Top 10 Bank Companies To Own In Right Now

A recent report by Tiburon Strategic Advisors found that mergers and acquisitions by registered investment advisors slowed quite a bit last year.

The number of M&As deals in the RIA space dropped to 18 as of September, compared with 45 for all of 2012, 57 in 2011 and a high of 70 in 2010.

However, these deals and other advisor-related MA&s should jump in 2014 due to the growing presence of roll-up firms or aggregators of financial advisors, the consulting group suggests. In addition, strategic buyers — namely CPA firms and banks  — are expected to jump back into this M&A space, it says.

“Legitimate financial advisor aggregators have finally emerged,” Tiburon experts explain in their latest analysis of advisor M&As, released a weak ago. “Financial advisor aggregators and service providers are emerging to challenge the power and profit margins of the traditional independent financial advisor back-office service providers.”

5 Best Restaurant Stocks To Buy For 2015: Astoria Financial Corp (AF)

Astoria Financial Corporation, incorporated on June, 14, 1993, is the unitary savings and loan association holding company of Astoria Federal Savings and Loan Association (Astoria Federal). The Company�� principal business is the operation of its wholly owned subsidiary, Astoria Federal. Astoria Federal�� primary business is attracting retail deposits from the general public and investing those deposits, together with funds generated from operations, principal repayments on loans and securities and borrowings, primarily in one- to four-family mortgage loans, multi-family mortgage loans, commercial real estate loans and mortgage-backed securities. Astoria Federal also invests in consumer and other loans, the United States Government, government agency and government-sponsored enterprise (GSE), securities and other investments.

Lending Activities

The Company�� loan portfolio consists primarily of mortgage loans. As of December 31, 2012, 74% of its total loan portfolio was secured by residential properties and 24% was secured by multi-family properties and commercial real estate. The remainder of the loan portfolio consists of a variety of consumer and other loans, including commercial and industrial loans originated in 2012 through its business banking initiatives. As of December 31, 2012, its net loan portfolio totaled $13.08 billion, or 79% of total assets. The Company originates mortgage loans either directly through its banking and loan production offices in New York or indirectly through brokers and its third party loan origination program. It also originates mortgage loans for sale. The Company�� primary lending focus is on the origination and purchase of first mortgage loans secured by one- to four-family properties that serve as the primary residence of the owner.

The Company also originates multi-family and commercial real estate loans. As of December 31, 2012, multi-family mortgage loans totaled $2.41 billion, or 18% of its total loan portfolio,! and commercial real estate loans totaled $773.9 million, or 6% of its total loan portfolio. At December 31, 2012, $264.1 million, or 2%, of the Company�� total loan portfolio consisted of consumer and other loans which were primarily home equity lines of credit. The Company also offers overdraft protection, lines of credit, commercial loans and passbook loans. Consumer and other loans, with the exception of home equity and commercial lines of credit, are offered primarily on a fixed rate, short-term basis.

Investment Activities

At December 31, 2012, the Company�� securities portfolio totaled $2.04 billion, or 12%, of total assets. The Company does not use derivatives for trading purposes. Its securities portfolio consists primarily of mortgage-backed securities. At December 31, 2012, its mortgage-backed securities totaled $1.94 billion, or 95%, of total securities, of which $1.92 billion, or 94%, of total securities, were real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMIC) and collateralized mortgage obligation (CMO) securities, substantially all of which had fixed rates. Of the REMIC and CMO securities portfolio, $2.35 billion, or 98.7%, are guaranteed by Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) or Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) as issuer. At December 31, 2012, its securities available-for-sale totaled $336.3 million and its securities held-to-maturity totaled $1.7 billion. At December 31, 2012, it had no investments in repurchase agreements and federal funds sold.

Sources of Funds

The Company�� primary source of funds is the cash flow provided by its investing activities, including principal and interest payments on loans and securities. Its other sources of funds are provided by operating activities and financing activities, including deposits and borrowings. The Company offers a variety of deposit accounts with a range of interest rates and terms. It offers ! passbook ! and statement savings accounts, money market accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) and demand deposit accounts, liquid certificates of deposit (Liquid CDs), and certificates of deposit, which include all time deposits other than Liquid CDs. Liquid CDs have maturities of three months, require the maintenance of a minimum balance and allow depositors the ability to make periodic deposits to and withdrawals from their account. At December 31, 2012, its deposits totaled $10.44 billion. Of the total deposit balance, $1.28 billion, or 12%, represented individual retirement accounts during the year ended December 31, 2012. It held no brokered deposits at December 31, 2012. Core deposits represented 53.3% of total deposits at December 31, 2011. Reverse repurchase agreements are accounted for as borrowings and are secured by the securities sold under the agreements. At December 31, 2012, borrowings totaled $4.37 billion. It also obtains advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLB-NY).

Subsidiary Activities

In addition to Astoria Federal, the Company has two other subsidiaries, AF Insurance Agency, Inc. and Astoria Capital Trust I. AF Insurance Agency, Inc. is a life insurance agency. Through contractual agreements with various third parties, AF Insurance Agency, Inc. makes insurance products available primarily to the customers of Astoria Federal. Astoria Federal�� wholly owned subsidiaries include AF Agency, Inc., Astoria Federal Savings and Loan Association Revocable Grantor Trust, Astoria Federal Mortgage Corp. (AF Mortgage), Fidata Service Corp. (Fidata), Marcus I Inc. and Suffco Service Corporation (Suffco). AF Agency, Inc. makes various annuity products available to the customers of Astoria Federal through an unaffiliated third party vendor. AF Mortgage is an operating subsidiary through which Astoria Federal engages in lending activities outside the State of New York through its third party loan origination program. Fidata mortgage loans totaled $5.09 bi! llion at ! December 31, 2012. Suffco serves as document custodian for the loans of Astoria Federal and Fidata and certain loans being serviced for Fannie Mae and other investors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG) and Air France-KLM (AF) Group rose with as a gauge of travel stocks as oil prices fell after Iran�� accord. PSA Peugeot Citroen gained 3.7 percent after people familiar with the matter said its chief executive officer plans to step down next year. Fresenius Medical Care AG surged the most in five years after U.S. regulators scrapped a plan to cut Medicare payments next year.

• [By Jonathan Morgan]

  Air France-KLM Group (AF), Europe�� second-biggest airline by sales, retreated 2.8 percent. Mediaset SpA climbed 2.8 percent after Credit Suisse Group AG raised its price target on the Italian broadcaster. Serco Group Plc added 2.7 percent after predicting that its revenue growth in the first half will exceed its previous estimates.

Top 10 Bank Companies To Own In Right Now: Wilshire Bancorp Inc.(WIBC)

Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Wilshire State Bank that offers a range of financial products and services. It accepts various deposit products that include certificates of deposit, regular savings accounts, money market accounts, checking and negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, installment savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts. The company?s loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate and home mortgage loans, commercial business lending and trade finance, and small business administration lending, as well as consumer loans, including personal loans, auto loans, and other loans. It also provides trade finance services that include issuance and negotiation of letters of credit, handling of documentary collections, advising and negotiation of commercial letters of credit, transfer and issuance of back-to-back letters of credit, and trade finance lines of credit. In addition, the company offers Internet banking services, auto matic teller machines, and armored carrier services. It has 24 full-service branch offices in Southern California, Texas, New Jersey, and the greater New York City metropolitan area; and 6 loan production offices in Colorado, Georgia, Texas, New Jersey, and Virginia. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Los-Angeles, California-based bank holding company Wilshire Bancorp (WIBC) raised its quarterly dividend 67% to 5 cents per share, payable April 15 to shareholders of record as of March 31.
  WIBC Dividend Yield: 1.77%

• [By Rich Smith]

  Los Angeles-based Wilshire Bancorp (NASDAQ: WIBC  ) is acquiring some Korean banking customers... in New Jersey.

  On Monday, Wilshire announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire�New Jersey's BankAsiana, a commercial bank�with three branches serving the Korean-American community in the New York/New Jersey market, boasting total assets of $207.3 million, total net loans of $161.2 million, and total deposits of $164.6 million.

Top 10 Bank Companies To Own In Right Now: State Street Corporation(STT)

State Street Corporation, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to institutional investors worldwide. The company?s Investment Servicing business line provides products and services, including custody, product- and participant-level accounting; daily pricing and administration; master trust and master custody; record-keeping; foreign exchange, brokerage, and other trading services; securities finance; deposit and short-term investment facilities; loan and lease financing; investment manager and alternative investment manager operations outsourcing; and performance, risk, and compliance analytics. This segment also offers shareholder services, which comprise mutual fund and collective investment fund shareholder accounting. Its Investment Management business line provides a range of investment management, investment research, and other related services, such as securities finance; and strategies for managing passive and active financ ial assets, such as enhanced indexing and hedge fund strategies for U.S. and global equities and fixed-income securities. The company serves mutual funds, collective investment funds and other investment pools, corporate and public retirement plans, insurance companies, foundations, endowments, and investment managers. State Street Corporation was founded in 1832 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Wallace Witkowski]

  While the big banks and financial firms have already reported earnings, Greenhaus noted this week will see the largest number of financial sector firms reporting than any other week. More than 20 S&P 500 financial sector companies report including several insurers such as Dow component Travelers Cos. (TRV) , a number of real-estate investment trusts such as Simon Properties Group Inc. (SPG) , capital markets firms such as Franklin Resources Inc. (BEN) �and State Street Corp. (STT) , as well as exchange operator Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (NDAQ) �

• [By GuruFocus]

  Sold Out: State Street Corp (STT)

  Tom Gayner sold out his holdings in State Street Corp. His sale prices were between $56.51 and $67.44, with an estimated average price of $62.2.

Top 10 Bank Companies To Own In Right Now: Unione di Banche Italiane ScpA (BPD)

Unione di Banche Italiane Scpa is an Italy-based holding company engaged in the governance, control, coordination and support of Unione di Banche Italiane Group. The Company�� activities are divided into three business segments. The Banking sector comprises of nine network banks of the Group, including IW Bank SpA, Banque de Depots et de Gestione SA and UBI International SA. The Non-banking financial sector includes Centrobanca SpA, Ubi Leasing SpA, Ubi Factor SpA, Ubi Pramerica SGR SpA, Banca 24-7 SpA, Silf SpA, Prestitalia SpA, Ubi Fiduciaria SpA and UBI Gestioni Fiduciarie SIM SpA. The Corporate Centre segment comprises UBI Banca Scpa and Ubi Sistemi e Servizi Scpa, among others. The Company is engaged in the corporate banking, consumer credit, asset management, factoring, leasing, life and non-life bancassurance sectors, among others. On May 6, 2013, it completed merger of Centrobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario e Mobiliare SpA into the Company. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Robert Rapier]

  US oil production has risen from 5 million barrels per day (BPD) in 2008 to 7.3 million BPD in the most recent quarter. The US is now the fastest-growing oil producing region in the world.

• [By April Yee]

  In its annual outlook, released this month, Opec said demand for its crude would dip to between 28 million and 29.2 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2018, from 30.3 million bpd today.

Top 10 Bank Companies To Own In Right Now: Calwest Bancorp (CALW)

CalWest Bancorp owns South County Bank, National Association. The Company is the holding company for South County Bank N.A. South County Bank operates in four divisions: business solutions, professional division, personal services and online banking. Business solutions are engaged in deposit services, cash management solutions and loan services. Professional division is engaged in physicians, dentists, veterinarians, attorneys and certified public accountants. Personal services include deposit services and loan services. Online banking includes personal login, cash management login, cash management demos and user resources.

Business solutions

Deposit services include analysis checking, unlimited checking, interest checking, money market savings, sweep accounts, zero balance accounting, payroll services and merchant card processing. Cash management services include eCorp online banking, remote deposit, electronic payments, positive pay, mobile banking, cash vault and armored transport. Its loan services include business lines of credit, commercial term loans, commercial real estate loans, equipment loans, SBA financing, construction loans and accounts receivable financing.

Professional division

Veterinarians provide deposit services, cash management services and lending services. Attorneys and certified public accountants also include deposit services, cash management services and lending services

Personal services

Deposit services include online banking, checking, saving, money market, certified deposit and retirement accounts. Its loan services include overdraft protection, home equity lines and vehicle financing.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Today, CALW remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $.370 thus far (ref. google finance 10:58AM EDT July 24, 2013).

  CalWest Bancorp previously reported the consolidated financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2013. Significant items for the period ending June 30, 2013 include:

  Quarterly net income of $50,000, compared to the previous quarter profit of $12,000;
  No additional loan loss provision required; resulting in the allowance for loan loss (ALL) ratio decreasing slightly from 6.20% to 5.95%;
  Total assets were flat at $144 million, with new business offsetting run-off;
  Non-performing loans reduced significantly in 2013 by 41% quarter-over-quarter; and are down $1.9 million from a year ago;
  Non-interest bearing deposits maintained at 35% of total deposits, helping reduce the Bank�� cost-of-deposits to 0.40% from 0.48% a year ago;
  The increase in Net Interest Income offset the reduction in Non-Interest Income as increased focus is placed on core earnings;
  Non-interest expenses continue to improve, decreasing 2% quarter-over-quartee

Top 10 Bank Companies To Own In Right Now: Danske Bank A/S (DANSKE)

Danske Bank A/S (the Bank) is a Denmark-based bank. Its operations are divided into five business segments: Banking Activities caters to personal and business customers, comprising finance centers, mortgage finance operations and real estate agency operations, as well as property finance operations; Danske Markets and Treasury is responsible for the Bank�� activities in the financial markets, such as trading in fixed income, foreign exchange, equities and interest-bearing securities, as well as equity portfolios, among others; Danske Capital is engaged in the development and marketing of wealth management products and services; Danica Pension encompasses the Bank�� activities in the life insurance and pensions market; Other Activities encompasses the Bank�� real estate activities and support functions, as well as the elimination of returns on own shares and bonds. Is operational in 15 countries, with emphasis on the Nordic region. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Namitha Jagadeesh]

  Kabel Deutschland Holding AG rose to a record after getting an offer from Liberty Global Plc. Aveva Group Plc (AVV) jumped 5.4 percent as Citigroup Inc. upgraded the shares. Danske Bank A/S (DANSKE) dropped 6.1 percent after Denmark�� financial regulator ordered it to increase its risk-weighted assets. Royal Imtech NV fell to the lowest price since 2004 after posting a first-quarter loss on costs relating to a fraud investigation.

Top 10 Bank Companies To Own In Right Now: National Bank of Greece SA (NBGA)

National Bank of Greece SA (the Bank) is a Greece-based financial institution. It provides a range of financial services including retail and commercial banking, asset management, brokerage, investment banking, insurance and real estate at a global level. Its segments are: Retail Banking, which mainly offers different types of loans, deposits and investment products; Corporate and Investment Banking, which includes financial and investment advisory services, deposit accounts, loans, foreighn exchange and trade service activities; Global Markets and Asset Management, which includes all treasury activities, private banking, asset management, custody services, private equity and brokerage; Insurance; International Banking Operations; Turkish Banking Operations, as well as Other. In September 2013, state-owned Hellenic Financial Stability Fund acquired an 84.39% interest in the Company. On December 30, 2013, it sold a 66% of its subsidiary National Pangaea REIC to Invel Real Estate II BV. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By codyeustice1@google]

  National Bank of Greece (ETE),(NBGA),(NBG) is a Greece global banking and financial service company with its headquarters in Athens, Greece. The bank offers financial products, and services, brokerage, insurance, asset management, shipping finance, leasing and factoring markets. It was founded by Swiss banker Jean-Gabriel Eynard and George Starvros in 1841 as a commerical bank. From its inception until the establishment of the Bank of Greece in 1928, it had the right to issue banknotes. The bank listed on the Athens Stock Exchange right after its founding in the 1880s.