Billions of dollars’ worth of life insurance policies may not be worth the paper they’re written on. Policies whose worth is tied to interest rates are losing value fast, as rates remain low over the long haul. And policyholders who’ve ...
Read More »Your life may not be worth what you think
Winding down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could affect Idaho lenders and home buyers 
Competing plans in Congress to change or close mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could have ripple effects on Idaho home buyers, financers and builders. Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo is close to introducing a plan that he says wouldn’t ...
Read More »Idaho credit unions lead the nation in gains
Idaho credit unions have seen a larger increase in loans and members than credit unions in every other state in the country. A recent report from the National Credit Union Association said that Idaho had 15.2 percent loan growth, up ...
Read More »Credit Union League president leaves after short stint in Idaho
Idaho Credit Union League President and CEO Chris Johnson has left his job after just five months. Johnson, who started work in June, left on Nov. 22, according to interim president Kathy Thomson. Thomson, formerly a vice president with ICUL, ...
Read More »Surveys: More bank acquisitions on tap 
Two surveys of bank executives suggest that more banks will be completing mergers and acquisitions in the coming year. In the Bank Director’s Bank M&A Survey, 76 percent of respondents expect to see a higher number of mergers and acquisitions ...
Read More »Proposed tax changes could spark R&D investment 
A new legislative proposal aims to modernize the U.S. tax code in order to stimulate investment in research and development for emerging companies. The Startup Jobs and Innovation Act, introduced Nov. 6 by Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Pat Toomey, ...
Read More »Industrial banks fill lending gaps 
Giltner Inc. has been in the trucking and logistics business in Jerome since the 1970s, but it fell on hard times around 2000 when it lost one of its largest products, shipping French fries out of Idaho, to rail. Thanks ...
Read More »Idaho First Bank adding downtown Boise branch 
Idaho First Bank will open a new branch in downtown Boise focused on commercial lending for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Idaho First, based in McCall, purchased a former Bank of the Cascades building at the corner of 12th and Idaho ...
Read More »Mountain West Bank to build new financial center at The Village at Meridian 
Mountain West Bank plans to open a new financial center at The Village of Meridian. Mountain West will open an 11,500-square-foot building in December 2014 at the new development on the corner of Eagle Road and Fairview Avenue, said President ...
Read More »S Corps help companies avoid corporate taxes 
Since Japan lowered its corporate income tax rate to 38.01 percent in 2012, the United States has a dubious distinction among global economies: the planet’s highest corporate tax rates. With the federal tax rate hitting 35 percent and Idaho tacking ...
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