Profits down at H&R Block because of decrease of reimbursement cash advance product

H&R Block has been losing money this tax season, as the loss of the opportunity to offer customers a cash advance against refunds has cost the firm consumers. The nation’s largest tax preparation service recently released an income report. The information indicated the company is earning far less during tax season than in previous years. Regulatory action by the FDIC forced the chief financing partner with H&R Block to drop the loan solution, which forced Block to follow suit. Resource for this article – Loss of refund cash advance product cuts H&R Block revenues by MoneyBlogNewz.

This year's tax season slow

Getting tax returns prepared is something that H&R Block has lost out on this season. CNBC accounts that fewer individuals have paid for tax returns to be prepared for them. In the middle of February, activity started again although January earnings can be close to breaking even. From Jan. 1 to Feb. 15, online returns prepared through H&R Block increased by almost 28 percent, though total digital tax returns only registered a 7.3 percent increase since the launch of the year. H&R Block is no longer offering reimbursement anticipation loans as a cash loan. This has probably caused part of the 7.6 percent decrease in preparation fees.

Lending against reimbursement stopped

Short term loans against tax refunds are similar to payday loans, in that a customer is advanced money quickly instead of having to wait for their tax reimbursement. The reimbursement is signed over to Block, and borrowers receive lower than the total refund because fees are deducted. The lower and middle income consumers really liked the anticipation financial loans which H&R Block declared it wouldn't offer in Dec. 2010. The financing partner of the financial loans, HSBC, did what the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation required. That means they could not lend either. In 2010, about 17 percent of Block customers came for the loan.

FDIC countersued by refund loan lender

A prominent tax refund lender has sued the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for interfering in the tax reimbursement loan business, according to Business Week. The FDIC is getting sued by Kentucky based Republic Financial institution and Trust for overstepping boundaries by saying the financial loans were "unsafe and unsound" after the Republic was ordered to stop the loans. About 836,000 individuals got $4 billion in refund financial loans last year from Republic. There was only a 2.13 percent default rate. The suit alleges the FDIC is intending to coerce lenders into dropping a product that government officials do not like, even though the product is popular.

Articles cited

CNBC

cnbc.com/id/41747080

Business Week

businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9LN4P5G0.htm

Wall Street bonuses fall as executive incomes rise

In 2010 bonuses on Wall Street averaged eight % less over the year prior. Wall Street bonuses dropped, yet profits grew. Salaries increased commensurate with profits to push executive compensation upward.

Would not it be nice to get a Wall Street bonus?

In the financial services industry last year, the Wall Street bonuses averaged $128,530. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli explained these figures. That is an eight percent drop from the year before in Wall Street from the $140,730 average. In 2010, the Total Wall Street bonuses totaled $20.8 billion which, from 2006 before the financial crisis, was $34.3 billion meaning a 33 % drop. In 2010, Wall Street profits were at $27.6 billion which is second to 2009 only when profits were at $55 billion due to government bailouts and record low rates of interest.

Making Wall Street bonuses look various

The decline in Wall Street bonuses for 2010 is not a signal of professional compensation in decrease. Because of the professional compensation during the financial crisis, the public got really upset which meant smaller bonuses were handed out. DiNapoli explained that Wall Street financial service compensation went up last year. It went up by 6 % total. Financial reform regulation, along with the controversial nature of obscene bonuses, has motivated big banks to change the way they pay employees. Base incomes are larger than bonuses now.

The next way to stay away from taxes

Some of the compensation is being deferred by Wall Street firms. This will make financial regulators think that short-term gain is exchanged for long-term profitability. Smaller sized bonuses make it easier for Wall Street firms to avoid taxes too. This brand new way of tax deterrence was found. About 20 percent of the tax revenue in New York before the financial crisis came from tax revenue from the financial sector, DiNapoli states. That number has fallen to 13 %. The tax revenue from Wall Street went down to 7 percent last year from 13 percent in NY City.

Articles cited

CNN Money

money.cnn.com/2011/02/24/news/economy/wall_street_bonus/index.htm

Wall Street Journal

blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/02/24/wall-street-bonuses-dropped-in-2010/?mod=google_news_blog

NPR

npr.org/2011/02/24/134017725/wall-street-bonuses-fell-from-2009-level

DOMA no longer supported by Justice Department

The United States Department of Justice has announced that it will not any longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in the courtroom. Defense of Marriage Act, passed during the Clinton administration, established that the federal government did not have to recognize a very same sex marriage. An ongoing discussion between the president and the Attorney General resulted in the conclusion the law was unconstitutional. Source of article – Justice Department to stop defending Defense of Marriage Act by MoneyBlogNewz.

White House and Justice Department declare DOMA unconstitutional

ABC states that the lawsuits that are about the DOMA, or Defense of Marriage Act, will not be pursued by the Department of Justice anymore, the Attorney General told Congress. Defense of Marriage Act, passed in 1996, mandates that states and territories of the United States don’t have to recognize a same-sex marriage, regardless of whether the same-sex marriage was legally executed. The objection isn’t to the act itself, however rather Section 3 of DOMA, which legally defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman as far as the government is concerned. President Obama agrees with what Attorney General Holder feels. It’s unconstitutional to have Section 3 of Defense of Marriage Act.

Question of scrutiny

The government had to choose whether to uphold DOMA due to 2 pending lawsuits, Pedersen v. OPM and Windsor v. United States. The New York Times reports that each of these lawsuits is in the courtroom districts without previous cases on same sex marriage and challenge Section 3. The Justice Department reviewed those cases using the legal tests of “rational basis” and “heightened scrutiny.”. The reason for a "rational basis" test is to see if a law has no rational purpose. This is done on constitutionally legal laws. A “heightened scrutiny” test is to determine whether an unconstitutional law serves a legitimate governmental purpose. It’s discriminatory to have the homosexual marriage law, the White House and Justice Department suggested. This makes it unconstitutional because there is no government purpose to do so that is legitimate.

DOMA not going quietly

The DOMA law hasn't been repealed even though the Justice Department refuses to pursue any more lawsuits. The Defense of Marriage Act, including Section 3, remains in effect for the moment. The act is "flawed" in accordance with Obama. He states that, to a certain extent, he is still expected to uphold it constitutionally. To be able to see if legislation is worth protecting in court, the president can make orders. This would be to the Justice Department.

Information from

ABC

blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/02/president-obama-instructs-justice-department-to-stop-defending-defense-of-marriage-act-calls-clinton.html

NY Times

nytimes.com/2011/02/24/us/24marriage.html

Justice.gov

justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/February/11-ag-223.html

Roeper pulls no punches with this year Oscar picks

On February sixteen, Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times and “Starz Inside” gave University of Central FL students a piece of his mind when it comes to literature and the upcoming Academy Awards. Roeper was consistently candid in his opinions, reports the Orlando Sentinel. Roeper’s views on movie critics standing behind their views were perhaps most influential to the welcoming audience. Article resource – Richard Roeper pulls no punches with 2011 Oscar picks by MoneyBlogNewz.

Everyone can write, Roeper states

An iPad was used by Roeper. He said "Now, everyone's a writer" to anybody who would listen. Everyone can blog or tweet their opinions; the trick is finding somebody willing to pay for it, said Roeper. Part of this involved discussing the Academy Awards. The movie critic wrote about which movie would get the Best Picture Oscar. "Inception" was nominated for Best Director. Nevertheless, the Christopher Nolan film was Roeper's favored. Traditionally, such a snub indicates the movie in question won’t win Best Picture, though “Inception” is nominated in the category.

Best Picture: A two-horse race

At the 2011 Academy Awards, Roeper thinks that Best Picture should go to David Fincher's movies about Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg (Eisenberg) called "The Social Network." It’s a movie that has great performances and an excellent script while being great enough to be put next to "Inception". Roeper believes that "The King's Speech" will do well. It will come really close if not win the Oscar. Roeper explained the movie that is all about Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) and King George VI of England (Colin Firth) is “what the Academy loves: British actors talking about British things.". In other words, he sees it as a more genteel movie that will appeal to the mild, old majority of Academy voters. Only a groundswell by younger voters could send “The Social Network” to the top.

The great and poor writing out there

Roeper impressed upon the aspiring youthful film critics and filmmakers in the audience that film criticism is entirely subjective. Richard Roeper says there is only one thing that changed whether a movie is universally great or universally bad:

“What makes a really good movie is the script,” he said. “There’s no chance for a good movie without one.”

Citations

Central Florida Future

centralfloridafuture.com/cab-hosts-an-evening-with-richard-roeper-1.2474306

Orlando Sentinel

articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-02-22/community/orl-ucf-richard-roeper-speaks-on-film-critique_1_young-critics-richard-roeper-film

Richard Roeper’s pick for best pic

youtube.com/watch?v=U3GHF03Klao

Delinquencies and debts dropped in 2010 for credit cards

Average debt amounts and delinquencies on credit cards have been declining for months. The number of cards being issued is increasing in addition to more people paying their cards off, in a recent report by TransUnion, one of the three credit rating bureaus. Typically, delinquencies shoot up after drudging the winter holidays.

2010 the year of debt relief for several consumers

ABC reports that during the last few months of 2010, there has been a huge decrease in the number of charge card delinquencies. A report came out from TransUnion, a credit score bureau, which showed a drop to 0.82 percent for charge card delinquencies was shown for the last three months in 2010 while in 2009, and the last three months had a 1.21 percent rate. The low delinquency rate was reflected in 2010's 3rd quarter. It was at 0.82 percent. Presents didn't seem to be the focus this holiday season when the number of delinquencies usually rises. More individuals were interested in getting their debt figured out.

Rollercoaster account balances

The charge card national average balance has changed also. It went down a bit. The combined average balance for all major cardholders — all people that hold a Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express — dropped to $4,965 for the last three months of 2010, which is a reduction of 8.6 percent from the exact same period in 2009. However, in accordance with the Washington Post, the average balance rose in 33 states. There were highest balances in three places. These were Washington D.C., Iowa and Mississippi.

new cards being passed out

Despite recent caterwauling from charge card companies that their businesses can be hampered and lose lots of advance money due to the CARD Act, new cards are being issued at a considerable pace. The last quarter of 2010 had the number of new charge cards rise by 19.1 percent. The number of credit cards went up for 2 quarters in a row for the first time since 2007.

Information from

ABC News

abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=12968324&page=1

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/23/AR2011022306978.html

Every Providence public school educators to be fired at quarter conclusion

At the conclusion of the current winter public school quarter, each of the 1,926 educators in Providence, R.I., educational facilities could be dismissed, reports the Providence Journal. It’s a matter of a $ 40 million budget deficit, and the Providence School Board is addressing it in full panic mode. The budget deadline for Providence schools is March 1.

Large amount of pink slips handed out before at Providence educational facilities

Central Falls High School dismissed 88 teachers in the Providence area because standardized test score needs weren't being met. Yet the scale of the Providence School Board’s forthcoming move is unprecedented. In accordance with state law, Superintendent of Providence Educational facilities Tom Brady told every educators and staff via e-mail the move is a "precautionary action" designed to address the $40 million shortfall in the 2011-2012 spending budgets.

"Since the full extent of the potential cuts to the school budget have yet to be determined, issuing a dismissal letter to all teachers was necessary to give the mayor, the School Board and the district maximum flexibility to consider every cost savings option, including reductions in staff," said Brady.

Making every little thing more flexible

The teachers' union leadership was not happy even though the Providence School Board may not be firing all Providence educators.

"This is beyond insane," said Providence Teachers Union President Steve Smith. "Let's create the most chaos and the highest level of anxiety in a district where teachers are already under unbelievable stress. Now I know how the United States State Department felt on Dec. 7 , 1941," the day of the Pearl Harbor bombings.

Considering the March 1 deadline and city finance issues, the decision to fire Providence educators was necessary. Providence Mayor Angel Taveras told this to the local press. The school board and Providence city government was given "maximum flexibility" with the move.

What could be done without teachers?

Smith exclaimed that sending pink slips to all Providence public school educators is senseless if the school district is nevertheless committed to educating its students, although there is the spending budget issue.

"You have so many students," he said. "You need so many teachers. You have a student-teacher ratio of 26 to 1. Do the math."

Articles cited

CNN

articles.cnn.com/2010-02-24/us/rhode.island.teachers_1_teachers-union-troubled-school-reading-specialists?_s=PM:US

Providence Journal

projo.com/news/content/providence_teacher_layoffs_02-23-11_MCML6R3_v17.1a1cc6d.html

‘Exciting times in Rhode Island public education’

youtube.com/watch?v=wOCJ2Jnu4KY

Scientists discover connection between mobile phones and brain cells

A new research has found that cell phone use stimulates activity in brain cells. In the study, using a cellular phone increased the metabolism of cells in the brain of test subjects. Scientists confirmed that electromagnetic radiation from cellular phones has an impact on brain cells, but not if the effects are harmful.

First time cellular phone brain study

The Journal of the American Medical Association published a research Tuesday. It was the first ever to examine how the radiation from cell phones that is electromagnetic affects brain cells. The study focused on how cell phone use impacts normal brain cell function, known as glucose metabolism. The rate of glucose metabolism in brain cells was increased more than scientists were hoping with cellular phone exposure. Brain activity is a result of cells using glucose to create energy. Brain cells normally produce glucose as needed. It is unknown if it is bad or not, however it was found in the study that glucose metabolism amounts are increased artificially with a cell phone. Further research needs to be done though.

How cellular phones affect the brain

With all the phone calls going on, cell phone radiation has concerned medical experts. They have worried about what it is doing. Previous test results have been inconclusive. Nothing has been discovered before. Probably the most famous cell phone radiation studies have been reported to establish a connection with brain cancer. However, the research has been unable to prove the brain cancer in mobile phone users was actually brought on by cellular phone radiation. DNA mutations or other mutations that end up causing cancer and dementia are things that scientists have tried to link mobile phone radiation to though. The impact of cellular phones on children’s brains has been a particular concern because kids have thinner skulls, the radiation penetrates deeper and their brain cells metabolize glucose faster.

Always choose speakerphone as a suggestion

In a statement responding to the cellular phone brain cell study, the Wireless Association said scientific evidence proves that cell phones, used within limits established by the Federal Communications Commission, don’t pose a public health risk. Authors of the research suggested that until more is known about the effects of cellular phone radiation on brain cells, individuals should use the speaker phone function or a Bluetooth earpiece as often as possible.

Citations

CNN

cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/02/22/cell.phone.brain.activity/

Web MD

webmd.com/brain/news/20110222/cell-phones-affect-brain-but-does-it-matter?page=2

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704071304576160652541652440.html