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Portfolio Portfolio ALSO IN PORTFOLIO: THE RISE OF ESG'S S AND G, P. 38 There's a common cultural myth that says people don't talk about money. This gives you intimate access into what role money plays in their lives, and puts you in a unique position to talk about the missing pieces of the money conversation: transparency, power and intimacy. [Extracted from the article]

There's a common cultural myth that says people don't talk about money. This gives you intimate access into what role money plays in their lives, and puts you in a unique position to talk about the missing pieces of the money conversation: transparency, power, and intimacy. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents the results of the "Survey of Multiemployer Fund Office Administration, Technology and Staffing," conducted by Segal Co. Half of the surveyed plans spend $25,000 or less annually on software and information technology support. The survey found that 37% of health funds receive 75% to 100% of claims electronically. It also found that more than 75% of pension plans in the survey make the majority of their benefit payments via electronic funds transfer.

Discusses the role of human resource professionals in the continuity of business operations through a crisis event. Steps for an effective organizational survival planning; Development of a workplace violence prevention and response program; Establishment of emergency response/business continuity teams for a disaster event.

Presents the views of consumers regarding bank mergers in the United States. How bank executives and consumers perceive bank mergers; Reaction from several individuals concerning the topic; Suggested benefits and disadvantages of bank alliances; Implications for the banking sector.

Reports that Aames, a Los Angeles-based home equity lender, is falling short of buy-out bids. Reason why Aames went up for sale; Fall in Aames stock price; Bankers named to handle buy-out bids.

Reports about the jury decision on the harassment case filed by Feliciano and Sylvia Garcia against Green Tree Financial Corporation. Background on the case.

Reports that film receivable deals in the United States have not been able to achieve a `true sale,' and therefore have not been able to `de-link' their corporate ratings from their asset-based securities trusts. Investment grade of major studios from Standard and Poor; Approach used to reduce the risk in film receivable deals; Annual revenue from United States entertainment exports.

Gives details as it relates to plans by IMC Mortgage Corporation which started originating loans in Ontario, Canada in the quarter of 1997, to extent its efforts throughout the country by the ending of 1997. Comments from Dennis Pitocco, director of international opportunities for Tampa-based IMC; Information on the company.

Reports on mortgage companies' efforts to secure loans from home equities. Loan-to-value loans of First Potomac; Long Beach's introduction of a 70% loan-to-value product aimed at D borrowers; 95% loan-to-value program of Wilshire Mortgage Corp.

Reports on the growth of fraudulent and predatory home equity loans in subprime lending institutions. Involvement of nonbank institutions in fraudulent and predatory home equity loans; Wall Street's demand for securitized subprime mortgage products; Securitization of high-yielding subprime mortgage loans of various origination companies.

Reports that Chase Manhattan Corporation's investment banking arm, Chase Securities Incorporated, has begun to buy pools of subprime mortgages with the aim to securitize them at the end of 1997. Significance of the decision made by Chase Securities on banking companies; Implication of securitizing subprime loans; Information on subprime mortgage lending.

Reports on Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.'s recruitment of former top executives from Citibank Mortgage and Prudential Home Mortgage Corp. to run its newly formed online mortgage banking business, Nexstar Financial Corp. Growth of the market for online loan originations; Nexstar's plan to growth through acquisitions.

Reports on the upsurge in home ownership in Denver, Colorado in 1999. Rise in housing prices; Nine-fold increase in the volume of mortgage originations; Homebuilding activity; Transformation of the once-seedy neighborhoods in lower downtown areas; Demographics of Denver residents; Retention of the city's small-town appeal despite the influx of young urban professionals.

Reports on Bank of New York Co.'s agreement to sell its asset-based lending and factoring business to General Motors Acceptance Corp. Value of the deal; Plans to apply the proceeds to a 30 million-share stock buyback; Impact of the deal on the company's stock price.

Focuses on Capital Z Partners' investment strategy. Background on the private equity fund; Deals closed by the New York City-based firm; Results of the firm's investment in Ames Financial Corp.; Outlook for Capital Z's Financial Services Fund II; Investors' reaction to Capital Z's investment activities.

Reports that Washington Mutual Inc. (WAMU) is acquiring public home finance firm, Long Beach Financial Corp. for about $350 million. Expectations that the deal will add to WAMU's earnings immediately after its third-quarter closing; WAMU's earlier acquisition of Aristar Inc, when it bought Great Western Financial Corp.

Reports that a group of banks has extended more than $500 million of unsecured loans to financially troubled Contifinancial Corp., which is seeking an equity partner. Possibility that Contifinancial could be forced into bankruptcy before the loan facility's due date; Probable partners for Contifinancial.

Reports that Citigroup's lending business is favored by Travelers Corp. Citicorp. Citigroup's acquisition of Financiero Atlas; Acquisition of more than 100 branches from Associates First Capital Corp.

Cites an agreement that allows United States' leading mortgage originator Norwest to use its own automated writing system to originate the loans it decided to sell to Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. Decision of Wells Fargo & Co.'s mortgage bank to sell all of its loans to the agency in exchange for a streamlined loan approval process; Growing importance of strategic alliances in home loan business.

Reports on the decline of the stock performance of Nashville, Tennessee-based First American Corp. Percent decline of shares; Earnings per share; Contributing factors; Ratings performance accorded by financial analysts.

Discloses the financial performance of New Orleans, Louisiana-based bank Hibernia Corp. for the first quarter of 1999. Expectations that earnings will be lower than expected; Plans to increase loan provisions for the quarter; Losses of the firm as a result of syndicated loan to United Companies Financial Corp.

Reports that Livingston, New Jersey-based CIT Group has finalized an agreement to acquire Toronto, Ontario-based Newcourt Credit Group Inc. via a stock transaction. Boost in CIT's presence in the financial market, particularly in its dominant business line of equipment finance; CIT Group's strategy of boosting its assets via acquisitions; Terms of the acquisition deal.

Focuses on the performance of the subprime mortgage sector in the banking industry in the United States as of March 1999. Features of the bankruptcy filing by United Companies Financial Corp.; Number of banks that are affected by the filing; Major lenders of United Companies; Comment by E. Reilly Tierney, analyst with Fox-Pitt Kelton.

Looks at the efforts of mortgage borrowers to change their strategies to cope with the increase in interest rates in the United States. Plans to refinance their home loans; Record levels reached by interest rates in the last week of February 1999; Inflation concerns as a result of the strength of the economy.

Reports on the impact of massive charges declared by specialty firms Green Tree Financial Corp. and Cityscape Financial Corp. on the entire American specialty finance business. Green Tree's decision to add 125 million dollars in reserves to offset rising loan repayments; Cityscape's pretax charge; Resignation of Cityscape chief executive and founder Robert Grosser; Fall of stock prices in the sector.

Announces the merging of NationsBank Corporation and Barnett Banks Incorporated. Benefit of the merging to NationsBank; Combined outstandings and annual loan and lease of both banks; Operations which each bank own.

Reports on the sale of Cityscape Financial Corp. Difficulties faced in 1996; Downgradings; Allegations that company consultant had criminal associations; Regulatory crackdown in Great Britain on high-rate lenders; Decline of the stock price in October 1997; Company debt.

Focuses on BankAmerica Corp.'s plan to solicit bids for its manufactured-housing division, called BankAmerica Housing Services. Part of the company's strategy of eliminating noncore businesses; Deutsche Financial Corp.'s interest in the BankAmerica unit.

Focuses on the efforts of lenders to redefine their businesses in order to cope with the continuing profit squeeze in the mortgage industry in the United States. Includes offering loans with smaller downpayments to build volume; Diversification of businesses to lessen dependence on conventional lending; Offer of broader range of products to correspondents; Launching of new servicing platforms.

Reports on Chase Manhattan Corp., Chase Securities Inc., and NationsBank Corp.'s purchase of subprime mortgages and home equity loans for securitization in July 1997. Participation in the booming subprime market; Acquisition of closed loans from small retail loan originators; Complaints from publicly owned subprime mortgage originators.

Reports on the increase in the number of complaints about fraudulent and predatory home equity loans especially in the area of subprime lending. Involvement of nonbank institutions which specialize in making loans to the credit-impaired; Explanations for the puzzling increase; Case backgrounds.

Discusses the profitability of home equity lending for the industry's top executives in America. Comparison with the earnings of commercial bankers; Income of finance chief executives in 1996; Lucrative home package for home equity executives; Cultural issues when banks try to integrate consumer finance and home equity units.

Reports that banks and financial institutions have began offering mortgage products of up to 125 percent of a home's value at purchase, in a move that is the first of its kind in the US industry. Competition in the high loan-to-value home equity loans; Institutions participating in the trend; Requirements for consumers to avail of the products.

Reports that home equity loans are on a pace to overtake credit card balances as the most securitized asset type for 1997. Volume of securities backed by home loan equity loans in the first half of 1997; Volume of securities backed by credit card loans; Impact of the changes in securitized assets on consumer behavior.

Reports on the growth in Associates First Capital Corp.'s holdings of home equity loans. Provision of hands-on customer service; Other loans offered; Corporate culture; Remarks from president and chief operating officer Harold Marshall, on competition.

Reports on takeover speculations in the consumer finance industry in the United States. Takeover possibilities for Aames Financial Corp., United Cos. and Advanta Corp.; Financial performance of the firms; Number of branches; Firms interested in acquiring the firms.

Reports on the merger plans of NationsBank and Aames Financial Corp. Background information on the two companies; Rise in stock prices due to merger plans; Companies looking to purchase Aames; Utilization of Aames' distribution channel to penetrate lending market; NationsBank as leading contender to buy Aames due to previous cooperative transactions; Financial status and performance of NationsBank.

Reports that BankAmerica Corp. has agreed to sell its consumer finance unit to Commercial Credit Co. Purchase price; Background information on the companies; Portfolio mix; Planned sale to close in the third quarter of 1997.

Reveals that KeyCorp is close to an agreement to purchase subprime lender Champion Mortgage. Champion's rejection of the bids of other potential buyers; Estimated value of Champion; Refusal of both companies to comment on the merger.

Reports on how a previously-implemented no-documentation loan regulation is benefitting several lenders in the United States. Advantage for customers who desire instant mortgages; Risks associated with no-documentation loans; Overall loan origination volume of Life Savings Bank and CWM Mortgage Holdings Inc.

Focuses on subprime mortgage lending in the United States. Asset-backed issuance by company; Reasons consumers need B&C loans; Decline in stock prices for subprime mortgage loans; Threat of class actions; Compensation of mortgage brokers.

Reports on the impact of the declines in share price of subprime mortgage and auto lenders in the United States. Factors that caused the declines; Companies that have suffered declines; Analysts' uncertainty as to the ability of the lenders to come back.

Reports that Resource Bancshares Mortgage Group has agreed to acquire subprime specialist, Walsh Holding Company. Range of lenders attracted by high profit margins on subprime mortgage; Merging companies to be called BCA Financial; Robert Walsh as president; Merging with former parent company; Completion of both transactions to yield 43.6 million shares outstanding.

Reports that H&R Block has agreed to buy Option One Mortgage Corp. from Fleet Financial Group for $190 million. Amount in subprime mortgage loans Option One is expected to generate in 1997; Step taken to make securitization of the loans cost-efficient; Trend in the share prices of subprime lenders.

Reports on a plan by H&R Block to join the subprime mortgage business. Growth potential from mortgage business; Analysts' claim that program may not succeed; Comments of H&R Block Financial unit William P. Anderson; Fragmentation of the subprime market; Features of the Block plan.

Reports on the return of Cleveland-based KeyCorp to the mortgage business with the possible acquisition of Option One Mortgage and Champion Mortgage Holdings Corp. Reason of KeyCorp's previous withdrawal from the mortgage business; Transition of the company from prime to subprime lending; Company background. INSET: Subprime lender a good buy? Check.., by Karen Talley..

Reports on the Federal Reserve Board's decision to tighten credit in the United States. Potential effect of this move on banks; Immediate effect of damping bank shares in the stock market.

Reports on the trend in developing software programs and their potential marketability in the mortgage lending industry in the United States. Profits derived by industry servicers; Peculiar needs of subservicers.

Reports on financial analysts' reactions on the announcement made by Mercury Finance Co. and Jayhawk Acceptance Corp. that they are in financial trouble. Impact of the companies' financial problems on the entire subprime auto sector; Significance of the changes in people's perception of the stock market. INSET: Toting it up..