Posted by: Brodie Jerrems in
Bank Rates on November 15th, 2011
It recently came to my attention that the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has launched two new credit cards; one to their personal banking division and another to their business banking division.
The two new credit cards that have been launched are in fact Cash Back MasterCards, which addresses a portion of the market that RBC in my opinion has been lacking in.
The two new credit cards are the RBC Cash Back MasterCard and the RBC Business Cash Back MasterCard.
To help showcase what these two new credit cards have to offer, I have put the information in the table below:
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RBC Cash Back MasterCard |
RBC Business Cash Back MasterCard |
Cash Back Credit(s)- Earn 2% Cash Back credits on grocery store purchases
– Earn up to 1% cash back credits on all other purchases and pre-authorized payments- Earn 2% Cash BACK on all purchases for the first 3 months (account needs to be open before Oct. Read more…
Posted by: Brodie Jerrems in
Bank Rates on November 12th, 2011
Do you find it difficult to build a savings. You are not alone. Many people have trouble finding money in their budget to put away for a rainy day. Here are four things you may not have considered to find the cash to jump start your savings.
- Raise your deductible on home, auto and other insurance policies. Raising the deductible means you’ll pay more out of pocket if you ever file a claim, but you’ll lower your monthly premium. Use the money saved to start a savings account.
- Sale sports equipment and musical instruments you no longer use. If you have kids, it’s likely you’ve spent money on activities they no longer participate in. Place an ad online or in the newspaper, or check with local consignment shops and thrift stores to see which items you can unload.
- Do manual labor. If you’ve got an arsenal of lawn equipment and other tools, post flyers around town and let your neighbors know you are available for hire. Put most
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Posted by: Brodie Jerrems in
Bank Rates on October 31st, 2011
It lasted even less time than Kim Kardashian’s marriage.
Bank of America has canceled its plan for a $5 a month debit card fee, barely a month after announcing it.
A crucial difference between the Kardashian marriage and Bank of America’s actions is that nobody really expected a reasoned, long-term commitment from a famously flighty reality TV character. People do, however, expect sound, long-term decision-making from bank executives.
Instead, Bank of America’s handling of its debit card fee plans seems destined to become a classic “how-not-to” case study at business schools across the country.
It’s not as if Bank of America itself didn’t have a “how-not-to” case study to use as a cautionary tale. Just recently, Netflix announced an overreaching fee increase.
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Posted by: Brodie Jerrems in
Bank Rates on October 25th, 2011
Fairview State Banking Company makes investing worthwhile with a 24-month CD rate of 1.20% APY. With CD accounts gaining popularity as a relatively safe investment option, locking a high interest CD rate like this can help you earn substantial returns without the hesitancy.
CD Rate Terms and Conditions
Members are required to provide a minimum deposit of $500 upon opening CD accounts with Fairview State Banking Company. To earn dividends at the 1.20% APY CD rate, a minimum $2,500 balance must be maintained, and funds must remain in the account until maturity which is 24-months. Withdrawing funds prematurely may result in penalties.
About Fairview State Banking Company
Fairview State Banking Company is an FDIC-insured community bank within Fairview, Illinois.
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Posted by: Brodie Jerrems in
Bank Rates on October 22nd, 2011
POUND
The Pound was well supported against the Dollar and Euro this morning, with risk sentiment coming back in to the market as investors looked for short term profits on GBP/USD in particular. “The spike higher in Cable was a good opportunity to sell,” said a spot trader. “We maintain our bearish view on it given prospects of more QE, although a move above $1.5850 could see a short squeeze up to the $1.5930/40 area.” The Pound still remains vulnerable after the BofE signalled yesterday that there may be need to raise QE further than the £75 billion yesterday.
Buying by a U.K clearing bank overnight helped the Pound gather strength in morning trading against the Dollar, and consequently finding support against the Euro although trading on the GBP/EUR cross was still in tight ranges as expected. “The min
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Posted by: Brodie Jerrems in
Bank Rates on October 11th, 2011
Erste Bank und Sparkassen are starting to upgrade their self-service machines to provide audio instructions for the blind and visually impaired.
By the end of the year Erste Bank will have at least one upgraded self-service machine per foyer, equipped with a headphone jack and labelled keyboard.
In total there will be 246 such machines in 140 foyers, with Sparkassen adding 60 more machines in 2012.
Klaus Mattes, head of card transactions at Erste Bank Austria, expressed his pleasure at the bank becoming the first to offer barrier-free self-service machines throughout the country.
The so-called ‘blind ATM’ has been designed in conjunction with experts from the Austrian Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ÖBSV-Landesgruppe) for Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland.
The new machines follow the success of the Braille ATM card, and the period for converting old cards to the braille version for free has been extended to the end of 2011.
Posted by: Brodie Jerrems in
Bank Rates on September 24th, 2011
Open a Virtual Wallet at PNC Bank and you could earn a $100 reward. The offer is good through Sept. 30, 2011. You can open a Virtual Wallet online or ask to receive a coupon that can be redeemed at a local branch. To receive the reward you must make qualifying direct deposits totaling at least $750 and 10 purchases with a PNC Visa Check Card within 60 days of opening the account.
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Posted by: Brodie Jerrems in
Bank Rates on August 28th, 2011
Q: Changing banks is a pain in the neck, but sometimes you are forced to do that because the bank you are with got taken over. So would I be better off choosing one of the very large national banks? After all, I figure the bigger the bank, the more likely they are to be acquiring other banks, rather than getting taken over themselves.
A: While you might guess that the largest banks would be more takeover-proof than smaller banks, that isn’t necessarily the case. First of all, a large bank might be the ideal strategic partner for another large bank, it they complement each other’s product lines or geographic distribution.
Second, a large bank doesn’t necessarily have to sell out lock, stock, and barrel. It might simply choose to divest a portion of its business.
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Posted by: Brodie Jerrems in
Bank Rates on August 25th, 2011
Bank of America Corp, currently the largest bank in the U.S. by assets, announced on Thursday that it would receive a $5 billion investment from Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway. The investment announcement had an impact on Bank of Americas shares, which had been dropping on concerns that it might need more capital.
Buffett to Buy Preferred Shares
As a part of the deal between the two major companies, Buffett will buy preferred shares and receive warrants. His investment will guarantee Berkshire $300 million a year in dividends and offer a chance for major returns if the banks stock climbs.
In the short time after the deal was announced on Thursday, shares did indeed jump. According to reports, shares climbed a whopping 25.8 percent, but then fell back to 9.4 percent by the markets close.
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