Banking

A Hispanic homeowner sued Lehman Brothers Bank on Thursday, accusing the lender of charging minority mortgage applicants higher fees and interest rates than white customers.

Pedro Rivas, who described himself as a Latino homeowner living in Pecoima, California, filed suit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, charging the wholly owned unit of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc with implementing a policy that causes “minority borrowers to pay subjective fees such as yield spread premiums and other mortgage-related finance charges at higher rates than similarly situated non-minority borrowers.”"*

*From: http://www.reuters.com
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From: http://cbs4denver.com
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HSBC Holdings said Tuesday that Emilson Alonso, currently Chief Executive of HSBC Bank Brasil and Co-head of Latin America, has been promoted to a Group Managing Director and Head of HSBC Latin America with effect from May.

Paul Thurston, currently Chief Executive of HSBC Mexico and Co-head of Latin America, is also promoted to a Group Managing Director and will return to the U.K. in May as Managing Director, U.K. Banking, the Bank said.”*

*From: http://www.marketwatch.com
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City National Bank has appointed Salvador Mendoza as senior vice president and manager of its Community Reinvestment Department, which monitors and reports on the bank’s Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) lending, investment and service programs.

Mendoza, who most recently served as vice president and manager of the Community Reinvestment Department, directs the bank’s CRA loan development and marketing efforts and community outreach initiatives conducted by City National’s banking offices in California. He also oversees research and development assistance for the bank’s Hispanic new business development and outreach initiative.

“Sal has played a key leadership role in helping City National strengthen our relationships with local community development organizations,” said Kevin Dunigan, executive vice president. “Those efforts have enabled us to create innovative ways for taking our local community reinvestment and economic development initiatives to the next level.”

Mendoza began his banking career in 1982 as an affirmative action officer in the bank’s Human Resources Department and later served in a variety of business banking, community reinvestment and CRA sales positions.

He has held other positions with Countrywide Insurance Services, Citibank and Union Bank of California, where he had a variety of community reinvestment responsibilities.

Mendoza is chairman of the board of directors of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Housing Services, the largest, non-profit affordable homeownership provider in Southern California. He also is a member of the boards of directors of CHARO Community Development Corporation and the San Fernando Financial Development Corporation.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in business and social science from California State Polytechnic Institute in Pomona, Calif., and a human resources management certificate from the University of California, Los Angeles.

About City National

City National Bank is the wholly owned subsidiary of City National Corporation (NYSE:CYN). It is backed by $15.9 billion in total assets, and provides banking, investment and trust services through 62 offices, including 15 full-service regional centers, in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada and New York City. The company and its eight majority-owned investment affiliates manage or administer nearly $59 billion in client investment assets, including $37.3 billion under direct management.”*

*From: http://www.primenewswire.com
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From: http://hispanicad.com
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In 2004, recognizing the growing importance of the Hispanic market, CMG Partners released an in-depth analysis of the Hispanic market for financial services. We concluded that though Hispanics are one of the strongest growth engines for the financial services industry, the Hispanic market might not be a relevant market opportunity to all firms in the short term. We recommended that firms go beyond stereotypes and generalizations to perform a thorough evaluation of the portions of the market relevant to their institution to better understand whether there were relevant segments worth investing in immediately. “*

*From: http://hispanicad.com
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TransferOrbit Corporation (OTC: TRBI) (www.transferorbit.biz) released today its new banking product line. The product line is called alBanco (“to the bank” in Spanish) and invites primarily Hispanic customers to use banking services offered by Banks that are TransferOrbit Customers. “Banks that work with TransferOrbit can offer products to compete and win in the money transfer market,” said Jorge H. Toro, President & CEO of TransferOrbit.

After one year of a successful pilot with an existing client, TransferOrbit is initiating a marketing campaign to promote the alBanco product line. The new alBanco product line offers banks the ability to capture money transfers at the bank teller, ATM terminals, via mobile phone technology, and to any merchant that works in partnership with the Bank. “Currently, banks watch as the Latino population bank at ethnic grocery stores by cashing checks and originating money transfers there,” said Jorge Toro. He added, “With TransferOrbit, the banks can offer multiple money transfer products to their customers at a much lower cost, with added security and are fully compliant with regulations.” TransferOrbit continues to invite Banks to enter the Money Transfer and Bill Payment Business in order to attract the elusive Latino customer by means of a product line (alBanco) that best suits their financial needs. TransferOrbit recently announced its partnership with FonWallet and the acquisition of FonWallet’s Mobile Transfer Platform, which is now part of the alBanco product line. For more information about the alBanco product line visit www.albanco.biz.

TransferOrbit, a Florida Corporation, is an electronic intermediary for money transfer providers. Banks and non-banks use the Company’s scalable, turnkey system of proprietary software and secure network processing to facilitate the person-to-person transfer of money on a “private label basis” throughout Latin America. Providers piggyback on the Company’s established network in the United States and 17,000 transfer agents in countries throughout Latin America.”*

*From: http://www.businesswire.com
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Eight months after opening the headquarters of the Triangle’s - and the state’s - first Hispanic bank, executives at Nuestro Banco are planning to open their second branch by July.

CEO David Flores says the expansion into a 3,500-square-foot north Raleigh location, which he declined to identify pending completion of property negotiations, will require adding a dozen staffers to the bank’s current roster of 19.”*

*From: http://www.bizjournals.com
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A new study estimates that Oklahoma’s anti-illegal immigration law will cause $1.8 billion in economic losses as foreign-born workers flee the state.The projection is based on 50,000 workers, both documented and undocumented, leaving Oklahoma, causing a 1.3 percent reduction in the gross state product over the next few years.

The Oklahoma Bankers Association said it has no stand on the immigration measure, but commissioned the study after reports from banks of problems incurred by companies that employ immigrant workers.”*

*From: http://www.forbes.com
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Aware that local Latinos like Gomez Arce face incredible hurdles in getting car loans, a group of prominent Puget Sound area business leaders are forming a new car-loan company.

Known as Goal Financial Inc., the company will provide car loans and financial literacy training to the Latino population. Goal incorporated last fall and is registered with the state Department of Revenue.”*

*From: http://www.bizjournals.com
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From: http://www.tradingmarkets.com
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Competition for the Hispanic banking customer is heating up as more and more retail banks and other financial institutions attempt to tap into this rapidly growing market segment with dedicated initiatives.

CMG Partners has released a comprehensive analysis, “Innovative Approaches to the Hispanic Retail Banking Market” that covers the following topics:

* Overview of the competitive landscape in Hispanic retail banking
* Profile of evolving Hispanic market demographics
* Important trends and innovative approaches to note in developing a Hispanic strategy
* Several frameworks for refining Hispanic initiative strategies and tactics

Select findings from our market analysis reveal that:

* The Hispanic population is becoming less geographically concentrated and new markets are emerging as important growth opportunities.
* U.S.-born Hispanics now represent the primary growth driver, which is leading to a more acculturated and nuanced market.
* Within an already heterogeneous market, economic and demographic shifts are giving rise to new segments such as the Hispanic mass affluent.

Increased competition and demographic shifts in the Hispanic market mean that retail banks must adopt innovative approaches and more focused strategies to succeed in serving numerous customer segments that will need to be addressed through relevant and differentiated offerings. With such a dynamic market, banks need to carefully consider how they will be position themselves in the Hispanic market, not by focusing on where the market is today, but where the market will be in the future. Only those institutions that truly make long-term investments in developing their practices and offerings will be able to effectively capture the Hispanic market opportunity.

To obtain a copy of the report, please click on the following link: http://cmgpartners.com/pdf/CMGP_Hispanic_Banking_White_Paper_2008.pdf

Contact Us:
(800) 688-1803
financialservices@cmgpartners.com
cmgpartners.com

Authors:
J. Mark Carr, Partner, CMG Partners
Octavio Sacasa, Manager, CMG Partners

About CMG Partners:
Since 1998, CMG Partners has helped companies capitalize on market opportunities and improve business results through the development and implementation of innovative go-to-market, brand and communication strategies. Established in 2002, CMGP’s Hispanic Marketing Practice is a different kind of consulting practice — designed to take advantage of a different kind of opportunity. CMGP’s Hispanic Practice combines CMG Partners’ deep expertise in developing and launching new business initiatives with the rich Hispanic in-culture market knowledge and experience of veteran Hispanic researchers and mark”

BB&T Corp. is partnering with a nonpartisan group to promote Hispanic voter participation, the company has announced.

The Winston-Salem-based bank, along with Democracia U.S.A. will distribute free educational audio compact discs with information about government and voting in Spanish.”*

*From: http://www.bizjournals.com
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Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA said it has received clearance by the US Federal Reserve to integrate its four US banks into a single entity.”*

*From: http://www.forbes.com
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Nuestro Banco opened in September in North Carolina.

But David Flores, a former senior vice president at Chase Manhattan Bank, looked at the skyrocketing Hispanic population in North Carolina — from 1990 to 2006, it rose to 593,385 from a mere 76,726 — and saw a business opportunity.

Last September, Mr. Flores opened Nuestro Banco, offering a host of specially tailored services that other banks in the area were not, among them check cashing for new immigrants and small business loan applications in Spanish. The bank building is replete with Hispanic-inflected touches: a stucco exterior with a tile roof and bilingual signs.”*

*From: http://www.nytimes.com
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Founded in 2006 by some of the Washington area’s most prominent Hispanic business leaders, Security One Bank of Baileys Crossroads sought to carve out a niche serving the fast-growing Latino community.

But the bank struggled to grow in the midst of the housing downturn and weakening economy, banking analysts said. Now, Security One, which has only one branch, plans to broaden its base beyond the Hispanic market with a new management team, new investors and a new name.

Security One is being renamed John Marshall Bank, after the fourth chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who grew up in what is now Fauquier County. The bank’s new chief executive, John Maxwell, said he chose the name to help the bank sound more local and community-oriented.”*

*From: http://www.washingtonpost.com
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The recently refurbished Mid-City strip shopping center that is home to Rock ‘n’ Bowl is about to get another unique tenant: an “all Latino” credit union office where every employee speaks Spanish and English and all documents are printed in both languages.

The first venture of its kind in the state, the ASI Federal Credit Union office expected to open early this summer near the busy intersection of Tulane and Carrollton avenues is aimed at meeting the financial needs of the area’s growing Hispanic population, its officials say.”*

*From: http://www.nola.com
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Latino Community Credit Union is renovating a building at 658 Waughtown St. near Jordan’s Paint & Body Shop for its new Winston-Salem branch.”*

*From: http://www.journalnow.com
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Wealth managers at leading banks in the market estimate that approximately 20% of their business comes from foreign nationals and another 50% from U.S. citizens with close ties to other countries.

Most of the money from abroad, of course, comes from Latin America, and Miami’s large Cuban-American population accounts for the market’s extremely close ties to that Caribbean island, still ruled by Fidel Castro’s Communist dictatorship.”*

*From: http://www.investmentnews.com
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Today Anita Santiago Advertising (ASA) announced that it has been appointed Hispanic Advertising Agency of Record by Compass Bank, providing several advertising campaigns for the bank’s Hispanic outreach initiatives in the seven states included in Compass’ footprint.

“The outstanding results of the work developed for the bank, along with ASA’s extensive history of Latino consumer insights and knowledge of the Hispanic financial services category, prompted us to officially award the entire Spanish-language marketing account to ASA,” said Liliana Salas-Grip, senior vice president, Hispanic marketing for Compass Bank.

ASA’s assignment in 2007 included creative development and production, media planning and buying, as well as select public relations efforts, all of which will continue in 2008. ASA recently completed Compass Bank’s first ever Spanish –language TV campaign promoting the bank’s Build-to-OrderSM Free Checking account. Compass Bank also entrusted ASA with shooting the same campaign in English to run in markets where the Hispanic audience is consuming general market media. The TV spots, directed by Allen Martinez of Darma Productions in Los Angeles, started airing throughout Texas, New Mexico and Arizona on Jan. 21, 2008, and include buys on Univision, Telemundo, Telefutura, Azteca America and cable. The Spanish-language Build-to-Order campaign also includes radio and print media buys, as well as the development of out-of-home, online and collateral materials.

“We are thrilled to continue working with Compass Bank,” said Ingrid Otero-Smart, president, Anita Santiago Advertising. “We have developed a wonderful working relationship with the bank and look forward to this new challenge.”

About ASA:

Founded twenty years ago and based in Santa Monica, California, Anita Santiago Advertising is a full-service marketing agency specializing in the ever-changing U.S. Latino market. Clients in the ASA roster include IKEA, Nielsen Media Research, United HealthCare, Picturehouse and See’s Candies.”*

*From: http://www.hispanicprwire.com
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Source of quote: http://www.iht.com
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The Banco Popular Dominicano’s net earnings last year rose to RD$2.94 billion, and paid RD$999.6 million in taxes. Its holdings at the close of 2007 were RD$13.6 billion, for a growth of 4.78 billion from a year earlier, the Popular bank said.”*

*From: http://www.dominicantoday.com
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Víctor Vargas is a polo-playing banker who zips between his six homes in a fleet of luxury jets. So you might expect him to be struggling in today’s Venezuela, where President Hugo Chávez has vowed to build a classless society.But Mr. Vargas, 55 years old, hasn’t missed a beat. His Banco Occidental de Descuento is expanding amid an oil-fueled economic surge. Like other bankers, he snares profits dealing in a flood of government-issued debt. And the Chávez years have done little to damp Mr. Vargas’s exuberance for the trappings of wealth.

“People write stories about me saying I have a Ferrari, a plane, a yacht,” he said during an interview at one of his homes, in the posh Country Club neighborhood of Caracas. “But it’s not true. I’ve got three planes, two yachts, six houses. I’ve been rich all my life!”"*

*From: http://online.wsj.com requires paid registration
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Organizers of the proposed Georgia Family Credit Union will continue to meet with federal regulators in coming months to discuss the plan.

The Latino community in metro Atlanta has reached a size where it can support a credit union offering a bilingual and bicultural staff, said Paola Diaz-Torres, organizer for the proposal.”*

*From: http://www.statesman.com
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Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA on Thursday said net profit for the fourth quarter of 2007 rose 12.5 percent to 1.44 billion euros ($2.1 billion), compared with euro1.28 billion a year earlier.

Both figures included a series of extraordinary charges and gains from asset sales.

For the year, BBVA said net profit rose 29 percent to euro6.13 billion ($8.93 billion), compared with euro4.74 billion in 2006, driven by strong growth at its core Spanish and Mexican operations.”*

*From: http://www.chron.com
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