No White Christmas 2011: NC 2010 White Christmas Memories
December 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
No White Christmas for 2011: DC Snow Storm of December 20, 2009
December 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Banks face uncertain times in lieu capital liquidity requirements, Congressional inaction, and IMF warning
December 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Bad news in banking was the real story in the same day at the markets surge on positive economic data. Federal Reserve new capital requirements, totally defunct Congress leaving for recess with no extension of the payroll tax cut or unemployment benefits, and the IMF warning on world economy were a combination of news stories via the Drudge Report with major impact for the banking industry. The surge in stocks were followed by Monday's routing of bank stocks due to uncertainty in Europe. The commonality of all these issues for the banks is uncertainty. The new capital requirements will place additional strain on Bank of America. The bank has taken a beating in stock price, foreclosure practices, and consumer satisfaction to question the viability of the bank to survive the ongoing challenges. Second, a tax increase and unemployment benefits ending for many Americans in lieu of a deadweight Congress will be a tipping point for consumers who were able to keep up payments on … [Read more...]
The Politics of Personal Finance…
December 19, 2011 By 2 Comments
My iPhone is a wonder of glory for an individual with some distraction and organization challenges in life. The phone is centric to my experience and needs. The cafeteria style applications for free and a charge upon my decision to purchase the application. This morning was a great example of what capabilities my iPhone could handle for 95% of my tasks, but one task was unable to handle the request via the iPhone. I was able to legally signed documents to send to two different contractors, completed two abstracts on future stories and e-mailed to the appropriate parties, began two posts with final completion on the laptop, used the remote to control all the office gadgets, and used the iPhone for dictation of another future post for later today. However, I could not access my bank account on the iPhone this morning to make instant transfers between accounts, and I was able to access my account only two days ago. I was not informed that all smartphone transactions must go through the … [Read more...]
Whose Cup of Tea? Republicans flat on financial fixes under guise of Grover Norquist
December 19, 2011 By 4 Comments
Consumer's must make the restoration of a healthy financial system a top priority in the 2012 election. The consumer access to a healthy financial system empowers personal responsibility and innovation in society. The consumer's restoration of health in the financial system is the foundation the post WWII economy was built upon. This restoration is beyond any one party or ideology. This restoration is American. In review of the Republican party, the party of less taxes and less government has a fly in the ointment of core principles and beliefs. The fly in the The Republican Party's ointment is a man named Grover Norquist. Any restoration to the financial system falls flat on the side of the Republican Party under one lobbyist and his firm Americans for Tax Reform. The Taxpayers Protection Pledge is signed by 95% of all Republican Congressman and all but one 2012 Republican presidential candidates. The pledge opposes all taxes increases or any reduction or elimination of … [Read more...]
Re-election problem for Obama: Real world experience is needed in foreclosure fiasco
December 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Republicans and Democrats are both parties with similar issues in lacking real world experience to bring feasible policy solutions to fix the ongoing foreclosure crisis, a crisis that is a blight on the housing market. This first of two articles focus on the reelection problem for Obama's 2012 presidential bid,and the second article will focus on the Republicans lack of real world spin. Since Obama's election into office, the foreclosure crisis was evolving in the credit collapse and near economic collapse of September 2008. This crisis required people with real world knowledge and experience to work with the intellect and theorist in formulation of policy to crush the foreclosure crisis. The President and the inner circle of staffers did not incorporate such a common sense logic into forming feasible policy to resolve this issue. The vacuum of tangible real life experience with life or people outside the inner click was or is not part of the Obama … [Read more...]
Donnywise.com and Examiner.com: National Unemployment Examiner Column
December 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I am excited to announce that my talent to tell a good story will have a positive impact in a new partnership opportunity with the Examiner.com. Monday will begin a new era in the field of online journalism. I have been appointed as the new National Unemployment Columnist and Examiner with the Examiner.com. This announcement comes on the same day as the announcement about our partnership with CBS. Please reference this blog post for updated information about details on the new National Unemployment Examiner column. This column will go further than telling the news stories about the challenges and success of unemployment in America. This column is about real people and real experiences and the impact of high unemployment to the American job seeker. To be continued... … [Read more...]
Wanted: Political leadership with ordinary world experience to resolve financial system crisis
December 14, 2011 By 1 Comment
As a former bank executive, individuals would apply for construction loans to build a speculative property with the intent to sell for profit after completion. Individuals with stellar credit, reserves, stable income, and little or no debt were not the perfect candidate to extend approval for a construction loan. Ordinary world experience was the real guarantor of the property would be built and sold for repayment of the loan. Do you have specs and a portfolio of your work? Do you have experience building this type of speculative property? An individual responding no to the experience question was given the advice to plan to hire a builder with experience or find an opportunity to gain this experience. How can you guarantee to build a feasible property when you have no experience otherwise? Isn't the same reality relevant to our current crisis in the financial system? How can you lead or formulate policy without any experience of the impact of these problems in the ordinary world? The … [Read more...]
DC Community Banks must strategize to survive
December 13, 2011 By 5 Comments
DC Community Banks cover a large coveted footprint of DC proper, Northern Virginia, and Maryland as an aggregate unit, but individually are fragmented in market presence and penetration. The individual community bank is a weakness in the current economic environment, and this weakness is a vice on the bank's ability to be competitive, hamper revenue and market growth, and vulnerable to any minor flux in the market or portfolio. DC Community Banks are missing a market opportunity in wake of the historical demise of Chevy Chase Bank, and the vacuum of a regional player in the market leaves a marketplace of small community banks and banking giants with headquarters elsewhere. The Washington Post details the challenges of the community banking industry in the DC marketplace. Recent events in the implementation of the financial reform bill and loan demand in a flat economy. Strategize to survive is a way for community banks to collaborate, coordinate, and innovate to capitalize on … [Read more...]
