Chik-Fil-A hosted their annual “Cow Appreciation Day” last week. If you went to the restaurant fully dressed as a cow, you got a free meal. If you wore just a little cow gear, you got a free entree. We decided that it would be fun so we made some simple costumes from white clothes we already had by taping on some printed cow spots. We pinned some beanie cows to our hats and off we went. We each got a the full free meal so it was a free dinner for us in exchange for just a little bit of creativity and effort.
The whole evening was pretty fun, too. Several other “cows” were there so we got to see how other people dressed up. The management had the cow mascot out playing games with the kids and all of the staff was dressed as cows. It was a fun summer activity. Somethi
Big results are in tomorrow about the health of Europe’s banks.
The European Banking Authority will present details about the solvency of 90 banks across 27 nations after performing a series of stress tests.
Since last year, the EBA has imposed far more stringent regulations and required the banks to disclose far more information than ever before.
But what do these tests really mean, and what can you expect?
TAKING THE PULSE: Profits in the chemical industry are generally expected to rise this quarter as the sector enjoys a broad recovery on the back of a rebounding manufacturing industry. However, decisions to pass on price increases remain a key issue for chemical companies amid rising raw material costs and worries that profit growth may slow for the rest of the year. Demand from emerging markets has been a key driver in the sector in recent months.
COMPANIES TO WATCH Air Products & Chemicals Inc. – reports July 22
Wall Street Expectations: Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect earnings of $1.46 a share on revenue of $2.53 billion. In the year-earlier period, Air Products posted a profit of $1.17 a share, including an 11-cent tax charge, on revenue of $2.25 billion.
July 16, 2011 – CHICAGO – A group of lenders sued OppenheimerFunds Inc, an investment subsidiary and an advisory company, accusing it of wrongfully procuring $1.8 billion in loans from March 2006 to September 2007 to buy investments that were too risky to meet lending agreements.
The plaintiffs, in a suit filed Friday in the New York State Supreme Court, allege that AAArdvark I Funding Limited, an investment vehicle established by Oppenheimer, borrowed funds at a low interest rate to buy higher-yielding securities selected by Harbourview Asset Management Corp that violated loan terms.
They also allege that Oppenheimer failed to identify the contract violations for 18 months, which caused Harbourview to file 241 false certifications to lenders, thereby keeping the line of credit open, the court document said.
By September 2007, the investments, including stakes in Countrywide and GMAC, were not generating enough income to pay interest and other fees and expenses, it said.
At that time Oppenheimer notified the lenders that an “amortization event” had occurred and that AAArdvark was unable to satisfy the terms of the lending agreement.
The defendants have refused to return the borrowed funds totaling nearly $1.8 billion.
The plaintiffs include lenders TSL Inc.; Bryant Park Funding LLC; Liberty Street Funding LLC; Cooperatieve Centrale Raiffeisen-Boerenleenbank B.A., Rabobank Nederland, New York Branch
OppenheimerFunds, majority-owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
With research showing how a single spelling mistake can cut online sales in half, potentially costing UK businesses millions of pounds every year* web content specialists Speedie Consultants are urging businesses to make sure that their website content is up to scratch.
Figures published last month from the Office for National Statistics showed online sales in the UK hitting £527m per week. Yet – according to an article on the BBC website* – this figure could be double if businesses made sure there were no spelling mistakes on their website.
Jason Hulott, Director from Speedie Consultants, says: “Your website is your shop window, and first impressions count. If people see bad spelling or a general lack of attention to detail on websites, it can lose businesses sales, as it makes them look less credible. People
Well, now we know what a portion of those new, higher Netflix fees could be used for: to pay call center reps to deal with angry customers. Customer service reps have been telling callers that the company not only told them to be ready for a backlash, it hired extra employees to take the calls, CNET reports. “We tested, we researched, we analyzed. We knew what the reaction was going to be,” a spokesman confirmed. “We are not surprised.”
Despite the extra manpower, the phone lines have been overwhelmed. One analyst found that it took representatives nine to 15 minutes to get to the many callers on hold. When they did pick up, their suggestion was to just cancel in September, when the price increase hits. “There
Entertaining Microsites
Velocity Credit Union takes the bank-bashing up a notch. They coined the term “schmank” and created an entertaining microsite to describe the act of being mistreated by a bank. The site features several short videos of people describing what being “schmanked” means, as well as a link to Velocity’s convenient online switch kit. The kit offers consumers simple steps to switch from their current financial institution to Velocity Credit Union, including closing accounts and transferring direct deposits.
Real World Testimonials
Linn Area Credit Union has integrated real members into their campaigns to invoke a more personal and authentic take on their credit union. In a vide