BancorpSouth Reports Fourth Quarter 2006 Earnings of $0.27 per Diluted Share.
Earns $1.57 per Diluted Share for Full-Year 2006 TUPELO, Miss., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BancorpSouth, Inc. today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2006. Salient points of the announcement include: * Earnings per diluted share for 2006 of $1.57,...

Business briefs.
COLUMN: BUSINESS BRIEFS TELEGRAM & GAZETTE Bloomberg Index Central Massachusetts -1.14 195.46 Volume: 40,809,135 Up: 7 Down: 19 Unchanged: 3 Gainer: Double-Take Software Inc. $24.94 +$0.94 (Volume of 221,924...

Playing for keeps: big-name brokers have publicly eschewed contingent commissions, but that's not going to stop them from looking for other sources of revenue such as services that buyers once received for free.
Now that major commercial insurance brokers have scrapped the use of contingent commissions, insurance carriers should have a little extra cash on hand. The question is, Who's going to get their hands on it? Because they will no longer have to pay those contingent commissions to brokers,...

Regulators as innovators--say what? Regulators from Maine, Nevada, Virginia and New York made a difference in the industry.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Summary * Despite the muddle of politics, some elected and * appointed officials have been positive agents for change. * A veteran regulator strongly urges U.S. officials to follow Europe's lead. * Look to New York, Virginia,...

Regulation Of Credit Default Swaps.
Here we go again! Calamitous events are often catalysts for regulatory change. The market crash of 1929 spawned a spate of such changes, including the separation of investment banks and commercial banks under the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 (relaxed in 1999 under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) and the enactment of...

Acordia Inc. Disputes Attorneys' General Charges.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Acordia Inc., the fifth largest insurance brokerage in the nation and owned by Wells Fargo & Company , said it will vigorously defend against allegations brought by the attorneys' general of New York, Connecticut and Illinois. "Contingent compensation agreements have been...

Claimjumpers.
What are the problems confronting local governments, and how are they solving them? A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T TRUST insurance companies--for good reason. Insurance companies are notorious for taking customers' money and then finding creative ways to avoid paying claims. They price-gouge the black community and drop...

Coverage for special formulas.
Q Our four-year-old daughter has Opitz syndrome, Turner syndrome and a multitude of medical problems. She has never eaten food; she has always been on a special formula. Since the age of 10 months, she has been fed by gastrostomy-tube. Our private insurer covered the pump and home care...

FBR Issues New Economic and Policy Research Analysis; Holds Conference Call with Rep. Richard Baker.
Legislative Future for GSEs Discussed ARLINGTON, Va., March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group, Inc. (NYSE: FBR) today announced the results of a lengthy conference call for institutional investors with Rep. Richard Baker (R-LA), a member of the expanded House Financial Services Committee and...

Lack of Codes Hampers Reimbursement for Laser Tx.
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- There are very few reimbursement codes for the cosmetic use of lasers, and it's not likely to change soon, Dr. Roy Geronemus said at a meeting on cutaneous and aesthetic laser surgery sponsored by Harvard Medical School. Currently, codes 17106, 17107, and 17108 are...