Art business: how will the recent global financial turmoil affect the art market.
This summer the financial markets have been rocked by turmoil in the sub-prime mortgage market in the us. The effects disrupted global financial markets as banks stopped lending to consumers and investors, causing increased volatility in the fixed income, equity, and derivative markets. It is not yet clear whether...

Orthopedic market to continue to appreciate and consolidate.
While the broader markets have experienced systemic turbulence stemming from the credit crisis that began last summer, the orthopedic sector has remained largely unshaken and is strongly positioned for another solid year. As indicated in Table 1 (page 24), orthopedic valuations--both for OEMs and their suppliers--far exceed the overall...

Lenders shunned ZIPs before law.
The news: On Jan. 19, Gov. Rod Blagojevich suspended HB4050, a pilot law designed to protect homeowners in 10 Chicago ZIP codes from predatory lenders. Behind the news: For months, critics lambasted HB4050 saying that the controversial law made it harder for people...

Cautious trading seen despite stock rebound.
Byline: EDU LOPEZ Caution would still prevail in the domestic equities market while sentiment has improved significantly last week. BPI Securities expect investors to be awaiting the results of the next US Federal open market committee meeting in September. The market registered a...

The 109th Congress: the year of the appraiser.
With appraiser licensing reform, the valuation of non-cash charitable donations (conservation and preservation easements) and appraiser independence on the agenda, the 109th Congress is shaping up to be one of the most active in recent years from an appraiser's perspective. Policy debates that occur this year and next could...

Spot predators before they risk your career.
PROFESSIONAL APPRAISERS TREASURE THEIR RELATIONSHIPS with reputable lenders who serve clients responsibly over the years. These lenders work with creditworthy consumers in financing a new home purchase, refinancing, or home equity loans from a creditworthy position and such lenders enjoy a solid reputation in the real estate community. Their...

Save Our Homes Act includes appraiser coercion provision; receives industry support.
The Save Our Homes Act, introduced by Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., October 16, is aimed at addressing the rampant problem of predatory lending in the United States and calls for licensed and certified appraisers to be used in appraisals of "high cost" loans. The bill, H.R. 3322, would also...

Fallout from the Poconos: appraisal scrutiny and lawsuits.
In follow-up to the fraud hearings that grew out of the inflated appraisals of housing in the Poconos, the Monroe County (Pa.) Task Force released its study of foreclosures and announced it would seek state help for homeowners with financial problems at a press conference convened by the State...

Business Options; Financial crisis domino.
Byline: Melito S. Salazar, Jr. It all started with the crash in subprime mortgages, followed by successive blows in the credit markets, including a rogue trader in Societe Generale, France's second largest bank. The fall on Wall Street had the Federal Reserve slashing interest rates...

Subpar on subprime.
Byline: The Register-Guard One argument for holding annual sessions of the Oregon Legislature is that lawmakers can respond to problems in a timely fashion, rather than waiting for a biennial session. The argument fails if the Legislature convenes annually, but then fails to address an impending crisis....