Commercial Lending Review articles from November 2004

Commercial Lending Review archives from November 2004

Recognizing misleading financial statements: lessons from SEC enforcement actions.(United States Securities and Exchange Commission)
November 1, 2004... A continuing stream of financial frauds, corporate scandals and abuses of shareholder trust has generated intense scrutiny of businesses in the press, in Congress and by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC has made clear its...

Straight-through processing in commercial lending: a solution waiting for awareness of the problem.
November 1, 2004... For at least a decade, the goal of fully automated straight-through processing (STP), in which discrete transactions and entire work processes would run "by themselves" without manual intervention, has whetted the appetites of banking...

The middle-market challenge: how to grow?
November 1, 2004... North American banks have emerged from one of the most challenging credit cycles in recent memory and are now looking to grow revenue across virtually all of their major customer segments. For many, the principal focus has been on expanding...

Estimating loan-loss exposure: a comparison of traditional and Markov models.
November 1, 2004... The valuation of loan assets is a significant challenge for bankers, auditors and financial institution regulators. (1) Bank managers and their accountants estimate the allowance for losses that should accompany the balance-sheet presentation...

The nuts and bolts of a turnaround.(Turnarounds)
November 1, 2004... To be or not to be--that's the question that Hamlet faced, and it's the question that troubled companies face. Of course in some cases, the answer to that question will be decided for them. If a distressed firm waits too long, then its...

FASB proposes new guidance on fair-value measurements.(Accounting)(Financial Accounting Standards Board)
November 1, 2004... The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) recently issued the exposure draft of a proposed Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (FAS), "Fair Value Measurements," to provide guidance for how to measure fair value. The proposed FAS...

New environmental insurance products to mitigate environmental risks.(Environmental Liability)
November 1, 2004... Given the scarcity of suitable land for development in some parts of the country, it has become necessary to remediate areas with identified pollution. Recent federal and state brownfield laws have provided significant tax credits and other...

Dynastic lessons.(Books)(Book Review)
November 1, 2004... In 1914, the newly appointed general manager of Computing-Tabulating-Recording (CTR), a loosely organized amalgamation of poorly run companies, approached the firm's banker to request a $40,000 loan for research and development. Pointing out...

The art of selling.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The essence of capitalism is an orientation toward the future--vision, mission, searing insight, call it what you will--combined with an intense, obsessive attention to the "blocking and tackling" necessary to turn that future into a reality....