Over the internet, it can be difficult to decide who to trust when it comes to learning about trading and investing. Your investments are the goal to your financial success and so you should definitely spend some time to find out exactly what you’re getting yourself into when you decide to invest. You should never invest blindly, with little knowledge of the market, or by going on the opinion of one person.

Forex Training Courses are important if you are looking into getting into trading foreign currency. With the right training and coursework, you can take something that seems as complicated as trading currency and even futures contracts and turn it into something you can excel in.

The Training Academy has been the most trusted name in professional trader education since 1997 and along with online courses offered by the company, it also offers on location training and courses. This is different than most training courses because many places that offer online classes are simply that, just online classes. With several locations throughout the country and worldwide, the Training Academy can offer in-person help to any students who may ask for it.

When looking around the internet, you may find plenty of places to get Forex trading information or find companies that have courses and training for all kinds of investing, but who would you rather pay; the company that has a proven track record or one that offers classes only online?

What you can learn from this booklet

Contains some important questions that any potential investor should ask when selecting a financial adviser to handle their investments. Armed with this knowledge you can fell more confident allowing someone else to choose the correct investments for you.

To download this e-book, or any of our current e-books, please visit the ebook page where you may choose the e-book(s) you wish to download. *Download an e-book by clicking on it’s title.*

What you can learn from this booklet

The Consumer’s Almanac will help you gain control of your financial situation by:

1. Organizing your income, savings, living, expenses, and credit obligations so that you are in a win-win situation.

4. Managing your credit wisely.

To download this e-book, or any of our current e-books, please visit the ebook page where you may choose the e-book(s) you wish to download. *Download an e-book by clicking on it’s title.*

What you can learn from this booklet

1. Common knowledge about the trading on Forex

1.1. Forex as a part of the global financial market – A brief history about the rise and development of Forex. The factors that caused Foreign Exchange Volume Growth on Forex (Exchange Rate Volatility, Business Internationalization, Increasing of Traders’ Sophistication, Developments in Telecommunications, Computer and Programming Development). The role of the U.S. Federal Reserve System and central banks of other G-7 countries on Forex.

1.2. Risks by the trading on Forex

1.3. Forex sectors – Spot Market, Forward Market, Futures Market, Currency Options

2. Major currencies and trade systems

2.1. Major currencies – The U.S. Dollar, The Euro, The Japanese Yen, The British Pound, The Swiss Franc

2.2. Trade systems on Forex – Trading with brokers, Direct dealing

3. Fundamental analysis by trading on Forex

3.1 Theories of exchange rate determination – Purchasing Power Parity, Theory of Elasticities, Modern monetary theories on exchange rate volatility

3.2. Indicators for the fundamental analysis – Economic indicators, The Gross National Product, The Gross Domestic Product, Consumption Spending, Investment Spending, Government Spending, Net Trading, Industrial sector indicators, Industrial Production, Capacity Utilization, Factory Orders, Durable Goods Orders, Business Inventories, Construction Data, Inflation Indicators, Producer Price Index, Consumer Price Index, Gross National Product Implicit Deflator, Gross Domestic Product Implicit Deflator, Commodity Research Bureau’s Futures Index, The Journal of Commerce Industrial Price, Balance of Payments, Merchandise Trade Balance, The U.S. – Japan Merchandise Trade Balance, Employment Indicators, Employment Cost Index, Consumer Spending, Indicators, Retail Sales, Consumer Sentiment, Auto Sales, Leading Indicators, Personal Income

3.3. Forex dependence on financial and sociopolitical factors – The Role of Financial Factors, Political Crises Influence

4. Technical analysis

4.1. The destination and fundamentals of technical analysis – Theory of Dow, Percent measures of prices reverse

4.2. Charts for the technical analysis – Kinds of prices and time units, Kinds of charts, Line Chart, Bar Chart, Candlestick Chart

4.3. Trends, Support and Resistance lines – Trend Line and Trade Channel, Lines of Support and Resistance

4.4. Trend Reversal patterns – Head-and-Shoulders, Inverted Head-and-Shoulders, Double Top, Double Bottom , Triple Top, Triple Bottom , Round Top, Round Bottom, Saucer, Inverted Saucer

4.5. Trend Continuation patterns – Flags, Pennants, Triangles, Wedges, Rectangles

4.6. Gaps – Common Gaps, Breakaway Gaps, Runaway Gaps, Exhaustion Gaps

4.7. Mathematical trading methods (Technical indicators) – Moving Averages, Envelops, Ballinger Bands, Average True Range, Median Price, Oscillators, Commodity Channel Index, Directional Movement Index, Stochastics, Moving Average Convergence-Divergence (MACD), Momentum, The Relative Strength Index (RSI), Rate of Change (ROC), Larry Williams’s %R, Indicators combination, Ichimoku Indicator

5. Fibonacci constants and Elliott wave theory

5.1. Fibonacci constants

5.2. Elliott wave theory

To download this e-book, or any of our current e-books, please visit the ebook page where you may choose the e-book(s) you wish to download. *Download an e-book by clicking on it’s title.*

Bernard Madoff got exactly what he deserved when the judge in his case sentenced him to 150 years maximum today.

However, some will also say that he was the fall guy for a scheme that included his closest associated and family. Ruth Madoff, Bernard’s wife, will get $2.5 million in a settlement she made with the Justice Department. That money isn’t clear yet because she is still facing charges from the SEC, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, and those who are liquidating Bernard’s business and estate.

She will likely be putting the money in an investment portfolio, earning around 3% over inflation a year. If she wants to make sure that she doesn’t outlive her money, she will need to only spend around $125k a year to last her until she is 100.

That’s more than the average person makes a year, however she will have to participate in something that she may not want to: downsizing.

All those houses, cars, and other extravagant items will have to be cut and done away with. I’m sure that she would be able to make a little bit of money from the sale of some of those things. If she wanted, she could also bring in some rental income by renting out her house in Florida or the penthouse in Manhattan. If it were me, I’d live in Florida due to the cost of living being so much higher in Manhattan. Then again, if I were in the same situation, I would want to sell both and move somewhere completely different simply because of the fact that I would be afraid my neighbors (many of whom were swindled by her husband) would try to burn my house down. Then again, these assets may be liquidated sometime in the future by those looking to recover some of the money.

Overall, while she’s probably accustomed to spending $2.5 million over the course of a few months, I believe that the Justice Department was too nice and lenient in the settlement. I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who feel the same way. After all, she’s getting more than those who have nothing thanks to the ponzi scheme her husband ran.

“Now his pension plan’s been cut in half and he can’t afford to die,” sings John Rich, of the country music duo Big & Rich, in his new, controversial song, Shutting Detroit Down. Two things nobody is ever financially ready for, especially if he or she is a money spender: retirement and death. Financially speaking, it is hard to die at the right time, unless you know much more than anyone else and can plan your death. People are so wrapped up in saving for retirement, 401k plans, life insurance plans, IRAs, money markets, or anything else they can find that will provide extra money for retirement and death. If you die too early, the paychecks your family was living off of are gone. If you die too late, you impoverish your family or confine yourself to an unpleasant local retirement home by depleting your savings.

One unexpected side effect of the recession is a jump in sales of fixed immediate annuities, which dispense guaranteed income for life. New York Life reported an 82% sales increase this quarter alone. A man at retirement age paying them $100,000 now will receive $650 a month for life, which is perfect for a retired man whose house and vehicle are paid off and bills are low. That’s equal to 7.8% of the total each year, double what most retirement investments pay out.

Christopher Blunt, who runs New York Life’s retirement division believes that annuities offer the best way to lock in guaranteed retirement income. Retirement income is  generated from a stock-and-bond portfolio requires keeping plenty of assets in reserve in case they’re needed to fund a long life or contend with a nasty bear market,” he says. The point is that you can get the same retirement income as you could from your portfolio, with 25% to 40% less principal.

The way they generate superior retirement income is by transferring it from those who do not collect it to those who do. For instance, if you pay them $100,000 and die three days later, your money is lost and goes to someone who is still collecting. However, if you live until you’re 85 and you have been collecting since you were 65, you have received $156,000 over the tenure of the relationship, over 50% profit. If you are lucky to live to 95, you have likely received $234,000, with a profit of nearly 150% of what you paid. For those who are healthy at 65, it is a good investment, especially if that person also has savings and stocks to tide over through bad times or to leave to their families. Assuming you are in good health, there are few downsides to a fixed annuity, especially if you keep your product features simple. You pay $100,000 of your savings to provide for the rest of your life. If you have been saving well for retirement, you likely still have $350,000 to leave to your family whether you collect or not.

Some of the domestic banks had even received their own share of government bailout money.

Eighty percent of AIG is owned by the U.S. government and the taxpayers. It has received over $170 billion inn bailout money and was one of the firms that was “too large to fail.”

Some of the biggest recipients of the AIG money were Goldman Sachs at $12.9 billion, and three European banks — France’s Societe Generale at $11.9 billion, Germany’s Deutsche Bank at $11.8 billion, and Britain’s Barclays PLC at $8.5 billion. Merrill Lynch, which also is undergoing federal scrutiny of its bonus plans, received $6.8 billion as of Dec. 31.

The money went to banks to cover their losses on complex mortgage investments, as well as for collateral needed for other transactions.

Other banks receiving between $1 billion and $3 billion from AIG’s securities lending unit include Citigroup Inc., Switzerland’s UBS AG and Morgan Stanley.

Source

Ever wanted a Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities beach towel? Well, you can get one here, for just over $100 (with a few hours left at the time of this posting, of course).

Or how about a tote bag? You can “buy it now” for only $500!!! Link to the tote bag

Well, with the towel and the tote bag, you HAVE to complete your beach ensemble with this beach chair!

Hmm, I’m sure you could also find some great drug company products on ebay too. After all, those should also be considered collectibles.

How? Well, he was CEO of Merrill Lynch for a total of 3 months and received a $25 million bonus during that time. I think I could manage run a company into the ground in three months and I’d take a percentage of that, I’d be happy with $100,000! At that price I’m a bargain as a CEO for a failing investment bank.

So after taking the money and leaving the company, he and his wife decide to buy an apartment. A very expensive one on Park Avenue in New York. The price tag for such an apartment is nearly $37 million.

Here’s the source for this entry along with pictures and a floor plan for such a lavish apartment.

So what’s the difference between a Ponzi scheme and a Pyramid scheme? From Wikipedia:

A multilevel pyramid scheme is a form of fraud similar in some ways to a Ponzi scheme, relying as it does on a disbelief in financial reality, including the hope of an extremely high rate of return. However, several characteristics distinguish these schemes from Ponzi schemes:

* In a Ponzi scheme, the schemer acts as a “hub” for the victims, interacting with all of them directly. In a multilevel scheme, those who recruit additional participants benefit directly (in fact, failure to recruit typically means no investment return).
* A Ponzi scheme claims to rely on some esoteric investment approach, insider connections, etc., and often attracts well-to-do investors; multilevel schemes explicitly claim that new money will be the source of payout for the initial investments.
* A multilevel scheme is bound to collapse a lot faster, due to the necessity of exponential increases in participant

Until now, the nation’s most serious home price declines have been in low-cost markets that were dominated by subprime mortgages, and in overbuilt markets such as Florida, California, and Las Vegas, where residential values are sliding fast toward pre-housing boom levels.

The Commerce Dept. reported Dec. 23 that November new-home sales in the U.S. fell to their lowest level in 17 years, down 35.3% compared with November 2007. And the outlook is even bleaker. The same day, Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS – News) forecast that more than 8 million homes will go into foreclosure over the next four years, or approximately 16% of all U.S. households with mortgages.

The housing market is expected to continue the fall next year, but hopefully we will see a bottom to housing prices and an increase in lending…hopefully.

Source

Perhaps consumers find video games to be a better “time investment.” Like in the video below, when a family spends $50 on a video game they are getting several hours of entertainment, if the same family spends the same amount at the movies…they are only getting 2 hours of entertainment.

It lost $4.97 per share in the quarter ended Nov. 30, last year in the same quarter it earned $3.17 billion or just over $7 a share.

Other investment and banking firms are expected to report losses this week also. Amid the current financial crisis, there isn’t a lot of good news floating around on Wall Street, or any financial sector.

Goldman Sachs posts first loss since going public – Yahoo! News

We, as United States taxpayers, have funded companies with $700 billion. It is OUR loan to THEM. However, the economy is still sub-par and there are no investments that we can put our money in for safety with the guarantee of even a tiny profit.

Short run T-bills have 0% interest rate. From what I’ve learned in my managerial finance class, when the T-bills is at 0% that means the risk free rate of interest on an investment is 0% and anything above that (such as on a corporate bond) included a default and market risk premium. (To me) that means any coupon rate on a bond (corporate, municipal, etc) is all risk…

The point I’m trying to make is that the bailout was supposed to help the economy…so when will that happen. There are thousands, if not millions, who are losing their retirement funds in the market. When will they be bailed out?

Obama said this about the announced plan, “These aren’t just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis. These are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long.”

This is a good idea in theory, after all, the government has spent billions to keep some banks above water, while not creating any new jobs….

I have even been faced with the question, “What exactly will I do after I graduate?” I’m graduating college at a very difficult time to be a new college graduate.

Investors are worried about their own financial futures as they look toward the market. All the news coming out of Wall Street is grim. Everything from decreased demand for commodities to auto market troubles has plagued the market in the past few months.

In these troubled times, safe havens are becoming far and few between (even gold, a safe haven, has become a volatile investment).

With 24 hour news programs, the media has to cover something, why not the worst news it can find? I’m not against the news at all, every once in a while I do enjoy sitting down and watching a little MSNBC, but with the problems on Wall Street, investors are keeping their eyes glued to the TV and the internet to watch their investments minute by minute…It’s dangerous and can lead to a rash decision.

If you were worried about your investments, I’m sure you’ve seen Jim Kramer’s tearful plea earlier this month for people to take all their money out of the markets. The only bad thing is that he’s influential and people listen to him. With the doom and gloom news on all the time now (not just the evening news like the last major downturn), people are more worried and it really affects those viewers more.

At the same time, it is a good tool to have the all the information you could ever want right at your fingertips. I mean, I would never be able to blog about anything if I couldn’t read online news. Not only that, but people are more aware now than ever before. With the news, all the time, being about the economy, citizens want something done about it, rather than just being complacent.

At this point I believe that investors with 401(k)s and other retirement investments are just trying to see their money stop depleting, even though in a couple of years the market will bounce back, no one likes seeing all their savings disappear.

Hopefully this will not be a deep recession and the global economy won’t suffer as much as some are thinking it may.

For the most part I put people on a safe path towards a desired yearly return with an acceptable risk level based on their comfort level and financial goals. However, I am constantly reminding people that investing is about profiting, so why are they limiting themselves to just one market. Everyone knows something: a hobby, a trade, a skill, a way of life. However, not many people have the confidence to pursue this type of investment. Alternative as it might be, sometimes the best investment for people is not the stock market, but in a carefully laid out investment in themselves.

It’s no secret that one of the most profitable investments is starting a business. There’s an old saying “Those with wealth invest, those with knowledge create.” People usually find themselves on either end of the spectrum, some even in the middle. The point is, why are you not investing in one of the best vehicles for your dollar?

The sad fact is that most people either do not have the drive to motivate themselves to start a business or lack the knowledge in the field of business they wish to enter. True, starting a business can be a daunting task, capable of sucking away most of your time. Estimates range that a new business owner’s weekly workload can average around 50-70hrs, leaving little time for social events or anything else that is not properly time managed correctly. This leads to the fact that 80% of new businesses fail within their first year of operation.

If 80% of new businesses fail in their first year, then why is it a good investment? Simple, one net worth can grow tax deferred (or tax free in some cases) a multiple of times within a very short period of time. It’s like picking a stock at $1, and having it go to $20, but you’re in control of how high it can go. Most businesses fail due to poor planning, time constraints, or even a business owner trying to tackle everything on their own and not having enough time to effectively handle even one part of their business correctly. Stress, financial strain, legal matters, taxes, employees, are among other things that can bog down a business in the beginning.

With most investments, more reward means more risk, but with a business, the risk is usually limited because you control it. You decide each move, each play, and as such control the outcome of your investment return; the trade off is that you must make each decision not someone else. With a business, you are trading the ability to make more by correctly leveraging off of yourself and other people (employees), versus making a limited or lesser amount by “correctly” selecting the best company to “invest” in. Too often people have gotten burned in the market because even though they did the correct due diligence on a company and found a sound investment, the market “reacted” differently than what made fundamental sense. The end result is a loss when you should have had a win. With a business, you decide, because the health (net worth) of your business is directly related to the fundamental factors affecting it, not by the rapid selling of trust funds, or liquidating board’s members with enormous option packages to cash in.

Just remember that if done correctly, starting a new business can become a well oil-machine. Providing a continual net worth increase and making your every dream become a reality, being only limited by our drive and imagination. The wealth that can be ascertained with a business is comparable by few other investments making it a worthwhile venture to consider.

Desire first, and plan second. There is nothing wrong with desiring wealth, it is perfectly logical. With wealth comes power, recognition, and the ability to have or change almost anything. Dreams come true, and doors open that otherwise might have been closed. In fact, I encourage thinking about your wants and desires; it is the single most effective way to understand what you want out of life. Now that you know what you want it’s time to lay the groundwork.

Because everyone has a different desire, everyone’s plan to success will be different. Factors such as time, income, and working capital come into play, but there are many ways in which everyone’s plan should be the same. A plan must have a start and an end; without which a path cannot be made to connect the two. The start must describe you as you are now with all truths revealed, the more information you list the better. This helps to establish a “true starting point” as well as an important honest acknowledgment of you. Things that might be included could be your age, current income minus debits, working capital (savings), time frame restrictions (moving, school, retirement, etc.). The end must be equally truthful and honest if your desire is to be a millionaire, have a clothing line, run your own successful law firm, or retire in 5 years then write it down along with all other goals/desires that you have. The more the merrier, your desires need to be written out.

The correction is in the connection. I give out advice a lot to people, mostly on how to get from point A to point B, but I tell them they are looking at it wrong. The best way to from A to B is to go from A to C. A is the start, B is the middle, and C is the end. Most people can only see what they have, and know only what they want.

The middle is simple, and should start simple; the simpler the better. Baby steps helps you succeed here, because we are looking for success not failure. Want to turn $10,000 into $1,000,000 in 5 years? Sit down, grab a pen, and find out mathematically what that comes down to a month. If you hit a wall; find a solution, or an idea. Will the increase in equity come from working more hours, making good investment decisions, or starting a new business? What is your backup plan? How do you plan to carry each task out? Create. Solve. Evolve. The middle is a jigsaw puzzle, include backup plans; use real numbers not guesses for success. Do not lie to yourself in your attempt to get from A to C, it will almost always lead to failure. Create steps that are attainable in order to give yourself a sense of accomplishment when you complete them. When you are done, know that you are focused and that your goals are within your grasp. Soon you will hunger no more.

Today the stocks of the lenders rose, some by as much as 13% in afternoon trading. However, a lot of the damage is already done. The government’s investment into the banks was to unfreeze the credit market so our economy can grow (people will be able to borrow money again and go back to spending.)

The debt the banks have incurred from bad mortgages and other personal debts has caused problems with lending that will last into next year or beyond.

Many consumers have one eye on their wallets and the other on their portfolios and retirement investments. Oil prices falling could be the only good news coming out of Wall Street in the last couple of weeks.

Oil prices have dropped so much so fast that even OPEC is thinking about dropping production just to raise prices…however I don’t believe that would help at all. If OPEC drops production and prices go up, demand will just fall and prices will stabilize.

I have a hard time understanding who is in charge of spending the money in some of these corporations. I have still seen WaMu commercials on TV. WooHoo? Maybe not…even when you go on the banking website for Washington Mutual it says “Welcome to JPMorgan Chase”

Sometimes it doesn’t seem like these banks have gone under at all.

With the news on Friday, financial stocks rallied.

Here’s the list (If you’re particularly worried about a couple of stocks, try CTRL+F feature):

AAME….. ATLANTIC AMERICAN CORP

AANB….. ABIGAIL ADAMS NATL BANCORP INC

ABBC….. ABINGTON BANCORP INC PA

ABCB….. AMERIS BANCORP

ABCW…. ANCHOR BANCORP WISCONSIN INC

ABK……. AMBAC FINANCIAL GROUP INC

ABNJ….. AMERICAN BANCORP OF NJ INC

ABVA…. ALLIANCE BANKSHARES CORP

ACAP…. AMERICAN PHYSICIANS CAPITAL INC

ACBA…. AMERICAN COMMUNITY BNCSHRS INC

ACE…… ACE LTD

ACFC…. ATLANTIC COAST FED CORP

ACGL…. ARCH CAPITAL GROUP LTD NEW

ADVNA.. ADVANTA CORP

ADVNB.. ADVANTA CORP

AEG…… AEGON N V

AEL……. AMERICAN EQUITY INVT LIFE HLDG C

AET……. AETNA INC NEW

AF……… ASTORIA FINANCIAL CORP

AFFM….. AFFIRMATIVE INSURANCE HLDGS INC

AFG……. AMERICAN FINANCIAL GROUP INC NEW

AFL……. A F L A C INC

AGII…… ARGO GROUP INTL HLDGS LTD

AGO……. ASSURED GUARANTY LTD

AGP…….. AMERIGROUP CORP

AGX……. ARGAN INC

AHD……. ATLAS PIPELINE HOLDINGS L P

AHL……. ASPEN INSURANCE HOLDINGS LTD

AIB…….. ALLIED IRISH BANKS PLC

AIG…….. AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP INC

AINV…… APOLLO INVESTMENT CORP

AIZ…….. ASSURANT INC

ALL…….. ALLSTATE CORP

ALLB…… ALLIANCE BANCORP INC PA

ALNC…… ALLIANCE FINANCIAL CORP NY

AMCP….. AMCOMP INC NEW

AMFI…… AMCORE FINANCIAL INC

AMG……. AFFILIATED MANAGERS GROUP INC

AMIC…… AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE CORP

AMNB….. AMERICAN NATIONAL BANKSHARES INC

AMP ……. AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC

AMPH…. AMERICAN PHYSICIANS SVC GROUP

AMRB…. AMERICAN RIVER BANKSHARES

AMSF…. AMERISAFE INC

AMTD…. T D AMERITRADE HOLDING CORP

ANAT…. AMERICAN NATIONAL INS CO

ANNB…. ANNAPOLIS BANCORP INC

AOC…… AON CORP

APAB….. APPALACHIAN BANCSHARES INC

AROW…. ARROW FINANCIAL CORP

ASBI….. AMERIANA BANCORP

ASFI….. ASTA FUNDING INC

ASFN…. ATLANTIC SOUTHERN FINL GROUP INC

ASRV…. AMERISERV FINANCIAL INC

ATBC…. ATLANTIC BANCGROUP INC

ATLO…. AMES NATL CORP

AUBN…. AUBURN NATIONAL BANCORP

AWBC… AMERICAN WEST BANCORPORATION

AWH…. ALLIED WORLD ASSUR CO HLDGS LTD

AXA ….A X A UAP

AXG…. ATLAS ACQUISITION HOLDINGS CORP

AXS…. AXIS CAPITAL HOLDINGS LTD

BAC…. BANK OF AMERICA CORP

BANF…. BANCFIRST CORP

BANR…. BANNER CORP

BARI…. BANCORP RHODE ISLAND INC

BAYN…. BAY NATIONAL CORP

BBNK…. BRIDGE CAPITAL HOLDINGS

BBT…. B B & T CORP

BBX…. BANKATLANTIC BANCORP INC

BCA…. CORPBANCA

BCAR…. BANK OF THE CAROLINAS CORP

BCBP…. B C B BANCORP INC

BCP…. BROOKE CAPITAL CORP

BCS…. BARCLAYS PLC

BCSB…. B C S B BANCORP INC

BDGE…. BRIDGE BANCORP INC

BEN…. FRANKLIN RESOURCES INC

BERK…. BERKSHIRE BANCORP INC DEL

BFF…. B F C FINANCIAL CORP

BFIN…. BANKFINACIAL CORP

BFNB…. BEACH FIRST NATL BANCSHARES INC

BHB…. BAR HARBOR BANKSHARES

BHBC…. BEVERLY HILLS BANCORP INC

BHLB…. BERKSHIRE HILLS BANCORP INC

BK…. BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON CORP

BKBK…. BRITTON & KOONTZ CAPITAL CORP

BKMU…. BANK MUTUAL CORP NEW

BKOR…. OAK RIDGE FINANCIAL SERVICES INC

BKSC…. BANK SOUTH CAROLINA CORP

BKUNA…. BANKUNITED FINANCIAL CORP

BLX…. BANCO LATINOAMERICANO DE EXP SA

BMRC…. BANK OF MARIN BANCORP

BMTC…. BRYN MAWR BANK CORP

BNCL…. BENEFICIAL MUTUAL BANCORP INC

BNCN…. B N C BANCORP

BNS…. BANK OF NOVA SCOTIA

BNV…. BEVERLY NATIONAL CORP

BOCH…. BANK OF COMMERCE HOLDINGS

BOFI…. B OF I HOLDING INC

BOFL…. BANK OF FLORIDA CORP NAPLES

BOH…. BANK OF HAWAII CORP

BOKF…. B O K FINANCIAL CORP

BOMK…. BANK MCKENNEY VA

BOVA…. BANK OF VIRGINIA

BPFH…. BOSTON PRIVATE FINL HLDS INC

BPSG…. BROADPOINT SECURITIES GROUP INC

BRK…. BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC DEL

BRK…. BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC DEL

BRKL…. BROOKLINE BANCORP INC

BSRR…. SIERRA BANCORP

BTFG…. BANCTRUST FINANCIAL GROUP INC

BUSE…. FIRST BUSEY CORP

BWINA…. BALDWIN & LYONS INC

BWINB…. BALDWIN & LYONS INC

BX…. BLACKSTONE GROUP L P

BXS…. BANCORPSOUTH INC

BYFC…. BROADWAY FINANCIAL CORP DEL

C…. CITIGROUP INC

CAC…. CAMDEN NATIONAL CORP

CACB…. CASCADE BANCORP

CADE…. CADENCE FINANCIAL CORP

CAFI…. CAMCO FINANCIAL CORP

CAPB…. CAPITALSOUTH BANCORP

CAPE…. CAPE FEAR BANK CORP

CART…. CAROLINA TRUST BANK

CARV…. CARVER BANCORP INC

CASB…. CASCADE FINANCIAL CORP

CASH…. META FINANCIAL GROUP INC

CATY…. CATHAY GENERAL BANCORP

CB…. CHUBB CORP

CBAN…. COLONY BANKCORP INC

CBBO…. COLUMBIA BANCORP ORE

CBC…. CAPITOL BANCORP LTD

CBIN…. COMMUNITY BANK SHRS INDIANA INC

CBKN…. CAPITAL BANK CORP NEW

CBNK…. CHICOPEE BANCORP INC

CBON…. COMMUNITY BANCORP

CBU…. COMMUNITY BANK SYSTEM INC

CCBD…. COMMUNITY CENTRAL BANK CORP

CCBG…. CAPITAL CITY BANK GROUP

CCBP…. COMM BANCORP INC

CCFH…. C C F HOLDING COMPANY

CCNE…. C N B FINANCIAL CORP PA

CCOW…. CAPITAL CORP OF THE WEST

CEBK…. CENTRAL BANCORP INC

CFBK…. CENTRAL FEDERAL CORP

CFFC…. COMMUNITY FINANCIAL CORP

CFFI…. C & F FINANCIAL CORP

CFFN…. CAPITOL FEDERAL FINANCIAL

CFNL…. CARDINAL FINANCIAL CORP

CFR…. CULLEN FROST BANKERS INC

CHCO…. CITY HOLDING CO

CHEV…. CHEVIOT FINANCIAL CORP

CHFC…. CHEMICAL FINANCIAL CORP

CI…. C I G N A CORP

CIA…. CITIZENS INC

CINF…. CINCINNATI FINANCIAL CORP

CITZ…. C F S BANCORP INC

CIZN…. CITIZENS HOLDING CO

CJBK…. CENTRAL JERSEY BANCORP

CLBH…. CAROLINA BANK HOLDINGS INC

CLFC…. CENTER FINANCIAL CORP

CLMS…. CALAMOS ASSET MANAGEMENT INC

CMA…. COMERICA INC

CME…. C M E GROUP INC

CMFB…. COMMERCEFIRST BANCORP INC

CMGI…. C M G I INC

CMSB…. C M S BANCORP INC

CNA…. C N A FINANCIAL CORP

CNAF…. COMMERCIAL NATIONAL FINL CORP

CNB…. COLONIAL BANCGROUP INC

CNBC…. CENTER BANCORP INC

CNBKA…. CENTURY BANCORP INC

CNC…. CENTENE CORP DEL

CNLA…. COMMUNITY NATL BANK LAKEWAY AREA

CNO…. CONSECO INC

CNS…. COHEN & STEERS INC

COBH…. PENNSYLVANIA COMMERCE BANCORP IN

COBZ…. COBIZ FINANCIAL INC

COLB…. COLUMBIA BANKING SYSTEM INC

COOP…. COOPERATIVE BANCSHARES INC

CORS…. CORUS BANKSHARES INC

COWN…. COWEN GROUP INC

CPBC…. COMMUNITY PARTNERS BANCORP

CPBK…. COMMUNITY CAPITAL CORP

CPF…. CENTRAL PACIFIC FINANCIAL CORP

CPHL…. CASTLEPOINT HOLDINGS LTD

CRBC…. CITIZENS REPUBLIC BANCORP INC

CRFN…. CRESCENT FINANCIAL CORP

CRMH…. C R M HOLDINGS LTD

CRRB…. CARROLLTON BANCORP

CRVL…. CORVEL CORP

CSBC…. CITIZENS SOUTH BANKING CORP DEL

CSBK…. CLIFTON SAVINGS BANCORP INC

CSFL…. CENTERSTATE BANKS OF FLORIDA INC

CSHB…. COMMUNITY SHORES BANK CORP

CSNT…. CRESCENT BANKING CO

CTBC…. CONNECTICUT BANK & TRUST CO

CTBI…. COMMUNITY TRUST BANCORP INC

CTBK…. CITYBANK LYNNWOOD WASHINGTON

CTZN…. CITIZENS FIRST BANCORP INC

CVBF…. C V B FINANCIAL CORP

CVBK…. CENTRAL VIRGINIA BANKSHARES INC

CVCY…. CENTRAL VALLEY COMM BANCORP

CVH…. COVENTRY HEALTH CARE INC

CVLL…. COMMUNITY VALLEY BANCORP

CVLY…. CODORUS VALLEY BANCORP INC

CWBC…. COMMUNITY WEST BANCSHARES

CWBS…. COMMONWEALTH BANKSHARES INC

CWLZ…. COWLITZ BANCORPORATION

CZFC…. CITIZENS FIRST CORP

CZWI…. CITIZENS CMNTY BANCORP INC MD

DB…. DEUTSCHE BANK AG

DCOM…. DIME COMMUNITY BANCSHARES

DEAR…. DEARBORN BANCORP INC

DFG…. DELPHI FINANCIAL GROUP INC

DGICA…. DONEGAL GROUP INC

DGICB…. DONEGAL GROUP INC

DHIL…. DIAMOND HILL INVESTMENT GRP INC

DLLR…. DOLLAR FINANCIAL CORP

DR…. DARWIN PROFESSIONAL UNDERWRITERS

DSL…. DOWNEY FINANCIAL CORP

DUF…. DUFF & PHELPS CORP NEW

EBSB…. MERIDIAN INTERSTATE BANCORP INC

EBTX…. ENCORE BANCSHRES INC

ECBE…. E C B BANCORP INC

EGBN…. EAGLE BANCORP INC

EIHI…. EASTERN INSURANCE HOLDINGS INC

EII…. ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE ACQUI CORP

EMCI…. E M C INSURANCE GROUP INC

EMITF….. ELBIT IMAGING LTD

ENH…. ENDURANCE SPECIALTY HOLDINGS LTD

ESBF…. E S B FINANCIAL CORP

ESBK…. ELMIRA SAVINGS BANK FSB NY

ESGR…. ENSTAR GROUP LTD

ETFC…. E TRADE FINANCIAL CORP

EV…. EATON VANCE CORP

EVBN…. EVANS BANCORP INC

EVBS…. EASTERN VIRGINIA BANKSHARES INC

EVR…. EVERCORE PARTNERS INC

EWBC…. EAST WEST BANCORP INC

FABK…. FIRST ADVANTAGE BANCORP

FAC…. FIRST ACCEPTANCE CORP

FAF…. FIRST AMERICAN CORP CALIF

FBC…. FLAGSTAR BANCORP INC

FBCM…. F B R CAPITAL MARKETS CORP

FBIZ…. FIRST BUSINESS FINL SVCS INC

FBMI…. FIRSTBANK CORP

FBMS…. FIRST BANCSHARES INC MS

FBNC…. FIRST BANCORP NC

FBP…. FIRST BANCORP P R

FBSI…. FIRST BANCSHARES INC MO

FBSS…. FAUQUIER BANKSHARES INC

FBTC…. FIRST BANCTRUST

FCAL…. FIRST CALIFORNIA FINL GROUP INC

FCAP…. FIRST CAPITAL INC

FCBC…. FIRST COMMUNITY BANCSHARES INC

FCCO…. FIRST COMMUNITY CORP SC

FCCY…. 1ST CONSTITUTION BANCORP

FCFL…. FIRST COMMUNITY BANK CORP AMER

FCNCA…. FIRST CITIZENS BANCSHARES INC NC

FCVA…. FIRST CAPITAL BANCORP INC VA

FCZA…. FIRST CITIZENS BANC CORP

FDEF…. FIRST DEFIANCE FINANCIAL CORP

FDT…. FEDERAL TRUST CORP

FED…. FIRSTFED FINANCIAL CORP

FFBC…. FIRST FINANCIAL BANCORP OHIO

FFBH…. FIRST FEDERAL BANCSHARES ARK INC

FFCH…. FIRST FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC

FFCO…. FEDFIRST FINANCIAL CORP

FFDF…. F F D FINANCIAL CORP

FFFD…. NORTH CENTRAL BANCSHARES INC

FFG…. F B L FINANCIAL GROUP INC

FFH…. FAIRFAX FINL HOLDINGS LTD

FFHS…. FIRST FRANKLIN CORP

FFIC…. FLUSHING FINANCIAL CORP

FFIN…. FIRST FINANCIAL BANKSHARES INC

FFKT…. FARMERS CAPITAL BANK CORP

FFKY…. FIRST FINANCIAL SERVICE CORP

FFNM…. FIRST FED NORTHN MI BANCORP INC

FFNW…. FIRST FINANCIAL NORTHWEST INC

FFSX…. FIRST FEDERAL BANKSHARES INC DEL

FHN…. FIRST HORIZON NATIONAL CORP

FIFG…. 1ST INDEPENDENCE FNL GROUP INC

FIG…. FORTRESS INVESTMENT GROUP L L C

FII…. FEDERATED INVESTORS INC PA

FISI…. FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS INC

FKFS…. FIRST KEYSTONE FINANCIAL INC

FLIC…. FIRST LONG ISLAND CORP

FMAR…. FIRST MARINER BANCORP

FMBI…. FIRST MIDWEST BANCORP DE

FMER…. FIRSTMERIT CORP

FMFC…. FIRST M & F CORP

FNB…. F N B CORP PA

FNBN…. F N B UNITED CORP

FNFG…. FIRST NIAGARA FINL GROUP INC NEW

FNLC…. FIRST BANCORP INC ME

FNM…. FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSN

FNSC…. FIRST NATIONAL BANCSHARES INC SC

FPBI…. F P B BANCORP INC

FPBN…. 1ST PACIFIC BANCORP CA

FPFC…. FIRST PLACE FINANCIAL CORP NM

FPIC…. F P I C INSURANCE GROUP INC

FPTB…. FIRST PACTRUST BANCORP INC

FRBK…. REPUBLIC FIRST BANCORP INC

FRE…. FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORP

FRGB…. FIRST REGIONAL BANCORP

FRME…. FIRST MERCHANTS CORP

FSBI…. FIDELITY BANCORP INC

FSBK…. FIRST SOUTH BANCORP INC

FSGI…. FIRST SECURITY GROUP INC

FSNM…. FIRST STATE BANCORPORATION

FTBK…. FRONTIER FINANCIAL CORP

FULT…. FULTON FINANCIAL CORP PA

FUNC…. FIRST UNITED CORP

FWV…. FIRST WEST VIRGINIA BANCORP INC

FXCB…. FOX CHASE BANCORP INC

GABC…. GERMAN AMERICAN BANCORP INC

GAN…. GAINSCO INC

GBCI…. GLACIER BANCORP INC NEW

GBH…. GREEN BUILDERS INC

GBL…. GAMCO INVESTORS INC

GBNK…. GUARANTY BANCORP

GBTS…. GATEWAY FINANCIAL HLDGS INC

GCA…. GLOBAL CASH ACCESS HOLDINGS INC

GFED…. GUARANTY FEDERAL BANCSHARES INC

GFIG…. G F I GROUP INC

GFLB…. GREAT FLORIDA BANK

GGAL…. GRUPO FINANCIERO GALICIA S A

GHL…. GREENHILL & CO INC

GIW…. WILBER CORP

GLBZ….. GLEN BURNIE BANCORP

GLRE…. GREENLIGHT CAPITAL RE LTD

GNW…. GENWORTH FINANCIAL INC

GOV…. GOUVERNEUR BANCORP INC

GRAN…. BANK GRANITE CORP

GRNB…. GREEN BANKSHARES INC

GROW…. U S GLOBAL INVESTORS INC

GS…. GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC

GSBC…. GREAT SOUTHERN BANCORP INC

GSLA…. G S FINANCIAL CORP

GTS…. TRIPLE S MANAGEMENT CORP

HABC…. HABERSHAM BANCORP INC

HAFC… HANMI FINANCIAL CORP

HALL…. HALLMARK FINANCIAL SERVICES INC

HARL…. HARLEYSVILLE SAVINGS FINAN CORP

HAXS…. HEALTHAXIS INC

HBAN…. HUNTINGTON BANCSHARES INC

HBHC…. HANCOCK HOLDING CO

HBNK…. HAMPDEN BANCORP INC

HBOS…. HERITAGE FINANCIAL GROUP

HCBK…. HUDSON CITY BANCORP INC

HCC…. H C C INSURANCE HOLDINGS INC

HEOP…. HERITAGE OAKS BANCORP

HFBC…. HOPFED BANCORP INC

HFFC…. H F FINANCIAL CORP

HFWA…. HERITAGE FINANCIAL CORP WA

HGIC…. HARLEYSVILLE GROUP INC

HIFS…. HINGHAM INSTITUTION FOR SVGS MA

HMN…. HORACE MANN EDUCATORS CORP NEW

HMNF…. H M N FINANCIAL INC

HMPR…. HAMPTON ROADS BANKSHARES INC

HNBC…. HARLEYSVILLE NATIONAL CORP PA

HNT…. HEALTH NET INC

HOMB…. HOME BANCSHARES INC

HOME…. HOME FEDERAL BANCORP INC MD

HRZB…. HORIZON FINANCIAL CORP WASH

HS…. HEALTHSPRING INC

HTBK…. HERITAGE COMMERCE CORP

HTH…. HILLTOP HOLDINGS INC

HTLF…. HEARTLAND FINANCIAL USA INC

HUM…. HUMANA INC

HWBK…. HAWTHORN BANCSHARES INC

HWFG…. HARRINGTON WEST FINANCIAL GRP IN

IAAC…. INTERNATIONAL ASSETS HLDG CORP

IBCA…. INTERVEST BANCSHARES CORP

IBCP…. INDEPENDENT BANK CORP MICH

IBKC…. IBERIABANK CORP

IBKR…. INTERACTIVE BROKERS GROUP INC

IBNK…. INTEGRA BANK CORP

IBOC… INTERNATIONAL BANCSHARES CORP

ICE…. INTERCONTINENTALEXCHANGE INC

ICH…. INVESTORS CAPITAL HOLDINGS LTD

IFC…. IRWIN FINANCIAL CORP

IFSB…. INDEPENDENCE FEDERAL SAVINGS BK

IHC…. INDEPENDENCE HOLDING CO NEW

IMP…. IMPERIAL CAPITAL BANCORP INC

INCB…. INDIANA COMMUNITY BANCORP

INDB…. INDEPENDENT BANK CORP MA

ING…. I N G GROEP N V

IPCC…. INFINITY PROPERTY & CASUALTY COR

IPCR…. I P C HOLDINGS LTD

IRE…. IRELAND BANK

ITC… I T C HOLDINGS CORP

ITG…. INVESTMENT TECHNOLOGY GP INC NEW

ITIC…. INVESTORS TITLE CO

JAXB…. JACKSONVILLE BANCORP INC FL

JEF…. JEFFERIES GROUP INC NEW

JFBC…. JEFFERSONVILLE BANCORP

JFBI…. JEFFERSON BANCSHARES INC TENN

JLI…. JESUP & LAMONT INC

JMP…. J M P GROUP INC

JNS…. JANUS CAP GROUP INC

JPM…. JPMORGAN CHASE & CO

JXSB…. JACKSONVILLE BANCORP INC

KCLI…. KANSAS CITY LIFE INS CO

KENT…. KENT FINANCIAL SERVICES INC

KEY…. KEYCORP NEW

KFED…. K FED BANCORP

KFFB…. KENTUCKY FIRST FEDERAL BANCORP

KFS…. KINGSWAY FINANCIAL SERVICES INC

KRNY…. KEARNY FINANCIAL CORP

L…. LOEWS CORP

LAB…. LABRANCHE & CO INC

LABC…. LOUISIANA BANCORP INC

LARK…. LANDMARK BANCORP INC

LAZ…. LAZARD LTD

LBBB…. LIBERTY BELL BK CHERRY HILL NJ

LBCP…. LIBERTY BANCORP INC MO

LEGC…. LEGACY BANCORP INC

LEH…. LEHMAN BROTHERS HOLDINGS INC

LFC…. CHINA LIFE INSURANCE CO LTD

LION…. FIDELITY SOUTHERN CORP NEW

LKFN…. LAKELAND FINANCIAL CORP

LNC…. LINCOLN NATIONAL CORP IN

LNCB…. LINCOLN BANCORP IND

LPSB…. LAPORTE BANCORP INC

LSBI…. L S B FINANCIAL CORP

LSBK…. LAKE SHORE BANCORP INC

LSBX…. L S B CORP

LTS…. LADENBURG THALMANN FIN SVCS INC

LUK…. LEUCADIA NATIONAL CORP

LYG…. LLOYDS TSB GROUP PLC

MAIN…. MAIN STREET CAPITAL CORP

MASB…. MASSBANK CORP

MBFI…. M B FINANCIAL INC NEW

MBHI…. MIDWEST BANC HOLDINGS INC

MBI…. MBIA INC

MBP…. MID PENN BANCORP INC

MBR…. MERCANTILE BANCORP INC

MBRG…. MIDDLEBURG FINANCIAL CORP

MBTF…. M B T FINANCIAL CORP

MBVA…. MILLENNIUM BANKSHARES CORP

MBVT…. MERCHANTS BANCSHARES INC

MBWM…. MERCANTILE BANK CORP

MCBF…. MONARCH COMMUNITY BANCORP INC

MCBI…. METROCORP BANCSHARES INC

MCGC…. M C G CAPITAL CORP

MCY…. MERCURY GENERAL CORP NEW

MER….. MERRILL LYNCH & CO INC

MERR…. MERRIMAN CURHAN FORD GROUP INC

MF…. M F GLOBAL LTD

MFC…. MANULIFE FINANCIAL CORP

MFLR…. MAYFLOWER BANCORP INC

MFNC…. MACKINAC FINANCIAL CORP

MFSF…. MUTUALFIRST FINL INC

MGYR…. MAGYAR BANCORP INC

MHLD…. MAIDEN HOLDNGS LTD

MI…. MARSHALL & ILSLEY CORP NEW

MIG…. MEADOWBROOK INSURANCE GROUP INC

MIGP…. MERCER INSURANCE GROUP INC

MKL…. MARKEL CORP

MKTX…. MARKETAXESS HLDGS INC

MNRK…. MONARCH FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC

MOFG…. MIDWESTONE FINANCIAL GRP INC NEW

MOH…. MOLINA HEALTHCARE INC

MORN…. MORNINGSTAR INC

MRH…. MONTPELIER RES HOLDINGS LTD

MROE…. MONROE BANCORP

MS…. MORGAN STANLEY DEAN WITTER & CO

MSBF…. M S B FINANCIAL CORP

MSFG…. MAINSOURCE FINANCIAL GROUP INC

MSL…. MIDSOUTH BANCORP INC

MTG…. M G I C INVESTMENT CORP WIS

MTU…. MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GP INC

MXGL…. MAX CAPITAL GROUP LTD

NAHC…. NATIONAL ATLANTIC HOLDINGS CORP

NAL…. NEWALLIANCE BANCSHARES INC

NARA…. NARA BANCORP INC

NATL…. NATIONAL INTERSTATE CORP

NAVG…. NAVIGATORS GROUP INC

NBBC…. NEWBRIDGE BANCORP

NBN…. NORTHEAST BANCORP

NBTB…. N B T BANCORP INC

NBTF….. N B & T FINANCIAL GROUP INC

NCBC…. NEW CENTURY BANCORP INC NC

NCC…. NATIONAL CITY CORP

NDAQ…. NASDAQ O M X GROUP INC

NEBS…. NEW ENGLAND BANCSHARES INC

NECB…. NORTHEAST COMMUNITY BANCORP INC

NEWT….. NEWTEK BUSINESS SVCS INC

NFBK….. NORTHFIELD BANCORP INC

NFS…. NATIONWIDE FINANCIAL SERVICES IN

NFSB…. NEWPORT BANCORP INC

NHTB…. NEW HAMPSHIRE THRIFT BNCSHRS INC

NICK…. NICHOLAS FINANCIAL INC

NITE…. KNIGHT CAPITAL GROUP INC

NKSH…. NATIONAL BANKSHARES INC

NMR…. NOMURA HOLDINGS INC

NMX…. NYMEX HOLDINGS INC

NOVB…. NORTH VALLEY BANCORP

NPBC…. NATIONAL PENN BANCSHARES INC

NRIM…. NORTHRIM BANCORP INC

NSEC…. NATIONAL SECURITY GROUP INC

NSFC…. NORTHERN STATES FINANCIAL CORP

NSH…. NUSTAR G P HOLDINGS LLC

NTQ…. N T R ACQUISITION CO

NTRS…. NORTHERN TRUST CORP

NVSL…. NAUGATUCK VLY FINANCIAL CORP

NWFL…. NORWOOD FINANCIAL CORP

NWLIA…. NATIONAL WESTERN LIFE INS CO

NWSB…. NORTHWEST BANCORP INC PA

NXTY….. NEXITY FINANCIAL CORP

NYB…. NEW YORK COMMUNITY BANCORP INC

NYM…. N Y M A G I C INC

NYX…. N Y S E EURONEXT

OCFC…. OCEANFIRST FINANCIAL CORP

OFG…. ORIENTAL FINANCIAL GROUP INC

OKSB…. SOUTHWEST BANCORP INC OKLA

OLBK…. OLD LINE BANCSHARES

OLCB…. OHIO LEGACY CORP

ONB…. OLD NATIONAL BANCORP

ONFC…. ONEIDA FINANCIAL CORP

OPHC…. OPTIMUMBANK HOLDINGS INC

OPOF…. OLD POINT FINL CORP

OPY…. OPPENHEIMER HOLDINGS INC

ORH…. ODYSSEY RE HOLDINGS CORP

ORI…. OLD REPUBLIC INTERNATIONAL CORP

ORIT…. ORITANI FINANCIAL CORP

OSBC…. OLD SECOND BANCORP INC

OSBK…. OSAGE BANCSHARES INC

OSHC…. OCEAN SHORE HOLDING CO

OVBC…. OHIO VALLEY BANC CORP

OXPS…. OPTIONSXPRESS HOLDINGS INC

OZM…. OCH ZIFF CAPITAL MANGMNT GRP LLC

OZRK…. BANK OF THE OZARKS INC

PABK…. P A B BANKSHARES INC

PACW…. PACWEST BANCORP DE

PBCI…. PAMRAPO BANCORP INC

PBCT…. PEOPLES UNITED FINANCIAL INC

PBHC…. PATHFINDER BANCORP INC

PBIB…. PORTER BANCORP INC

PBIP…. PRUDENTIAL BANCORP INC PA

PBKS…. PROVIDENT BANKSHARES CORP

PBNY…. PROVIDENT NEW YORK BANCORP

PCBC…. PACIFIC CAPITAL BANCORP NEW

PCBI…. PEOPLES COMMUNITY BANCORP INC

PCBK…. PACIFIC CONTINENTAL CORP

PCBS…. PROVIDENT COMMUNITY BANCSHRS INC

PEBK…. PEOPLES BANCORP NC INC

PEBO…. PEOPLES BANCORP INC

PFBC…. PREFERRED BANK LOS ANGELES

PFBI…. PREMIER FINANCIAL BANCORP INC

PFBX…. PEOPLES FINANCIAL CORP

PFED…. PARK BANCORP INC

PFG…. PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL GROUP INC

PFS…. PROVIDENT FINANCIAL SVCS INC

PGR…. PROGRESSIVE CORP OH

PHLY…. PHILADELPHIA CONSOLIDATED HLG CO

PICO….. P I C O HOLDINGS INC

PJC…. PIPER JAFFRAY COMPANIES

PKBK…. PARKE BANCORP INC

PL…. PROTECTIVE LIFE CORP

PLCC…. PAULSON CAPITAL CORP

PLFE…. PRESIDENTIAL LIFE CORP

PMACA…. P M A CAPITAL CORP

PMBC…. PACIFIC MERCANTILE BANCORP

PMI…. P M I GROUP INC

PNBC…. PRINCETON NATIONAL BANCORP INC

PNBK…. PATRIOT NATIONAL BANCORP INC

PNC…. P N C FINANCIAL SERVICES GRP INC

PNFP…. PINNACLE FINANCIAL PARTNERS INC

PNSN…. PENSON WORLDWIDE INC

PNX…. PHOENIX COS INC

PPBI…. PACIFIC PREMIER BANCORP INC

PRA…. PROASSURANCE CORP

PRE…. PARTNERRE LTD

PRK…. PARK NATIONAL CORP

PROS…. PROCENTURY CORP

PROV…. PROVIDENT FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC

PRSP…. PROSPERITY BANCSHARES INC

PRU…. PRUDENTIAL FINANCIAL INC

PRWT…. PREMIERWEST BANCORP

PSBC…. PACIFIC STATE BANCORP

PSBH…. PSB HOLDINGS INC

PSEC…. PROSPECT CAPITAL CORP

PTA…. PENN TREATY AMERICAN CORP

PTP…. PLATINUM UNDERWRITERS HLDGS LTD

PUK…. PRUDENTIAL PLC

PULB…. PULASKI FINANCIAL CORP

PVFC…. P V F CAPITAL CORP

PVSA…. PARKVALE FINANCIAL CORP

PVTB…. PRIVATEBANCORP INC

PWOD…. PENNS WOODS BANCORP INC

PZN…. PZENA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC

QCRH…. Q C R HOLDINGS INC

QNTA…. QUANTA CAPITAL HOLDINGS LTD

RAMR…. R A M HOLDINGS LTD

RBCAA…. REPUBLIC BANCORP INC KY

RBNF….. RUBAN FINANCIAL CORP

RBPAA…. ROYAL BANCSHARES PA INC

RBS…. ROYAL BANK SCOTLAND GROUP PLC

RCBK…. RIVER CITY BANK

RCKB…. ROCKVILLE FINANCIAL INC

RDN…. RADIAN GROUP INC

RE…. EVEREST RE GROUP LTD

RF…. REGIONS FINANCIAL CORP NEW

RGA…. REINSURANCE GROUP OF AMERICA INC

RIVR…. RIVER VALLEY BANCORP

RJF…. RAYMOND JAMES FINANCIAL INC

RKH…. REGIONAL BANK HOLDRS TRUST

RLI…. R L I CORP

RNR…. RENAISSANCERE HOLDINGS LTD

RNST…. RENASANT CORP

RODM…. RODMAN & RENSHAW CAP GRP INC NEW

ROMA….. ROMA FINANCIAL CORP

ROME…. ROME BANCORP INC

RPFG….. RAINIER PACIFIC FINL GROUP INC

RVSB….. RIVERVIEW BANCORP INC

RY…. ROYAL BANK CANADA MONTREAL QUE

SAF…. SAFECO CORP

SAFT…. SAFETY INSURANCE GROUP INC

SAL …. SALISBURY BANCORP INC

SAMB…. SUN AMERICAN BANCORP

SASR…. SANDY SPRING BANCORP INC

SAVB…. SAVANNAH BANCORP INC

SBBX…. SUSSEX BANCORP

SBCF…. SEACOAST BANKING CORP FLA

SBIB…. STERLING BANCSHARES INC

SBKC…. SECURITY BANK CORP

SBNY…. SIGNATURE BANK NEW YORK N Y

SBP…. SANTANDER BANCORP

SBSI…. SOUTHSIDE BANCSHARES INC

SCA…. SECURITY CAPITAL ASSURANCE LTD

SCB…. COMMUNITY BANKSHARES INC S C

SCBT…. S C B T FINANCIAL CORP

SCHW…. SCHWAB CHARLES CORP NEW

SCMF…. SOUTHERN COMMUNITY FINCL CORP

SEAB….. SEABRIGHT INSURANCE HOLDINGS INC

SF…. STIFEL FINANCIAL CORP

SFG…. STANCORP FINANCIAL GROUP INC

SFNC…. SIMMONS 1ST NATIONAL CORP

SFST…. SOUTHERN FIRST BANCSHARES INC

SGB…. SOUTHWEST GEORGIA FINANCIAL CORP

SHG…. SHINHAN FINANCIAL GROUP CO LTD

SIEB…. SIEBERT FINANCIAL CORP

SIFI…. SI FINANCIAL GROUP INC

SIGI…. SELECTIVE INSURANCE GROUP INC

SIVB…. S V B FINANCIAL GROUP

SLF…. SUN LIFE FINANCIAL INC

SLM…. S L M CORP

SMBC…. SOUTHERN MISSOURI BANCORP INC

SMCG….. MILLENNIUM INDIA ACQUISIT CO INC

SMHG…. SANDERS MORRIS HARRIS GROUP INC

SMMF…. SUMMIT FINANCIAL GROUP INC

SMTB…. SMITHTOWN BANCORP INC

SNBC…. SUN BANCORP INC

SNV…. SYNOVUS FINANCIAL CORP

SOCB…. SOUTHCOAST FINANCIAL CORP

SOMH…. SOMERSET HILLS BANCORP

SONA…. SOUTHERN NATIONAL BANCORP VA INC

SOV…. SOVEREIGN BANCORP INC

SRCE…. 1ST SOURCE CORP

SSBI SUMMIT STATE BANK

SSBX…. SILVER STATE BANCORP

SSFN…. STEWARDSHIP FINANCIAL CORP

STBA…. S & T BANCORP INC

STBC…. STATE BANCORP INC NY

STBK…. STERLING BANKS INC

STEL…. STELLARONE CORP

STFC…. STATE AUTO FINANCIAL CORP

STI…. SUNTRUST BANKS INC

STL…. STERLING BANCORP

STSA…. STERLING FINANCIAL CORP WASH

STT…. STATE STREET CORP

STU…. STUDENT LOAN CORP

SUAI…. SPECIALTY UNDERWRITERS ALL INC

SUBK…. SUFFOLK BANCORP

SUFB…. SUFFOLK FIRST BANK VA

SUPR…. SUPERIOR BANCORP

SUR…. C N A SURETY CORP

SUSQ…. SUSQUEHANNA BANCSHARES INC PA

SVBI…. SEVERN BANCORP INC MD

SWS…. S W S GROUP INC

SYBT…. S Y BANCORP INC

TAMB…. TAMALPAIS BANCORP

TAQ…. TRANSFORMA ACQUISITION GROUP INC

TAYC…. TAYLOR CAPITAL GROUP INC

TBBK…. BANCORP INC

TBHS…. BANK HOLDINGS THE

TCB…. T C F FINANCIAL CORP

TCBI…. TEXAS CAPITAL BANCSHARES INC

TCBK…. TRICO BANCSHARES

TCHC…. 21ST CENTURY HOLDING CO

TDBK…. TIDELANDS BANCSHARES INC

TFIN…. TEAM FINANCIAL INC

TFSL…. TFS FINANCIAL CORP

TGIC…. TRIAD GUARANTY INC

THFF…. FIRST FINANCIAL CORP IN

THG…. HANOVER INSURANCE GROUP INC

THRD…. T F FINANCIAL CORP

TIBB…. T I B FINANCIAL CORP

TIL…. TRANS INDIA ACQUISITION CORP

TMCV…. TEMECULA VALLEY BANCORP INC

TMK…. TORCHMARK CORP

TMP…. TOMPKINS FINANCIAL CORP

TNCC…. TENNESSEE COMMERCE BANCORP INC

TOFC…. TOWER FINANCIAL CORP

TONE…. TIERONE CORP

TOWN…. TOWNEBANK

TRH…. TRANSATLANTIC HOLDINGS INC

TROW…. T ROWE PRICE GROUP INC

TRST…. TRUSTCO BANK CORP NY

TRUE…. CENTRUE FINANCIAL CORP NEW

TRV…. TRAVELERS COMPANIES INC

TSBK…. TIMBERLAND BANCORP INC

TSFG…. SOUTH FINL GROUP INC

TSH…. TECHE HOLDING CO

TWGP…. TOWER GROUP INC

TWPG…. THOMAS WEISEL PARTNERS GROUP INC

UAM…. UNIVERSAL AMERICAN CORP

UB…. UNIONBANCAL CORP

UBCP…. UNITED BANCORP INC

UBFO…. UNITED SECURITY BANKSHARES

UBNK…. UNITED FINANCIAL BANCORP INC MD

UBOH…. UNITED BANCSHARES INC

UBS…. U B S AG

UBSH…. UNION BANKSHARES CORP

UBSI…. UNITED BANKSHARES INC

UCBA…. UNITED COMMUNITY BANCORP

UCBH…. U C B H HOLDINGS INC

UCBI…. UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS INC GA

UCFC…. UNITED COMMUNITY FINL CORP OHIO

UFCS…. UNITED FIRE & CAS CO

UMBF…. U M B FINANCIAL CORP

UMPQ…. UMPQUA HOLDINGS CORP

UNAM…. UNICO AMERICAN CORP

UNB…. UNION BANKSHARES INC

UNH…. UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC

UNIB… UNIVERSITY BANCORP INC

UNM…. UNUM GROUP

UNTY…. UNITY BANCORP INC

USB…. U S BANCORP DEL

USBI…. UNITED SECURITY BANCSHARES INC

UTR…. UNITRIN INC

UVSP…. UNIVEST CORP OF PENNSYLVANIA

UWBK…. UNITED WESTERN BANCORP INC

VBFC…. VILLAGE BANK AND TRUST FINL CORP

VCBI…. VIRGINIA COMMERCE BANCORP

VIST…. V I S T FINACIAL CORP

VLY…. VALLEY NATIONAL BANCORP

VNBC…. VINEYARD NATIONAL BANCORP

VPFG…. VIEWPOINT FINANCIAL GROUP

VR…. VALIDUS HOLDINGS LTD

VSBN…. V S B BANCORP INC NY

VYFC…. VALLEY FINANCIAL CORP VA

WABC…. WESTAMERICA BANCORPORATION

WAIN…. WAINWRIGHT BANK & TRUST CO BOSTN

WAL…. WESTERN ALLIANCE BANCORPORATION

WASH…. WASHINGTON TRUST BANCORP INC

WAUW…. WAUWATOSA HOLDINGS INC

WAYN…. WAYNE SAVINGS BANCSHARES INC NEW

WB…. WACHOVIA CORP 2ND NEW

WBCO…. WASHINGTON BANKING COMPANY

WBNK…. WACCAMAW BANKSHARES INC

WBS…. WEBSTER FINL CORP WATERBURY CONN

WCBO…. WEST COAST BANCORP ORE NEW

WCG…. WELLCARE HEALTH PLANS INC

WDR…. WADDELL & REED FINANCIAL INC

WFBC…. WILLOW FINANCIAL BANCORP INC

WFC…. WELLS FARGO & CO NEW

WFD…. WESTFIELD FINANCIAL INC

WFSL…. WASHINGTON FEDERAL INC

WGNB…. W G N B CORP

WHG…. WESTWOOD HOLDINGS GROUP INC

WHI…. W HOLDING CO INC

WIBC…. WILSHIRE BANCORP INC

WL…. WILMINGTON TRUST CORP

WLP…. WELLPOINT INC

WM…. WASHINGTON MUTUAL INC

WPL…. STEWART W P & CO LTD

WRB…. BERKLEY W R CORP

WSB…. W S B HOLDINGS INC

WSBC…. WESBANCO INC

WSFG…. W S B FINANCIAL GROUP

WSFS…. WSFS FINANCIAL CORP

WTBA…. WEST BANCORPORATION INC

WTFC…. WINTRUST FINANCIAL CORPORATION

WTM…. WHITE MOUNTAINS INS GROUP INC

WTNY…. WHITNEY HOLDING CORP

WVFC…. WVS FINANCIAL CORP

XL…. X L CAPITAL LTD

Y…. ALLEGHANY CORP DE

YAVY….. YADKIN VALLEY FINANCIAL CORP

ZION…. ZIONS BANCORP

ZNT…. ZENITH NATIONAL INSURANCE CORP

Why? To boost their digital media capabilities.

When? The deal is set to close by the 4th quarter 2008.

They are even offering a premium on the 47.9 million outstanding shares. Friday September 12 Napster closed at $1.36 a share, and Best Buy is offering $2.65 a share. What’s even better, Best Buy says there is no plans to get rid of any of the current staff or even move headquarters.

However, Napster has proven in the past to be a bad investment (read:Remember Napster? )

With a purchase from a stable (for now) company like Best Buy maybe Napster does have a solid future, even if one day it won’t even be called Napster anymore.

Bank of America is buying out Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs is trying to get together a $75 billion buyout of AIG.

It looks like the problems from the housing foreclosures are moving up the ladder from consumers to the greedy lenders. This is a sad situation for those who have their pensions and investments tied up in these companies, also those who are going to lose their jobs as a direct result of the closures. At least some of the people will be able to get some of their money out of WaMu before it also tanks.

Now let’s see, in the last year the government has had to bailout several banks, Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae. In the past the government has had to bail out the airlines, who are now charging for everything from the first checked bag to soda.

Sure, if the domestic auto makers aren’t able to restructure, in the long-run they’ll probably go out of business, because they’ll be unable to turn a profit. Foreign cars are better made and more fuel efficient, so the domestic brands really need to step it up…I suppose they have decided that a government loan is the only way to restructure their companies.

Also according to an article written by AP Business writer Jim Salter, a New York Times report with unnamed sources says that InBev raised their offer from $65 to $70 per share after AB said they wouldn’t accept the buyout, which was only about a week or two prior to this story being published.

AB’s stock price closed at $66.50 today (7-11-08). This is only $.05 short of their season high of $66.55.

The story also stated that the buyout could be completed by the end of the weekend.

So what happens to Budweiser? What about those Clydesdales pulling the cart in the snow? How about that Dalmatian??? I suppose something will happen considering InBev wants to remove all 13 board members from AB.

I suppose only time will tell.