Archive for Legal/Finance

CoreLogic Reports Home Prices Rise by 12 Percent Year Over Year in January

Mar 05, 2014 No Comments

Irvine, Calif., March 5, 2014 / PRNewswire / — CoreLogic® (NYSE: CLGX), a leading residential property information, analytics and services provider, today released its January CoreLogic Home Price Index (HPI®) report. Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 12 percent in January 2014 compared to January 2013. This change represents 23 months of consecutive year-over-year increases in home [...]

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Valley Business Awards Luncheon to Highlight Local Leaders and Entrepreneurs

Mar 03, 2014 No Comments

FRESNO – This Thursday, the Fresno Chamber of Commerce will host the 2014 Valley Business Awards Luncheon to honor community leaders and local entrepreneurs making their mark.  This event serves as a platform to celebrate the best Fresno has to offer through the presentation of several of the Chamber’s most prestigious awards. The luncheon will [...]

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National Consumer Protection Week is a Reminder of Important Rights in Debt Collection

Mar 03, 2014 No Comments

MINNEAPOLIS, March 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — ACA International members applaud the Federal Trade Commission’s National Consumer Protection Week, March 2-8, 2014 and encourages consumers to visit AskDoctorDebt.org for free information to better understand debt collection and their rights. Many consumers are being contacted by third-party debt collectors to resolve duly owed financial obligations. According to the Federal Reserve, the [...]

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PwC’s Capital Markets Watch Finds 2013 Activity Sets Stage for Continued Growth in 2014

Feb 28, 2014 No Comments

NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — An improving U.S. economic environment, record low interest rates and strong equity and debt markets drove significant activity in the U.S. capital markets in 2013, according to the inaugural 2013 Capital Markets Watch by PwC US.  The new report, released today, builds upon the firm’s quarterly IPO Watch to provide a full year [...]

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Survey: As Global Investor Confidence Rebounds, U.S. Investors are the Exception

Feb 27, 2014 No Comments

NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Investors in the U.S. remain cautious even as the majority of investors around the world have become more confident about investment opportunities, according to a comprehensive new report of investor sentiment by Schroders.  Analysis of the Schroders Global Investment Trends Report 20141, a survey of 15,749 investors across 23 countries [...]

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Deloitte Consumer Spending Index Dips but Remains on Positive Course

Feb 26, 2014 No Comments

NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index (Index) moved down slightly in January, but remained in positive territory. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending[i]. “All components of the Index this month declined slightly, though such volatility is consistent with a recovering economy,” said Daniel Bachman, Deloitte’s senior U.S. [...]

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New Study Investigates Online Tobacco and E-cigarette Advertising

Feb 24, 2014 No Comments

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – While the tobacco industry spends more than $8 billion a year marketing its products, a new study examining online advertisements finds that the industry’s ads primarily focus on promoting e-cigarettes, snus, and cigars according to the national public health foundation Legacy®. The study, published in the peer review journal, Tobacco Control, is the first to conduct [...]

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Mortgage Rates Post First Increase of 2014

Feb 14, 2014 No Comments

NEW YORK, Feb. 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Mortgage rates broke a five-week long streak of declines, with the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate increasing 4.48 percent, according to Bankrate.com’s weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.33 discount and origination points. The average 15-year fixed mortgage notched higher to 3.53 percent, and the [...]

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Six Salary-Boosting Jobs for 2014

Feb 12, 2014 No Comments

MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Trends like big data and mobile media are translating into growing paychecks for some professionals, according to the recently released 2014 Salary Guides from Robert Half Technology and The Creative Group. Employers are prepared to offer increased compensation this year to skilled information technology (IT) and digital professionals who can help organizations meet [...]

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U.S. Postal Service Records Loss of $354 Million in First Quarter

Feb 10, 2014 No Comments

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2014  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The U.S. Postal Service ended the first quarter of its 2014 fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2013 – Dec. 31, 2013) with a net loss of $354 million. This marks the 19th of the last 21 quarters that it has sustained a loss. Though the Postal Service has been able to grow revenue by capitalizing [...]

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Number of Self-Employed Workers in U.S. Down 5 Percent Since End of Recession

Feb 07, 2014 No Comments

CHICAGO, Feb. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – The U.S. has an estimated 10 million self-employed jobs as of 2013. That’s 6.6 percent of all reported jobs, but down from a high of 7.2 percent in 2006. This is according to a new report from CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI). Self-employment grew rapidly from 2001-2006, adding close to [...]

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Survey: 79% Of Consumers Would Never Consider Using Alternative Currency Like Bitcoin

Feb 06, 2014 No Comments

NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — As buzz about Bitcoin, a five-year-old cryptocurrency, continues to build, the question is often asked – will consumers embrace this alternative currency? A new nationwide survey conducted for TheStreet (NASDAQ: TST) by GfK1 answers that question with a resounding “no,” showing that consumers do not understand Bitcoin and have little interest in [...]

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Central Valley Community Bank Succession Plans Expand Leadership Team

Feb 05, 2014 No Comments

FRESNO – The board of directors of Central Valley Community Bancorp have announced that separate positions for chief executive officer and president have been established at the bank, and that veteran banker James M. Ford has been named president of the bank effective Feb. 1, 2014. Daniel J. Doyle will continue to serve as president [...]

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Attitudes on the Economy Holding Steady Over Time

Jan 31, 2014 No Comments

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Economic news is plentiful, and depending on who one listens to the economy is getting better, the economy may be sliding backwards or things are stagnant. But, regardless of what the experts think, how do Americans think the economy is going this month? On the whole, their thinking is that it’s [...]

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Salaries and Confidence Rise for U.S. Tech Professionals

Jan 30, 2014 No Comments

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – More technology professionals in the U.S. enjoyed merit raises over the last year, driving average salaries up in 2013. Average U.S. tech salaries increased nearly three percent to $87,811 in 2013, up from $85,619 the previous year, according to the 2014-2013 Salary Survey from Dice, the leading career site for technology and engineering professionals. Technology [...]

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Deloitte Consumer Spending Index on the Rise

Jan 27, 2014 No Comments

NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index (Index) climbed in December.  The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending[i]. “Economic fundamentals that influence consumer spending moved in a positive direction in the latest Index,” said Daniel Bachman, Deloitte’s senior U.S. economist.  “Median home prices increased, while initial unemployment [...]

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Middle Class Scholarship Provides New College Finance Opportunities

Jan 27, 2014 No Comments

FRESNO – Applications are now being accepted for a new financial assistance program, the California Middle Class Scholarship, that will be available in the fall for undergraduate students who have family incomes up to $150,000 to attend a California State University (CSU) or a University of California (UC). A campaign to inform students and their families about [...]

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Study Explores the Ongoing Plight of the Long-term Unemployed

Jan 24, 2014 No Comments

CHICAGO, Jan. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – While the job market is showing signs of improvement, one segment of the workforce is feeling the sting of a slower-than-expected recovery more so than others: the long-term unemployed.  Thirty percent of workers who were previously employed full time and who have been out of work for 12 months or longer said [...]

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Study: Confidence in the American Dream May Be Eroding but Americans’ Financial Satisfaction is on the Rise

Jan 23, 2014 No Comments

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Jan. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Though the U.S. economy is showing signs of recovery, Americans’ belief in the American Dream remains deeply shaken. Of the older Millennials surveyed, ages 25-32, half feel the American Dream is disappearing completely. Forty-five percent of older Baby Boomers, ages 54-64, also share this belief, an increase of 15 percent over [...]

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Survey Finds Investors Confident About Their Own Retirement, Less So About Their Children’s

Jan 22, 2014 No Comments

BOSTON, Jan. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – A recent John Hancock survey found that investors are relatively confident of their preparation and expectations for retirement, but are divided on the outlook for their children.  Six in 10 surveyed say they expect their quality of living in retirement to be better than their own parents, and close to a third [...]

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