Credit Cards For Less Than Perfect Credit

According to reports in the UK, Australian banking major National Australia Bank is resisting intense pressure to table a bit for 632 branches that have been put up for sale by Lloyds Banking Group.

Bidders for the Lloyds retail branch network were caught by surprise when it emerged that Lloyds chief executive Antonio Horta-Osario had set a snap deadline for an indicative bid for yesterday.

According to the Guardian, NAB is still a contender to buy the branch network, but has told Lloyds that it needs more time before submitting an opening bid.

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Mortgage credit remains as tight as ever, but consumers seem to view their mortgage lenders more favorably than they did one year ago.

Customer satisfaction with mortgage originators is up this year, according to new survey results reported today by J.P. Power and Associations. The study, which measure customer satisfaction in four areas of the process of obtaining a mortgage, rated overall customer satisfaction at 747 on a 1,000 point scale, up 13 points from last year. 

More effort focused on creditworthy customers

  “The reality today is that it’s a lot harder to get credit than it was a few years ago,” said David Lo, director of financial services for J.P. Power. “Many h Read the full post

Savings Accounts and Money Market Rates provided by 10 November 2011 Financial services firm J.P. Morgan announced in a statement on November 9 that it is introducing a new means of picking investments for individuals who want to use 401(k) plans.

The new plan, called Core Menu Innovation (CMI) simplifies the traditional offerings of 18 or more funds by offering the defined contribution plan participants with three investment portfolios. One investment portfolio offers a basket of cash alternatives, one offers various stocks and the final one invests in several bonds.

Under the companys proposal, the default option for new 401(k) participants will be enrollment in target date funds, according to Reuters.

“CMI represents our most advanced thinking on how to help Americans achieve a more financially sound retirement,” Michael Falcon, head of Retirement for J.P. Read the full post

You don’t hear that much good news anymore so that’s why I’m doing this post.  I know everyone says manufacturing in the U.S. has been dead for years, but maybe were on the brink of a comeback.

Think about it – most factories have more robots now and less people.  It makes the labor advantages of 3rd world counties less attractive.  Check out what I found in business week:

Manufacturing in the Philadelphia area unexpectedly expanded in October at the fastest pace in six months, signaling factories are helping support a U.S. economy weighed down by weakness in the housing and labor markets.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s general economic index increased to 8.7 from minus 17.5 last month, the biggest one-month rebound in 31 years. Readings gre

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Australia’s largest lenders are aggressively competing for customers in the mortgage segment, cutting interest rates as the lending in the sector dries up. Fixed rates mortgage borrowing costs have fallen by as much as 2/3rds of 1 per cent over the last couple of months as ANZ, CBA, Westpac and NAB all seek new customers.

Canstar Cannex a research firm published data which suggests that variable rates have also fallen by as much as 15 basis points based on a $250,000 mortgage.

Mitchell Watson, a spokesperson for Canstar said that competition in the mortgage lending space is intensifying as the number of borrowers fall against a backdrop of a turbulent economy.

The largest customers, that is to say those with deposits or loans valued at over $500,000 typically get the best deals according to Canstar.

“They are fighting each other for new customers or to get people to switch. The

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Existing home sales fell in September, but remain well ahead of their pace of one year ago, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has reported.

Completed sales of previously owned homes were down 3.0 percent for the month, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.91 million units. That represents a 11.3 percent annual increase over the September 2010 level of 4.41 million units.   Sales figures for August were also revised upward to 5.06 million units, up 5.03 million reported last month.   September’s rise occurred despite reduced purchasing activity by investors, who accounted for 19 percent of all sales, down from 22 percent in August. Dis Read the full post