO), Hershey (HSY), or Snickers is going to have a positive association in the minds of consumers. For many people, these products will also have a prominent place in each customer's mind (relative to other products and services on which money can be spent). A few other businesses have a healthy mind share without the positive association; GEICO is the most obvious example. The company's brand conjures up nothing but the words "auto insurance". Of course, that's all the GEICO brand has to do. So, what does all this have to do with Wells Fargo? Mind share isn't just the result of exposure to advertising. In fact, in most cases, exposure to advertising can not duplicate the kind of results that a direct, differentiated experience creates. Entertainment properties are by far the leaders in mind share. People who saw and loved Star Wars remember the film. In fact, they don't just remember the film, they actually file it away (or, more precisely, cross reference it) in countless ways within their mind. The evidence for this particular example is abundant. There are countless references to Star Wars in other media. The name, the music, the opening text and countless other elements are immediately recognizable. Even the films Star Wars fans hated made more money than almost any other movies in the history of cinema - and this was decades after the original came out. So, obviously Star Wars has the kind of lasting mind share any business should aspire to if it hopes to continuously earn extraordinary profits. Unfortunately, most businesses, however well run, can not attain this kind of mind share. The products and services they provide can never be as differentiated and memorable as a motion picture. Just as importantly, the positive associations will not be present, simply because the product or service is not inherently exciting, entertaining, or pleasant. This is clearly the case in financial services. So, what can a financial services company do to improve its mind share? The most obvious tactic is simply to "wow" its customers. In fact, Wells Fargo's CEO discusses this particular option in the "Vision and Values" section of the company's website: We have to "wow!" them. We know what that feels like because we're all customers. We go to the cleaners, the grocery store, a restaurant or whatever, and we find a situation where we're "wowed!" We walk out and we say, those people really listened to me and helped me get what I need. All of us hear stories about customers, say, who pick a certain line at the supermarket because they know the person who bags the groceries connects with customers ' smiles, greets regular customers by name, asks how their families are doing. When a personal banker helps a customer in one of our stores, or when a customer gets help from one of our phone bankers or does transactions on wellsfargo.com we want them to say, "That was great. I can't wait to tell someone." Another option worth pursuing is widening the associations present in the customer's mind. Financial services is a business where associations tend to be more conscious, categorized, and hierarchical than the associations formed in more heavily branded businesses. Put simply, the (potential) customer usually thinks of a "set" before thinking of an "element" within that set. Like many mental associations, the information can be returned in either direction. For example, the customer may normally think "banks" and then think "Wells Fargo", but will also be able to return the word "bank" if prompted by the name "Wells Fargo". This categorization is important, because it provides (limited) permission for Wells Fargo to expand its mind share horizontally (across service categories). In other words, providing a diverse range of financial services doesn't just make sense from the provider's perspective, it also makes sense from the user's perspective, because the user of financial services has already grouped deposits, borrowing, credit cards, insurance, brokerage services, asset management, etc. together in a very loose way within his mind. As a result of this mental network, one positive experience with Wells Fargo will greatly affect a customer's desire to pay for an additional service, even if the two services are not really all that similar. The three key elements here are: a broader definition of what Wells Fargo is (a place that does "money things", not just a bank), a positive experience, and some sense of trust that the quality of service will be consistent. The last requirement is the easiest to meet, because it's natural for a customer to assume that the positive experience was not a fluke, much the way a diner assumes the good meal he had at a particular restaurant was not caused by his picking the best offering from the menu. The diner usually assumes the overall quality of the restaurant's various entrees is superior. Likewise, a good experience with one of Wells Fargo's products or services will likely rub off on its other offerings. Valuation Shares of Wells Fargo currently yield just over 3%. The stock trades at a price-to-book ratio of just under 2.75 and a price-to-earnings ratio of less than 15. Conclusion Over the last 5, 10, 15, and 20 years shareholders of Wells Fargo & Company have fared better than the S&P 500. As of the end of last year, WFC's total return over the last ten years was 17% vs. 9% for the S&P. Over the last 20 years, WFC outpaced the S&P 500 by an even wider margin: 21% vs. 12%. Wells Fargo has a stellar reputation with investors. The company is the only U.S. bank to earn Moody's highest credit rating. Wells Fargo also boasts a well-known major shareholder. The largest owner of the company's common stock is Berkshire Hathaway. Warren Buffett's holding company has a roughly 5.5% stake in Wells Fargo. Berkshire's last reported purchase occurred during the first quarter of this year. Wells Fargo has a stated goal of achieving double-digit growth in earnings and revenue while managing a return on assets over 1.75% and a return on equity over 20%. Those are both very ambitious goals. The company has achieved some of the highest returns on assets and equity of any major U.S. bank. However, Wells Fargo will probably need to increase the percentage of revenue it derives from fee businesses if it is to achieve these goals. In the years ahead, the company may well become more of a diversified financial services business. In fact, that's what I expect will happen. The company's commitment to cross-selling is not some fad. Eventually, this commitment will change the way investors think about Wells Fargo. Soon, it may be considered much more than a bank. Wells Fargo's CEO makes the case that his company's P/E is simply too low. Wells Fargo has a solid history of strong growth and profitability. So, why should it be valued similarly to most other banks? Shouldn't it be awarded a multiple more in line with a growth company? There's actually some merit to this argument. Wells Fargo is unusually well positioned for a bank. Often, those banks that seem certain to earn very high returns on assets and equity for many years to come are poorly positioned for future growth. These banks are often smaller than their competitors and focused on a specific geographic niche. Any acquisitions would dilute the exceptional profitability of the bank's niche. Of course, there are also many consolidators in the banking industry. Unfortunately, many of these banks do not have a history of earning the kind of returns on assets and equity that Wells Fargo has achieved. Even more importantly, there is little differentiation between these titans of the banking industry and their national competitors. Therefore, their moats are highly suspect. Wells Fargo is a different kind of bank. It has a history of extraordinary growth and profitability. There are two obvious opportunities for future growth: geographic expansion and cross-selling. Of these two opportunities, it's clear I'm more enamored with the latter. An eastward push is not necessary, and certainly not via an ill-advised acquisition. There is a lot of value in the Wells Fargo franchise and there is plenty of room within that franchise for future growth. That's one of the great advantages of the financial services industry. With the right model, limits to growth are almost non-existent. In other highly-profitable industries, there is often nowhere to reinvest new capital at a similar rate of return. If Wells Fargo is a growth stock, it is a peculiar sort of growth stock. Maybe that is what attracted Buffett to the company in the first place. Here is a business with a strong franchise that can grow for many years to come. Perhaps most importantly, it is a growth business that frequently trades in the market at value like multiples, simply because it's a bank. At the current market price, Wells Fargo is the sort of investment you make once and forget. The valuation is not so cheap as to promise a good return if the business falters. But, the business is not so suspect as to require the margin of safety be provided by a low P/E ratio. Sometimes, near certain growth is the margin of safety. On a separate topic, I'd like to encourage anyone with an interest in competitive advantages to read the entire "Vision and Values" section of the Wells Fargo site. Superficially, it looks like any other online presentation to investors. In truth, it is nothing like those hollow, sugary slide shows. It's actually an engaging exploration of competitive advantages within an industry that seems totally unlike the sort of branded, consumer-oriented businesses one normally associates with strong franchises. Even if you aren't interested in the banking industry in particular, I recommend reading this section for its insights into customer psychology and behavior. Geoff Gannon writes a daily value investing blog and produces a twice weekly (half hour) value investing podcast at: http://www.gannononinvesting.com Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Geoffrey_Gannon banking - What If There Was A Huge Tax On Currency Trading? What if currency traders when making money were also helping the wealth of a nation? What if currency traders were taxed on each trade and that money was used to kick start third world nations and emerging markets? What if we used this money to build water reservoirs and water filtration plants or what if we used it to build sewer treatment plants and hydroelectric power plants? What if we used the money to slow down or defeat AIDS, Malaria, Yellow Fever or stop disease? What if we used the money to help promote children's health and education? What if along with this money we taught people to farm, grow food and sell what they did not need to regional trading partners or neighboring countries? What if we could help finance small businesses through micro loans, which would help grow local economies? What if every time currency was traded out of a smaller nation there was just a 2.5-5% tax and when currency traded out of a powerful nation there was a 1% fee on top of the current banking fees? What if when currency traders made millions before breakfast, that children in Africa could eat breakfast? What if everyone won, when investors and traders in currency won or lost? What kind of good deeds could we do with that unit of trade if it were strategically placed to do the most good? Think on this.

banking - What If There Was A Huge Tax On Currency Trading?

What if currency traders when making money were also helping the wealth of a nation? What if currency traders were taxed on each trade and that money was used to kick start third world nations and emerging markets? What if we used this money to build water reservoirs and water filtration plants or what if we used it to build sewer treatment plants and hydroelectric power plants? What if we used the money to slow down or defeat AIDS, Malaria, Yellow Fever or stop disease? What if we used the money to help promote children's health and education? What if along with this money we taught people to farm, grow food and sell what they did not need to regional trading partners or neighboring countries? What if we could help finance small businesses through micro loans, which would help grow local economies? What if every time currency was traded out of a smaller nation there was just a 2.5-5% tax and when currency traded out of a powerful nation there was a 1% fee on top of the current banking fees? What if when currency traders made millions before breakfast, that children in Africa could eat breakfast? What if everyone won, when investors and traders in currency won or lost? What kind of good deeds could we do with that unit of trade if it were strategically placed to do the most good? Think on this. "Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow banking - Money Transfers In Argentina - Banking, Law And Real Estate Investment Transferring money to Argentina (a second-world country) isn't as simple as it is in the U.S. or Europe. The people of Argentina don't believe in the banks after the peso devaluation in December of 2001. Western Union has a low limit, so they're not an option. And I definitely wouldn't advocate that you bring $100,000 in your carry-on luggage. I recommend that you demonstrate "proof of origin" for the funds that you're transferring into Argentina (W-2 forms, 1040, etc) because the government is beginning to regulate the influx of money. The AFIP (equivalent to the U.S.'s IRS) has the authority to audit you, and you need to be careful so that you don't have problems when you sell the property in the future. Transfer fees are usually between 1-3%, depending upon how you transfer your money. You can use "money exchanges," which are technically illegal, but used regularly by the locals and foreigners. Or, you can use the Central Bank, which is the safest way, and the most costly. There is new legislation scheduled for March 2007 to mandate that all real estate purchases are conducted by: check, bank wire or some other method, except CASH. The reason for this is that many locals buy/sell properties and change the recorded purchase price by 30-50%. This limits the amount of income taxes that people pay on the sales price and the amount of property taxes the new owner pays the government. The government is losing millions of dollars every year in lost revenue. Tax evasion is a common practice in Argentina. I do not advocate this practice due to the risks its poses for my clients. Fines can be exorbitant, and when investing in a foreign country, risk mitigation is important. Currently, the government is worried about money laundering, as well as looking for more ways to increase tax revenues. So, consult a lawyer and a banker when you're serious about investing in Argentina. Opening a Bank Account in Argentina The majority of the foreign banks left Argentina in December of 2001. The crisis prompted the people to march in the street, and the banks ran home with their tails between their legs. Now, if you go to a local bank in Buenos Aires, it's not uncommon to see a half-dozen security guards and/or policeman. Argentina is serious about the safety of their financial institutions and is trying to rectify its international image. A bank account in Argentina will help you manage your property from overseas. Opening a bank account in Argentina is more difficult than most foreigners expect. By law, the requirement to open a savings account is a CID (tax ID number), an address certificate and a Passport. But many banks have stricter requirements. If you have an account with HSBC, CitiBank, BankBoston or BBV in the U.S. or Europe, they will generally open an account for you in Argentina. Or, if you're referred to them by a current customer, they will speak with you. Banco Naci'n, http://www.nacion.com.ar, opens accounts to foreign non-residents requiring only the CDI (tax ID), address certificate and Passport. The minimal deposit is $50 pesos and they charge a maintenance fee of $3 pesos. Important things to inquire about: online banking, maintenance fees, wire transfers, minimum deposits, debit/credit cards

banking - Money Transfers In Argentina - Banking, Law And Real Estate Investment

Transferring money to Argentina (a second-world country) isn't as simple as it is in the U.S. or Europe. The people of Argentina don't believe in the banks after the peso devaluation in December of 2001. Western Union has a low limit, so they're not an option. And I definitely wouldn't advocate that you bring $100,000 in your carry-on luggage. I recommend that you demonstrate "proof of origin" for the funds that you're transferring into Argentina (W-2 forms, 1040, etc) because the government is beginning to regulate the influx of money. The AFIP (equivalent to the U.S.'s IRS) has the authority to audit you, and you need to be careful so that you don't have problems when you sell the property in the future. Transfer fees are usually between 1-3%, depending upon how you transfer your money. You can use "money exchanges," which are technically illegal, but used regularly by the locals and foreigners. Or, you can use the Central Bank, which is the safest way, and the most costly. There is new legislation scheduled for March 2007 to mandate that all real estate purchases are conducted by: check, bank wire or some other method, except CASH. The reason for this is that many locals buy/sell properties and change the recorded purchase price by 30-50%. This limits the amount of income taxes that people pay on the sales price and the amount of property taxes the new owner pays the government. The government is losing millions of dollars every year in lost revenue. Tax evasion is a common practice in Argentina. I do not advocate this practice due to the risks its poses for my clients. Fines can be exorbitant, and when investing in a foreign country, risk mitigation is important. Currently, the government is worried about money laundering, as well as looking for more ways to increase tax revenues. So, consult a lawyer and a banker when you're serious about investing in Argentina. Opening a Bank Account in Argentina The majority of the foreign banks left Argentina in December of 2001. The crisis prompted the people to march in the street, and the banks ran home with their tails between their legs. Now, if you go to a local bank in Buenos Aires, it's not uncommon to see a half-dozen security guards and/or policeman. Argentina is serious about the safety of their financial institutions and is trying to rectify its international image. A bank account in Argentina will help you manage your property from overseas. Opening a bank account in Argentina is more difficult than most foreigners expect. By law, the requirement to open a savings account is a CID (tax ID number), an address certificate and a Passport. But many banks have stricter requirements. If you have an account with HSBC, CitiBank, BankBoston or BBV in the U.S. or Europe, they will generally open an account for you in Argentina. Or, if you're referred to them by a current customer, they will speak with you. Banco Naci'n, http://www.nacion.com.ar, opens accounts to foreign non-residents requiring only the CDI (tax ID), address certificate and Passport. The minimal deposit is $50 pesos and they charge a maintenance fee of $3 pesos. Important things to inquire about: online banking, maintenance fees, wire transfers, minimum deposits, debit/credit cards Nancy Landi and Christian DeBlis formed Nancy Landi International with a focus on the Buenos Aires real estate market. We provide rental properties, property management services and real estate investment expertise. Nancy Landi International has developed partnerships, locally and globally, to serve the needs of our unique client'le. We have relationships with real estate developers, lawyers, accountants, translators, wineries and many other individuals and organizations to make your stay exquisite. Nancy Landi International represents select properties for rent and investment at this time. The NLI team can help you locate distinguished properties for investment and guide you through the process. Our vision is to exceed your expectations. Nancy Landi International: http://www.NancyLandi.com Buenos Aires Investment Blog: http://buenosairesinvestment.blogspot.com/ LinkedIn Professional Profile: http://www.LinkedIn.com/in/ChristianDeBlis Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christian_DeBlis banking - Inflation Or Deflation - Which One Is Worse? Which One Lies Ahead? Surely inflation is our greater enemy, isn't it? Rising prices are bad for the economy. Falling prices are a good thing, aren't they? Inflation and deflation are due more to mindset than anything else. Let me explain. Whether you realize it or not, you are infected with inflation mentality, which goes back to at least the 1970s. I can illustrate that for you: Let's say your favorite loaf of bread at your local store costs $3 today. If you go back to that same store in ten years time and are able to buy a loaf of bread identical to today's, how much will you pay? Will it still cost $3 or will you pay more or less than $3? Did you answer more? Why? Because you are conditioned to assuming that prices will keep rising. You would not have answered that way in 1937 and you probably would not answer that way today in Japan, where prices have been falling for many years. What's wrong with that? It's true that inflation erodes the purchasing power of money, but as long as your income keeps up, rising prices are not the end of the world, are they? There is a consequence of inflation that is far more sinister than the erosion of purchasing power and you are not even aware of it. Inflation sucks you into debt. Let me illustrate that for you as well: Your car is three years old and you want to replace it, but you would rather wait another year. The new model costs $25,000, but you expect it could be $30,000 in a year's time. Will you wait another year and save up a further $5,000 cash, or will you go into debt and buy it now? You will almost certainly borrow and buy the new auto now, won't you? Why? Because you expect the price to rise. You go into more debt because of inflation. And you are infected with inflation mentality, which is the cause of the crazy, unsustainable debt bubble today. When you borrow that money from the bank, it is injected into the economy, increasing the money supply and fuelling yet more growth in consumer spending and thus the economy (and probably prices). Now let's reverse that situation. Let's say you believe the price of that new auto you want will be lower next year. Say $20,000. Now will you be in such a hurry to buy it? No. You will almost certainly wait. And let's say in 12 months time you expect the price to fall even further in the following 12 months, say to $15,000? Chances are you will make the old jalopy last yet another year. But you will not be the only person thinking this way. Everybody will be putting off buying a new car. To such an extent that auto makers, who have failed to increase sales, even by slashing prices, have to scale back production and lay off employees. And if auto workers lose their jobs, will they be able to spend as much on shoes and clothes and restaurants and gadgets? No. But stores need cash flow to pay their rent and wages, so "50% off" sales appear everywhere. But even they do not work, and retail stores also have to shed staff. And the more prices fall the more the consumer expects them to fall, so the more they put off buying everything that is not absolutely urgent. And so the economy begins to contract and unemployment rises, all because of deflation mentality. The lifeblood of an economy is consumer borrowing and spending, which is fuelled by the ready availability of money. When the mindset changes from inflation mentality to deflation mentality, people not only stop spending. They stop borrowing. In fact, reckless abandon changes to conservatism, and they even try and speed up the repayment of loans they already have. This disappears money from the economy back to the banks from whence it came, and so reduces money supply. And thus the economy spirals down into a deflationary recession or even worse. Every depression in history has been accompanied by deflation, not inflation. In the 1930s, was there any shortage of goods? Not at all. Stores were fully stocked. Was there any shortage of manpower? Hardly. Unemployment reached 25%. So what caused the depression? What was in short supply? Only one thing. Money. And the only way money comes into existence is by way of a loan from a bank. When people are reducing their indebtedness rather than increasing it, money supply shrinks and the economy contracts. Interest rates can be reduced to zero (as in Japan in recent years), but if people lose the courage and the capacity to take on more debt, they will not borrow. This is called "pushing money on a string." In my book "How to Profit from the Coming Great Depression" one entire chapter is devoted to this subject of deflation. You will learn why the coming downturn is inevitable and what you can do to escape the most serious consequences.

banking - Inflation Or Deflation - Which One Is Worse? Which One Lies Ahead?

Surely inflation is our greater enemy, isn't it? Rising prices are bad for the economy. Falling prices are a good thing, aren't they? Inflation and deflation are due more to mindset than anything else. Let me explain. Whether you realize it or not, you are infected with inflation mentality, which goes back to at least the 1970s. I can illustrate that for you: Let's say your favorite loaf of bread at your local store costs $3 today. If you go back to that same store in ten years time and are able to buy a loaf of bread identical to today's, how much will you pay? Will it still cost $3 or will you pay more or less than $3? Did you answer more? Why? Because you are conditioned to assuming that prices will keep rising. You would not have answered that way in 1937 and you probably would not answer that way today in Japan, where prices have been falling for many years. What's wrong with that? It's true that inflation erodes the purchasing power of money, but as long as your income keeps up, rising prices are not the end of the world, are they? There is a consequence of inflation that is far more sinister than the erosion of purchasing power and you are not even aware of it. Inflation sucks you into debt. Let me illustrate that for you as well: Your car is three years old and you want to replace it, but you would rather wait another year. The new model costs $25,000, but you expect it could be $30,000 in a year's time. Will you wait another year and save up a further $5,000 cash, or will you go into debt and buy it now? You will almost certainly borrow and buy the new auto now, won't you? Why? Because you expect the price to rise. You go into more debt because of inflation. And you are infected with inflation mentality, which is the cause of the crazy, unsustainable debt bubble today. When you borrow that money from the bank, it is injected into the economy, increasing the money supply and fuelling yet more growth in consumer spending and thus the economy (and probably prices). Now let's reverse that situation. Let's say you believe the price of that new auto you want will be lower next year. Say $20,000. Now will you be in such a hurry to buy it? No. You will almost certainly wait. And let's say in 12 months time you expect the price to fall even further in the following 12 months, say to $15,000? Chances are you will make the old jalopy last yet another year. But you will not be the only person thinking this way. Everybody will be putting off buying a new car. To such an extent that auto makers, who have failed to increase sales, even by slashing prices, have to scale back production and lay off employees. And if auto workers lose their jobs, will they be able to spend as much on shoes and clothes and restaurants and gadgets? No. But stores need cash flow to pay their rent and wages, so "50% off" sales appear everywhere. But even they do not work, and retail stores also have to shed staff. And the more prices fall the more the consumer expects them to fall, so the more they put off buying everything that is not absolutely urgent. And so the economy begins to contract and unemployment rises, all because of deflation mentality. The lifeblood of an economy is consumer borrowing and spending, which is fuelled by the ready availability of money. When the mindset changes from inflation mentality to deflation mentality, people not only stop spending. They stop borrowing. In fact, reckless abandon changes to conservatism, and they even try and speed up the repayment of loans they already have. This disappears money from the economy back to the banks from whence it came, and so reduces money supply. And thus the economy spirals down into a deflationary recession or even worse. Every depression in history has been accompanied by deflation, not inflation. In the 1930s, was there any shortage of goods? Not at all. Stores were fully stocked. Was there any shortage of manpower? Hardly. Unemployment reached 25%. So what caused the depression? What was in short supply? Only one thing. Money. And the only way money comes into existence is by way of a loan from a bank. When people are reducing their indebtedness rather than increasing it, money supply shrinks and the economy contracts. Interest rates can be reduced to zero (as in Japan in recent years), but if people lose the courage and the capacity to take on more debt, they will not borrow. This is called "pushing money on a string." In my book "How to Profit from the Coming Great Depression" one entire chapter is devoted to this subject of deflation. You will learn why the coming downturn is inevitable and what you can do to escape the most serious consequences. The Graham Dyer Newsletter has not missed a month's publication since July 1983. His track record for forecasting is the envy of many, including the 1987 stock market crash, the demise of the Japanese economy and stock and real estate markets in the 1990s, the bull market for bonds from 1989, and the real estate boom this decade. His book is entitled: "How to Profit from the Coming Great Depression." If you want to know the pitfalls of investing as well as the opportunities, Graham Dyer's world class work is a must read. For more of Graham's work you can visit www.gstock-market-guru.com Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Graham_Dyer banking - Cord Blood Donation- Your Baby's Cord Blood Can Save Lives Umbilical cord blood contains blood-forming cells that can be used to treat life-threatening diseases and conditions. Expectant parents who do not want to store their baby's cord blood for private use can donate it to a cord blood bank. Donated cord blood is available for public use and research, and has proven to save many lives. In 2006, Shelia Gannon was close to the end of a losing battle against acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a form of cancer that causes abnormal blood formation and a shortage of red and normal white blood cells and platelets. After chemotherapy, her cancer went into remission. A bone marrow transplant would have cured her but there was no match from her family members or the six million people on the marrow donor registry. Her doctors suggested the possibility of a cord blood stem cell transplant. Unfortunately, when she arrived at a Minnesota clinic for the procedure, her cancer had returned and she was no longer able to have the transplant. In Denver, she underwent chemotherapy again. Her doctor at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center decided to test a new double cord blood transplant on her. The procedure involved transplanting blood from 2 cords, so that one of them could save her life. On January 3, 2006, Sheila Gannon was given cord blood from one male and one female baby. She recovered slowly and her body developed a new immune system. As at March 12, 2007, Sheila has been in remission for a year. The donated cord blood has given her a second chance at life. David Kawika Schutte is further proof of the life saving potential of cord blood stem cells. Both he and his twin brother, Christopher Ikaika Schutte were diagnosed with Neutropenia. This is a rare blood disease where the body does not produce white blood cells at all. Those that have this disease rarely live beyond 2-3 years old. While the twins were given daily shots to boost their immune systems, David Kawika developed leukemia. Given his practically non-existent immune system, chemotherapy was not an option as it would have killed him. A bone marrow transplant would have cured him but there was no matching donor. When a cord match was eventually found for him, he underwent a cord blood stem cell transplant for leukemia. Following the treatment, David's body created a new blood supply complete with white cells, hence a new immune system. David's recovery has given hope to his twin brother, Christopher who is still waiting for a bone marrow or cord blood match. It is your personal choice whether to store your baby's cord blood for private use or donate it for public use. There is a need for ongoing cord blood donation especially from diverse racial and ethnic groups. The fact remains that patients from these groups have lower chances of finding matched donors than White patients.

banking - Cord Blood Donation- Your Baby's Cord Blood Can Save Lives

Umbilical cord blood contains blood-forming cells that can be used to treat life-threatening diseases and conditions. Expectant parents who do not want to store their baby's cord blood for private use can donate it to a cord blood bank. Donated cord blood is available for public use and research, and has proven to save many lives. In 2006, Shelia Gannon was close to the end of a losing battle against acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a form of cancer that causes abnormal blood formation and a shortage of red and normal white blood cells and platelets. After chemotherapy, her cancer went into remission. A bone marrow transplant would have cured her but there was no match from her family members or the six million people on the marrow donor registry. Her doctors suggested the possibility of a cord blood stem cell transplant. Unfortunately, when she arrived at a Minnesota clinic for the procedure, her cancer had returned and she was no longer able to have the transplant. In Denver, she underwent chemotherapy again. Her doctor at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center decided to test a new double cord blood transplant on her. The procedure involved transplanting blood from 2 cords, so that one of them could save her life. On January 3, 2006, Sheila Gannon was given cord blood from one male and one female baby. She recovered slowly and her body developed a new immune system. As at March 12, 2007, Sheila has been in remission for a year. The donated cord blood has given her a second chance at life. David Kawika Schutte is further proof of the life saving potential of cord blood stem cells. Both he and his twin brother, Christopher Ikaika Schutte were diagnosed with Neutropenia. This is a rare blood disease where the body does not produce white blood cells at all. Those that have this disease rarely live beyond 2-3 years old. While the twins were given daily shots to boost their immune systems, David Kawika developed leukemia. Given his practically non-existent immune system, chemotherapy was not an option as it would have killed him. A bone marrow transplant would have cured him but there was no matching donor. When a cord match was eventually found for him, he underwent a cord blood stem cell transplant for leukemia. Following the treatment, David's body created a new blood supply complete with white cells, hence a new immune system. David's recovery has given hope to his twin brother, Christopher who is still waiting for a bone marrow or cord blood match. It is your personal choice whether to store your baby's cord blood for private use or donate it for public use. There is a need for ongoing cord blood donation especially from diverse racial and ethnic groups. The fact remains that patients from these groups have lower chances of finding matched donors than White patients. People with life-threatening diseases and conditions have been successfully treated with donated cord blood stem cells. However, there is still an urgent need for cord blood donation from donors of diverse racial and ethnic groups. Learn how your baby's cord blood can save lives at www.storingcordblood.com/home Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alvin_Toh banking - Internet Business Banking Internet business banking services refer to those online services that are related mainly to business activities of the clients of a bank. Banks providing these services allow the transfer of business money and verification of account details. Also, account holders can pay certain bills from the account by just clicking their mouse. These services are not provided to all account holders; only those who qualify for Internet business banking services are provided these services. A client has to authorize a bank to make certain decisions on his behalf whenever the client has decided to utilize an Internet banking services package. Digital signatures play an important role in this regard, as at times the bank may seek confirmation from you if there is any major transfer of funds. The authorization can be given through digital signatures. Internet banking business services are becoming more and more popular for all types and sizes of businesses. They help in cutting down the red tape and expediting the transfer of money, which further helps in closing deals quickly. To use these services, the client or the customer has to sign an agreement with the bank. This agreement can be signed online also. Before you sign this agreement, go through the various terms and conditions mentioned in the agreement. Also, it is better to keep a close watch on the Web site through which you operate your business account. Try to keep a tab on balances in your account. Report any discrepancies you may find immediately. If your business accounts are operated by one of your employees, then change your passwords and user names should this employee leave the company. You can get in touch with your bank and it can be done within no time. This will help you to enjoy safe Internet business banking.

banking - Internet Business Banking

Internet business banking services refer to those online services that are related mainly to business activities of the clients of a bank. Banks providing these services allow the transfer of business money and verification of account details. Also, account holders can pay certain bills from the account by just clicking their mouse. These services are not provided to all account holders; only those who qualify for Internet business banking services are provided these services. A client has to authorize a bank to make certain decisions on his behalf whenever the client has decided to utilize an Internet banking services package. Digital signatures play an important role in this regard, as at times the bank may seek confirmation from you if there is any major transfer of funds. The authorization can be given through digital signatures. Internet banking business services are becoming more and more popular for all types and sizes of businesses. They help in cutting down the red tape and expediting the transfer of money, which further helps in closing deals quickly. To use these services, the client or the customer has to sign an agreement with the bank. This agreement can be signed online also. Before you sign this agreement, go through the various terms and conditions mentioned in the agreement. Also, it is better to keep a close watch on the Web site through which you operate your business account. Try to keep a tab on balances in your account. Report any discrepancies you may find immediately. If your business accounts are operated by one of your employees, then change your passwords and user names should this employee leave the company. You can get in touch with your bank and it can be done within no time. This will help you to enjoy safe Internet business banking. Internet Banking provides detailed information on Internet Banking, Advantages Of Internet Banking, Internet Business Banking, US Internet Banking and more. Internet Banking is affiliated with Best Internet Banks. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marcus_Peterson banking - Pregnant Woman - Some Unexpected Side Effects Journey of a pregnant woman to motherhood is replete with a number of surprises. The moment she and her spouse learn that there is pregnancy and a baby is going to be there in their family, they are in an ecstatic mood. It is the most exciting moment for husband as well as wife. It not only transforms the body of a pregnant woman but her mind too. While dealing with the joys and pregnancy celebrations, let's spare a thought for the anxieties arising during pregnancy, too. Every pregnant woman faces a number of unanticipated side effects during her pregnancy, most of which disappear after pregnancy. Unexpected Effects Of Pregnancy Mood Swings The most common phenomenon that a pregnant woman experiences is that of mood swings. It occurs mainly during the first and the third trimester of the pregnancy. Mood swings make a pregnant woman feel ecstatic as well as depressed and isolated without any rhyme and reason. It is advisable to see the doctor if the problem of depression continues for more than two weeks. Inability To Concentrate and Take Care A pregnant woman undergoes hormonal changes, and faces problems of exhaustion, morning sickness and preoccupation with the baby that makes her forgetful. One can successfully overcome this phase of pregnancy by preparing a list of things to be done, taking necessary rest and limited but nutritious diet. Nesting Instinct It is commonplace for a pregnant woman to develop an intense nesting instinct, which is a strong desire to provide a home for the ensuing baby and decorate it. However, be careful and avoid too much of hard physical labor to ensure that the baby is safe. Increased Bra Size Since the breasts of a pregnant woman continue to get enlarged, get swollen, tender and painful, one must change the bra size to feel comfortable. Skin Glow It is not unusual for a pregnant woman to experience an increase in blood volume so that she can cater to the metabolic needs of her fetus. This makes her skin glow and make her look unusually pretty. Some pregnant women also develop rashes, pimples and moles because of hormonal changes. If there is irritation or itchiness due to skin stretching on the abdomen, use skin creams and lotions for relief. Hair And Nails Growth A pregnant woman, at times can have hair growth on her face or belly. Her nails may become longer and grow faster. Increased Shoe Size It also happens that some pregnant women see their feet swelling, but these changes are not permanent. In order to get relief from the pain, one can wear slip-on shoes of a larger size. Other Changes There are few more symptoms of pain during pregnancy, including reduced joint mobility, varicose veins, hemorrhoids and constipation. Though almost all these problems disappear after pregnancy, it is always better to be careful and have a balanced diet. This can help alleviate the adverse effects of these temporary conditions in a pregnant woman. A pregnant woman can look forward to a variety of surprises during her pregnancy. There should not be any anxiety because almost all of these side effects disappear after pregnancy. The golden rule for any pregnant woman is to enjoy these very exciting days, weeks and months that will eventually bring a newborn into the family.

banking - Pregnant Woman - Some Unexpected Side Effects

Journey of a pregnant woman to motherhood is replete with a number of surprises. The moment she and her spouse learn that there is pregnancy and a baby is going to be there in their family, they are in an ecstatic mood. It is the most exciting moment for husband as well as wife. It not only transforms the body of a pregnant woman but her mind too. While dealing with the joys and pregnancy celebrations, let's spare a thought for the anxieties arising during pregnancy, too. Every pregnant woman faces a number of unanticipated side effects during her pregnancy, most of which disappear after pregnancy. Unexpected Effects Of Pregnancy Mood Swings The most common phenomenon that a pregnant woman experiences is that of mood swings. It occurs mainly during the first and the third trimester of the pregnancy. Mood swings make a pregnant woman feel ecstatic as well as depressed and isolated without any rhyme and reason. It is advisable to see the doctor if the problem of depression continues for more than two weeks. Inability To Concentrate and Take Care A pregnant woman undergoes hormonal changes, and faces problems of exhaustion, morning sickness and preoccupation with the baby that makes her forgetful. One can successfully overcome this phase of pregnancy by preparing a list of things to be done, taking necessary rest and limited but nutritious diet. Nesting Instinct It is commonplace for a pregnant woman to develop an intense nesting instinct, which is a strong desire to provide a home for the ensuing baby and decorate it. However, be careful and avoid too much of hard physical labor to ensure that the baby is safe. Increased Bra Size Since the breasts of a pregnant woman continue to get enlarged, get swollen, tender and painful, one must change the bra size to feel comfortable. Skin Glow It is not unusual for a pregnant woman to experience an increase in blood volume so that she can cater to the metabolic needs of her fetus. This makes her skin glow and make her look unusually pretty. Some pregnant women also develop rashes, pimples and moles because of hormonal changes. If there is irritation or itchiness due to skin stretching on the abdomen, use skin creams and lotions for relief. Hair And Nails Growth A pregnant woman, at times can have hair growth on her face or belly. Her nails may become longer and grow faster. Increased Shoe Size It also happens that some pregnant women see their feet swelling, but these changes are not permanent. In order to get relief from the pain, one can wear slip-on shoes of a larger size. Other Changes There are few more symptoms of pain during pregnancy, including reduced joint mobility, varicose veins, hemorrhoids and constipation. Though almost all these problems disappear after pregnancy, it is always better to be careful and have a balanced diet. This can help alleviate the adverse effects of these temporary conditions in a pregnant woman. A pregnant woman can look forward to a variety of surprises during her pregnancy. There should not be any anxiety because almost all of these side effects disappear after pregnancy. The golden rule for any pregnant woman is to enjoy these very exciting days, weeks and months that will eventually bring a newborn into the family. A pregnant woman is likely to face many side effects during her pregnancy. Some of these side effects are also the early signs of pregnancy or pregnancy symptoms. Most of the pregnancy symptoms or pregnancy complications are during the early stages of pregnancy because of hormonal changes and nesting instinct. For more information visit Pregnancy Period, the free online resource providing information on all aspects of pregnancy including maternity clothes, pregnancy celebrations, breastfeeding, stretch mark treatments, cord blood banking, fertility and much more. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Saurabh_K_Jain banking - Marketing In Banking With access to cheaper funds through GDR/ADR issues, Euro loans etc. big corporations are shying away from bank finance. This trend of disintermediation among corporate has caused the banks to focus on Retail portfolio for growth. Retailing makes sense from Risk Management perspective also since it reduces Concentration Risk. With the focus on Retail Banking, banks are giving market segmentation a serious look to identify the differences between groups of potential customers and to decide which products can be served to which groups. There are the following groups of banking customers: Self-Directed Planners. Well educated, slightly above average income, seek financial information from variety of sources and retain control of financial matters, frequently use financial products, open to borrowing, accept reasonable risk. Simplifiers. Less educated, less affluent, older, do not seek financial advice often, use fewer more basic products, prefer local banks, least open to borrowing, tolerate low risk only, not sensitive to price, prefer face to face contact. Fickle Shoppers. Average income, predominantly non working female, do not seek financial advice, use fewer more basic products, open to borrowing particularly on credit cards, accept reasonable risk, not so sensitive to price, prefer remote channels - specifically ATM or telephone banking. Advice Seekers. Well educated, affluent, predominantly male, seek financial advice, heavy users of financial products, higher transaction frequency, tolerate higher risk, very sensitive to price, prefer face to face contact. When it comes to segmenting industry for lending Small & Medium Enterprises are the current favourites of both banks and RBI. There is increasing talk of banking sector getting transformed from large number of small banks to small number of large banks. The presumption is that there is a definite premium on size. But as long as they have a niche in customer service, small banks will continue to exist and thrive since banking is no assembly line manufacturing and is all about building and fostering customer relationships

banking - Marketing In Banking

With access to cheaper funds through GDR/ADR issues, Euro loans etc. big corporations are shying away from bank finance. This trend of disintermediation among corporate has caused the banks to focus on Retail portfolio for growth. Retailing makes sense from Risk Management perspective also since it reduces Concentration Risk. With the focus on Retail Banking, banks are giving market segmentation a serious look to identify the differences between groups of potential customers and to decide which products can be served to which groups. There are the following groups of banking customers: Self-Directed Planners. Well educated, slightly above average income, seek financial information from variety of sources and retain control of financial matters, frequently use financial products, open to borrowing, accept reasonable risk. Simplifiers. Less educated, less affluent, older, do not seek financial advice often, use fewer more basic products, prefer local banks, least open to borrowing, tolerate low risk only, not sensitive to price, prefer face to face contact. Fickle Shoppers. Average income, predominantly non working female, do not seek financial advice, use fewer more basic products, open to borrowing particularly on credit cards, accept reasonable risk, not so sensitive to price, prefer remote channels - specifically ATM or telephone banking. Advice Seekers. Well educated, affluent, predominantly male, seek financial advice, heavy users of financial products, higher transaction frequency, tolerate higher risk, very sensitive to price, prefer face to face contact. When it comes to segmenting industry for lending Small & Medium Enterprises are the current favourites of both banks and RBI. There is increasing talk of banking sector getting transformed from large number of small banks to small number of large banks. The presumption is that there is a definite premium on size. But as long as they have a niche in customer service, small banks will continue to exist and thrive since banking is no assembly line manufacturing and is all about building and fostering customer relationships The article was produced by the writer of masterpapers.com. Sharon White is a 5-years experienced freelance writer and a senior manager of essay contest services support team. Contact her to get critical essays tips and contrast essays tips. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sharon_White banking - Embryonic Stem Cell Stem cells are primitive undifferentiated cells that have the capability to form any of the 220 different types of cells in the human body. The embryonic stem cell is found in the embryo and develops into various cells that make a baby. This single cell is capable of forming or specializing to form any kind of cell. During embryonic development the first cell quickly divides to form three embryonic layers namely, the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. Embryonic stem cell research and the method of cloning led to the development of the famous cloned sheep, Dolly. Cloning essentially involves the duplication of biological material. This is done through a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer. This method can create a clone as well as be used for producing an embryo from which cells called embryonic stem (ES) cells could be extracted. The advantage of embryonic stem cells is that they can be used to cure several fatal genetic diseases. Embryonic stem cells possess two major characteristics that make them especially suited for cell therapy. Firstly, being extracted from a very new organism, these cells are at an early stage of development and can be more flexibly used to culture several different kinds of cells. Stem cells that have such a flexibility of development are referred to as pluripotent cells. Also, embryonic stem cells have the ability to remain undifferentiated for long and can divide indefinitely. This makes them self-renewable and they can be used for longer. If transplanted into a patient's body, embryonic stem cells are capable of replenishing cells that have been destroyed by ailments like sickle cell anemia, thalesemia, and some forms of cancer.

banking - Embryonic Stem Cell

Stem cells are primitive undifferentiated cells that have the capability to form any of the 220 different types of cells in the human body. The embryonic stem cell is found in the embryo and develops into various cells that make a baby. This single cell is capable of forming or specializing to form any kind of cell. During embryonic development the first cell quickly divides to form three embryonic layers namely, the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm. Embryonic stem cell research and the method of cloning led to the development of the famous cloned sheep, Dolly. Cloning essentially involves the duplication of biological material. This is done through a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer. This method can create a clone as well as be used for producing an embryo from which cells called embryonic stem (ES) cells could be extracted. The advantage of embryonic stem cells is that they can be used to cure several fatal genetic diseases. Embryonic stem cells possess two major characteristics that make them especially suited for cell therapy. Firstly, being extracted from a very new organism, these cells are at an early stage of development and can be more flexibly used to culture several different kinds of cells. Stem cells that have such a flexibility of development are referred to as pluripotent cells. Also, embryonic stem cells have the ability to remain undifferentiated for long and can divide indefinitely. This makes them self-renewable and they can be used for longer. If transplanted into a patient's body, embryonic stem cells are capable of replenishing cells that have been destroyed by ailments like sickle cell anemia, thalesemia, and some forms of cancer. Kevin Anderson is the owner and operator of http://www.cord-blood-resources.info a site developed to give users the most updated information, articles, and news related to the Cord Blood and stem cell research. Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Anderson banking - Internet Banking Could Help With Your Tax Retuns One of the most useful things about Internet banking is that once you have your account information on your computer, you can export it into financial programs such as Microsoft Money and Quicken, to better manage your various household accounts. This can be particularly useful at tax time, if you export your account details into a tax calculator program such as TurboTax. However, getting the software and your Internet banking to talk to each other can sometimes be easier said than done. While many banks (especially Internet-only banks) are good about this and offer an easy download link to save your online statements onto your computer, others offer only a very basic Internet banking service. If your bank doesn't produce export files, you may have luck with asking your software to access your Internet banking account directly, giving it your username and password (it goes without saying that you shouldn't give these details to any software you don't completely trust). If that still doesn't work, then don't worry. Search the web for the name of your bank followed by 'export software', and you will often find that someone has produced a free script that you can use to save the information from your bank's website. These scripts generally work by first asking you to save pages from your Internet banking using your web browser's Save button or menu option, and then taking the files produced and converting them into a format that your financial software can understand. If all else fails, call up your bank and ask them to help you. If they refuse, and it is really important to you, you might consider opening an account at an Internet bank, where they will be much more understanding towards these kinds of requests. You might also want to complain to the company that makes the financial software, as they may be able to persuade (or even help) the bank to do something about the problem.

banking - Internet Banking Could Help With Your Tax Retuns

One of the most useful things about Internet banking is that once you have your account information on your computer, you can export it into financial programs such as Microsoft Money and Quicken, to better manage your various household accounts. This can be particularly useful at tax time, if you export your account details into a tax calculator program such as TurboTax. However, getting the software and your Internet banking to talk to each other can sometimes be easier said than done. While many banks (especially Internet-only banks) are good about this and offer an easy download link to save your online statements onto your computer, others offer only a very basic Internet banking service. If your bank doesn't produce export files, you may have luck with asking your software to access your Internet banking account directly, giving it your username and password (it goes without saying that you shouldn't give these details to any software you don't completely trust). If that still doesn't work, then don't worry. Search the web for the name of your bank followed by 'export software', and you will often find that someone has produced a free script that you can use to save the information from your bank's website. These scripts generally work by first asking you to save pages from your Internet banking using your web browser's Save button or menu option, and then taking the files produced and converting them into a format that your financial software can understand. If all else fails, call up your bank and ask them to help you. If they refuse, and it is really important to you, you might consider opening an account at an Internet bank, where they will be much more understanding towards these kinds of requests. You might also want to complain to the company that makes the financial software, as they may be able to persuade (or even help) the bank to do something about the problem. John Gibb is the owner of internet banking guidance For more information on internet banking check out http://www.internet-banking-guidance.info Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Gibb banking - Dealing With Your Banking When You Move Relocating can be hectic because you basically pick up your entire life and change everything. Your finances are one thing you need to deal with right away. Between packing and unpacking, there are so many things to be done when relocating. Whether you are simply moving across town or across the country, getting a bank account set up is one of the foremost items that should be checked off your list. Whether you choose to wait before or after you move to change banks, there should always be a game plan ahead of time to prevent any unwanted closing of accounts. If you are happy with your current bank, many banks operate nationwide. Unfortunately, some of the most well known banks such as Wells Fargo and Bank of America do not operate in all states. If this is the case and you love your bank, there are ways around going to a new bank. Many banks will accept a change of address and allow you to continue banking there while living out of area. To make deposits to an out of state bank, many banks will permit you to mail certified funds directly to a branch or home office. A word of caution - keeping accounts with a bank that has no offices near you will make it difficult to withdraw cash. While you can withdraw at most any ATM, you will have to pay service fees each time. Do your research before you move. Find local or national banks that operate in your area, and if possible, speak to someone who has used the bank. Many cities have a Chamber of Commerce that will provide recommendations for banking; some even have welcome committees that are committed to helping you make a smooth transition. Ideally, you should choose a new bank before you move. Even if you plan to keep accounts open elsewhere, having a home bank is still a responsible choice. For immediate assistance and for loans and mortgages, a bank nearby can help in the long run. If possible, open a new account before you move. Once you arrive, check out the bank you have chosen. Ensure that you are aware of all of their policies and transfer any money to their site. If you have automatic payments on credit cards or other debts, make certain that you change the bank account information, if necessary. Above all, make sure that your new address is reflected the same on all documents. This includes the postal service, credit cards and your new or old bank. If your credit card address and bank address differ, your account may be closed due to the discrepancy. Choose a bank that suits your needs, and if necessary, keep an account open from your previous location.