American Banker articles from August 2005

American Banker archives from August 2005

Branching, Buying, and Generally Building in Florida.
August 1, 2005... Florida is giving Texas a run for its money as the hottest market for bank expansion. Two out-of-state banking companies announced Florida deals last week, including a newcomer, the $33.4 billion-asset Commerce Bancorp Inc. of Cherry Hill,...

Bill Breaks Impasse On Deposit Insurance.
August 1, 2005... WASHINGTON -- The standoff blocking legislation to overhaul deposit insurance laws ended Friday, paving the way for enactment this year. Under a compromise bill introduced Friday by Sens. Michael Enzi, R-Wyo., and Tim Johnson, D-S.D., the...

Call to Make Stolen Data Less Usable.
August 1, 2005... In the war against identity theft, securing data is only half the battle. The next frontier, many technology experts say, is making that information less valuable to thieves. "No matter how much security you have in place, even safes get...

Executive Changes.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Middle Atlantic Guardian Investor Services LLC of New York has hired Manind Govil as its head of equity investments and the portfolio manager of its Guardian Park Avenue Fund and its Guardian Stock Fund. Mr. Govil came to the Guardian...

Washington People.
August 1, 2005... Ready for Approval The Treasury Department and bank and thrift regulatory agencies could soon be playing with a full deck of cards. President Bush announced Thursday that he will nominate Emil W. Henry Jr. to be the Treasury assistant...

Banker/Lawmaker Readies CU Conversion Bill.
August 1, 2005... Though there is no evidence that any of New Jersey's 20 state-chartered credit unions are interested in becoming thrifts, a lawmaker there is set to unveil legislation that would allow them to do so anyway. State Sen. Peter Inverso -- who...

Holding-Company Move in Pa.
August 1, 2005... Commercial National Financial Corp. in Latrobe, Pa., is giving up its status as financial holding company -- and the powers that go along with it -- and will become a bank holding company. The $316 million-asset Commercial National said in...

In Brief: Group's Survey Finds Higher Penalty Rates.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Consumers are paying higher interest rates this year when they default on credit card accounts. According to a survey released Thursday by the San Francisco advocacy group Consumer Action, the average penalty rate -- the annual percentage...

In Brief: Back-to-School Spending to Rise.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Parents are planning to spend more money this year on notebooks, pencils, highlighters, and other school supplies, according to a study commissioned by MasterCard International. The average family's back-to-school spending will rise 39%...

In Brief: IMS to Use Services from First Data Unit.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... International Merchant Services Inc., a Westmont, Ill., independent sales organization, has agreed to use First Data Corp.'s merchant services unit to offer back-office payment processing and point-of-sale equipment leasing services to merchant...

In Brief: U.S. Bancorp's Nova Names President.(Stuart C. Harvey Jr.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... U.S. Bancorp's Atlanta merchant processing subsidiary, Nova Information Systems, has named Stuart C. Harvey Jr. its president and the chairman of its European unit, euroConex Technologies Ltd. Mr. Harvey will run the global merchant...

In Brief: Sentry Plans to Buy Specialty Auto Insurer.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Sentry Insurance, a Stevens Point, Wis., mutual company, said Friday that it had agreed to buy Viking Insurance, a provider of specialty auto insurance, from Royal & SunAlliance for an undisclosed price. Regulatory approval is needed for...

In Brief: Federated Profit Fell, but Assets Grew 11%.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Federated Investors Inc. has reported a 25% decline in second-quarter profit partly because of a charge the Pittsburgh investment management company had to take related to improper trading. Net income was $37.8 million, down from $50.6...

Wire Houses Seen Hurt in Independent Advice Push.
August 1, 2005... Wire houses are losing customers, assets, and, according to some analysts, their advisers as more affluent investors turn to independent channels for advice. Ultra-wealthy investors are using registered investment advisers -- including...

Commercial Picture: Bright, Price Clouds.
August 1, 2005... Good loan demand from commercial borrowers was a common theme at some of the nation's leading banking companies during the second quarter, but so was pricing pressure. Most of them said portfolio percentage growth from the first quarter...

5 Targets for Parmalat Indictments.
August 1, 2005... We are not authorized to publish this article provided by Parmalat (c) 2005 American Banker and SourceMedia, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.americanbanker.com http://www.sourcemedia.com

Amex Official: Housing Bubble Will Burst -- in Several Years.
August 1, 2005... The chief economist and strategist for American Express Co.'s bank says he is sure there is now a well-inflated bubble in home prices, and it will most likely cause problems -- but not for a while. The mismatch between prices and...

In Brief: Ameriquest's Parent Sets Aside $325M.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ACC Capital Holdings Corp., the parent of Ameriquest Mortgage Co., recorded a $325 million provision in connection with discussions that could cap its exposure in any settlement with regulators and attorneys general from 30 states. The...

In Brief: Triad's Results Fall Well Short of Target.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Winston-Salem, N.C., mortgage insurer Triad Guaranty Inc. said its second-quarter net income fell 8% from a year earlier, to $13.2 million, or 89 cents a share. The results, reported Thursday, missed Wall Street's average expectation...

In Brief: Irwin Posts Loss, Hints at Return to Profit.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The Columbus, Ind., mortgage banker and small-business lender Irwin Financial Corp. reported a second-quarter loss of $1.1 million, or 4 cents a share, versus earnings of $3.6 million, or 13 cents a share, a year earlier. Nonetheless, the...

Editor's Note.(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2005... In the July 27 paper, a page 7 story was mistaken in saying Advanta had missed Wall Street expectations for second-quarter earnings. Also, the company's income statement included mortgage lending in "discontinued operations," not venture...

Corillian's Cross-Sell Plan: Security Software.
August 1, 2005... The Hillsboro, Ore., technology vendor Corillian Corp. reported a decline in its second-quarter results (which still beat its guidance) and said it is pilot testing a security product it hopes to cross-sell to online banking customers. Net...

In Brief: Deluxe Reports 9%Decline in Earnings.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Deluxe Corp. said growth in its small-business segment in the second quarter failed to offset higher interest expenses and the continuing effect of the loss of losing a large check-printing customer. Net income for the nation's No. 1 check...

In Brief: Something's Missing At JPM Site (Still).
August 1, 2005... Customers of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. will have to wait nearly a month to be able to transfer money at its banking Web site. When e-banking customers log in, they are presented with a message reading, "During the next few weeks, you will not...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2005... In the July 25 paper, the Washington People column, on page 3, overstated the differences between two House bills that would require consumer notification of data security breaches. Like the Pryce-Castle-Moore bill, the LaTourette-Hooley bill...

In Brief: Boston Private Buys More of Bingham.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Boston Private Financial Holdings Inc. has increased its stake in the wealth management company Bingham, Osborn & Scarborough LLC to 40%, from 30%. The purchase was announced Friday. Boston Private, which manages or advises on $22 billion...

In Brief: Another $300M of Buybacks for Schwab.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Charles Schwab Corp.'s board has authorized the repurchase of another $300 million of stock. The San Francisco discount brokerage announced the new program Friday. It has $135 million of authorization remaining under a $300 million program...

In Brief: Genworth Raises Target; Insurance Down.(Genworth Financial Inc. increased earnings guidance)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Genworth Financial Inc. increased its earnings guidance for the year by 5 cents, to $2.35 to $2.45 a share, and provided more details on the 6% increase in its second-quarter earnings, to $285 million, or 60 cents a share. The Richmond,...

In Brief: EFC of Ill. Posts 15% Earnings Increase.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... EFC Bancorp Inc. of Elgin, Ill., said its second-quarter net income rose 15%, to $1.8 million, and cited an increase in interest-earning assets and higher fee income. Net interest income increased 12.2%, to $6.5 million, as average...

Spitzer Loses Round in Mortgage Probe.(the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Clearing House Association bring complaints)
August 1, 2005... A U.S. district court judge has rejected a discovery request that would have let New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer collect more mortgage data from banks. The ruling Friday applied to two cases that the Office of the Comptroller of...

Defections May Take Toll On Comerica's Deposits.
August 1, 2005... Observers said Comerica Inc.'s quick response to a mass defection of employees from its title and escrow unit may have helped avert an immediate deposit outflow. But the event may have long-term effects on earnings growth at the Detroit...

A Dissenter On Wamu's Plan to Buy Providian.
August 2, 2005... Putnam Investments LLC said it would vote against Washington Mutual Inc.'s deal for Providian Financial Corp. because the $6.45 billion price is too low given Providian's prospects and the current consolidation in the card business. Though...

HSBC, Gaining In U.S., Preps For Downturn.
August 2, 2005... Strong earnings and improving credit quality in U.S. consumer finance lifted HSBC Holdings PLC's first-half results, but the London company is not counting on that trend to continue. During a presentation to analysts after the $1.5...

Gauging Odds For Exemption Plan at FDIC.
August 2, 2005... WASHINGTON -- Whether state-chartered banks can win the same exemptions from state consumer laws that national banks enjoy turns on two key issues: If the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. staff can find a way to legally justify it, and if the...

Correspondent Business Built on B of A Defections.
August 2, 2005... When Bank of America Corp. acquired FleetBoston Financial Corp. last year, Eastern Bank Corp. in Boston figured it would attract a fair amount of runoff business -- but it never expected that its new customers would include other community...

Now for the Real Battle.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Reich, the newly confirmed OTS director, said one of his top priorities will be changing how federal banking agencies are funded. Story on page 3 (c) 2005 American Banker and SourceMedia, Inc. All rights reserved....

Capital One, CIT Win 'Outperformer' Ratings from CIBC.
August 2, 2005... Two consumer finance companies received favorable comments on Wall Street on Monday. Meredith Whitney of CIBC World Markets initiated coverage on Capital One Financial Corp. of McLean, Va., and CIT Group Inc. of New York. She rated each...

Regulators Confirmed; Reich to Tackle Funding.
August 2, 2005... WASHINGTON -- After months in limbo, new leaders for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision are set to be sworn in within 10 days -- and one has already pledged to tackle a contentious issue. ...

Treasury to Tout Direct Deposit of Social Security.
August 2, 2005... Encouraged by a six-month pilot program, next month the Treasury Department will begin a nationwide push for Social Security recipients to use direct deposit. The "Go Direct" program will consist of advertising, teller training, and events...

Experian Using Phone Bill Data to Enhance Reports.
August 2, 2005... Lenders may soon have a lot more information for underwriting loans to consumers with little or no credit histories. Experian Inc. has incorporated alternative credit data into its scoring model, something its rivals have all talked about...

Diebold ATMs for Bangkok Bank.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Bangkok Bank Public Co. Ltd., has bought 650 automated teller machines from Diebold Inc. of North Canton, Ohio. The machines are Diebold's flagship Opteva model, Diebold said Thursday. The bank plans to use Diebold's Agilis software on...

Hitachi Acquires Dove Consulting In Payments Play.
August 2, 2005... Hitachi Consulting, the business and information technology consulting unit of the giant Hitachi Ltd., has acquired the consulting company Dove Consulting Group Inc. of Boston. Michael Travis, the president and chief operating officer of...

In Brief: Distribution Chief for Unit of U.S. Bancorp.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... U.S. Bancorp Asset Management said Monday that it had named Jim Greenawalt, a senior consultant to the company for nine months, to head distribution. Mr. Greenawalt is to direct distribution for both the company's institutional advisory...

In Brief: Nuveen Plans to Buy Calif. Asset Manager.(Nuveen Investments, Santa Barbara Asset Management)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Nuveen Investments, a Chicago money management company, announced Monday that it had agreed to buy Santa Barbara Asset Management. Santa Barbara, which has $2.8 billion of assets under management, specializes in managing growth stock...

In Brief: Mellon Promotes Mass. Wealth Exec.(Mellon Financial Corp.)(Vicary M. Graham)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Mellon Financial Corp. said Monday that it had promoted Vicary M. Graham to regional president of its private wealth management group in Massachusetts. In this role, she is to be responsible for Mellon's private wealth management practice...

In Brief: Tremont Plans Office On Asia Hedge Funds.(Tremont Capital Management Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Tremont Capital Management Inc., an alternative investment manager, announced plans Monday to open a Hong Kong office in the first quarter to capitalize on the growing Asian hedge fund market. The office is to be created under the Tremont...

Bank of America's HSA Entry Seen Leveraging Client Base.
August 2, 2005... Bank of America Corp. has entered the Health Savings Account business with a product it hopes will be distinguished from its rivals by superior servicing options, including online bill payment and reimbursement, and it plans ultimately to...

Bank and Thrift Holding Companies with the Most Assets: On March 31, 2005. Dollars in thousands*.(Illustration)
August 2, 2005... (part 1 of 3) Rank 1 Citigroup Inc. New York 2 Bank of America Corp. Charlotte 3 JPMorgan Chase & Co. New York 4 Wachovia Corp. Charlotte 5 Wells Fargo & Co. San Francisco 6 ...

In Brief: DealerTrack of N.Y. Registers for an IPO.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... DealerTrack Holdings Inc., a Lake Success, N.Y., company, whose technology connects automotive dealers with lenders and other third parties, filed a registration statement for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange...

In Brief: GM Financing Units Hire 3 Executives.(General Motors)(Robert Groody, Jim Ferriter, Dave Stadler)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... The prime residential lending and banking arms of General Motors Corp.'s finance unit hired a chief financial officer and two other officials. On Monday, GMAC Bank announced that it had hired Robert Groody to be the CFO and an executive...

In Brief: NovaStar Earnings, Loan Portfolio Grow.(NovaStar Financial Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... NovaStar Financial Inc., a Kansas City, Mo., subprime mortgage lender and real estate investment trust, said its second-quarter earnings rose 11% from a year earlier, to $37.9 million. Earnings per share fell 3.7%, to $1.29, but beat the...

KeyCorp Pitch: Commercial Realty for Individuals.
August 2, 2005... KeyCorp is using a lending platform obtained through its acquisition last year of EverTrust Financial Group Inc. of Everett, Wash., to pitch small commercial real estate loans to individuals. The Cleveland banking company said that requests...

Ocwen Posts 68% Profit Drop.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Ocwen Financial Corp. of West Palm Beach, Fla., said its second-quarter net income fell 68% to $2.9 million, or 5 cents a share. In a press release last week, Ocwen attributed the drop to higher overhead costs, reduced cash proceeds from...

In Brief: Trustmark Hesitant To Exchange Images.
August 2, 2005... Trustmark National Bank of Jackson, Miss., said it is quickly ramping up its image-capturing capabilities at its branches for processing checks at a central site but is more cautious about exchanging images with other banks. Nicholas G....

In Brief: National City Using Credit-Checking Tool.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... National City Corp. of Cleveland hopes to boost its credit card business by letting qualified customers sign up for a card when they open a deposit account. It has begun using an automated tool from the Chicago credit bureau TransUnion LLC...

In Brief: Wachovia Appoints An Operations Exec.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Wachovia Corp. of Charlotte has named Gerald A. Enos to the newly created position of operations executive. Mr. Enos will oversee a variety of operations, including security services, money handling, and transaction processing and clearing...

Magnetic-Stripe Data Underused, ATM Report Finds.
August 2, 2005... Banks are losing $1 million a month to scams targeting automated teller machine cards, but many of these crimes could easily be thwarted using security features already built into the cards, a report says. The report's author, Avivah Litan,...

In Brief: Wells Names Stumpf President, COO.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Wells Fargo & Co. named its community banking head, John G. Stumpf, to be its president and chief operating officer Monday. As the president, he succeeded and will continue to report to Richard M. Kovacevich, who will remain the San...

In Brief: Sky of Ohio Buys Benefit Design Agency.(Sky Financial Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Sky Financial Corp. of Bowling Green, Ohio, has bought Benefit Design Agency of Ohio Inc., a small employee benefits firm in Findlay. The purchase was announced Monday. Benefit Design Agency was merged into Sky Insurance Inc., the $15.2...

In Brief: Midwest of Ill. to Issue 2.5M Shares.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Midwest Bank Holdings Inc. of Melrose Park, Ill., plans to offer 2.5 million shares of common stock and use the proceeds to boost capital and fund expansion in the Chicago area. The $2.5 billion-asset company said Monday that it currently...

In Brief: H&R Block to Buy Amex Accounting Unit.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... H&R Block of Kansas City, Mo., said Monday that it had agreed to buy American Express Co.'s Tax and Business Services division for $220 million. The business will be combined with H&R Block's McGladrey Business Services Inc. subsidiary....

In Brief: Wachovia Names Trust Unit President.(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Wachovia Corp. of Charlotte has promoted an executive to run Wachovia Trust Services Inc., a division that handles more than $70 billion of personal trust assets. W. Robert Newell became the president of the division, which operates in...

In Brief: Synovus Changes an Ala. Bank's Name.(CB and T of East Alabama)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Synovus Financial Corp. of Columbus, Ga., changed the name of its bank in eastern Alabama to reflect its plan to expand into a new county. The $26 billion-asset Synovus, which has 39 banks in five states, said Monday that CB&T of Russell...

Wells Mum; Outsiders See Succession.(change of leadership at Wells Fargo and Co.)
August 3, 2005... John G. Stumpf, the new president and chief operating officer of Wells Fargo & Co., was the obvious choice for those jobs and looks like the heir apparent to chief executive Richard Kovacevich, analysts and a former colleague said Tuesday. ...

In Deposit Gathering, A Change of Approach.(certificates of deposit)(Industry Overview)
August 3, 2005... A year ago many community banks were touting how they had adeptly lowered funding costs by deemphasizing certificates of deposit and attracting lower-cost transactional deposits. What a difference a rise in interest rates makes. Now,...

Executives Giving More Details on Option ARMs: Some find tougher line of questioning impossible to ignore.(adjustable-rate mortgages)(Industry Overview)
August 3, 2005... Swirling questions sparked by the growth in adjustable-rate mortgages that allow for negative amortization met with much more detailed responses from lenders during their second-quarter earnings discussions. Washington Mutual Inc., Golden...

Deal for I-Flex Would Put Oracle in Core Processing.(Oracle Corp.'s purchase of i-flex solutions ltd.)
August 3, 2005... Oracle Corp. of Redwood Shores, Calif., moved closer to its stated goal of becoming a more important banking technology provider Tuesday by announcing it would purchase a majority stake in the Indian core processing developer i-flex solutions...

N.Y. Community Calls Long Island Deal a Deposit Play.(New York Community Bancorp Inc., Long Island Financial Corp.)
August 3, 2005... New York Community Bancorp Inc. of Westbury said its first deal in two years, for the nearby Long Island Financial Corp. in Islandia, N.Y., is part of an ongoing effort to boost deposits. The $69.8 million stock deal, announced late Monday,...

Executive Changes.
August 3, 2005... Midwest National City Corp. of Cleveland has hired Roy Wagman as the chief credit officer of its private client group. Mr. Wagman, who will be based in St. Louis, was a regional private lending executive and the manager of the private...

Little Think Tank Watches Fed, Trains Appointees.(the Financial Markets Center, Philomont, Virginia)
August 3, 2005... Down Jeb Stuart Road in Philomont, Va., a row of small buildings houses a fire station, a general store, a community center, and, in a building that looks like a converted country store, the Financial Markets Center. The center, started in...

In Brief: FDIC Issues Warning About Fake E-Mail.(Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Federal regulators warned banks this week that fraudsters are sending e-mails purporting to be from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. In an apparent effort to get banks to provide customer data and account information, the...

In Brief: Insurer Survey Claims Case for Charter.(survey from American Council of Life Insurers)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... The American Council of Life Insurers released a survey it claimed makes a "clear economic case" for establishing a federal insurance charter. The survey of 100 life insurers' regulatory costs found that the companies could reduce expenses...

HomeStreet Takes Loan Assistance To the Workplace.(HomeStreet Bank, Seattle, Washington, helps employees of Columbia Vista Corp. to buy homes)
August 3, 2005... Nearly everyone who worked for Columbia Vista Corp., a Vancouver, Wash., sawmill operator, was a renter in 2003, when HomeStreet Bank in Seattle helped it set up a mortgage program. Now eight of the 80 employees have bought homes and taken...

In Brief: S&P: Pulse Pickup Good for Discover.(Standard and Poor's Corp. ratings of Discover Bank of Riverwoods, Illinois)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Standard & Poor's Corp. said it raised its ratings on Discover Bank of Riverwoods, Ill., including the long-term counterparty credit rating, to BBB, from BBB-minus, because of adequate capitalization, improving earnings dynamics, and its...

In Brief: Australia Merchants Planning Surcharges.(retailers to charge for use of credit cards)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Nearly half of Australia's merchants plan to apply surcharges to their credit card transactions over the next year in response to the Reserve Bank of Australia's recent lowering of interchange fees, a survey found. Roughly 46.7% of large...

In Brief: MasterCard Reports 2Q Spending Growth.(MasterCard International's second quarter earnings)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... MasterCard International of Purchase, N.Y., said second-quarter spending on its credit and debit cards rose 14.5% from a year earlier, to $290.1 billion. Gross dollar volume, which includes purchases and cash advances, rose 12.3%, to...

New NCR Focus: Organic Growth -- And Small Deals?(NCR Corp.)(Interview)
August 3, 2005... When Mark Hurd was NCR Corp.'s chief executive, the ATM maker concentrated on cost savings. But under Bill Nuti, who will succeed him Monday, the focus will be organic growth -- at least initially. Mr. Nuti is not interested in large...

Bank and Thrift Holding Companies with the Most Deposits: On March 31, 2005. Dollars in thousands*.(Illustration)
August 3, 2005... (part 1 of 2) Type of Rank holding company 1 Bank of America Corp. Charlotte bank ...

Janus to Invest in Distribution, Products as It Climbs Back.(Janus Capital Group Inc.)
August 3, 2005... Janus Capital Group Inc., reeling from the twin blows this decade of a bear market in equities and a market-timing scandal that undermined its reputation, is taking a new approach under the new leadership installed last year. Steve Scheid,...

In Brief: Manulife Unit Enters China Group Insurance.(Manulife-Sinochem Life Insurance Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Manulife-Sinochem Life Insurance Co. Ltd., a joint venture subsidiary of the Toronto insurance company Manulife Financial, said Tuesday that it has started the group insurance business it has been preparing since the recent lifting of product...

In Brief: Wachovia Unit Buys Stake in Insurer Zenith.(Wachovia Securities, Zenith National Insurance Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. in Toronto announced Tuesday that certain of its U.S. subsidiaries have sold an aggregate of two million shares of Zenith National Insurance Corp. common stock to Wachovia Securities, a unit of the Charlotte...

In Brief: E-Trade Tech Link Targets Active Traders.(Trade-Ideas LLC to sponsor online stock scans and reports from E-Trade Financial)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... Trade-Ideas LLC, a provider of idea-generation technology and real-time analytics to active investors, has announced an alliance with E-Trade Financial as a media partner and sponsor of Trade-Ideas' free online stock scans and real-time...

Accredited Cites Margin, Costs For Profit Growth.(Delta Financial Corp., IndyMac Bancorp Inc., Accredited Home Lenders Holding Co. post gains)
August 3, 2005... Midsize nonprime and other niche lenders, who suffer less than prime ones when refinancings wane and can grow more easily than their larger peers, continue to post solid results for the second quarter. Delta Financial Corp. and IndyMac...

In Brief: Key to Use Apptera's Voice ATM Locator.(KeyCorp, voice recognition product that helps customers locate nearby automated teller machines)(Brief Article)
August 3, 2005... KeyCorp of Cleveland is using a voice-recognition product from Apptera Inc. that helps customers find a nearby automated teller machine over the phone. Apptera, of San Bruno, Calif., announced the deal Monday. Its ATM Locator software...