Dollars And Nonsense

CAMDEN, Maine, may 25, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) –Gregory Dufour, president and chief executive officer of Camden National Bank, has announced a major expansion of the Bank’s commercial lending staff.

Scott Fernald has been hired as assistant vice president and commercial lending officer for the Midcoast region. Fernald will be based in the Camden main office branch, and will be responsible for helping new and existing commercial loan customers meet their lending needs. in addition to Fernald, two new lenders will be joining Union Trust, a division of Camden National Bank, located in the Downeast region.

“Many banks have changed the way they’re doing business by cutting staff and restricting credit, while we view this as the best time to invest in people and resources in order to serve the business community of Maine,” said Dufour.

Under the leadership of Timothy Nightingale, senior vice president and senior lending officer, Camden National Bank was named “Bank of the Year” by the Finance Authority of Maine in 2009 and reported the most loans completed with the Small Business Administration in the first quarter of 2010. “Our success is due to having a strong group of commercial lending experts who make decisions locally, while leveraging the resources of our organization,” said Nightingale.

“Scott comes to Camden National with a wealth of knowledge about credit markets and commercial loan portfolio management,” said Nightingale. “Our customers can count on Scott as a trusted business partner.”

Before joining Camden National, Fernald was a commercial loan officer with TD Bank in Rockland. he also spent 13 years working at MBNA and Bank of America, with several positions of increasing responsibility in credit administration and marketing.

“I’m very happy to be joining Camden National Bank. The Bank’s position as the leader in the Midcoast region for financial services was very appealing to me,” said Fernald. he added, “I look forward to building strong relationships with my new clients, and believe that with my background and the Bank’s offerings, I can provide them with the financial tools and services to help move their businesses forward.”

In this position, Fernald will report to Vera Rand, senior vice president and regional commercial manager. Fernald received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in accounting from the University of Maine in Machias, graduating cum laude. while there, Fernald was recognized as a Who’s who Among American College and University Students award recipient. he is a member of the Penobscot Bay Chamber of Commerce. Fernald lives in Northport, with his wife, Kelly, and their two children.

Camden National Corporation, recently ranked 11th in USBanker’s 2009 list of top-performing mid-tier banks, is the holding company employing more than 400 Maine residents for two financial services companies including Camden National Bank along with its division Union Trust, and the wealth management company, Acadia Trust, N.a. Camden National Bank, named in 2009 as the Finance Authority of Maine’s “Financial Institution of the Year,” is a full-service community bank with a network of 37 banking offices serving coastal, western, central, and eastern Maine. Acadia Trust offers investment management and fiduciary services with offices in Portland, Bangor, and Ellsworth. Located at Camden National Bank, Acadia Financial Consultants offers full-service brokerage and insurance services.

SOURCE: Camden National Corporation

Camden National Corporation Chance Farago, 207-230-2120 Public Relations Officer cfarago@camdennational.com

Copyright Business Wire 2010

Camden National Bank Names new Midcoast Commercial Lending Officer

“Although the first signs of recovery are starting to appear for the electronics industry,” Rinnen said in the statement, “the damage from the current industry recession will be felt for a long time.”

The electronics industry is still hurting, but better times could be here before you know it.

“Almost all sectors of the electronic equipment market have now hit bottom and await signs of ‘first growth’ in comparison with the same quarter last year,” Klaus Rinnen, managing vice president at Gartner’s semiconductor manufacturing group, said in a statement. “The first signs of growth will be led by seasonal buying patterns in the PC market during the third quarter of 2009, although other major sectors will not begin to show first growth, year-on-year, until 2010.”

Consumer electronics: though consumers have scooped up LCD TVs and Blu-ray players, overall sales in most areas of consumer electronics were flat or down throughout 2009. Gartner sees the market in a state of limbo right now, expecting little growth until the second quarter of next year. beyond that, the segment is unlikely to return to pre-recession levels until the first quarter of 2011.

Research firm Gartner says it has spotted a recovery already percolating for the sectors including PCs and mobile phones, with a sustained recovery pattern likely to take shape in 2010. What’s holding back the optimism for a faster rebound this year, according to Gartner, is continuing uncertainty about the economy as a whole and, more specifically, about the effectiveness of government stimulus plans, especially when the stimulus runs out.

Gartner’s forecast on the electronics industry was compiled for a report called “Signs of Improvement for End-User Electronics Recovery,” published in late September.

PCs: After bottoming out in the first quarter of 2009, the PC sector should enjoy a sustainable recovery in the third quarter of 2010. Computer sales will continue to be constrained by slow growth in IT spending, but consumer demand has held up better than expected and is likely continue to rise. Gartner has revised its forecast for PC sales upward, anticipating good performance in the U.S. and China.

Gartner has revised its forecasts for recovery in each of the electronic segments it tracks. Its latest findings:

Cell phones: the mobile phone sector also hit a low in 2009′s first quarter but should be the first area to show sustainable growth by the first quarter of next year. Thanks to the popularity of smartphones and to demand in emerging markets, especially China, Gartner expects mobile phone production to sink only 8 percent in 2009, 4 percentage points less than it predicted in may.

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Gartner eyeing electronics recovery next year

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Forex market movement is influenced by many factors. Currency value movement is greatly affected by interest rate. If the interest rate of the country is high, then the currency value also increases. Different economic events and central banks guide those interest rates. This means that economic news can have a dramatic effect on your Forex trading and all traders should be on top of all world news.

Certain economic news is valuable because they show us how central banks can change interest rates in the future. This concerns everything that affects country’s GDP and CPI in the short or long term. other economic news changes Forex positions right away.

Country’s GDP as well as economic outlook is greatly affected by consumer spending. the main consumer spending indicators in the United States are the surveys held by the University of Michigan and the Conference Board. the consumer confidence sentiment is also published by the European Commission monthly. As for the United Kingdom, consumer confidence reports are issued by the Nationwide Building Society and GFK Group. an estimate of consumer sentiment is published by the Cabinet Office of Japan.

Sentiment is surely only a guide. the retail sales report of the country is more important to keep track of. Governments of many countries like the U.S., Japan, Canada, Australia, Switzerland and others issue retail sales reports. the same reports are issued by Eurostat for the European Union.

Traders should check monthly manufacturing and nonmanufacturing indexes issued by the U.S. Institute of Supply Management as well as durable goods orders reports released by Commerce Department. There is also retail purchasing index report in Europe you can check. As for the Canada, you can check the Ivey Purchasing Index as well as many other indexes in various countries, depending on the currency you are interested in.

Forex traders should know to keep an eye on trade data, because this data balance can dramatically influence relative currency values. interest rate and central economic news is crucial to watch. some of the banks you should watch are the U.S. Federal Reserve, the Bank of Japan, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, etc. Traders should also keep track of what the bankers claim. Bankers’ pronouncements about inflation or deflation can be a helpful clue for defining future Forex market trends.

It is definitely not very easy to keep the track of all this data, even for a single country and it is much harder to keep up with the news of all developed countries of the world. but it is still important to manage having as much information as possible and know how to interpret the data as well as its influence on the market. try to stay ahead of the market shifts and you will be able to have more winning trades.

In case you decided to participate in forex trading must start from learning the basics of this market to make sure you do not experience problems with this industry.

There is another option – you can hire experienced traders to managed your trading account – read more about forex investment here. Also make sure to search for the info in a good forex book.

Today we live in the world where information quickly enhances the quality of our life.

That is why if you are properly armed with the information in your topic you can rest assured that you will in any case find the way out from any bad situation. So, please make sure to get back to this blog on a regular basis or – the least time consuming way of doing it – sign up to its RSS. In such an easy way you will have a direct shortcut to the freshest info updates here. Blogs can be helpful, you just need to know how to use them.

The Basics of Forex Market Movement

Submit your question to Rob Owen

This week’s TV Q&a responds to questions about “Men of a certain Age,” “Ice Road Truckers” and recording TV shows through a Comcast digital adapter.

As always, thanks for reading, and keep the questions coming.

– Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor

Q: What happened to the character Sophia on the TNT show “Leverage”?

– Marjorie Hoehn, 66, Level Green, PA

Rob: Gina Bellman, who plays Sophia, was on maternity leave and actress Jeri Ryan was brought in to assist the team in Sophia’s absence. there may be some resolution to this storyline in the “Leverage” season finale on Feb. 17.

Q: I love the show “Men of a certain Age,” but on Monday’s show they said that only two episodes remain. I hope they mean for this season only. Please advise if it will be back next season.

– Carol, 69, Oakmont

Rob: For once, good news on a quality show’s future: We reported last month that “Men” has been renewed for a second season. No word yet on when it might air.

Q: Any word on whether there’ll be a season four of “Ice Road Truckers” and the location? Will Alex still be on the show or will he retire early because of his heart condition? Word was that the producers might have worn out their welcome on the Canadian ice road (over the ocean). true? That’d be unfortunate since driving over the ocean was a different kind of a thrill for the viewer than the Dalton is.

– Ellen, N. Pt. Breeze

Rob: according to the folks at History Channel, the fourth season is currently shooting in Alaska where it has been set since season two.

“This season, our truckers are returning to the Dalton, to face its treacherous challenges, both familiar and new. We’re also adding new ice roads, including ones over the ocean and a river (where fast-flowing water beneath the ice constantly weakens the road), plus our truckers will be hauling the most massive loads ever, some so long (about 3/4 of a football field), they require drivers front and back,” according to a network spokeswoman. “Behind-the-wheel again will be Hugh, Alex, Lisa and Jack, plus two great new truckers in the mix.”

Q: Will you help save “Dollhouse”?

– Tore, 38, Minnesota

Rob: Sorry, no. not every show needs to run 100 episodes. last week’s series finale wrapped up the story pretty conclusively. plus, I’m not going to tilt at windmills. I try to save my ammunition for worthwhile save-a-show battles that can or are more deserving of being won.

Q: I know NBC had ordered three more episodes of “Trauma” for after the Olympics, but any idea of the show’s fate after those three episodes? I really liked that show.

– Tyler, 19, Penn Hills

Rob: not yet. We’ll have to see how the ratings are. Working in the show’s favor: NBC has five hours to fill next fall with the cancellation of “The Jay Leno show.” Working against it: “Trauma” is expensive, wasn’t highly-rated and could be viewed as damaged goods.

Q: I recall your article where you installed your Comcast digital transport adapter kit. I read it with interest because I had mine but had yet to install it. It is now installed, but much to my great dismay I can’t tape anything on my VCR. All I get is static and a “no signal” note at the bottom. I remember you saying you cannot tape a show while watching a different show, and I made sure nobody touched the TV during the tape time. But when i came home to watch my taped show, I get a one hour static screen. I went to Comcast’s on-line chat room, they were zero help. So I am asking an expert — you — what am I doing wrong. Comcast wants me to give them even more money and upgrade to a DVR system. I would appreciate any assistance you can provide to me.

– Dan, Castle Shannon

Rob: I don’t pretend to be an expert on TV hardware, which is why I had the EXACT SAME PROBLEM that Dan had. and then I figured out why: I had a weekly recording that was set before I installed the digital adapter. As such, the VCR was set to record “Community” and “Parks and Recreation” on WPXI, Comcast Channel 12. But with the digital adapter installed, I needed to re-set my recording to record off of Channel 3 and set the digital adapter to 12. Turns out that was Dan’s mistake too: the VCR must be set to record on 3 and then you set the actual channel you want to record on the digital adapter. (And then hide the digital adapter remote so no one else in your household can screw it up.)

Q: who are some of the new faces I see doing weekend weather on KDKA-TV?

– Jim, Shadyside

Rob: Since before Christmas KDKA has been using freelancers on occasion, mostly on weekends. Dave Trygar has been around for a few years as a fill-in forecaster. according to KDKA news director Coleen Marren, the new faces include Pittsburgh native Kweilyn Murphy, who won’t be back because she just took a full-time job in Greenville, N.C., and Ashley Dougherty, who also works at WTRF in Wheeling (http://wtrf.com/bios.cfm?func=viewbio&bioid=247).

Q: I enjoy your comments in the PG, and hope you can answer my question. We recently got the Comcast digital converter which allows us to view more TV stations. We have been watching RTV (WPXI) and THIS (WTAE).

Can you tell us where we can obtain a program listing for these stations as they don’t appear in the PG. It has been hit and miss for us. most regular programs insult my intelligence (who wants to watch fat people?); but some of these old ones are reminders of what TV used to be.

We would appreciate it if you could point us in the right direction.

– Terry, South Hills

Rob: because there’s not space in the Post-Gazette’s printed listings to add additional channels, your best bet to find listings for digital sub-channels such as these is on our Web site.

Q: Where’s the voice mail of the week? Those are so funny!

– Linda, 45, Cecil

Rob: I can only print a voice mail of the week when I receive, ahem, entertaining messages. I haven’t gotten any lately.

TV Q&A with Rob Owen

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Consumer Credit Counseling Service Offers Tips To Keep you Out Of DebtATLANTA — The holidays are full of surprises, but acquiring debt shouldn’t be one of them. Fortunately, Jessica Daniels has been responsible with her spending this year.”We’re on a budget so we’re making sure that we are waiting until the last minute so that we can get the best deals,” said Daniels.Daniels decided to spend less than $500 on Christmas gifts this year and she has paid for everything with cash only. So how do you shop on a budget? CBS Atlanta News asked an expert with the Consumer Credit Counseling Service.”The thing to remember is the people getting gifts from you care about you and they don’t want you to go into debt to give them a gift. So you could get them a photograph and put it in a nice frame which doesn’t cost a lot of money. Another thing is to bake something if you’ve got a little talent in the kitchen,” said John McCosh with the Consumer Credit Counseling Service.Just remember if you don’t want to find yourself in debt, remind yourself you’re not playing with monopoly money.”What we have is what we have and when it’s gone, it’s gone,” said Daniels.on a final note, credit counselors warn you to be very cautious of stores that offer you 20 to 30 percent off if you sign up for one of their store credit cards. those cards often have an annual percentage rate that exceeds 20 percent.Click here for tips on shopping on a budget.

Holiday Shopping on A Budget