On April 8th, Rodney E. Hood was sworn in as the 11th Chairman of the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). The North Carolina native has an extensive background in both the public and private sectors, including a previous stint on…
News
Odd Term CDs
Federal Regulators are currently accepting public comments for modernizing outdated broker and listing service rules for insured depository institutions (banks). (The proposed changes first appeared in the Federal Register on February 6th and comments will be accepted through May 7th.)…
Time to Select a College
The countdown is on… On Wednesday, May 1st, Reach Higher will celebrate its 5th annual College Signing Day (also known as “Better Make Room”) with former First Lady, Michelle Obama and the University of California (UCLA). May 1st is the…
It’s Not Easy Banking Green
For years we have been watching as states loosened up on their respective marijuana laws. While the flux continues at the state level, marijuana remains illegal at the federal level. That has made it extremely difficult for legitimate marijuana-related businesses…
Financial Literacy is Everyone’s Business
At last count in the U.S., fewer than 20 states had any type of financial literacy or personal finance education requirement in their school curriculum. Yet, we all know how important money management is to everyday life. We are not…
Financial Literacy is Everyone’s Business
March 29, 2019: BauerFinancial, Inc., Coral Gables, FL, the nation’s leading independent bank and credit union rating firm, would like to remind everyone that April is Financial Literacy Month. It’s never too late, or too early, to start learning your…
Community Banks: Know Thy Borrower
As a general rule, the more risky loans in a bank’s portfolio are construction, commercial real estate and foreign loans. As we have all seen though, even the seemingly safest loans (1-4 family residential) can turn sour if not underwritten…
Community Banks Putting Deposits to Work
We may have hit a wall in interest rate increases, (at least for the time being) but that hasn’t stopped consumers or businesses from taking advantage of rate hikes we have seen. From December 2016 through December 2018, the Federal…
Star-Ratings Up; Consumer Debt Falters
March 12, 2019: BAUERFINANCIAL, Inc., Coral Gables, FL, the nation’s leading independent bank and credit union rating firm announces it has newly released bank and credit union star-ratings (based on December 31, 2018 financial data) available on its website, bauerfinancial.com.…
New Credit Union Star-Ratings This Week
The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) released mostly positive year-end 2018 financial data on Wednesday (March 6th). The aggregate capital ratio for all federally-insured credit unions increased to 11.30% – up from 10.95% a year earlier. Over 98% reported a…