GLG News(sm): Financial & Business Services

The 5Cs of Credit, P2P Lending, Social Lending, Self-Directed Lending

Ronald Ingram — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:44:53 EST

Laurence Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock Inc. in response to questions about bank failures and economic conditions suggested today that; “…the financial system needs to be a lot more responsive to society and make sure this doesn't happen again. Risk has to be a lot more transparent to investors. I think that is happening."; and, “the financial system needs change, including increased disclosure, more derivatives trading on exchanges and regulatory change…". But what about the 5Cs of credit?

Swiss offshore banking margins more vulnerable than volumes

GLG Expert Contributor — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:17:28 EST

The global clampdown on offshore banking is having a tangible impact, particularly in Europe. But probably not to the extent that some have argued: offshore banking is not dead. Yes, weak and volatile economies fuel governments' need for every last cent in tax; they also represent one of the fundamental demand drivers of offshore banking. At least initially, the biggest impact is likely to felt through margin -- rather than volume -- reductions.

"Something's happening here..."

GLG Expert Contributor — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:48:28 EST

The economy and the markets are giving mixed signals. Is this normal during this phase of the recovery, or is something else happening?

Big Impact on Mutual Fund and Annuity Sales By Advisors

GLG Expert Contributor — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:59:18 EST

The House Financial Services Committee passed the "Investor Protection Act of 2009", which would significantly impact how Mutual Funds, Annuities and other financial products are sold by Advisors. The legislation replaces "suitability" with "fiduciary" as the Advisor standard and brings fees and commissions charged to center stage.The greatest impact would be on publicly traded asset managers, Brokers and Insurance companies which distribute through Financial Advisors and intermediaries.

Why PE-funds want to exit BPO companies

GLG Expert Contributor — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:18:24 EST

How PE-funds backed BPO businesses are different from public equity-backed BPO businesses, how public equity-backed BPO businesses have cracked the code on value creation, and why they are best positioned to drive further value creation in this sector.

Nothing is Risk Free: Reaction to Visa (V) and MasterCard (MA) earnings reports

GLG Expert Contributor — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:39:04 EST

Very real risks to both Visa and MasterCard are often glossed over by analysts. It is flawed to assume that their business is immutable and “risk free.” Both companies need to anticipate new market entrants and continue to evolve and innovate. Very real competitive threats abound.

Singapore and the Swiss

GLG Expert Contributor — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:15:11 EST

The article is correct. Money is flowing to Singapore. Not only money from Switzerland, but also money from China, Russia, and Indonesia. People do not trust their governments, and they are putting their trust in the benevolent dictator in Singapore. Singapore's government can stand up to the pressure put on it by other governments. It is a cross roads nation, and they have done a very good job positioning themselves to be a center of commerce in Asia. I think the other thing the article proves is that people respond to incentives. If a government gets too overbearing, they will hide money. Look for the underground economy in the US to grow with the heavy tax hand of the Obama administration.

Expect More to Come - Acquisition of "Captive" Client Centers by BPO Players

Thomas Reilly — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:53:17 EST

Cognizant acquired UBS’ Indian Subsidiary for $75 million - the former supports UBS around the globe with Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and IT Outsourcing (ITO) and employs 2,000 people in India.As part of the deal, UBS signed a 5 year $442 million service agreement with Cognizant.This "Captive Spin-Off" Approach is tried and true approach in outsourcing and a large number of similar transactions are currently in progress around the world.

AN INCLUSIVE FINANCIAL SYSTEM TO FIGHT THE WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS

GLG Expert Contributor — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:55:14 EST

The question is: could we say that social performance management is nothing else than the achievement of a micro finance institution social return on investment? Translating this concept into macro level, can we say that social performance in microfinance means the achievement of a country’s inclusive financial system?

New FINRA Rule 2210-Simplification Whose Time Has Come

GLG Expert Contributor — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:08:54 EST

The proposed amendments to the advertising rules attempt to clarify the various categories of communications that have emerged over the years, codify the myriad interpretations to the rules and require greater disclosure for financial products that the rules did not previously address. All in all, Regulatory Notice 09-55 represents a significant step in the right direction, in this writer's opinion.

Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds - The Price of Failure

GLG Expert Contributor — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:03:20 EST

Given that RBS and Lloyds are in a complete mess, thanks to their own inept management, I don't fully "grasp" how it is that any senior manager is entitled to receive a bonus.By paying part of the bonuses in shares, the current shareholders will find their holdings diluted, and the management will be incentivised to talk the value of the shares up in future (a la Enron) in order to maximise their personal gains.Is this really an improvement in the corporate governance of these two failed banks?

State of the Private Equity sector in India

GLG Expert Contributor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:21:31 EST

India will continue to offer attractive investment opportunities to institutional investors in the coming months, however, certain sectors will fare much better than others. Private Placement Advisors will continue to play a vital role in capital raising in emerging markets such as India

Mitchell International Industry Trends Report | Q4 2009 - Canada Numbers

GLG Expert Contributor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:28:31 EST

This report has some very good data on the Canadian Collision Repair Market.

Is the Recovery Real?

GLG Expert Contributor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:35:07 EST

Third quarter growth was strong. Much of the strength was influenced by government stimulus. The "new normal" environment will be characterized by muted growth.

Japan Consumer Finance Regulation Faces Final Hurdle

Daniel Lintz — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:48:01 EST

A committee of policy makers assigned to the Financial Services Agency, Consumer Affairs Ministry and Ministry of Justice will convene this month to assess the impact of Revisions to the Money Lending Business Law on the consumer credit industry in Japan. The committee will either recommend to proceed with full implementation of interest rate harmonization and quantitative lending restrictions or propose new legislation to alleviate the burden on the industry.

Next Big Thing - Service Outsourcing In China

Thomas Reilly — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:14:39 EST

The next push by the government is "Service Outsourcing" which aims to:1) Make use of the boom in white collar labor - University graduates in China ballooned from 600k per year in 1998 to more than 7.5 MM in 2009;2) Increase competitiveness and transparancy by encouraging use of third-party outsourcers for Chinese businesses and government agencies;3) Limit dependency on manufacturing to power the economy - billed as a "green initiative" but also developing a "Service Economy" of 300 MM people.

JAL Downgraded on Transport Minister Comments

Daniel Lintz — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:34:30 EST

Domestic rating agency R&I downgraded the corporate credit rating for Japan Airlines Corporation to CCC junk grade amid reports that Transport Minister Hon. Seiji Maehara may seek special legislation designating the company as "effectively bankrupt" in order to reduce pension payouts, underscoring the threat that unrealistic and inconsistent political directives pose to nation's flagship carrier.

Getting The Most From Your CRM Deployment

GLG Expert Contributor — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:28:50 EST

General OverviewOrganisations are realizing the benefits of deploying a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system. It has become critical to track the activity history and contact information within each customer account. This is especially true for companies building strategic partnerships with long sell cycles. The key is to condense the issues associated with deploying a CRM solution and establish pre deployment criteria ideas focused at gaining the most benefit from their solution.

CCC makes stronger push into salvage

GLG Expert Contributor — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:10:35 EST

CCC is offering CIECA standard based communication to the salvage industry. A segment traditionally dominated by other providers.

ADP Must Grow Three Major Markets for Continued Success

GLG Expert Contributor — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:50:25 EST

While it is true that there is a significant need for Human Resource (HR) services in the Major Account segment (50-999 employees), there are many other services offered in the National Account segment (1000+ employees) and in the Small Business Services segment (1-49 employees) that ADP must expand and sell to their client base in addition to new prospect sales to continue their growth and profitability as the major player in the payroll outsourcing industry.