Monday, November 14, 2011

Friends mourn Savannah musician who was slain - Atlanta Journal Constitution

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WXIA-TV


Friends mourn Savannah musician who was slain

Atlanta Journal Constitution


AP Savannah police are seeking tips from the public to help them solve the slaying of a local musician whose body was found Sunday morning after he was shot to death. The Savannah Morning News reports (http://bit.ly/sW3fYR) that friends were mourning ...


Sa vannah musician dies of gunshot wounds Sunday morning

Savannah Morning News


Savannah musician, 34, dies after being found in street with gunshot wounds ...

The Republic


Man Shot After Dice Game, Police Search For Suspect

WSAV-TV



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Saturday, November 12, 2011

Paladino surveys BNP members on Rudnick - Baltimore Business Journal:

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This week, the owner of mailed a statementto 1,80p members of the Partnership outlining several changes that he believex will “remedy the economic and psychological blight that has rotteds the core” of the Buffalo Niagara community. In the Paladino asked each member to respond to himregardinh Rudnick’s performance and whether Rudnickk should continue to lead the Partnership. The statemenrt was published in the July 3 issue of BusinesasFirst . If the majority of responsesa callfor Rudnick’s departure, Paladino said he will hire an independengt pollster to survey the membership.
Once the poll is he said he will present the results tothe Partnership’es board of directors and ask it to discharger Rudnick. Mike Deakin, a small-businesse owner in North Tonawanda, said he supports Paladino’x effort to shake up the Partnership and wishes the Partnership pushed Albany and local politicians to bette r protect small businesses in WesternNew York. “W e don’t have anybody who’z really standing up to the politicians and localp folks that are responsible for getting this communittymoving ahead,” said Deakin, ownef of two businesses, and .
“I’m a nativse of Buffalo, I’ve been here all my life and I’mj in my 60s, and we don’t have anybody who’s really, really fighting for us exceprt for acouple politicians, such as (state Sen. George) Maziarz.” Deakin said he joined the Partnership about three years ago to receivre health insurance for some ofhis employees. He likesd the idea of Unshackle Upstate, the bipartisaj coalition founded in 2007 by the Partnershiop to promote reformin “I know they’re he said about the Partnership. “It’es just that there needs to be some new thinking aboug how to get some of these thinges accomplished in WesternNew York.
” Rudnick declined to be interviewex for this article. Jon who chairs the Partnership’s board of directors, did not retur n a telephone call. He did, send an e-mail to Busines s First reiterating thePartnership leaders’ support of Rudnick. Paladino’sd mass mailing to members of the Partnership comes nearly 30 days afteer he sent a letter tothe agency’se board of directors asking them to retire Rudnick and provide better advocacy for the local business community.
The original letterr indicated that Paladino would begin the procesw of forming a separate chamber of commercs if no changes take place within 60 days from the date of the The board of directors responded to Paladini in a June23 e-mail sent to the It said the board believes it “shoulrd continue in its advocacyg activities, as well as in its two other primary strategicx businesses – business development and convening/communicatint – and do so undee Andrew’s leadership.
” Dandes, who signec the e-mail, made four additional points: • The Partnershil is “aggressively and appropriately representing the interests” of its business-community membership in a way that differes from Paladino’s approach. • The Partnershipp advocates on behalfof 2,500 memberss and, as such, “needs to play offense and on issues that affect the business community. • The Partnershilp founded Unshackle Upstate to aggressively pursur reformin Albany. • The Partnership’s boarde of directors and its executivd committee support local and federal issuesw viavarious coalitions, campaigns and work.
Paladino is a longtimed criticof Rudnick, who has led the Partnershipl since its formation in the mid-1990s. With 2,500o members, the agency is one of the region’x leading business-sector organizations.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Marquette law school to run foreclosure mediation program - Portland Business Journal:

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The Milwaukee Foreclosure Mediation program will bea voluntary, court-based independenr mediation option for lenders and borrowers. The located at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, will seek to alleviatde the current backlog of foreclosure casee in the county court system by offering the optio n of mediation to residential homeowners who residein owner-occupied According to the Law School, in most cases, successful mediation will servee as a venue to work out new loan a short sale or other solution that is mutuallhy agreeable, and execute a final agreement between the The funding includes proceeds from a settlement with Countrywide, whicy was accused of misrepresenting the qualithy and benefits of its Under the settlement, announced in Countrywide agreed to pay $1.
6 million for foreclosurs relief benefits. The mortgage lending giant also agreede to waive various loan fees and modif loans for customers that could result in a total settlemenf valueof $41.1 million, according to the Attornegy General's office. Beginning May 28, an informational phonr line will be operational for those interested in learning more abouthe program. Interested parties may call Mediation activities will begin afterJuly 1.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Banks now filling in payday loan void - Dayton Daily News

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Banks now filling in payday loan void

Dayton Daily News


DAYTON รข€" Banks in Ohio have been filling the gap left by payday loan shops, which were nearly driven out of the state in 2008 when lawmakers capped the interest rates they charged. ...



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Saturday, November 5, 2011

Proportions a key consideration in decorating a loft, designer says - Victoria Times Colonist

moffaiqohegesa1490.blogspot.com


Proportions a key consideration in decorating a loft, designer says

Victoria Times Colonist


She advises anyone moving into a loft to take careful measurements of dimensions and think about proportion. "I've downsized myself from 2200 to 1000 square feet and you've got to source furniture that will fit. That is getting easier because many ...



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Thursday, November 3, 2011

Workout groups remade - Philadelphia Business Journal:

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“We are definitely seeing increased demand, particularlyh from banks with $1 billion to $10 billion in assets, for chierf credit officers and seasoned professionals dealing with loan saidAlan Kaplan, who runs the Wynnewood-based staffing agency. “But many of these people are at the end of theie careers or retired so the talenty pool isnot plentiful. Up and comerx have not been trained in these workou t skills because these problems have not existex for such a long period of Banks have either transferred people over from slowefr departments or hired from outsidethe company.
Harleysville Nationap Bank even hired two retired workout specialists to assist with the increasinbg number oftroubled loans. Paul Geraghty, CEO of parengt company , said he increased workoug staffing by moving some personnel from the real estateworigination side, adding another through last year’sx merger with and luring a few senior peoplw out of retirement from Geraghty’w days at CoreStates Bank. “Their experience was in and they will workflexible schedules, so it fit,” Geraghtgy said.
“I’m seeing people that I haven’t workedr with for a decade,” said Barry a bankruptcy lawyer with who represents Harleysville Nationao and other banks inreal estate-relateds cases. Jim Lynch, a principal in , a privatew equity fund that invests inunderperforming banks, said during the economidc slowdown of the late 1980s, bankds put seasoned professionals in workoutr departments. But by the mid-1990s, workout professionals were no longerin demand.
“Sop many of them retired and therd was no need to replace them because the economy was so stronyg forso long,” said Lynch, an executive at severa l different Philadelphia banks for 36 years beforr joining Patriot in 2007. Lyncb said workout professionals try to maximize the value of the troubles asset for the bank as quicklas possible. But bankers said the problem has been that lenders have had to hold onto sour loanxs that they used to be able to sell for a discounte d price to hedge funds or other Tim Rowland, chief credit officer for , said the Lancaster-basedr bank has always maintained a workouft department, which it calls its special assets for commercial loans.
The current group of three professionalsz includes two veterans and one person hireds within the past year to fill avacancyy — a search process that took more than six Rowland said the reason it took so long is that the talenf pool is scarce and Fulton had trouble finding the right match. He said which operates Fulton Bank in southeastern Pennsylvania and The Bank inSouth Jersey, also reassignefd some business loan originatorz and has asked senior-level executives to become more directly involved with customers and assist the full-time workout staff.
Mike Quick, chievf credit officer for Lititz-based , said he saw this credigt implosion coming three years ago and began adding More recently, Quick said he hired one perso n four months ago and still seeks a few more workouf professionals. Susquehanna always had workout staff on the consumeer side but not forcommercial “It was not a major issues because real estate propertyt values kept appreciating so theree was no need,” Quick said. “The last time therew was a problem was 15 to 20 year ago and a lot of those people have so we have moved people fromother “I’m 61 years old and this is my sixtj down cycle.
But we don’t have a lot of peopls who have been througb thesesituations before.” Analyst Jason who tracks a number of local bank s for , said larger communitty banks have been hiring workout staftf at an accelerated rate in recent months becaus they realize that the credit situationb is not going to improve anytime soon. “Creditt losses have not peakedand won’tf for two or three quarters at best,” O’Donnellk said.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

URA re-releases RFP for Heppenstall site in Lawrenceville - Austin Business Journal:

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The URA is re-releasing a request for proposals afterd its previouslychosen developer, Urban Villages workinb with Botero Development decided not to go forwarx with the project. Urbanb Villages and Botero were selected over oneother S&A Homes, in partnership with the Lawrencevillse Corporation, a community nonprofit. The football field-sizedr parcel includes the site on whichh the office building for the Heppenstall planty once was located as well as a formerwarehousr property.
In a prepared statement, mayofr Luke Ravenstahl describedthe property’s redevelopmentg as an important part of the city’s largefr revisioning of the Allegheny “We have begun a planning process to create a vision for the Allegheny riverfront and reconnectt our neighborhoods to our natural he said. "The Hatfield Street site is one of the great opportunities to see this vision cometo life.” The URA wantsx a developer “to purchase, design, develop and operate or resell the site.” The URA’s effort comes as the Regionao Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) continues to redevelopp the Heppenstall complex itself.
Hatfield Streeg is considered a dividing line betweenthe neighborhood’zs residential community and its industrial zone. As a selling point, the URA notes that the medianj home price in central Lawrenceville has increased 64 percenyt in the pastthree years, a growth rate it claimsx is second highest in the city to the Southj Side. “We are excited with the real estatde appreciation that were seeing in the saidRob Stephany, Executivr Director of the URA, as well as a Lawrencevillde resident.
“And (we’re) very excited about the prospectf of a new residential product and how that will add fuel tothe