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Mikkalya Murray
I'm the chief credit officer for Harleysville National. We're a $2.4 billion community bank holding company with three nationally chartered banks, located outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our branch system runs up to the New York border. We have a $1.3 billion loan portfolio. At year-end, $627 million of the portfolio was in commercial loans. Currently, we have about a $17.3 million reserve. As a frame of reference, when we talk about losses and loss rates, the bank's reported net charge-off at yearend was 21 net basis points.
We have been carefully following the July 2001 FFIEC pronouncement. After reading that material, we redrafted our policy and procedures information, and then adjusted our methodology so as to have a much more granular focus. In other words, we segmented the portfolios more discretely than we did in prior times.
When we look at our portfolio for reserve purposes, we break it down by C&I loans, commercial mortgage, commercial construction, direct and indirect consumer, revolving, credit cards, residential mortgage, auto, and equipment leasing. We break it down first by those segments of loan type. And then we segment based on our 10-grade risk rating system. We break the segments down further, with a special focus on the regulatory or criticized grade, which for us is doubtful, loss substandard, and special mention credits.
Within those categories, we then go to our loan review or risk rating criteria and look for the risk ratings on the credit. We have calculated loss ranges within those risks and segments. From that data we get a trend report that captures delinquency, nonaccruals, and charge-offs for each of the segments in each of those risk ratings over a 12-quarter period. It took us a number of years to develop that much data. You can start somewhere along that horizon and begin to gather the data.
Then, after we've segmented and captured all that data, we examine those loss rates in four different ways:
1. By the loss in our current period.
2. By the average loss in the most recent four quarters.
3. By the prior year-end loss rates.
4. By looking at the 12 quarters of rolling annualized loss rates.
We look at where we believe losses will be in the next year to 18 months. We consider which one of these loss rates most accurately predicts that rolling quarter approach. It's based on historical data; it's based on live loss rates. We may have a shrinking portfolio; we may have an expanding portfolio. The risk direction may be up or down. We adjust for what we believe to be the current risk profile of any particular segment.
Based on that calculation, we have a quantifiable number. We have an adjustment to losses after that quantification is done. In other words, we look at between 20 and 80 basis points of adjustment based on what we used to call BC201 factors or qualitative factors that tell us what's happening in the economy and what's happening with the management of our own portfolios. We fine-tune our quantitative number by 20 to 80 basis points. We then plug that into a spreadsheet with all the segments, and the result is the calculated reserve amount
Purchasing life insurance has never been, and never will be, fun, Nevertheless, it is important-especially for the high-nel-worth individual who must provide liquidity for estate planning purposes. To put the purchasing decision in perspective, the author presents a brief history of life insurance, explaining the developments that have led to today's array of products. Their variegated evolution means certain inevitable compromise that an advisor can illuminate and some salesmen may obfuscate.
Purchasing (or advising the purchase of) life insurance involves the careful considerations of current and future financial circumstances and a studied observation of the policy's provisions. A successful policy benefits both the insured and the insurer. Only by properly understanding all the pluses and minuses of the myriad policies and provisions available can a wise purchase be made.
Most people, especially CPAs and other financial professionals, think they know what "life insurance" is. But what does it really mean? First, it's not really life insurance. It's "death insurance." It's the promise of an insurance company to pay the face amount (the initial death benefit, which may change over time) upon due proof of the death of the insured and the surrender of the policy with a properly completed claim form.
One of the facts of life is that people don't want to think about death-especially their own-which is why this contractual promise is called life insurance. Today's life insurance is the product of a long history of continuous change and has become substantially more useful as a result.
Brief History of Life Insurance
"[L]ife insurance as we know it ... began in the 19th century ... Industrialization-with its cities, factories, money economy, and an urban 'saving' class-set the stage for life insurance as a large-scale, national institution. Life insurance, it can truly be said, is a product of modern industrial society. [Davis W. Gregg and Vane B. Lucas, "A Brief History," Life and Health Insurance Handbook (1973)]
The first life insurance company in North America, the Presbyterian Ministers' Fund, was established in 1759. The Insurance Company of North America, chartered in 1794, was the first commercial enterprise to sell policies; it sold only six policies in five years and discontinued operations in 1804.
The insurance business took off in the 1840s because of the confluence of the rapid growth of the US industrial economy, the start of mutual companies, and the development of the agency system of distribution. The in-force level rose to $97.1 million by 1850, and $173.3 million by 1861. Numerous companies failed during the general depression of the mid-1870s, and by 1882, only 55 of 129 survived. By 1970 there were around 1800 companies, but today there are hundreds fewer, because of failures, consolidations, and mergers and acquisitions. Today, most life insurers are stock companies owned by shareholders. Fraternal companies make up a very small piece of the total pie, and only a small number of the mutual companies remain as such. The primary allegiance to the policyowner is the most obvious competitive advantage that a mutual company has over a stock company.
Risk Assessment and Ratings
The cost of life insurance protection is based on a number of factors used by the actuary in pricing the product. The home office underwriter collects and reviews the prospective insured's personal information for these factors in order to obtain a clear picture of risk. These underwriting and actuarial factors include:
* Age
* Sex: Women typically live longer than men, so their rates are lower.
* Smoker status: Actuarial data prove that cigarette smokers die at a younger age, so their mortality charges are higher; cigar and pipe smokers are treated variously.
* Health history: A family history of early deaths due to cancer, heart disease, or stroke will affect mortality.
* Face amount: People have an unlimited insurable interest in their own life; as a practical matter, carriers and their reinsurers do have aggregate upper limits, which cap out around $150 million on an individual life or second-to-die basis.
* Motor vehicle record: Speeding tickets and drunk driving arrests could presage an early demise.
* Vocation: Some jobs are riskier than others.
* Avocational pursuits: Sky diving, hang gliding, mountain climbing, scuba diving, auto or motorcycle racing, and private flying can increase the risk of an early death.
* General reputation and personal character.
Trade marks are a name or symbol that are used to distinguish the goods of services of a particular company from others.
Similar to copyrights and other signs of intellectual property, the effects of the trademark system is territorial. This means, that each country has its own trademark system. A brand name like Machine Head may be owned by one person in the United Kingdom and by another, totally unrelated, person in the United States.
The domain name system, which is putting most of its emphasis on the .com title as the international domain, does not really jive well with the trade mark system because of the latter’s fundamental definition of “ownership.”
A case in point is the Prince vs Prince suit. Prince, the US-based manufacturers of sports goods, challenged the use of the domain name by a British computer consultancy company. The said company registered the domain in good faith and have been using it. The Prince sports goods company, which has no registered UK trademark, threatened to sue the British company for US trademark infringement. The latter counter-sued in the UK for the unwarranted threats regarding trademark infringement. They eventually won and the US company had to contend with just using the domain name www.princetennis.com.
Alternatively, a different scenario where the trademark owner will most likely prevail over a domain name holder’s rights is in the case of Marks & Spencer vs One in a Million. This particular case was elevated to the English High Court in 1997 when various trademark holders, including the world-famous UK retailer Marks & Spencer, sued One In A Million, a company who accumulated a number of domain names under the well-known trademarks like Sainsburys, Virgin, Marks & Spencer, and Cellnet. These domain names, and others, were bought with the express goal of selling them again to the trademark owners. The High Court decided that One In A Million be required to relinquish their claim on the said domain names. This decision was further upheld by the Court of Appeal.
The One In A Million company’s basis of argument was that domain name registrations were first come, first served”, thus, the trademark owners do not have any rights to the domain names.
Based on the two actual court cases we can build up a clear picture about the interrelation of trademarks and domain names.
In general, domains that have no trademark significance can be acquired by the entity who registered them first. Continuous use of this non-trademarked name will allow the holder to build a reputation on the name. When the situation is between to legitimate companies who have a right to the name then, as with the stipulation of most laws in most countries, the first person who registers will get the domain. However, a registrant to a domain that is also a subject of a trademark and who does not have any entitlements is going to be forbidden based on the laws of most countries.
1) Being placed on hold endlessly. Don't you just love it when you call a company and they place you on hold, leaving you to listen to their latest on-hold, recorded sales pitch, over and over again. Would you think it normal business practice for a retail store clerk to ask you to "wait a minute" while they disappeared into the back of the store for ten, fifteen, thirty minutes or longer? People do things over the phone that they would never do in person. It's bad business either way to leave a customer hanging without at least coming back to let the customer know how much longer they'll be holding.
2) Getting rude with a customer. As the saying goes, even if the customer's wrong, the customer's always right. There's never any reason to get rude with a customer. If a customer gets rude with you, let them blow off steam and remember that their behavior is not an attack directed against you personally. Always keep in mind that as long as you remain calm and in control, you can address the reason behind the customer's anger.
3) Ignoring a problem. Ignoring a customer's problem won't make it go away. The same can be said of fixes that work for the company but not for the customer. Some customers have problems with a service or product that don't fit comfortably into any category. Those are the problems that need special attention, not standard responses. Too many companies ignore this and try to use the "one size fits all" method of complaint resolution. Companies have to realize that their policy must fit the customer's needs, not the other way around.
4) Making the customer jump through hoops for a refund or exchange. I recently had to return a product to a national bookstore chain. Before the clerk refunded me, she asked me for all sorts of personal information. I refused to give this information. I explained that I hadn't given this information out when I made the original purchase, and didn't see the purpose in giving it out to get my money refunded. After 15 minutes and a visit from the store manager, they finally relented and gave me my refund. The time spent waiting in line, plus the time spent to get my refund, added up to 20 minutes. This company wasted 20 minutes of a customer's time, all in the effort to get information. If you have to disregard your customer's time in order to gather a marketing profile, you're defeating your long-term marketing goal, which is to retain a satisfied customer base that makes repeat purchases
Whichever you use please do it with respect, integrity and politeness. Good manners is essential when working the room and is good business; bad manners brings no business.
The important aspect here is to move around the room with or without your new found friend. Again can I remind you that if your conversation is dry, they too probably want to be off working the room as well. You are doing them a favour by using your superior business networking techniques
Using the second idea of moving to the bar is an opportunity to park the person with someone else or for them to park you. It's rare both of you will be at an event where you don't know anyone so moving to the bar usually has the desired effect. When you do bump into someone you know even though you are a guest at an event act as a host. Don't just say "Hi Lou this is Jo" and leave it there. You have been chatting to Jo for some time and you obviously know Lou ... so play host. Say something like this, "Lou let me introduce you to Jo who I've just met this evening. He has a fascinating business selling sand to Middle Eastern Companies and, Jo, Lou here and I have been friends for years. He runs a business helping growing exporters raise finance from people who are looking for high-risk high return opportunities". These introductions are designed to get the two of them to talk quickly and with ease and reassurance. Who knows what may happen. You just might have created some potential for both of them? Business networking isn't just about what you can do for yourself, it's about what you can do for others. If you help someone, they will remember you when they hear of someone who needs your services. This of course makes it so much easier for you to move on and meet other people. This exercise is what I call parking. Like your car do it carefully, watch all angles and don't hit anything!
So now you have a parked Jo with Lou you have freshened up your drink. You look around the room and you see clusters of people or groups chatting to each other.
"Help. What do I do next?"
It's easy. Work the room! Look for a group of three people and move over to the edge of the circle. As you are moving towards the group, look at the faces of the people and decide who seems to be the most welcoming. Stand opposite that person at the edge of the group and smile. I can assure you the following will happen. The person you have smiled at will smile back and one or both of the other people will turn towards you and both will take one step to the side making a space for you. When you first do this, it's not easy. I'm not pretending it is but it always works. Ask in a gentle voice "Good evening please may I join you"? Again I have to tell you, you will not be rejected. The chances are someone will put their hand out and introduce themselves. I often play a game at the start of a business networking seminar or prior to a sit down meal by asking my newfound friend if they would allow me to use them as a Guinea Pig. I get them to go up to people they don't know, try out what I have just said and it always works. I do this simply to ensure that whenever I write about the matter or speak about it at the presentations and seminars I deliver that I feel confident in the advice I give.
Once you have successfully joined a group, don't change the subject matter and wait for them to start asking you questions. Bear in mind again, the chances are these people are from the same business or have known each other for a long time but haven't got the self-confidence to break away and meet new people... So you are a big relief for them!
When you are in a group, you will know the time to move on, instinct will tell you. I don't need to. So go to the top of this article and remember the tips about working the room.
If you are a budding entrepreneur or you are a seasoned business owner, online business opportunities may fit your needs perfectly. These businesses are home based and require very little to get started, some as low as $35 for the initial business membership fee. The advantages to owning a home based business are many, and all you really need is a well equipped computer system, a high speed internet connection, adequate work space, and commitment and dedication. A huge investment isn’t always required to take advantage of online business opportunities, as mentioned above, and those new to the whole thing should do their research, and speak with people who know something about what you want to do, before getting involved with something that is nothing more than a scam. Reputable online business opportunities are listed in a number of online publications that post reviews and ratings for home based businesses, and are a good place to get reliable information to get you started.
There is much more out there than stuffing envelopes and joining online affiliate programs, not to say that people cannot be successful in these ventures of course. Any type of home based online business opportunity must be right for the person who chooses to enter into the venture. Obviously you wouldn’t want to be a medical transcriptionist if you don’t have the necessary computer equipment and the skills and the knowledge to do the job. The internet has opened up a whole new world for people who are tired of the traditional Monday through Friday, nine to five gigs, and the commute from hell. More people now work from home than ever before thanks to online business opportunities and the World Wide Web. You would be surprised at the number of things people can now do to make money in the privacy of their own home, without the travel and daily headaches.
Online business opportunities may be the answer for you if you want to be your own boss, to not have to be somewhere by a certain time, and conform to what someone else is telling you to do. If you are motivated and have a bit of cash to get going, then you are well on your way to becoming an entrepreneur and possibly making more cash than you could ever dream possible. It happens, it really does! Just be knowledgeable about the online business opportunities you are seriously considering, and when you choose the right one, go for it with all you’ve got!
A large number of people make a full living from eBay auctions, Google AdSense programs, affiliate networks, selling other people's information products etc.....
So Good Luck! Here's to your success and online research!
I love coffee! I will admit that to anyone. Now I'm not claiming that it's healthy or anything like that. I'm not one of the new-age specialists who say that coffee makes you more intellectually endowed. I'm simply a guy who loves the taste of java. Yep, that's right! It's not even the caffeine issue. Heck, you can take the caffeine out of the equation, because I love the flavor. Personally I've even considered opening my very own coffee shop business. Then after many nights of brainstorming I realized that I'd consume all the profits.
That would just not go over well in the long run. However, I do encourage those who strive to start their own business to consider a coffee shop business. This is where the money's at. It's that simple. You take a town that lacks a proper coffee house or espresso drive-thru, and then you invest in a coffee shop business where the morning traffic hits. Put up a drive-thru right where the entire town passes by. That's golden my friends. I saw it happen several times in Oregon and the customers were pouring in. What always gets me is the ration of supplies versus cost. Let's see, there's a cup of milk, two shots of espresso and some syrup in an average latte. How in the world do they get four bucks out of that? That's got to be some major turn-over.
If you're a coffee nut and wish to start your own coffee shop business, then you may want to do some recon work first. It's crucial to know the right location. This will really determine how well your coffee shop business will do in the long hall. They don't say location, location, location for nothing. You will also need to know the overall investment cost prior to getting started, and that's why it's imperative to get jacked into the web. The Internet will educate you plenty regarding what it takes for a successful coffee shop business.
Here's to your success and great coffee!