New York targets mortgage loan officers with new regulations

In New York state, and soon in many other states, officers that offer personal unsecured loan products for instance mortgages are now subject to new regulations. These regulations are intended to help customers in need of large or small loans protect themselves from unscrupulous agents. When New York passed these regulations in 2006, the federal government passed similar laws in 2008.

Licensing for New York state loans

The New York state regulations aren’t intended for money advance lenders that offer mortgages, but for their employees that actually offer mortgages. As of July 31, any mortgage loan officer who wants to work in New York State must have a license. In order to get this license, an agent must complete a 20 hour training course. The license also needs financial background checks and criminal background checks. Similar laws are set to take effect all over the country in the next few years.

Limiting opportunities for dangerous employees

The Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing law addresses one very specific problem. The economic recession came about, in part, because of money advance products offered by a certain subset of people. While mortgage companies were licensed, the lenders who worked at them were not required to be. Mortgage loan officers who were known to make no credit loans or bad loans could jump from job to job.By maintaining a record on the lender’s license, states can be able to keep closer tabs.

Relatively weak licensing needs

By addressing issues within the mortgage business, the new law does help, but some are worried it might not be enough. Many licensed professionals say that 20 hours is not enough training. In most states, licensed professions require a minimum of 75 hours or more of training. The Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry is providing a search that will help you find a mortgage lender that has a license.

Boston missing pets - residents think fisher cats are to blame

In Boston, Mass., beloved family animals are disappearing all over the place and turning up lifeless at an alarming rate. Many families in the regional area believe fisher cats are to blame. More than a couple of individuals claim to have seen the wild, sharp-toothed, weasel-looking fisher cat in residential communities, and residents are recommended to take caution.

Fisher cat assault in Boston

Boston residents believe the high number of pets vanishing within the area is due to fisher cat assaults. Reports of missing pets within the local area are skyrocketing, and individuals are warned to take extra precaution to protect their pets and even small children. Several residents claim the fisher cat was spotted in people’s fences, back yards and porches in broad daylight. A man in Andover even captured video clips of a fisher cat spotted in a tree.

Linda Ribeiro, a Dover citizen who has lost two cats and a dog, said she saw a fisher cat two weeks ago that was as large as a coffee table. ”Almost looked like a sea serpent or something,” said Ribeiro. “The head was up and then it came down to short front legs and then the back goes up and arches and then this long tail that’s stuck up within the air.”

What is a fisher cat?

Fisher cats are from the very same family as mink, otter, weasels and skunks. These medium-sized fisher cats are thin, long and low to the ground, and they’ll eat almost anything they can find. According to Wikipedia, fisher cats are one of the few predators that search for and kill porcupines. All year long they remain productive and are quite possibly more active during twilight hours.

What to do

Missing posters are turning up everywhere across the region as despaired pet owners search for animals that have disappeared most recently. Not too long ago the fisher cat was nearly extinct, but as outlined by wildlife officials, it appears the species are returning in rapid numbers. Pet owners and families with kids are advised to remove or secure anything that can attract the fisher cats. Get rid of garbage and compost and keep pet rabbits and birds as well as their food secure, as the fisher cats “view domestic cats and rabbits as food and will prey on them when hunting.”

Race to the Top finalists lead U.S. in education reform

Billions of dollars in federal education reform grants are up for grabs in the Race to the Top. Wednesday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced that 18 states and the District of Columbia as finalists in the competition’s second round. Cooperation was the secret of success for final contestants such as California. In Nevada, which didn’t make the cut, politicians pointed fingers and called the program large government.

Race to the Top finalists eligible for billions

In March the first round of Race to the Top winners, Delaware and Tennessee, received $ 100 million and $ 500 million respectively. The United States of America Department of Education will award $ 3.4 billion in federal education grants within the second phase. Second round final contestants include are Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina. Race to the Top final contestants will send teams to Washington in August for the competition’s interview phase. In September winners could be declared.

Education reform: “a quiet revolution”

In a speech to the National Press Club in Washington, Duncan called the program “part of a quiet revolution” in education reform when he announced the Race to the Top finalists. The biggest achievement of the program, supporters say, is that Race to the Top allows states to start dealing with controversial reforms before allocating scarce funding for them. Since Race to the Top was announced, the Department of Education Reform said 23 states have passed education reform laws around things like charter schools and teacher evaluations to improve their chances of winning.

California cooperates to advance

California became a Race to the Top finalist after finishing out of the money in the first round. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that across the state, 300 local school districts and county offices of education signed on to the Race to the Top application, agreeing to implement the reforms it outlined. California’s application, which highlighted what districts are already doing to turn around struggling schools, evaluate and support teachers and principals, and measure student performance, was written by superintendents from seven school districts.

Nevada politicians blame each other for failure

Nevada paid a consultant $ 40,000 to write its unsuccessful Race to the Top application. Fox News Las Vegas reported that an orgy of finger-pointing ensued upon Nevada’s failure to reach the finals. Democratic Senator Harry Reid accused Republican Governor Jim Gibbons of a “lack of leadership”. Gibbons said Reid never “lifted a finger” to help the state compete. Quite possibly though she wants less federal involvement in schools and has called for eliminating the Department of Education, right wing candidate for Senator Sharon Angle piled on Reid after Nevada was left out in the cold .

More on this topic

press.org

sfgate.com

fox5vegas.com

Small business credit being upheld by microlenders

An answer to the small business loan crisis may be microloans. Microloans are more commonly associated with developing countries. But microlending is on the rise within the United States of America as more small businesses are taking out microloans when the financial institution says no.Microlending could increase even more as a small business lending bill that would cut taxes and ease credit for smaller businesses stalled amid partisan feuding within the Senate.

Microlending – welcome to the third world, America

Microlending — making small loans, typically to the poor — has been one of the most effective means of financing growth in 3rd world countries. But then the U.S. economy fell and cannot seem to get up. The New York Times reports that demand for small loans has increased in the U.S. during the recession and credit crunch. The buzz on microlending is getting louder as more companies succeed with the help of microloans. Kiva, which has lent more than $ 150 million in 53 nations, has started pilot program lending to business owners within the United States of America. Also picking up the pace in the U.S. is Grameen Financial institution, a Bangladesh microlender founded by Muhammad Yunus, a pioneering microlender who has been acknowledged for his work with a Nobel Peace Prize.

Small business credit bill a partisan failure

Microlenders are taking up the slack in small company credit as Congress plays partisan games. A bill crafted to facilitate a thaw in small business credit died July 29, Bloomberg reports, because senate Democrats failed to get enough votes to move the measure beyond debate. To motivate small company lenders, the bill proposed funneling $ 30 billion to banks with less than $ 10 billion in assets. The cost of paying back those billions would decline for small business lenders as their level of lending rose. It was estimated how the small company lender package could prime $ 300 billion in lending. But Republicans attempted to tack an indefinite extension of the Bush tax cuts to the bill, perhaps as they said it would encourage an additional round of risky lending.

Microloans are getting results

Smaller businesses are succeeding with microloans while the Senate quarrels. The New York Times piece focused on a $ 6,500 microloan at three years and 6 percent interest that a Silicon Valley restaurant owner used to stay afloat and prosper.The Miami Herald reports that a Miami microlender called OUR MicroLending has underwritten 764 loans adding up to $ 4.5 million. Its customers typically have fewer than five employees, with sales of $ 100,000 or less. OUR MicroLoans makes loans ranging from $ 1,500 to $ 12,000 and average about $ 5,000. The average term is a year.

Additional reading

nytimes.com

bloomberg.com

miamiherald.com

SB 1070 prevents illegal immigrants from being sent home

Immigration law SB 1070 is one that the government is trying desperately to fight in court. Americans continue to give their opinions on the subject as well. CBS News and Rasmussen report the support of SB 1070 is 57 and 65 percent of Americans when The New York Daily News reports CNN giving a 55 percent rate of support. Now that SB 1070 is on the verge of going into effect in Arizona, an interesting wrinkle emerges- Arizona authorities can round up illegal immigrants, but the state will not have the power to deport them. Attorney General Eric Holder hasn’t signed the papers he needs to, to make certain that happened. Resource for this article – Arizona can’t deport illegal immigrants under SB 1070 by Personal Money Store.

SB 1070 can’t do anything

SB 1070 will empower local law enforcement officials across Arizona to enforce illegal immigration law if there is “reasonable suspicion,” but the federal government’s opposition means that it will not be deporting illegal immigrants. The Wall Street journal explains that Arizona has to determine if they want to fill up their prisons with illegal immigrants or if they would rather let it alone right now. Finding out if an immigrant is within the country illegally is easy; first you have to arrest the person and then call Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges are the people who make the final decision on deportation although the ICE’s decision is what puts them there. The federal government doesn’t want to work with the state. Hearings might take years to actually occur and make a decision.

ICE having to add more staff to deal with Arizona alone

The Department of Homeland Security estimates that there are approximately 460,000 illegal immigrants in Arizona. SB 1070 could conceivably generate a massive influx of calls from Arizona law enforcement to ICE. Only the cooperation of the Justice Department will make this an efficient process; otherwise, gridlock will likely ensue for both Arizona and ICE.

Maricopa County didn’t wait for SB 1070

An Arizona county decided it didn’t want to wait for the law, and then they did it all themselves with a federal-local partnership program. The Associated Press reports that Maricopa County has been responsible for the “deportations or forced departure” of 26,146 illegal immigrants since 2007. The program called 287 (g) made it so there were officers in Maricopa County there to enforce immigration law.

SB 1070 makes it possible to have the law in Arizona

The 287 (g) could be found in the Immigration and Nationality Act which was created in 1995. SB 1070, as outlined by its supporters, is intended to pick up where Section 287 (g) left off – it will deputize many more police force officers to watch for illegal aliens and enforce the law. Many think it will be better than 287 (g) because it can be supervised more than Homeland Security did before. Also, the problem with officials stopping individuals from being deported will lessen at the least, if not stop entirely with SB 1070. As outlined by ABC, Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, “If they want to block my jail, I’ll put them in Jail.”

What taxpayers get out of this

Considering that the cost of running federal immigration programs has grown from $ 5 million in 2006 to $ 68 million in 2010, costs are skyrocketing, reports the Journal. Perhaps effective enforcement – rather than a countless array of special interest groups and a spineless federal government – would ensure that those taxpayer dollars are well-spent.

Discover more info on this subject

Associated Press

hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IMMIGRATION_LOCAL_ENFORCEMENT?SITE=WDUN and amp;SECTION=HOME and amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

New York Daily News

nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/07/28/2010-07-28_arizona_immigration_law_sb_1070_has_support_of_55_of_americans_new_poll_shows.html

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703292704575393690850825662.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLEForthNews

Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_and_Nationality_Act_Section_287%28g%29

Expansion of federal fingerprinting program for illegal immigrants

youtube.com/watch?v=HEkfMccuDVI

Deadly bear attack in Montana just outside Yellowstone

When a female bear rampaged through Soda Butte Campground in Montana on Wednesday, two were injured and one man was killed. This Montana bear attack appears to are unprovoked, though the National Park Service is investigating. Camping in National Parks is usually very safe, but this attack proves that wild animals are, at times, dangerous.

Bear attack at Soda Butte Campground

The Soda Butte Montana bear attack began at about 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Two people were badly injured and one person was killed. Three separate campsites were attacked, and rangers evacuated the campground relatively quickly.

Anchoring to high automobile prices

Usually, campers in bear country are warned to stay away from bears at all costs. Sadly, it appears that the Montana bear attack was not specifically provoked. None of the campers left their food outside their trunks or bear boxes. The very busy campground may have made the bear feel she was in danger.

Previous attacks at Soda Butte campground

There are other bear attacks within the Soda Butte Campground within the past. The campground is about 10 acres large, and lives about 10 miles outside Yellowstone National Park. In 2008, a grizzly bear attacked one man in a tent. That bear was captured and transported to Washington State University in Pullman.

Safeguarding yourself from bear attack

If you are out camping in bear country, there are a few simple steps you are able to take to help avoid bear attack. First, keep any and all food in either a bear-proof container, inside a vehicle or hung 10 feet up and 4 feet out from any tree. Second, put all trash in wildlife-resistant containers if they are available. Don’t sleep within 300 feet of your cooking or food storage areas.

Turn $ 45 into a $ 200 million with Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams would be happy to see the return on investment that happens. Rick Norsigian found a couple of dusty old boxes of glass negatives at a garage sale and bought them for a song. After 10 years of persistence, he has finally certain some experts that the photos were taken by famous photographer Ansel Adams. Now he hopes to get the return on his $ 45 investment. All the photos are being appraised for more than $ 200 million now.

Ansel Adams garage sale photographs

Photographer Ansel Adams, who died in 1984, was renowned for his black-and-white photographs of the American West. Some of probably the most famous by Ansel Adams are pictures which were taken in Yosemite National Park in California. Norsigian told CNN that he bought two boxes of glass negatives for $ 45 although the sellers wanted $ 70 for them. Robert Moeller who’s an art expert concluded that “with a high degree of probability, the images under consideration were produced by Ansel Adams,” reports CNN.

’Missing link’ in Ansel Adams life is what these pictures are

In the photographer’s career, these photos appear to be a “missing link” reports CNN who was told by David W. Streets, art dealer. The Beverly Hills gallery had the photos shown for the very first time July 27. He also thinks the return on his investment could possibly be at least $ 200 million. Evidently 65 glass negatives made it out of the 1937 darkroom fire that destroyed 5,000 different plates in it.

Zone system set up by Ansel Adams

The photos had to be taken between 1919 and the 1930s considering the silver tarnishing on the Ansel Adams photos, and that was way before the Yosemite pictures become famous within the 1940s. A Wikipedia page on Adams reports that he co-developed a way to determine proper exposure and adjust the contrast of the final print, and he called it the Zone System. This is what determines the main difference between Ansel Adams photos and other photos. Adams wanted sharpness in his images so he used expensive high-resolution large-format cameras.

Negatives on Ansel Adams discovery

Many experts still aren’t too certain about accepting the Ansel Adams photos as real. The blog, Croanca, wonders if the dealers in the CNN article are actually qualified to say this is Ansel Adams photos. Admirers of Ansel Adams worry about adequate reproduction of the plates. A commenter at visualjournalism.info wonders whether anyone today can print the Ansel Adams negatives in a way that does them justice.

More on this topic

CNN
cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/07/27/ansel.adams.discovery/?hpt=Sbin
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ansel_Adams