| Card Complete to Start JCB Merchant Acquiring in Austria
Tokyo, Japan, Nov 14, 2007 - (JCN Newswire) - JCB, a major global payment brand and leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan, and JCB International (JCBI), JCB's international subsidiary, announced that card complete Service Bank AG (card complete), a comprehensive payment service provider in Austria, signed an agreement to enhance JCB card acceptance. Card complete will start opening selected merchants in Austria to JCB cardmembers by mid-2008, especially merchants in the travel and entertainment business across the country. The addition of new merchants will strengthen JCB card acceptance network in the years to come. "JCBI has been directly acquiring JCB merchants for the convenience of its cardmembers in Austria, most of whom were from Japan", said Mr. Thomas Heigl, General Manager of JCB International (Austria) GmbH.
'Tis the Season for Financial Crimes Against Seniors
Not everyone is full of goodwill during the holidays. Unfortunately, the holidays are prime time for financial crimes -- identity theft, robbery and fraud -- and seniors are often the target. "Consumers are reminded to Shred, Signup, Suppress and be Sensitive," says Melissa Companick, Acting President of the BBB of New Jersey. "Shred any private documents; sign up for automatic payroll, Social Security and SSI payments through direct deposit; suppress the amount of key paperwork left in mail boxes and other accessible areas; and be sensitive to protecting your passwords and financial information from anyone without a specific reason to have that information." To safeguard against financial crimes this holiday season the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey offers these tips for seniors: .
ADRs in Focus: Emerging Markets
An index of emerging market ADRs fell Monday afternoon, helped lower by heavily traded solar stocks and bad financial news from U.S. banks. The Bank of New York Emerging Markets ADR Index -- which includes shares of companies based in China, Mexico, Brazil and more -- lost 14.69 points, or 3.9 percent, to 360.53. ADR stands for American Depositary Receipt, which is a security designed to allow U.S. investors to trade shares of companies based overseas. .
Canadians remain undaunted by strong dollar
OTTAWA -- Neither the parity-plus dollar, the credit crunch, nor fears of a weakening U.S. economy have dented the confidence of Canadians, which is riding at its highest level in three years, a survey released Friday shows. "Consumers have set aside any concern about the impact of the credit issue and overall U.S. weakness, to arrive at unprecedented levels of economic confidence," TNS Canadian Facts said in releasing its latest monthly reading of the mood of Canadians. And that bodes well for sales during the holiday shopping season, the pollster said, reporting that index of the overall state of the economy and the employment situation now stands at 122.8, up from 119.8 a month ago, and the highest level in the more than three years it has been conducting the survey.
Credit union to close office Chessie Federal will reopen as a shared branch with Comstar
The Frederick office of Chessie Federal Credit Union at 193 Thomas Johnson Drive will close Dec. 31. Then it will open again, soon after, as a shared branch with Comstar, said Scott Kline, senior vice president at the financial institution's headquarters in Cumberland. Until then, Kline said, members can continue to use another shared branch at Comstar on Md. 85, next to the Hampton Inn. "We are negotiating with Comstar on the equipment, so most likely they will be in there," he said of the TJ branch. At least one member-owner of Chessie is upset that the office is closing. Petition John Sherrod has launched a petition that he hopes many of the 6,000 Chessie members in the Frederick area will sign to keep the branch open. Sherrod said a credit union is "the most democratic form of government for a financial institution.
Europe: Swiss Re sours sentiment
LONDON (SHARECAST) - European stocks fell at the start of the week with Swiss Re one of the major decliners on news of a surprise write-down from its credit underwriting activities. Shares in the world�s biggest reinsurer tumbled after it announced a 1.2bn Swiss franc loss from credit underwriting activities following the credit crunch. Across the markets, the German Dax is down 62 points to 7,549, the French CAC has slipped 18 to 5,504, while the Swiss market index also retreated, losing 60 points to 8,418. Elsewhere, Credit Agricole was lower after the bank agreed to buy 14.99% of Spanish Bankinter for �809m. Fellow banks UBS and Credit Suisse were also down on continuing credit crisis fears. Deutsche Postbank is one of the few gainers in the sector after the post group�s chief executive Klaus Zumwinkel said several banks are interested in buying the banking unit.
Public records for Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007
COUNTY JAIL DOCKET (The following people were booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail on felony charges yet to be proven in court.): Dawn Marie Campos, 27, Orange City, failure to appear; Robin Leigh Adkins, 43, Tampa, possession of marijuana over 20 grams, introduction of contraband into a corrections facility; Keandra Umika O'Neal, 18, Deltona, simple battery; Dianna S. Hettmansperger, 27, Daytona Beach, violation of probation; Talise K. Brown, 24, Daytona Beach, violation of probation; Patricia Kay Smotherman, 43, DeLeon Springs, battery on a law enforcement officer; Justin Bud Stanley, 21, New Smyrna Beach, violation of community control, sexual battery on a person over the age of 12, aggravated assault; Ronnie George Torrence, 49, Daytona Beach, unlawful possession of cocaine; Kyle Zachary Gullo, 19, Daytona Beach, grand theft; James Ellery Evermonde, 37, Port Orange, battery; Graylane King Jr., 27, DeLand, violation of probation; Juan Antonio Colindres, 30, Deltona, battery by strangulation; Markvee Dshane Toliver, 21, Ormond Beach, possession of crack cocaine, possession of a schedule III narcotic, possession of cocaine; Charles Allen Works, 50, Daytona Beach, possession of cocaine; Bobby Lee Bishop, 45, Daytona Beach, grand theft; Jeffery Dylan MacPherson, 18, New Smyrna Beach, burglary of a conveyance.
CARVING THE PERFECT NICHE
Who says size matters? Not necessarily, says Plieu Mangkornkanok, the chief executive of Tisco Bank. ''Sure, for financial institutions, size is an advantage. Large banks have the distribution network, the customer channels,'' he said. ''We must avoid the businesses that depend on size and capture what has been ignored by the large banks.'' Tisco, with assets of less than 100 billion baht, pales comparison with the country's commercial banking giants such as Bangkok Bank, Krung Thai and Siam Commercial Bank. Established in 1969 as the country's first investment bank, Tisco for much of its history was one of the country's largest finance companies, ranking second in size during the mid-1990s to Finance One. But since upgrading to a full banking licence two years ago, Tisco Bank is now a niche player, with its asset base dominated by auto hire-purchase loans.
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