| (AFX UK Focus) 2007-07-24 09:30 GMT: TFN NEWS BRIEFING: Banking and insurance highlights to 09:15 BST
2007-07-24 09:00:04 Japan's JVC, Kenwood to form capital, business alliance TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Struggling maker of consumer electronics Victor Co of Japan Ltd (JVC), car electronics maker Kenwood Corp and the biggest shareholder in Kenwood, Sparx Group Co Ltd, agreed Tuesday to form a comprehensive capital and business alliance. 2007-07-24 08:50:19 BROKERWATCH Deutsche Boerse reiterated as 'overweight' by Morgan Stanley FRANKFURT (Thomson Financial) - Morgan Stanley reiterated its 'overweight' rating on Deutsche Boerse AG while maintaining its target price at 107 eur per share as it included the German stock operator in its best financials feature. 2007-07-24 08:27:48 BROKERWATCH AWD Holding raised to 'overweight' from 'neutral' at JP Morgan FRANKFURT (Thomson Financial) - JP Morgan upgraded its stance on AWD Holding AG to 'overweight' from 'neutral' while slightly lowering its price target to 14.40 eur per share from 15.20, according to a trader.
Watch List (Aug. 5-11): Ah Contraire
In this week's issue we report that: while U.S. homebuilders are still writing down land holdings, others are starting to look at the opportunities that may be coming; U.S. newspapers are taking big hits on troubles in residential real estate; Prudential Real Estate Investors says those troubles are hanging heavy over an otherwise strong commercial market; and CBRE Realty Finance takes a hit on foreclosures; plus other news you'll find only here in the entire column and give you the latest facility closures, permanent mass layoffs and properties on The Watch List. Land Speculators Starting To Awaken With run away asset writedowns and land option contract cancellations by U.S. homebuilders still climbing, it would be a solidly contrarian view to start looking for buying opportunities. However, that is just what Canadian property owner Brookfield Asset Management started talking about this week.
Private equity raises ghosts of income trusts past
Just when the federal Conservatives had started to put their income trust flip-flop behind them, along comes news of Brookfield Asset Management trying to design a leveraged buyout of Canadian Pacific Railway. Private equity's rampage across Canada, from Canadian sources or not, is provoking much the same discomfort in Ottawa circles as income trusts did last year - discomfort about the effect of a major restructuring of corporations on tax revenue, productivity and the national interest. Brookfield's advances may poke a stick in Ottawa's eye. On the surface, a Brookfield-led leveraged buyout of CPR should not raise many eyebrows in Ottawa. It would be an all-Canadian deal, so thorny foreign ownership and hollowing-out issues wouldn't raise their heads. Consolidation is not a problem with this type of deal, either.
Credit Repair Secrets
At least, that's how many hits I got when I Googled the phrase "credit repair secrets." Most of these, as far as I could tell, offered e-books or services promising quick solutions to bad credit problems. Many hinted at "secrets" that the credit bureaus "don't want you to know." As if Experian and Equifax (NYSE: EFX - News) actually delight in lousy credit ratings! (They don't care either way, as far as I know -- they just try to be accurate.) Many of the services seemed like the kind that Fool Dayana Yochim wrote about a couple of years back -- high-fee, aggressively sold "debt consolidation" services that might or might not end up helping your credit rating. One in particular stood out, though. This outfit (I'm not going to name it) offered guaranteed increases in your FICO score for an up-front fee -- 50 points for $499, 100 points for $999 -- with an ongoing maintenance fee of $10 a month.
Student loan options are baffling to family
Karen Wons of Maryland finds herself in a quandary that is confronting many parents right now. She is struggling with how best to advise her daughter -- a recent college graduate -- on paying down her $25,000 in student loans. Wons did what any wise parent would do. She asked for help. Wons's daughter works as a project manager at a medical software company. She has an annual salary of more than $50,000. Her employer provides a 401(k). She has about $13,000 in cash from recently redeemed Series EE savings bonds. She has no credit card debt. She has no payments on a reliable car with low mileage. She's sharing an apartment and other living expenses with an older sister in Madison, Wis. Her portion of the rent is a little more than $500 a month. Wons is unsure about the course her daughter should take: Should the daughter consolidate her college loans during her six-month grace period? (She has federally backed Stafford and Perkins loans.) Should she use the entire $13,000 to pay down the loans or keep making monthly payments to take advantage of the interest deduction? Should she invest all of the $13,000? While paying on the loans, should she contribute to her 401(k)? Let's take the consolidation question first.
Rein in spending and avoid credit-card debt
Question: I have credit-card debt at high interest rates on several cards, as well as student loans. Going into my last year in college and being wary of the future, carrying this debt scares me. I have been wondering if I should consider a debt-consolidation loan. What do you think? Answer: I am not a fan of consolidation loans. What attracts most people to consolidation loans is the potentially lower monthly payments. However, the main drawback of such loans is that they usually raise a person's average interest rate on his debt. .
Report: University of Nevada, Reno alumni group paid by loan firm
RENO, Nev. (AP) - The alumni association at the University of Nevada, Reno received money from a student loan consolidation company in exchange for names of alumni and exclusive rights to UNR's logo in promotional material, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Over the past four years, UNR's alumni association received $88,400 from Nelnet Inc., the nation's second-largest student loan consolidation company, according to the New York Attorney General's Office, which has been investigating ties between student loan lenders, universities and administrators. On Wednesday, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced an expansion of the probe to include whether top college athletic departments steered athletes and other students to loan companies in exchange for kickbacks. No Nevada schools were among 39 nationwide served with subpoenas and requests for documents in that aspect.
GE Money & Electric & Gas Industries Association Help Homeowners Save Money, Improve Environment with Nationwide Solar ...
ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE Money's Sales Finance unit and the Electric & Gas Industries Association (EGIA), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions, recently announced a new multi-year relationship to provide revolving and installment consumer financing of residential solar systems through EGIA's GEOSmart Sustainable Financing Solutions loan program. .
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