Month: January 2018

Today, Breeze, the online and mobile banking application offered through Standard Chartered Bank is providing bank customers with a long list of unique features. People using Breeze find the functionality of this online and mobile banking solution extremely beneficial as is but according to bank officials, additional features will be added. Some enhancements will take place over the next few months, some over the course of the next year, and of course, changes will occur to meet changes in customer demand.

It is important for people to know that Breeze was designed based on direct customer input. Instead of guessing or following trends, bank officials wanted to develop a viable mobile banking application based on what customers wanted. The only way to accomplish that goal was to ask people the features they felt were most beneficial and those that could be eliminated from the design. Based on the in-depth data gathered from research, the IT department of Standard Chartered Bank was able to design the most innovative mobile banking solution on the market today.

We wanted to address some of the changes are already being developed, features that will enhance an already incredible mobile banking solution. For starters, this platform currently runs as an application on Apples iPhone but next month (September 2010), it will also be available on the iPad. Now, as more mobile devices are developed, opportunity for Breeze to be offered as an online and mobile banking solution increases.

Another change coming to Breeze over the next few months is a bill reminder feature. As the name implies, this feature would work in conjunction with due dates for bills paid through Breeze. Therefore, as a scheduled payment nears its due date, notification would be sent to the customers iPhone automatically. Today, people live very busy lives so overlooking payment on a bill happens. This feature would make handling finances easier, reduce risk of being charged penalties for late payments, and even eliminate risk of the customers credit score from being damaged by a late payment.

The market that will be using Breeze will also be expanded. Today, beta testing was completed in Malaysia and Singapore but two countries next on the list are India and Hong Kong. Already, people in these countries are getting exciting at having the same opportunity as initial users to manage bank accounts in a more efficient manner. Once Breeze has infiltrated these two countries, Standard Chartered Bank has a plan in place to launch the application for international markets.

In addition, while Breeze has already established presence on a variety of social medial websites to include three of the top sites YouTube.com, Facebook.com, and Twitter.com, it is anticipated that other like sites will be added. Standard Chartered Bank understands the value of keeping its current and potential customers abreast of changes within the bank specific to online banking, but also the mobile banking solution Breeze.

Finally, a newer version of Breeze is currently being developed by Standard Chartered Bank. Although the official name could change, at this point it is being targeted to launch as “Typhoon.” With this version, a variety of enhanced features would be available. For instance, to use the “Pay my Bill” or eCheque features of Breeze today, registered payees can only be added through the banks website. However, when Typhoon launches, payees could be added directly from the mobile device.

As a boutique investment bank, we expend a lot of effort providing high quality advice and service to our middle-market investment bank clients. We understand the need to align our investment banking services and fees with our clients’ interests, because ultimately, we act as our clients’ advocate. Completing transactions is difficult; we need to be working together. The following is a brief primer related to investment banking fees.

Retainer A credible middle market investment bank will charge a non-refundable retainer. There are two primary reasons for the retainer: (1) it covers the time and expense incurred in preparing the client to go to market and (2) it serves as a screening mechanism to ensure that the client is committed to the transaction. This retainer may be paid as a lump sum, over time or based on achievement of certain activities associated with the transaction process. This retainer should represent a minor portion of the overall fee. Sometimes retainers or portions of retainers are credited toward the success fee.

Success Fee The success fee, representing the majority of compensation, is tied to successful completion of a transaction and is structured as a percentage of the deal size. For capital raises, a fee percentage is applied to the amount of capital raised. The fee percentage increases as one moves from raising senior debt (perceived as less risky and ranges from 1%-2%) to junior debt (more risky) to equity (perceived as most risky and ranges from 5%-10%). Some fee arrangements include an “equity kicker” in the form of warrants. The size of the deal may also influence the fee percentage; the larger the deal the smaller the percentage. For merger and acquisition services, the fee percentage is applied to the overall size of the transaction. Although many business brokers refer to the Lehman formula, few mid-market investment banks use this structure. Instead, they may quote a straight fee percentage or a performance based progressive fee, which increases based on achieving a certain valuation target. The higher the companys valuation (the more dollars the seller puts in his pocket), the higher the investment bankers fee percentage. Progressive fee arrangements provide a strong incentive for the investment banker while aligning the parties’ interests in maximizing the value of the transaction to the client’s owners.

Final Comments. As with most things in life, keep the fee arrangement simple. Haggling over unique, low probability circumstances or creating complex fee structures generally backfires. Complex arrangements tend to cause uncertainty and can result in lack of motivation and focus from the investment banker, not what the client desires. You get what you pay for. Expect to pay a reasonable, market fee. Receiving an engagement letter containing a low fee (potentially with no retainer), indicates a low level of sophistication. Conversely, an engagement letter quoting an out-of-market high fee indicates someone wanting to take advantage of a client. These are not investment bankers you want handling your important deal.

About Wilcox | Swartzwelder & Co. Wilcox Swartzwelder and Co. based in Dallas, Texas, is a boutique investment bank providing merger and acquisition services and corporate finance advisory services to middle market companies in the energy, industrial and infrastructure sector. The Firm delivers a high level of personal service, in-depth industry knowledge, rigorous transaction execution and superior results. Principals have successfully completed almost 100 transactions with aggregate value in excess of $3.6 billion.

Mr. Jason Wilcox 433 E. Las Colinas Blvd. Waterway Tower, Suite 1200 Irving, TX 75039 972-831-1300 www.ws-ibank.com

Securities offered through Petro Growth Energy Advisors, LLC., member FINRA/SIPC.

The Hanmi Bank was founded in 1982 to better serve the Korean- American community. Their philosophy is to meet their customers’ needs and growth with them as time progresses.

This bank has many services including Bank Rates that are available online. Among these service is their regular checking account that gives the account holder 1% cash back from their net transactions on their debt card. This account requires a minimum $100 to open a minimum balance of $500 to earn the cash back per statement cycle.

As far as their online banking services go they offer a wide selection that is also available at your local branch office. This includes the checking of your balances and transactional history. The online statements are also available for your convenience in a safe and secure manner.

The Hanmi bank offers CDs with terms from 7 days to 3 years with a minimum deposit of $1,000. The interest is accredited to each account on a monthly basis.

The highest earning checking account is the Mega Checking account that requires a minimum deposit of $10,000 which must be maintained to earn the interest on the balance. There is a limit of 100 transactions with this account pre billing cycle.

This is a full service financial institution that offers their customers not only deposit accounts but also auto loans, mortgages and credit cards. They also handle insurance, investments and retirement plans to help serve the needs of their growing customer base in Southern California.

For reasons of security and safety of your information only a limited amount will be collected. The employees at the Hanmi bank will also be limited to who can access this information and none of it will ever be sold to any third party.

This is what you can expect from Hanmi Bank of Southern California.

We strive to bring you the latest and most accurate data possible from the home sites of the financial institutions we name. Always remember, the bigger the risk, the larger the reward or loss. Invest with caution.

For additional resources involving financial help, please view PNC Online Banking, best bank savings rates, Westpac Online Banking and Online Banks at http://www.onlinebanksblog.com/union-online-banking

The entire global economy is going through a tough phase now. A lot of people have already lost their jobs over the last couple of years and many more are living in the fear of losing their own. Quite interestingly enough, almost all the job cuts have happened in the private sector; there are very few government employees who have actually lost their jobs. Bank jobs in India are definitely better compared to the corporate jobs then it comes to job security, average salary and also annual benefits.

If you take a look at the list of Indian Banking jobs 2012, you would see that almost every banking departments has a couple of vacancies. Almost all the jobs that are featured in the list of Indian government 2012 require you to be an Indian citizen, have no criminal records and be above the age of 18 years. So, these are the basic qualities that are needed in a candidate who wants to apply for all such vacancies in India. Let us now take a look at the educational and other requirements:

Educational Qualifications

As told earlier there are a variety of different banking jobs available in the list of Indian banking jobs 2012. The educational qualifications required for different posts in India are definitely different, but in most cases you are required to be at least a graduate in order to be eligible to apply for a post. Most jobs in India would require you to go through a written examination followed by an interview process. If you get selected, you would be put on training for a stipulated period of time during which you would be eligible for a fraction of the salary and benefits offered against the post. There are some job vacancies that would require you to have technical qualifications such as a degree in engineering or a diploma in applied sciences. In almost all the cases your degree or diploma should be verifiable and should have been awarded by an UGC recognize University or institute. For graduate level teaching jobs you need to have a postgraduate degree or doctorate on the subject of your choice in order to be eligible.

Experience With The Indian Army

If you have military working experience you would be eligible for almost all posts that are featured in the list of Indian banking jobs 2012. Most banking departments have a couple of reserved seats for ex-Army professionals and as long as you have proof of your service at the Army, you would not have to worry about the age limits specified by different banking jobs in India. There are some vacancies in India that give preference to ex-Army professionals; so, if you are serving the Indian army, you might as well think of taking up another job with a govt department after retiring from the Army!

Investment banking is the most financially lucrative position for any university graduate. There are many people vying for the few openings each year in this industry. Graduates who are able to land one of the prime positions have mastered their investment banking interview. Successful candidates are the ones who prepare for their interview and anticipate the questions they might be asked and how to best answer them.

Questions that you will be asked will be either fit questions or technical questions. Technical questions are either right or wrong just like two plus two will always equal four. Investment banking companies ask technical questions to see how well you know the formulas and whether or not you are paying attention in class.

The fit questions are what separates the potential hires form those that are rejected. Companies ask fit questions to make sure you will be a good addition to their company. Fit questions are sometimes referred to as “the airport test.” This tells whether or not an investment banker would feel comfortable spending several hours in the departure lounge of an airport with you.

The fit questions give you an opportunity to be charming and personable and appeal to the interviewer so they will select you for an open position. How you answer a fit question is the ultimate key as to whether or not you will be hired by the company.

The answer to a fit question will show your motivation and desire to work in the investment banking industry which is well known for its 80+ hour work weeks. Companies want to hire employees who show they are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed in this highly competitive industry.

Fit questions give you an opportunity to accentuate your strengths and experiences that will be valuable to the company. Everyone has had many experiences in their lives and answering these questions is the chance to show how your life experiences would benefit the company.

The purpose of fit questions is to put you on the spot and see how well you can think on your feet. It also prevents you from being able to spout out memorized responses to potential questions. Some of the questions that you will be asked assumes that there is no possible way for you to know the answer. What the company is evaluating is how well you can think of a way to solve the question without already knowing the answer. In most cases the interviewer will not know the answer to the question either.

Now that you understand the fit questions will be the major decision factor during your interview, you should focus the majority of your preparation on these forms of questions.