Channel Financing Blog

UCTrend Technologies' New Stock Algorithm Makes Trading Easy

UCTrend Technologies – A new financial analysis website provides users with daily indications of Buy or Sell. UCTrend monitors around 5000 stocks, ETFs and indices and manages to outperform the S&P500.

New York, NY, May 8th -- With the stock market going off the wall, UCTrend Technologies' Co-Founders, Itay Golan and Omri Amit, created a calculator for the quickly-changing stock market.

UCTrend was established to answer the needs of investors to get an extra tool that will enable them to see the direction of the market. The service costs $15 or $25 a month and is based on an advanced mathematical algorithm, created in 2000 and developed since, which measures the quoted value of each security and compare it to its intrinsic value.

When Itay Golan, UCTrend Technologies Co-Founder and Owner, says, "I am predicting the future instead of gambling on it," he knows what he is talking about. Along with his partner, Omri Amit, the two developed a stock algorithm that follows and analyses the market in real time.

Golan and Amit believe in simplicity for the user, "We figured out a way to realize the market in a secure way that is visible and recognizable to the investing public." The UCTrend online calculator provides a market trend indications service that gives independent research on each stock's volume and price. Through a manually setup watchlist, the user is able to easily follow stocks, buy and sell, receive ETF's and reports.

For additional information on UCTrend Technologies' Calculator, contact Itay Golan at itay.g@uctrend.com, or visit http://www.UCTrend.com

Contact Information
UCTrend Technologies
Itay Golan
914-960-4686
itay.g@uctrend.com
uctrend.com

Edcomm Banker'S Academy Updates Compliance Training Program To Reflect New TLGP Revisions

Edcomm Banker's Academy has made an immediate update to its compliance training program to reflect recent revisions made to the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (TLGP).

Mar 23, 2009 - New York, NY  - Edcomm Banker's Academy has made an immediate update to its compliance training program to reflect recent revisions made to the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (TLGP). Focus on Compliance has been updated to include this new information as part of Edcomm Banker's Academy's commitment to providing financial institutions with the most up-to-date, accurate information. Regulatory changes are immediately updated in Banker's Academy's content.

According to the new changes made to the TLGP, entities participating in the debt guarantee program may issue certain FDIC-guaranteed Mandatory Convertible Debt (MCD). The intent of this amendment is to give eligible entities additional flexibility to obtain funding from investors with long-term investment horizons and to reduce the concentration of FDIC-guaranteed debt maturing in mid-2012 that might otherwise have to be rolled into new debt.

Focus on Compliance, from Edcomm Banker's Academy, is a computer-based, distance-learning program, and can be delivered via Internet, Intranet or CD-ROM. The program teaches banking compliance using easy-to-understand language in an interactive, self-paced format. Participants learn from their own perspective, with a curriculum customized to their position. Focus on Compliance covers: Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Anti Money Laundering (AML), USA PATRIOT Act, OFAC, Privacy, Reg P, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, Right to Financial Privacy, Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), Reg CC & Check 21, Reg D, Reg E, Reg Z, Truth in Lending, FCRA, FACT Act, HMDA, CRA, and Bank Bribery, among others. The program also includes a quick reference guide to all banking regulations, as well as a glossary of terms and a library of reference materials.

For more information about programs like this, or to find out how The Edcomm Group Banker's Academy can customize any training program, log onto www.bankersacademy.com or call 888-433-2666.

The Edcomm Group Banker's Academy is a 21-year-old multimedia education and communication consulting firm specializing in the development of creative business solutions that improve productivity, customer service and market share - providing bottom-line results. The Edcomm Group Banker's Academy has had the privilege of assisting many distinguished clients with business solutions in the form of eLearning programs, classroom instruction, multimedia production and online and print based documentation. Edcomm Banker's Academy offers many off-the-shelf and customized courses such as Teller Training, Compliance Training and Systems Training specifically designed for Banks, Credit Unions and Money Services Businesses (MSBs).

The Edcomm Group Banker's Academy (www.bankersacademy.com) is headquartered in New York City with locations and representation throughout the world.

Contact:
Linda Eagle
Edcomm Banker's Academy
21 Penn Plaza Suite 1010
New York, NY 10001
888-433-2666
linda.eagle@edcomm.com
http://www.bankersacademy.com

There are signs the problems surrounding Channel 10's continued operation may soon be resolved. Communications Minister Ariel Atias convened an urgent meeting on Sunday for senior officials from the Second Authority for Television and Radio and the Communications Ministry and station executives. At the meeting, Atias presented a plan that would enable the station to repay its debts and extend its franchise for another two years.

According to the minister's plan, similar to that proposed earlier by MK Gilad Erdan, the station's NIS 103 million debt would be broken down into content debts amounting to NIS 70 million and debts relating to the franchise fee. The station will be required to repay the debt from content through certain productions and present financial guarantees and securities. The debt would then be dispersed and settled between the Finance Ministry and the station.

After he presented the plan, the minister left the meeting and the Second Authority and station executives began discussing the arrangement. "There has been a substantial shift in Channel 10's position," Atias said. "The shareholders are willing to provide guarantees for their debts, mainly in the area of content, which in my eyes is more important, because that is what the viewers see and what will finance the creators' work."

If the station and the authority do indeed work out an arrangement, Atias will submit new regulations for the approval of the Knesset's Finance Committee that will provide the parties with more time to put the deal in motion. All of this is expected to take place as early as this week.

Meanwhile, the Second Authority's council was slated to convene yesterday to set up a committee to draft a new tender for the station. As of Sunday night, it was still unclear how the matter would be discussed.

The station's franchise is set to expire in January 2010, unless extended for another two years. The main obstacle impeding the extension of the franchise is the station's NIS 103 million debt. The Second Authority, which was asked to decide on the matter, asked for another extension to negotiate with the station and this request was accepted by Atias and ratified by the Knesset Finance Committee. However, another meeting requested by Likud MK Gilad Erdan overturned the decision and, by a two MK majority, determined that the authority would issue a new tender for the station.

The following day, station employees began protesting, voicing their concern that the station would shut down well before the end of its franchise. "It is important to have commercial channels in Israel," explained Atias. "Everyone benefited from this, certainly during a period of financial crisis. The decision in the Knesset committee was a serious error. All I wanted to do was enable the Second Authority to hold a dialogue with the station and the decision reached was to reject my request and halt the dialogue a month early. Anyone who thought that a new tender would basically be a change in the owner is apparently mistaken. On the other hand, we have to verify that the station will repay its debts."

Channel 10 executives said in response: "We welcome Minister Ariel Atias' efforts to resolve the crisis."

However, a senior station executive said, "we are trying to repay all the content debts, but without adjusting regulations to match the economic reality, we will not be able to carry on. We will not be able to carry on losing NIS 100 million every year."

Source:- haaretz.com

Japan’s 10-year bonds completed their biggest decline in a month after rising Asian stocks reduced demand for government debt.

Bonds slid for a fifth day, the longest losing streak since July 2007, after U.S. shares rallied yesterday when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the government will step up efforts to fight the recession. Demand for debt also waned after the Bank of Japan said yesterday it will start buying equities owned by financial institutions to shore up their capital.

“The bond market is likely to test lower prices after overseas stocks rose,” said Akihiko Inoue, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co. in Tokyo, the brokerage arm of Japan’s second-largest bank by revenue.

The yield on the 1.3 percent bond due December 2018 rose five basis points to 1.345 percent as of 4 p.m. in Tokyo at Japan Bond Trading Co., the nation’s largest interdealer debt broker. The price fell 0.435 yen to 99.608 yen. The yield touched 1.35 percent, the highest level since Dec. 16. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point.
Ten-year bond futures for March delivery slid 0.40 to 138.35 at the afternoon close at the Tokyo Stock Exchange as the Nikkei 225 Stock Average advanced 2.7 percent.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index snapped a three-day drop yesterday after Geithner told the Wall Street Journal that White House fiscal policy is “about to get very aggressive” as President Obama’s economic team prepares to address the deepening recession.
Japan’s government bonds handed investors a loss of 0.3 percent last week, according to indexes compiled by Merrill Lynch & Co. The Nikkei gained 3.2 percent last week.

‘Bearish Conditions’

“Bearish conditions will continue,” said Masaru Hamasaki, a Tokyo-based senior strategist at Toyota Asset Management Co., which oversees about $3.3 billion. “The Bank of Japan’s stock purchase plan is, if anything, negative for bonds.”

The central bank said yesterday it will buy 1 trillion yen ($11.2 billion) of stocks by April 2010, resuming a program it ended more than four years ago.

“This measure aims to act as a safety net to stabilize the financial markets,” BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said yesterday at a press briefing. “It’s always appropriate to prepare for the worst factors and the worst-case scenario.”

The Bank of Japan has cut interest rates to 0.1 percent and is buying corporate debt from lenders to encourage them to extend credit and prevent a deeper recession. The bank said two weeks ago it will purchase as much as 3 trillion yen of commercial paper and consider purchasing corporate bonds to channel funds to companies.

Shrinking Economy

The decline in bonds was tempered on speculation a government report this month will show the economy contracted for a third quarter, luring investors to the safety of debt.

The world’s second-biggest economy probably shrank 4.05 percent in the three months ended Dec. 31 from the previous quarter, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg News before the Feb. 16 report.

“It’s quite positive for bonds and in the intermediate to long-term, sentiment will remain bullish,” said Keiko Onogi, a Tokyo-based debt strategist at Daiwa Securities SMBC Co., one of the 24 primary dealers that are required to bid at government debt sales.

Ten-year yields may decline to 1.17 percent by the end of March, according to a Bloomberg survey of economists and analysts. The estimate puts a heavier weighting on more recent forecasts. Should those predictions prove accurate investors who bought the securities today would make a return of 1.7 percent, Bloomberg calculations show.
Bonds still fell on concern the government will boost bond sales further to help fund spending to combat the recession.

The government may need to issue a record 40.6 trillion yen of new debt in the fiscal year starting April 2011, according to official calculations from the Ministry of Finance.

Source:- Bloomberg

Harley-Davidson Inc. of Milwaukee said Tuesday that it has priced a debt offering of USD 600 million to finance the ongoing lending activities at its wholly owned finance company, Harley-Davidson Financial Services Inc.

The offering of senior unsecured notes is being made under the heavyweight motorcycle manufacturer's existing shelf registration for public offerings of securities, including debt. The notes will be due in 2014 and will bear interest at a rate of 15 percent per year.

Davis Selected Advisers LP, a long-time investor in Harley-Davidson Inc. and the largest holder of Harley stock, and billionaire Warren Buffett's firm Berkshire Hathaway Inc. each committed to purchase equal portions of the aggregate principal amount of the notes, Harley-Davidson said.

In late January, Harley-Davidson unveiled a three-part strategy to attempt to address the current economic environment. That three-part strategy focuses on stimulating consumer demand by investing in the Harley-Davidson brand, getting the company's cost structure right -- which included the cutting of 1,100 jobs, mostly in the Milwaukee area -- and securing additional funding for Harley-Davidson Financial Services (HDFS), which makes wholesale loans to dealers and retail loans to consumers.

"This offering represents an important next step in executing our stated strategy for funding the lending activities of HDFS," said Tom Bergmann, chief financial officer of Harley-Davidson and interim president of HDFS.

Last week, ratings services firm Fitch Ratings said it placed Harley-Davidson Inc. and Harley-Davidson Financial Services on rating watch negative, in part because of concerns over the finance company's ability to continue to support Harley-Davidson sales at the typical level of about 53 to 55 percent of retail volumes.

The offering was arranged by Morgan Stanley, with Citigroup, Deutsche Bank Securities, J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley acting as lead underwriters for the transaction.

 Allina Hospitals & Clinics Responds to Attorney General's Suit

MINNEAPOLIS - January 2009 -- In response to a lawsuit filed today by the Minnesota Attorney General's Office, Allina Hospitals & Clinics made the following statement:

"Allina Hospitals & Clinics is surprised by the Attorney General's action today. Allina had been analyzing various proposals to modify MedCredit's interest rate structure for some time, and prior to the filing of this suit, Allina had made the decision to reduce the interest rate on all current and future MedCredit accounts to eight percent, regardless of the size of the balance. Allina communicated this to the Attorney General in December of 2008. Allina believes that this new rate structure is in the best interests of our patients who would benefit from the ability to pay their medical bills over time.

"While Allina believes the new rate of eight percent is appropriate going forward, it should be noted that the previous rate structure, which included a sliding interest rate scale based on the balance due, was fully consistent with Minnesota law, and was clearly communicated to all patients who participated in the program. The program is considered "open-ended credit," meaning that patients can use the program on an ongoing basis for subsequent care. The rates previously charged by Allina are consistent with Minnesota law for this type of credit.

Allina believes that MedCredit remains a valuable tool to help some patients pay their medical bills and that it may be a better alternative to financing such debt through a credit card, which may charge a much higher interest rate. Allina does not deny care to anyone based on inability to pay, and works with patients to help ensure they receive all possible forms of assistance in paying their medical bills, including free care or government assistance programs. Allina offers free care to individuals and families whose income is less that 275 percent of Federal poverty guidelines.

"Allina believes the allegations contained in the complaint are without merit and that the MedCredit program is fully compliant with the law. Allina looks forward to discussing this matter further with the Attorney General, and bringing it to a timely resolution."

Allina Hospitals & Clinics is a not-for-profit health care system of hospitals, clinics and other patient care services that provides exceptional care to communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin and employs more than 22,000 people. Allina Hospitals & Clinics facilities, services and jobs can be found online at www.allina.com.

Contacts

Allina Hospitals & Clinics
David Kanihan, 612-262-4986
david.kanihan@allina.com
Cell: 612-867-2845

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The lawsuit names as defendants both Allina Health System and its subsidiary, Accounts Receivable Services, a debt collection agency owned by Allina that does business under the name MedCredit Financial Services. It seems odd to me that they lowered the rate to 8% which happens to be the legal limit. As a non-profit perhaps they should consider lowering the rate still further, since that could only be in the best interests of their clients...

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Effective Human Resource Management In A Down Economy

Learn how to drive employees to higher levels of business performance by proper management.

This free publication from Taleo is a white paper that explores the crucial relationship between talent management strategies, HR processes, and management practices. It covers the important advantages that can be realized by companies and organizations that are now coping with the current economic downturn. It explains why good human resources, executive management, and management of specific talent is a key issue for all businesses on a global basis and will remain a central strategy in any economic situation.

Talent management in a low or negative growth economy can offer new opportunities like internal organizational mobility, performance management QA, and increased quality of hires. This can deliver significant increase to business performance benefits, even in the midst of financial constraints. Using historical data and demographic trends this white paper dispels many misconceptions that suggest HR's focus is must be narrowed when markets and the economy decline.

This timely free publication can show you how to use talent management principals to cut costs and still boost productivity while you:

. Review, refine, and re-release existing resources to expand into new business and trade markets.
. Manage employee performance to better serve corporate goals.
. Concentrate on bringing new skills in-house to fill voids or reinforce areas in need.
. Deploy new product or service development and bolster retention programs to reduce churn.

We were very surprised this publication was made available without cost. The content is significant, timely, and seems to be very up to date. Anyone in an HR department or senior management could benefit from this free white paper. To get a copy, click here.

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