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<title>MindBranch: Financial Services</title>
<description>Financial Services market research products provide analysis of the latest trends, developments and market data for this industry.  Research information will help you make informed business decisions.</description>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/catalog/find.jsp?cat=fs</link>
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<title>Paulson's Blueprint for Insurance: A Rallying Cry for the Optional Federal Charter?</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R301-1461.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[The US Congress currently has bills in committee in both the House and Senate that would establish a federal insurance regulator and give insurers the option of being federally regulated or to continue under state regulation. The US Treasury Department's blueprint for the future of the US financial services industry strongly favors the creation of an optional federal charter (OFC). There are many reasons why the OFC makes good business sense, but its creation is hampered by the political strength of organizations that oppose it. This TowerGroup ViewPoint examines the pros and cons of an OFC and Treasury's support for it.

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<pubDate>Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Pet Insurance in North America, 3rd Edition</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R567-682.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[Pet Insurance in North America, 3rd Edition
If the future of this market depends on marketing-driven consumer demand, as Packaged Facts believes it does and history supports, then the North American market for pet insurance is at a pivotal stage.  Since the previous edition of this report, published in November 2005, over a half dozen new companies have come onto the playing field, each of them putting a different spin on pet insurance, from highly customizable plans to greatly simplified ones.  In the pet insurance spotlight as of spring 2008 are huge consumer and pet market companies and brands&mdash;including PurinaCare, AKC, ASPCA and Kroger&mdash;as well as dedicated pet insurance underwriters such as American Pet Insurance Company and SecuriCan.  This ramped-up activity is challenging established marketers across all channels&mdash;direct-to-consumer, veterinarians, company benefits, corporate alliances and shelter programs&mdash;a situation that seems sure to drive up consumer awareness and market ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Credit Collections and Services</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R3470-1325.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In the US, about 1,600 credit reporting agencies and 5,000 credit collections agencies generate annual revenues of $14 billion. Large collection agencies include Outsourcing Solutions, Inc (OSI) and NCO Group; big reporting agencies include Dun &amp; Bradstreet, TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. The collections segment of the industry is fairly fragmented: the 50 largest companies hold less then 50 percent of the market. The credit reporting segment is highly concentrated: the 50 largest companies hold 90 percent of the market.   COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE  Demand for credit reporting and for collections services are driven by the volume of financial transactions, and by the health of the economy. The profitability of individual companies depends largely on efficiency of operations. The profitability of collections companies that buy receivables portfolios depends on their ability to assess recovery potential. Large credit reporting companies have significant economies of scale in operations. Small companies can compete successfully in the collections ]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Lithuania Insurance Report 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3160.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[Over the next five years Lithuania&rsquo;s insurance sector should change in three ways. First, it willundoubtedly be substantially larger than it is at present, notwithstanding the fact that percentage growthrates are likely to slow from the (blistering) rates of 2006. We are looking for compound annual growthrates (CAGR) of around 20% in 2007-2012. Second, it will undoubtedly be more sophisticated. The nonlifesegment is still dominated by compulsory third party motor liability (CTPML) business, but otherlines (and notably voluntary motor insurance - or CASCO) are also growing quickly. Property insuranceis rising rapidly from a low base. In the life segment, it appears that Lithuanians accept the concept ofinsurance as an attractive organised savings opportunity. Unit-linked business has been driving thegrowth.  Interestingly, pricing in both segments appears to have been firm. This is in spite of the presence of asurprisingly large number of foreign-owned groups in both the non-life and the life segments. ]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>China Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3076.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.   Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets ]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Slovakia Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3048.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.   Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Taiwan Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3046.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.  Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets was ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>India Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3045.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.  Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets was ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Hong Kong Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3044.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.  Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets was ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Malaysia Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3043.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.  Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets was ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Japan Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3042.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.  Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets was ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Indonesia Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3025.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced from 
central banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: in 
almost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive on 
particular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had been 
previously.   
Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vast 
majority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being, 
emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in the 
wake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectors 
of the emerging markets. In ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>UK Employers' Liability Insurance 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R313-32221.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[ Introduction   The UK employers&rsquo; liability market saw profitability deteriorate in 2007 as the soft cycle took its toll on many competitors. This report provides forecasts for GWP and profitability up to 2012 under two different scenarios, making it a crucial read for those with an interest in employers&rsquo; liability insurance.   Scope   The report offers a comprehensive analysis of competitive issues within the employers&rsquo; liability market  Sizes the employers&rsquo; liability market providing competitors&rsquo; GWP, market share and claims ratios data  Forecasts GWP growth up to and including 2012 based on Datamonitor&rsquo;s in-house expertise and interviews with senior industry executives   Report Highlights   Premium income fell by a further 6.9% to &#163;1.8 billion in 2007 as insurers continued to decrease their prices amidst strong competitive elements remaining in the market.  The market share of the top 10 employers&rsquo; liability insurers fell marginally by 0.2 percentage points in 2006 to 61.6% as a result of some top 10 employers&rsquo; liability insurers seeing ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Marketing and Advertising Strategies in UK Personal General Insurance 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R313-32220.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[ Introduction   Advertising and marketing is a highly competitive in personal general insurance industry. While developing the right &lsquo;marketing mix&rsquo; is highly dependent on obtaining the most up to date competitor and market data. This brief analyzes the marketing spend of the top personal general insurance advertisers in 2007, focusing on trends in product line, media preference and strategy.   Scope   Analyses the distribution of the marketing budgets by media for the top 10 personal general insurance advertisers in 2007  Discussion of key issues and trends currently affecting the marketing of personal lines insurance  Market data on the size of motor and household insurance marketing outlay for the top advertisers in 2007   Report Highlights   In 2007, television and direct mail remained the most utilized forms of advertising among the ten largest motor insurance advertisers. On average, the top 10 motor insurance advertisers spent around &#163;11.3m in total on marketing and advertising campaigns.  A number of insurance providers placed a high ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>United Arab Emirates Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3075.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.   Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Turkey Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3074.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.   Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Egypt Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3073.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.  Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets was ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Iran Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3072.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.  Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets was ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Saudi Arabia Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3071.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.  Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets was ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Venezuela Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3069.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.   Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Romania Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3052.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.   Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Slovenia Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3051.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.  Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets was ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Greece Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3050.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.   Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Latvia Commercial Banking Report Q2 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R302-3049.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[In March 2008, we updated all data for the 59 countries surveyed with official figures, sourced fromcentral banks and regulators. In most cases, we were able to find data that pertained to the end of 2007: inalmost all other cases, the data pertains to September 30 2007. As a result, the insights that we derive onparticular countries are based on consistently sourced information that is far more current than it had beenpreviously.   Although we gather data for countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and the eurozone, the vastmajority of the 59 countries whose banking industries we survey are, or are generally seen as being,emerging markets. For all the widely publicised problems of large banks in developed countries, in thewake of the subprime banking crisis in the US, 2007 was an extremely good year for the banking sectorsof the emerging markets. In local currency terms, the median growth in assets ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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<title>Financial Services Deal Insights, February 2008</title>
<link>http://www.mindbranch.com/products/R313-32085.html</link>
<description> <![CDATA[  Introduction   
M&A activity in the financial services sector requires all players to have understanding of deal dynamics. This analysis provides a comprehensive look at all M&A, public offerings, and venture finance activities in the for the month of February 2008
  
 Scope  
 Insight into recent M&A activity in the financial services sector throughout the world.

 Covers mergers and acquisitions, public offerings (both IPO and secondary offerings) and venture finance.

 Includes a detailed appendix covering top legal advisors, financial advisors, top private equity firms, and top venture capital firms.
   
 Reasons to Purchase 
  Track major deals among your competitors and plan your acquisition strategy accordingly.

 Understand which sectors in the financial services industry have proven the most attractive to investors, and identify the key deal makers.
   
 Report Highlights 
  The month recorded M&A transactions worth $24.3 billion, an decrease of 50.8% over the six month average

 In ]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
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