Book Description

The world of banking and financial services is in the midst of dramatic change, moving away from traditional ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Life Changing!
Banker to the Poor is an excellent read. The style is very easy to understand, and the jumps Yunus makes between different stories, ideas, and theories keep the reader's interest throughout. However, much more so that the style, the story itself is remarkable: to see how a single idea of one man could become a global force against poverty. His example has been extremely influential for millions of people, and his pursuit of a poverty-free world no longer seems outrageous, but in fact attainable! The story was enough for me to want to change my career direction to help the microcredit revolution.

Excellent and interesting book
Muhammad Yunus describes in this book how the idea developed about starting a bank for the poor. The writing style of Yunus makes the book very easy to read; almost like a good novel. Because this book doesn't focusses on just micro-credit (because it's an autobiography) I think it's an excellent introduction to the topic of micro-credit and finding sollutions for the poor. But for more in-dept info, buy another. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not worth $295
Save your $295.There are many other books that cost less and offer much more. ... Read more

Book Description

The calculus of IT support for the banking, securities, and insurance industries has changed dramatically and rapidly over the past few years. Consolidation and deregulation are creating opportunities and challenges never before seen. Unheard of just a few years ago, e-commerce has given birth to new infrastructures and departments needed to support them. And the Internet/Intranet/Extranet triple-whammy is the most critical component of most financial IT shops. At the same time, new intelligent agents stand ready to take on such diverse functions as customer profiling and data mining.Get a handle on all these new and newer ripples with Financial Services Information Systems. Here, in this exhaustive new guide and reference book, industry guru Jessica Keyes gives you the no-nonsense scoop on not just the tried and true IT tools of today, but also the up-and-coming "hot" technologies of tomorrow, and how to plan for them.Financial Services Information Systems addresses challenges and solutions associated with:osupporting the self-service revolution by servicing kiosks and ATMs efficiently and economically,ostraight-through processing for the securities industry,ooutsourcing business communications in the insurance industry,odistributed integration as a cost-effective alternative to data warehousing, andoputting inbound fax automation to work in financial organizations. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great ideas to implement
We recently started a full-service brokerage firm in Canada. Starting "carte-blanche" meant that we could apply many of the ideas in this book cheaply and quickly. We have had amazing growth that we can directly attribute to the technology that we implemented.

This book is a must for companies in the financial services arena wishing to know what is possible in this day and age. ... Read more

Book Description

Few sectors of the global economy equal banking and financial services in dynamism or structural change. In the mid-1980s, regulatory and technological change were the main catalysts for the transformation of the industry, making entrenched competitive structures obsolete and mandating the development of new products, new processes, new strategies, and new public policies toward the industry.

In Global Banking, authors Roy C. Smith and Ingo Walter assess the transformation that is taking place worldwide in the financial industry--its causes, its course, and its consequences. Beginning with an overview of recent developments, the authors consider the major dimensions of international commercial banking, including the issues of cross-border risk evaluation and exposure management and the creation of a viable regulatory framework in a global competitive context. They link the field of international commercial banking with international investment banking, and identify the factors that distinguish winners from losers in each activity of global banking. The book concludes with a section on the problems of strategic position and execution. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

So, you want to be a Banking Expert? ALWAYS: Ingo Walter
I have met Ingo Walters in 1988 when he gave a brilliant talk to hundreds of CEOs form the Banking Industry in Europe. Everyone was amazed at how brilliant Ingo was. He is an authentic expert in European and US Banking. In his book "Global Banking" any serious student or better yet Strategic Management Consultant can learn Operations, Strategy, IT, Treasury, and Risk Management from different parts of the world. Highly recommended for Upper Management and CEOs of Regional Banks who need a pathway to easily transition into being a World Player. Learn through this book what the Managing-Directors at McKinsey, Bain, BCG, etc., would tell you for over 1 million dollars.

a so so book of the past from big name professors
a banking book covers subjects ok for yester-decade

Great Book on Global Banking
A great book. Exciting to read, clearly written and full of practical insights into global banking.Discusses tenable strategies for financial firms world-wide and contains insights that are difficult to find anywhereelse.The authors taught a course based on this book at INSEAD and thebook retains the liveliness and rigor of that excellent course.

A mustbuy for anyone connected with or interested in the structure and strategiesof global finance firms. ... Read more

Book Description

"The search for accountability in international institutions is a key topic in today's global agenda. This work provides a variety of useful and important examples of efforts to increase transparency and accountability in World Bank operations." -- Dr. Alvaro Umaña, Chairman, World Bank Inspection Panel

After a history of funding environmentally costly megaprojects, the World Bank now claims that it is trying to become a leading force for sustainable development. For more than a decade, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and grassroots movements have formed transnational coalitions to reform the World Bank and the governments that it funds. The Struggle for Accountability assesses the efforts of these groups to make the World Bank more publicly accountable.

The book is organized into four parts. Part I describes the NGOs and grassroots movements that are the book's central focus. Part II presents case studies of four projects that provoked the emergence of transnational advocacy coalitions: Indonesia's Kedung Ombo dam, the Mt. Apo geothermal plant in the Philippines, Brazil's Planaforo Amazon development project, and the remarkable campaign of Ecuador's indigenous people to influence national economic policy that led to their participation in the design of a development loan. Part III looks at the origins and politics of reform in four areas of broader World Bank policy: the rights of indigenous peoples, involuntary resettlement, water resources, and the World Bank's institutional reforms that are supposed to encourage public accountability. In the last section, the editors discuss issues of accountability within transnational coalitions and assess the impact of advocacy campaigns on World Bank projects and policies.

Contributors: L. David Brown, Jane G. Covey, Jonathan A. Fox, Andrew Gray, Margaret E. Keck, Deborah Moore, Antoinette Royo, Augustinus Rumansara, Leonard Sklar, Kay Treakle, Lori Udall, David A. Wirth. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

This book presents the results of several years of research on competition, concentration, efficiency and performance in the European banking market. The author seeks to explain and interrelate the numerous characteristics of the banking industry, and provide a detailed comparative analysis of various banking sectors throughout Europe.

The book begins with a survey on intermediation, integration and internationalization in the European banking market, which helps to explain the increased competitive pressures banks are now operating under. The author then examines indicators of concentration and competition, and attempts to measure these using a variety of approaches in both EU and non-EU countries. Significantly, he also presents a unique comparison of efficiency throughout the EU by estimating X-inefficiency and cost level differences. The book concludes with an investigation into cyclical patterns of profits, provisions and lending in order to assess the procyclicality of bank behavior in light of the new Basel Capital Accord.

Academics and policymakers interested in banking supervision, financial stability and monetary policy will welcome this thorough analysis of competition and efficiency in the European banking industry. The book will also prove invaluable reading for banking analysts and strategists in central banks, regulatory bodies and competition authorities. ... Read more

Book Description

This unique volume presents an overview of how a new arrangement for setting financial reporting standards in the private sector came about, and why. Van Riper documents the emergence of a schism between advocates of neutrality in financial reporting standards and those who emphasize "social consequences," and the clashes between traditional views and new insights. He describes the efforts by powerful interests to block change, and examines the reasons why standard setting gives rise to contention and controversy. His recommendations to ensure standard setting in the private sector will be of special interest, not only to accounting professionals but to others throughout the finance, investment, and banking industries and to corporate management. ... Read more

Book Description

The U.S. home mortgage industry first formalized risk criteria in the 1920s and 1930s to determine which applicants should receive funds. Over the past eighty years, these formulae have become more sophisticated. Guy Stuart demonstrates that the very concepts on which lenders base their decisions reflect a set of social and political values about "who deserves what." Stuart examines the fine line between licit choice and illicit discrimination, arguing that lenders, while eradicating blatantly discriminatory practices, have ignored the racial and economic-class biases that remain encoded in their decision processes. He explains why African Americans and Latinos continue to be at a disadvantage in gaining access to loans: discrimination, he finds, results from the interaction between the way lenders make decisions and the way they shape the social structure of the mortgage and housing markets.

Mortgage lenders, Stuart contends, are embedded in and shape a social context that can best be understood in terms of rules, networks, and the production of space. Stuart’s history of lenders’ risk criteria reveals that they were synthesized from rules of thumb, cultural norms, and untested theories. In addition, his interviews with real estate and lending professionals in the Chicago housing market show us how the criteria are implemented today. Drawing on census and Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data for quantitative support, Stuart concludes with concrete policy proposals that take into account the social structure in which lenders make decisions. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Discriminating Risk Deserves a Closer Look
Guy Stuart has presented in a very cogent and readable way some of the reasons why discrimination and segregation persist in U.S. housing markets and it may not be for the reasons most assume. Stuart illustrates how conceptions of "value", particularly in the process of property appraisals, risk estimation in underwriting, and lender-broker-realtor networks characterized by racial homogeneity all contribute to disparities in lending to minorities, particularly African Americans. Stuart illustrates how all of the participants in the process play a role, though none may be directly intending to encourage the negative consequences.

To break the cycle, Stuart correctly suggests that we need to hold GSEs, lenders, regulators, appraisers, and others responsible for correcting disparite EFFECTS, with or without assigning intent to discriminate to any specific actor or group. Whether or not such accountability can or will occur will depend on whether there is political will and a solid understanding of the issues. At least on the latter point, the public is well-served by this book.

The book is well-written in clear and direct prose. Stuart succeeds in avoiding confusing and jargon-laden descriptions. Given the subject matter, this is a real victory for the reader. The book also provides a very useful history of the mortgage lending industry and is recommended for students and activist alike trying to get their heads around a confusing and poorly understood field that has profound impacts on the persistence of racial segregation in the U.S. ... Read more

Book Description

Amazon.com

Given our modern-day obsession with stock speculation, our frenzied sprint toward pre-IPO investment, and our fascination with the creation of overnight wealth, Janet Gleeson's Millionaire is timely, to say the least. The story of John Law's life and legacy is nothing short of incredible, breath-catching drama.

Born into a Scottish family of Church clerics and goldsmiths in 1671, John Law grew up to exude little of the moral and much of the monetary influence in his blood. When, as a 23-year-old gambler and philandering playboy on the London scene, he killed a nobleman in a duel, he was thrown into prison and sentenced to death. After pursing legal channels of appeal and getting nowhere, he eventually escaped and began the life of a gambler-cum-aristocrat in exile.His uncanny knack at the card tables and renowned success with women earned him a dubious reputation within late seventeenth-century European social circles. But his equally outstanding mathematical skills and fascination with the mechanisms of credit also brought him to the attention of political leaders. After attempting to peddle his revolutionary scheme for creating a national bank that issued paper currency to officials in London, Scotland, Vienna, Turin, and elsewhere, Law finally convinced the war-impoverished French government to back his plan. The bank's success and the events that followed--Law's introduction of the "Mississippi scheme," a wild exercise in capital procurement and share offering that spawned the greatest bull market in history and its drastic crash--make this book fascinating reading for anyone playing the markets today.

Gleeson writes with clarity and style on topics that are notoriously complex and potentially dry. Without dumbing down her subject matter, she elucidates the finer points of credit-based financial systems and stock markets in readable English, welcoming both finance aficionados and illiterates to Law's tale. In that regard, the book is similar to Simon Winchester's The Professor and the Madman, and though ostensibly a record of the rise and fall of one of the world's most infamous--and ultimately influential--financiers, it is a story of murder, lust, politics, wealth, and poverty and far more intriguing than most fare in its often prosaic category. Indeed, this book will leap off your business bookshelf faster than you can ask who wants to be a millionaire. --S. Ketchum ... Read more

Reviews (19)

What, economic history can be fun?
I'm pretty enthusiastic about this book.I had a great time reading it, and suspect many others will react the same way.There may be a little too much dramatic sizzle for some, but when it comes to economic history (yawn), let's throw in the dueling, infidelity, card tricks and highway robbery. If you liked Kubrick's 'Barry Lyndon', this is better.This is one of those books which makes you want to read more on the subject.

Don't worry folks, you won't be bored with Adam Smith's sanitized version of Law's 'financial plans', this is the raw stuff...Despite the maze of corrupt doings, the story is likely to offend the politically correct by describing Law as a blameless 'genius', he just couldn't control the system he created.He could conjure up a mighty army of paper notes to do his financial heavy work, but it all gets out of control very quickly.

Depending on one's perspective, most will blame the Mississippi Bubble (and South Sea Bubble) on one of 3 targets: 1) the head of the central bank, 2) the head of the political regime, 3) the average citizen.In contemporary terms, who is culpable for the 2000 equity market collapse: Greenspan, the US President, the average 401K investor?With regard to the Mississippi Bubble, Gleeson suggests the political head (Regent) was relatively passive, and the average citizen incapable of controlling their greed.Thus, Law comes away playing the crooked role, though still the genius. For an alternative perspective, see "Business Cycles: From John Law to the Internet Crash" by Lars Tvede.Tvede suggests the Regent should get much of the blame for oversubscription.

Dr Greenspan and Mr Powers
This is a neat short biography of the man who is generally credited with the establishment of the French fiduciary system as we know it today on which all financial activity rests: paper money.
Now, Mr. Law was a serious player: great intelligence, great flair, solid acumen, and sharp sense of business and opportunity.
Law was endowed with a brilliant intellect and curious nature but he was not exactly a book worm. Far from this. Our man put the "grr" in swinger long before Austin Powers did.
Although Scottish, Law was not exactly known for his thrifty nature and avarice. Quite the opposite: he loved gambling, women, partying, his collars extra starched, and he took no crap from no one. Words like profligate or debauched were oftenly used in connection with mentioning his name (sometimes a bit admiratively, I might add).
A duel in which he killed one of the rich dandies of the time and apparently a rival, dramatically changed the course of Law's life; he fled to France where due to his pleasant appearance, wit, and fancy moves, he befriended people in high places ending with the king himself. The rest is history.

Law also has the dubious honor of having caused one of the first manias known to investors: Louisiana territory bubble as embodied in the Mississippi Company, a contemporary and rival to the British South Sea Company but with equally disastrous outcome for its investors. However, in his capacity of CEO, and with no insider deal legislation, Law amassed a fortune, gave meaning for the fist time to the word "millionaire", and as a side matter, made a lot of enemies in the process.

This book makes a thoroughly enjoyable reading. Law was by all accounts a remarkable person and his life and deeds are skillfully presented.
The author did a great job at researching the topic and makes extensive use of the writings of the day documenting the exploits of Mr. Law. If you enjoy adventure, a little bit of economic history, and colorful archaic language you will certainly like this text.

The moral: Law was good with theory but not even he knew that what goes up must eventually come down. Greed took the better of him. Vanity he already possessed in copious amounts, no issue there. Francis Galton enuntiated this about 200 years later in his famous and still valid "reversal to the mean" theory. I guess Law had to learn that one the hard way.

Another lost moment in history
In the 18th century, a Scotsman named John Law created a financial system using paper in place of coin with which to conduct business.He had come by the system not only through his unique financial acumen, but also through his talent for gambling.He was a man who could figure the odds, then turn them to his greater advantage.

An unfortuante duel in London prevented Law from introuducing his system to the English government, who hounded him for years over the death of Edward Wilson, a man with influential friends and family.Arrested and imprisoned, Law managed to escape to the continent.During his travels he met Katherine Seigneur, an Englishwoman of noble birth married to a Frenchman.True to his gambler's nature, he fell in love and she left with him, living as his wife for the rest of his life, in many cities on the continent.During their travels, Law tried over and over to convince heads of government that his financial system could be the answer to national money problems.

It was after the death of Louis XIV that he caught the ear and imagination of the Duc d'Orleans, regent of France during the minority of Louis XV.Starting fairly small at first, Law was allowed to institute a national bank and print paper money.Eventually he became the chief financial minister and head of the Mississippi Company -- a trading company whose very existence seemed to have disappeared from history.Although Law was remarkably intelligent about things financial, he seems, however, to have a flawed understanding of human nature.In the end, all of his creations tumbled over the edge, and the rise and fall of John Law was over and done in a flash.

For a career that affected most of western Europe, it seems that little is taught about him and his system.A book such as this adds much to one's knowledge of 18th century European history and the financial world of the time.It is a rare find and worth the read.

Lessons for Today's Economies in the Birth of Modern Finance
John Law was a middle-class Scotsman and fugitive from English justice who became the world's first "millionaire" and, in 1716, gave France the world's first national bank and paper money system. Law, with the cooperation of the Regent Duc d'Orleans, ushered France from oppressive debt to glorious wealth and introduced the world to the ideas of stock options, futures, conglomerate corporations, marketing, and an all-paper monetary system before his system crashed under the pressures of bad judgment, bad circumstances, and his enemies. Ironically, although John Law's ideas are as relevant today as they were 280 years ago, if not moreso, Law has been largely ignored in the 20th century by everyone except economic historians. To remedy this, Janet Gleeson has written a very readable biography of this economic visionary who did, indeed, invent modern finance, and whocreated the demand for transparency in banking matters and the concept of economic opportunity and upward mobility for all that we take for granted today. Because "Millionaire" is intended for the general reader, the author has simplified the details of Law's systems and kept numbers to a minimum, so you needn't be put off by the math. Far from tedious, John Law's story, his ideas about money, and his experience are as fascinating and revealing today as they were when he lived. John Law's life and legacy were no less than a quest to understand the ever-elusive nature of money, itself. His story has all the ingredients of awildly entertaining novel... and all the lessons of a life that saw great accomplishment and equally great failure: politics, human nature, love, sex, violence, art, luck, greed and philanthropy, poverty and wealth, genius and stupidity, success and failure, and, most of all, Money, the currency of all those things. "Millionaire" is recommended reading for anyone living and investing an industrial economy.

French Financial Follies
This is an incredible story about the rise and fall of John Law and the incredible economic boom and bust he created in France. His economic system was innovative and certainly helped modernize the economy of France, but his greed and that of the rest of the country led to the downfall of the system. The story of France's economy itself was an interesting story, but the story of Law's life is equally interesting. His rise into the upper echelons of society, his troubled times in jail, and life as a gambler is exciting, dashing, and extremely amusing. Janet Gleeson ha sdone incredible research to piece John Law's life together and writes clearly and with vigor so the economic theories and 17th century are understandable and come to life. It is a great book for history or ecnomic buffs and is engaging enough to hold the interest of people who are not particularly interested in the topic before starting the book. ... Read more

Book Description

Reengineering the Bank helps bankers evaluate their market, operations and, most important, their customers. This guide also discusses the balance sheet, strategies to maximize value, and provides the tools to restructure the program. Now is the perfect time to act: record spreads and profits in the industry can help to fund a forward-thinking restructuring effort. Competition is increasingly fierce, smart and too close to home to ignore. Author Paul Allen, the chairman and founder of Aston Limited Partners, has been involved in bank reengineering processes long before the term itself was coined. His client banks achieve outstanding levels for efficiency and profitability-and enjoy increased shareholder value. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

reengineering
consultancy neededduring 2001project imlementation\ scope of work scope of central operation unit relation with project ... Read more

Book Description

Lessons from the leading financial consulting firm
What is good financial service? Being knowledgeable. Keeping in touch. Knowing your client's needs. For the past twenty-five years, senior executives of professional financial services firms have relied on the experience of Greenwich Associates in establishing their strategy to attract and keep a committed client base-the core of financial services consulting. Based on work they have done at virtually all of the world's leading professional financial services organization, this book shares the techniques developed and lessons learned in the Greenwich Associates' proprietary research and experience consulting for over a quarter of a century. ... Read more

Book Description

Here's all the info you'll need to put your hard-earned money out of reach of lawyers, courts and the IRS. Learn all about Switzerland's legendary banking secrecy laws and how they can benefit you, the best savings opportunities that will provide high tax-free returns on your dollars, little-known financial privacy tricks and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

The case for Switzerland and the Swiss franc
Investing in Swiss francs is, simply stated, the best road to international diversification. The turbulence in global equity markets does not alter the case for investing in safe, fixed-income instruments abroad. In fact, it underlines the importance of having Swiss franc denominated annuities in an investment portfolio -- an investment which Adam Starchild describes in great detail in Swiss Money Secrets. If your tolerance for Wall Street's volatility is running out or if you wish to fortify your portfolio against a worldwide crash, you would be well-advised to look into these crash-proof investments.

Why would you ever need a Swiss bank account?
I'll have to say, you probably don't need one. If you've ever found a gadget that made your life easier, admit, you didn't really need it -- you just wonder how you ever got along without it.

An account with a Swiss private bank is, of course, more than a fancy gadget: It brings you to a higher plane of financial service. Your portfolio of global stocks and bonds is tailored to your needs and managed for you by Swiss banking professionals. As such it provides privacy, greater flexibility, significant tax efficiencies, risk control and higher returns over the long-run than a domestic mutual fund portfolio.

If you think you'd like to make your financial life easier, read how it's done in Adam Starchild's Swiss Money Secrets.

Save your money
Save your money. Nothing these books tell you (which you can get off the net) will save you money--and the information will get you into trouble besides.

The real professionals don't need books. The rest of us need to invest our money wisely, and not send it to Adam Starchild.

For once, something that works
In many years of buying investment books, this was one of the few that gave me something I could really do, and that worked as it was supposed to.

Irreverent, Addictive, and Delicious
It's rare to find a source of information that provides a historic and present-day world perspective. ... Read more

Book Description

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO NAVIGATING TODAY’S FINANCIAL SERVICES INDUSTRY

From "one-stop shopping" for financial services to major structural shifts within the industry, rapid changes in information technology, trends toward business combinations, statutory laws, and global competition have contributed to breaking down the geographic and product barriers that once separated traditional financial institutions from other financial entities. This complete authoritative resource is designed for all financial professionals involved in business valuations, mergers, and acquisitions, and includes:

• How operations are regulated
• How organizations are valued and why they merge
• Related accounting standards
• Merger and acquisition processes
• The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999
• Target bank analysis and tax requirements

. . . and much more. Written by an expert in the field, Financial Institutions, Valuations, Mergers, and Acquisitions is an essential tool for keeping up with the increasing and crucial changes in the financial services industry. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

There are other, better books in the subject.
For this specialized topic, this book is either too introductory or the contents are not organized well. I will be surprised if anyone can value a bank, or even get close to valuation, after reading this book. If you are interested in bank valuation, I recommend Commercial Bank Valuation by Miller. ... Read more

Book Description

This dynamic text allows learners to analyze and apply theory to managing performance for financial institutions. It is up-to-date, including new types of financial institutions and the evolving nature of the financial services industry.Not only does this text include risk management of financial institutions, it includes managing and analyzing different types of financial institutions.Additionally, this text provides the necessary institutional detail that learners need to know to be successful in the management of financial services firms.Numerous applied cases are included so learners can better understand how the concepts are applied.Targeted at the MBA corporate finance course, this book can also be used for both a banking course and financial institution management course. ... Read more