Filed under: Housing

Dividend Yield: 14.8%
Market Cap: $2.0 billion

MFA Financial (MFA) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily invests in mortgage-backed securities. According to Wall Street rules, a REIT is a corporation that invests in real estate in some form and gets a special tax designation as a “trust” that reduces or altogether eliminates income taxes. In return, Real Estate Investment Trusts must return 90% of their income to investors. This provides for some great dividends for income-oriented investors — such as the nearly 15% yield that MFA offers.

Continue reading Dividend Stock #3: MFA Financial (MFA)

Dividend Stock #3: MFA Financial (MFA) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Management, Industry, Harley-Davidson (HOG)

How’s this for a kick in the pants: Flying in the face of it’s first quarterly loss in 16 years, a seriously questionable compensation package has just been awarded to the new, short-time CEO of Harley-Davidson Inc. (HOG).

Keith E. Wandell, the new Harley-Davidson CEO, and former COO of Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI), has been awarded a compensation package totaling approximately $6.4 million for his participation in Harley-Davidson operations from Might 2009 through the end of that year. When given the company’s downward slide through 2009, and in consideration of tough times ahead for those who survive on high-end discretionary spending, might there be cause to wonder if Mr. Wandell’s compensation package is just a tad excessive?

Continue reading CEO Takes Harley-Davidson for a Ride

CEO Takes Harley-Davidson for a Ride originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blumenthal sues Moody’s, S&P over debt ratings - Norwalk Hour
agencies issued on risky investments. In the civil lawsuit filed Wednesday, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal Steven Weiss, a spokesman for S&P’s parent McGraw-Hill Cos., said, “We believe the claim has no legal or factual merit and we

Former President Clinton, Bill Gates encourage U.S. global health investment at Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing - News-Medical.Net
Former President Bill Clinton and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said Wednesday at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing “that U.S. investments in fighting [HIV/]AIDS, malaria and other diseases in underdeveloped nations save lives and play a vital role in

The lost legacy of with-profits investments - This is Money
Keith Miller, 61, is one of many who have had enough of with-profits. Over the years, he has bought with-profits endowments, bonds and pensions - and been disappointed by them all. ‘I’m absolutely fed up with these investments,’ he states. ‘My plans seem

Dubai Investments completes handover of Ritaj Phase 1 - MENAFN
(MENAFN Press) Dubai Investments Real Estate Company (DIRC), the real estate arm of Dubai Investments PJSC, has completed the handover of Phase 1 of ‘Ritaj’– a modern residential complex located in Dubai Investments Park which

Consumers keep tight grip on pocketbooks - Columbia Daily Herald
such as homes, checking accounts and investments minus the economy and financial conditions slowly recover, consumer spending is projected to grow around a modest 2.2 percent, according to the National Association for Business Economics.

Financials help stocks climb for third day - Denver Post
That could bring some hesitant buyers into the market. Financial shares rose after Citigroup chief executive Vikram Pandit said the bank was Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investments at PNC Wealth Management, stated he expects that China will

Critical Alerts for Wal-Mart Stores, Broadcom, Bristol - Stockhouse
Seven Summits Research issues PriceWatch Alerts for WMT, BRCM, BMY, WFR, and RYL. Seven Summits Strategic Investments’ PriceWatch Alerts are available at http://www.iotogo.com/s/031110A (Note: You might have to duplicate this link into your browser then

Americans’ net worth rises 1.3% in 4Q - New Haven Register
value of assets such as homes, checking accounts and investments minus debts like mortgages and credit cards. Even with the gain, Americans’ net worth would have to rise an additional 21 percent just to get back to its pre-recession peak of

Safeguard Scientifics loses $58.5M, concurs to debt swap - MSN Money
Safeguard Scientifics Inc. stated Thursday it lost $58.5 million in the fourth quarter of last year and has concurred to a debt swap that better aligns its obligations with expected exits from its investments. The Wayne, Pa., investor in technology and

Hotel owners in Dubai renegotiate planned investments - Zawya.com
Some Dubai-based operators recalculate expected revenues and payback period of projects. Owners and operators of many Dubai-based hotels are renegotiating the proposed investments and the payback period, stated industry analysts. As the market

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Senators question high salaries, expensive travel bills - Joplin Globe
group of Republican senators is questioning high salaries and expensive travel bills for executives at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, raising Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. The senators sent a

“No Need” for Greek Bailout Decision - German Finance - ABC News
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said there was no reason for Euro zone finance ministers to make any decision on financial aid for debt-ridden Greece when they met on Monday. “There are always rumors, especially ahead of

Finance Bookshelf: Questions for every life stage - Oregonian
Which professions are worth exploring right now? How do you instill good money habits in your children? What financial future do you imagine for yourself? Those are some of the large life questions tackled in three new personal finance titles. Which

German finance ministry unaware of Greek bailout deal - AsiaOne
BERLIN, Germany- The German Finance Ministry stated on Saturday it wasn’t aware of any agreement by euro zone members to provide a multi-billion euro bailout package for heavily indebted Greece. “We are not aware that this is being planned,” a ministry spokesman said, adding that Greece had not

Wis. lawmakers consider brush cutter’s work claim - Pioneer Press
Wisconsin lawmakers will consider whether to pay an Iowa brush cutter who claims he worked extra hours on state land. The Joint Finance Committee is expected to take up a bill Mark Stillmunkes concurred to $20,800 for 120 hours of work.

Euro finance ministers to concur on Greek aid: source - YAHOO!
It would be the principles and parameters of a facility or mechanism, which then could be activated if needed Additional reporting by Tim Pearce in London , Pete Harrison in Brussels and Volker Warkentin in Berlin , Writing by Sarah Marsh and Jan

Otter names campaign manager, finance director - Idaho State Journal
her responsibilities as administrator of the State Office of Drug Policy. She will be joined in the Otter for Idaho campaign by new Finance Director Kendra Waitley of Boise and new Eastern Idaho Regional Coordinator Sheila Olsen of Idaho Falls

W.Va. poised to allow more toll roads - Charleston Gazette
Renaming the agency as the Parkways Authority, the bill would also extend its power over road tolls to certain highway projects to help fund them. The Home Finance Committee tweaked a Senate addition to the bill that offers free transponders for the

Politics Blog: Joint Finance to take into account $1.4 million - madison
district attorneys throughout Wisconsin. But will it be enough to avoid prosecutor layoffs? The say Department of Administration is asking for $1.4 million for district attorneys at next Tuesday’s Joint Finance Committee pilot program

UPDATE 1-PREVIEW-Greek bailout tops EU finance - Reuters
BRUSSELS, March 14 (Reuters) - Finance ministers from countries using the euro hope to concur on Monday on a way of providing heavily indebted Greece with financial aid, despite French and German doubts that a deal will be reached. European

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Arlington Richfield: Capital Flowing Into Real Estate - PRLog (free press release)
PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 13, 2010 – There is capital coming into real estate, with lenders and equity investors reporting greater desire and capacity to put money to work in 2010. Speak of a ‘liquidity bubble’ might be overdone, as capital

Real estate agent hailed as a hero after crash  - ONE News
A real estate agent who saved four people after a head-on two automobile crash north of Auckland on Friday has been hailed as a hero. Real estate agent Rob Kuypers was driving his son home from school when he arrived at the crash scene on East Coast Rd at

Foreclosure Auction Software for PA, NJ & DE real - PRLog (free press release)
PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 13, 2010 – For real estate investors pursuing foreclosures at Sheriff Sale auctions in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, Tax Deed auction sales in Pennsylvania and Delaware or Tax Lien Sale auctions in New Jersey

Real Estate : FOR RENT-APARTMENTS - Frederick News-Post
All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or

Real estate agent hailed a hero - New Zealand Herald
A real estate agent who saved four people after a head-on two car crash north of Auckland on Friday has been hailed as a hero. Real estate agent Rob Kuypers was driving his son home from school when he arrived at the crash scene on East Coast Rd at

Real Estate News - The Post and Courier
Houses like this one on the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Tour of Homes are indicative of Kiawah Island’s standing as among the most popular second home markets, according to Barron’s magazine. A recent article in Barron’s financial magazine named

California pension funds get burned again on real - Biloxi Sun Herald
California’s two big public pension funds took fresh hits to their troubled real estate portfolios this week, suggesting the fallout from the real estate bubble hasn’t absolutely run its course. First up was CalPERS, which Wednesday walked away from

Monterey Real Estate Firm To Pay Back $315K - KPIX-TV5
A Monterey County mortgage brokerage company has been ordered to pay more than $300,000 in penalties for using an unlicensed employee to draw in Hispanic clients and engaging in illegal business practices in Salinas, according to the county district

Banking on Grand Bahama Real Estate: Shoreline Bahamas - PRWeb
U.S. and Canadian homebuyers looking to purchase a second or third home for winter retreats or those who prefer a steady diet of sunshine and fresh sea air can begin enjoying a Lucaya Grand Bahama Island home right away. Shoreline Bahamas reports

Salvation Army is a residential real estate powerhouse - Los Angeles Times
By day, Henry Graciani oversees a 54-bed treatment center for alcoholics and drug addicts who come to him broke and hopeless. After work, he makes a swift drive to the $1.3-million Santa Monica home he shares with his wife and three kids

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Filed under: Industry, Economic Data

It was only a matter of time. Where there are catastrophe losses, there’s talk of reinsurance rate increases.

In light of the high catastrophe losses from the Chilean earthquake, which could reach $8 billion, reinsurers are now signaling that they may try to raise rates at the next renewal. QBE Insurance (QBEIF) believes that rate increases might be necessary, as reinsurers try to recapture capital depleted by quake-related payouts.

Continue reading No Surprise: Chile Leads to Reinsurance Rate Increase Debate

No Surprise: Chile Leads to Reinsurance Rate Increase Debate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Microsoft (MSFT), Time Warner (TWX), Walt Disney (DIS), Electronic Arts (ERTS), Activision Inc (ATVI), Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Nintendo (NTDOY), Take-Two Interactive (TTWO)

We all have our watch lists. I’m no different. Here are four companies that I monitor almost each single day, and a brief thought on each of them.

Activision Blizzard (ATVI): I sold this one back in January. Some believe I was wrong to do so. I definitely comprehend the sentiment, because really, this is the best publisher in the sector. Compared to Electronic Arts (ERTS) and Take-Two Interactive (TTWO), Activision Blizzard has an enviable pipeline. Unfortunately, the video-game industry isn’t firing on all cylinders; check out the most recent monthly-sales report, and you’ll see what I mean. In addition, the company’s Guitar Hero franchise isn’t the fad it once was. I do want to get in on the stock again, though; lately, the price seems to be perking up. I’m not ready to send in the purchase order just yet. I’m waiting for further strength to materialize in the shares.

Continue reading Stocks on My Watch List: ATVI, LGF, NTDOY, WWE

Stocks on My Watch List: ATVI, LGF, NTDOY, WWE originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slowly, Americans regain lost wealth - Mercury
assets such as homes, checking accounts and investments minus debts like mortgages and credit cards. Even with the gain, Americans’ net worth would have to rise an additional 21 percent just to get back to its pre-recession peak of $65.9

Dubai Investments Real Estate completes handover of - AME Info
All apartments in the first phase of the project have been handed over to owners and the work on the second phase is progressing on schedule and is expected to be finished by April 2010. “We are proud to have lived up to our promise to customers

Pivotal Investments launches networking program for - TMCnet
Mar 11, 2010 (The Columbian - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) — Portland venture capital firm Pivotal Investments is recruiting Washington business leaders for a new network aimed at building the Pacific Northwest’s nascent clean

Safer investments for retirees suffer under new tax law - ABC Action News
Assume you’re a retiree who needs steady, dependable investment income, or you’re a younger person who wants some traditional “fixed-income” holdings such as bonds. How should you place your bets to benefit most from the new tax law approved late

Blumenthal sues Moody’s, S&P over debt ratings - Norwalk Hour
agencies issued on risky investments. In the civil lawsuit filed Wednesday, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal Steven Weiss, a spokesman for S&P’s parent McGraw-Hill Cos., stated, “We believe the claim has no legal or factual merit and we

Fund.com, Inc. (FNDM.OB) to Bring Actively Managed ETFs - Transworld News
QualityStocks would like to highlight Fund.com, Inc. (OTCBB: FNDM). Fund.com is an on the web content provider and lead generation platform for investment funds and other financial services providers. Its objective is to engage individual investors and

Telemarketing For Stock & Bond Brokers, Investments - PRLog (free press release)
PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 13, 2010 – TELEMARKETING: FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY: TELEMARKETING ~ Telemarketing for live sales appointments and qualified sales leads for all aspects and categories of the financial services industry

Former President Clinton, Bill Gates encourage U.S. global health investment at Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing - News-Medical.Net
Former President Bill Clinton and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said Wednesday at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing “that U.S. investments in fighting [HIV/]AIDS, malaria and other diseases in underdeveloped nations save lives and play a vital role in

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Mark Kirk Has A Wall Street Bank Problem - DAILY KOS
Alexi Giannoulias is a Democrat running for the United Says Senate in Illinois for the seat once held by President Barack Obama. Check out his stance on the issues at his website, www.AlexiForIllinois.com . There’s a small business in northern

Wall Street Journal: geeks are winners - ESPN.com
The other day the Nuggets’ director of quantitative analysis, Dean Oliver, told me that he’d found teams with “quants” integrated into their decision process had won about 60% of their games . David Biderman of the Wall Street Journal has checked on

Wall Street Lobbyists Sinking Washington - Stockhouse
Average quality rating by the Stockhouse community. Calgary-based Agrium Inc. will keep hunting for takeover opportunities, the fertilizer giant’s CEO said Friday. Michael Wilson expressed no regrets over his firm’s decision Thursday not to increase

Big players back on Wall Street - Economic Times
NEW YORK: The window of opportunity is closing for boutique bond trading firms to make a killing from market turmoil as big Wall Street banks regain their footing and rehire staff. During the financial crisis and its aftermath, bid-offer spreads, or

Partisan concerns loom in Senate for Wall Street reform - CNN
(CNN) — In the U.S. Senate, the progressives are restless. A handful of them are making it known that Democratic leaders shouldn’t take their votes for allowed when it comes to Wall Street reform. “I won’t vote for a bill if the banks have control

Wall Street Green Trading Summit - CSR Wire
The Wall Street Green Trading Summit is the longest running and most comprehensive environmental market event in the industry. Launched in 2002 by Peter Fusaro, The Wall Street Green Trading Summit covers slicing edge content, industry developments

Wall Street faces Fed meeting with momentum - YAHOO!
NEW YORK (AFP) – Wall Street stocks are set to build on nearly year-and-a-half highs as they face next week’s key economic reports and the US Federal Reserve ’s monetary policy meeting. “We are in the process of testing our highs from mid-January

Lehman file rocks Wall Street - Financial Times
The fallout from the report into the collapse of Lehman Brothers shook Wall Street and London on Friday as US officials grilled banks about off balance-sheet trades and questions were raised over the City’s role in the company’s attempts to cover

Author Michael Lewis Equates Wall Street Bonuses With - Post Chronicle
Author Michael Lewis, known for exposing the culture of excess at Solomon Brothers with his book “Liar’s Poker,” states Wall Street bonuses at banks bailed out by Washington are “a very elegant form of theft.” Lewis’s latest book “The Huge Short: Inside

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Davidson explains proposed budget to finance board - Danbury News-Times
BROOKFIELD — Is the proposed town budget a responsible one? Board of Finance chairman Bill Tinsley asked that question of First Selectman Bill Davidson at a special meeting Tuesday. Davidson responded that the town will have to turn up a lot of

Lib Dems ‘warned of finance crisis’ (From Hillingdon - Hillingdon Times
Vince Cable will insist the Liberal Democrats are the party to lead Britain out of recession - having warned of the financial dangers in the first place. The Lib Dem Treasury spokesman will claim his party led the debate as the economy went down and

Students Learn Skills For Finance Careers - Wbaltv.com
BALTIMORE — Hundreds of high school students spent the day Friday in Towson listening and learning about planning their futures in a career in finance. Baltimore County students who are trying to sharpen their job market skills attended the Academy

City Finance Committee OKs budget with few changes - Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Members of Charleston City Council’s Finance Committee approved very few changes Friday to the city’s proposed $80.4 million budget. Changes to the budget, which will go to City Council for final approval on Thursday, amounted to

DLA Piper Hires Kaye Scholer Energy, Finance Expert - site.law360.com
Law360, New York (March 12, 2010) — DLA Piper has snagged the former head of Kaye Scholer LLP’s energy practice in an effort to elevate the firm’s corporate and finance teams. Roger W. Rosendahl comes to the firm’s New York and Los Angeles

Lyondell To Raise $3.25B To Finance Bankruptcy Exit - site.law360.com
Law360, New York (March 12, 2010) — Dutch chemical company LyondellBasell Industries NV has announced that subsidiary Lyondell Chemical Co. will raise $3.25 billion through a first priority debt offering in order to finance its exit from bankruptcy

GovSec Announces Homeland Security Finance Forum - Consumer Electronics Net
Mr. Anikeeff brings legal expertise and advice to the Forum. Mr. Anikeeff is a member of Williams Mullen’s government contracts practice. His responsibilities encompass counseling, litigation, trial and appellate work. Mr. Anikeeff represents

States Scramble to Change Campaign Finance Laws After - WHSV
Within days of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened the door to large new spending on political campaigns, state leaders from New York to Alaska were scrambling to respond in time for this year’s elections

HealthSouth Corporation to Participate in Goldman Sachs Leveraged - Transworld News
HealthSouth Corporation (NYSE: HLS) will partake in the Goldman Sachs Leveraged Finance Healthcare Conference. The company is scheduled to deliver their presentation at 2:45pm (ET) on March 17, 2010. How To Buy Hot Penny Stocks is a web based

Fitch Rates New York City Municipal Water Finance - Investors Business Daily
–$360 million water and sewer system second general resolution revenue bonds, fiscal 2010 series FF, rated ‘AA’; –$10.8 billion first general resolution revenue bonds, affirmed at ‘AA’; –$12.4 billion second general resolution revenue bonds

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