Market Realist > Financial Services

Why Financial Agility Is Becoming the Defining Edge for Modern Companies

Market Realist Team — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 20:10:50 GMT

Financial agility has become the difference between firms that lead and those that quietly fade.

Checks Are in the Mail for $141 Million TurboTax Settlement — Who Qualifies?

Danielle Letenyei — Fri, 05 May 2023 18:38:34 GMT

Checks are being mailed to taxpayers eligible to receive restitution in a $141 million TurboTax settlement. Are you a possible recipient? Find out!

How Long You Should Keep Financial Documents — Timeline, Explained

Kate Zuritsky — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 14:06:31 GMT

If you've got a drawer full of tax records and documents and want to start shredding, you may wonder how long should you keep financial documents.

A Guide to Financial Planners — How to Pick the Right One for You

Kathryn Underwood — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 21:19:54 GMT

Different types of financial planners can help you reach your financial goals. We've researched the types of financial planners so you don't have to.

Another Buy Now Pay Later Option Has Arrived – What Is Apple Pay Later?

Kate Zuritsky — Wed, 29 Mar 2023 15:15:48 GMT

As Buy Now, Pay Later becomes an increasingly popular payment option and Apple introduces their own BNPL, many wonder what is Apple Pay Later?

A Lawsuit Against Pornhub and Parent Company MindGeek, Also Includes Visa — Here's Why

Robin Hill-Gray — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 20:35:55 GMT

A lawsuit has opened up against Pornhub and its parent company MindGeek. Some might be surprised to see that Visa is being sued too. Here's Visa's involvement explained

Zelle Is the Largest Peer-to-Peer Payment System in the U.S.

Anuradha Garg — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 07:31:22 GMT

Zelle has rapidly grown to become the largest peer-to-peer payment system in the U.S. Who owns Zelle?

These are the Best-Paying Jobs in Consumer Finance Services

Ruchi Gupta — Thu, 14 Jul 2022 11:03:24 GMT

Consumer finance services are becoming more in demand. What are the best-paying jobs in the sector?

E&Y Is in Murky Waters After the SEC Fined It $100 Million Over a Cheating Scandal

Anuradha Garg — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 09:20:04 GMT

Ernst & Young has been fined $100 million fine by the SEC for a cheating scandal. Here are the details.

How to Buy Crypto on PayPal and Whether You Should

Ruchi Gupta — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 14:33:30 GMT

Although PayPal supports crypto, the number of cryptos on the website remains limited for now. What crypto does PayPal support and will the offerings expand?.

Wells Fargo’s Alleged Fake Job Interviews Add to Its Woes

Mohit Oberoi, CFA — Fri, 20 May 2022 08:44:22 GMT

Former Wells Fargo employees have alleged the bank conducted fake interviews for posts that were already filled.

PayPal Prenote Scam: New Loophole Helps Scammers Target Bank Accounts

Ade Hennis — Mon, 02 May 2022 12:24:27 GMT

Scammers have found a new loophole in PayPal's system where they can wipe out bank accounts. How does the PayPal prenote scam work?

Why Robinhood Is Laying Off 9 Percent of Its Employees

Kathryn Underwood — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 15:38:45 GMT

Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev has announced the company is letting go of about 9 percent of staff. Why has the online brokerage laid off employees?

eToro vs. Robinhood: How To Pick the Right Trading App

Ruchi Gupta — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 11:00:57 GMT

eToro and Robinhood have become among the most popular trading apps. Which is the best for trading stocks and cryptocurrency?

Filing Robinhood Taxes on TurboTax, Explained

Ruchi Gupta — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 11:56:01 GMT

How you file Robinhood taxes on TurboTax depends on whether you’re uploading securities or crypto 1099 forms.

MoneyGram To Go Private in $1.8 Billion Deal

Ade Hennis — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 09:15:22 GMT

Whereas a stock market correction has affected many top companies, MoneyGram hasn’t been one of them. Is the payment company publicly traded?

Can You Still Apply for HARP Refinance? Replacement Programs Paused

Rachel Curry — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 20:06:00 GMT

Who qualified for the HARP (Home Affordable Refinance Program). Is it possible to still apply to the HARP replacement programs for refinancing?

What Are the New Fannie Mae Loan Limits in 2022?

Kathryn Underwood — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 16:54:25 GMT

Fannie Mae, along with Freddie Mac, provides financing for mortgage lenders. It follows federal regulations and limits for loans determined by average home prices.

ARCP’s Cole Capital acquisition ended due to accounting issue

Samantha Nielson — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 15:55:49 GMT

In November, RCS Capital terminated a $700 million deal to acquire Cole Capital from ARCP.

Analyzing China’s Leading Economic Index

Lynn Noah — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 13:57:27 GMT

China’s Leading Economic Index currently indicates that the country’s economy is facing a downturn. Its LEI remained unchanged at 98.71 points in July 2015.

Ginnie Mae TBAs rally before the Fed meeting

Brent Nyitray, CFA, MBA — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 20:21:03 GMT

Mortgage-backed securities are the starting point for all mortgage market pricing and the investment of choice for mortgage REITs When the Federal Reserve talks about buying mortgage-backed securities, it’s referring to the To-Be-Announced (also know as the TBA) market. The TBA market allows loan originators to take individual loans and turn them into a homogeneous product […]

The End Of Quantitative Easing Could Make Mortgage REITs Vulnerable

Brent Nyitray, CFA, MBA — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 15:41:46 GMT

Big agency REITs like Annaly (NLY) and American Capital Agency (AGNC) took the chance to deleverage their balance sheets after the warning in the spring of 2013.

Mortgage servicing rights increase in value as interest rates rise

Brent Nyitray, CFA, MBA — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 17:16:24 GMT

Mortgage servicing rights are one of the few financial assets that increase in value as rates rise Most mortgage REITs are exposed to changes in interest rates, and are usually long-duration, which means that the value of their portfolio decreases in value as interest rates rise. Good examples of these types of REITs would be […]

How Did the Fidelity China Region Fund Class C Perform in August?

Lynn Noah — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 20:50:35 GMT

The Fidelity China Region Fund Class C (FHKCX) aims to achieve long-term capital growth.

Eminence Capital raises its position in Xoom

Diana Key — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 09:45:26 GMT

Increased mobile adoption of Xoom’s mobile products led Latin America revenue, which rose 48% YoY. Gross sending volume increased 29% YoY.

Primer on mortgage backed securities, Part 5

Brent Nyitray, CFA, MBA — Fri, 31 May 2013 01:10:58 GMT

Continued from Primer on mortgage backed securities, Part 4. Prepayment risk Prepayment risk and interest rate risk go hand-in-hand. The main difference between a mortgage backed security and a government bond is that with a government bond, you know exactly when you will get your principal and interest payments. If you purchase a 7-year Treasury […]

Primer on mortgage backed securities, Part 1

Brent Nyitray, CFA, MBA — Fri, 31 May 2013 01:17:27 GMT

What are mortgage backed securities? Mortgage backed securities are pools of individual mortgages that have similar characteristics. They allow a relatively illiquid asset (an individual home mortgage) to be converted into a very liquid asset that can be traded with relative ease. They also allow an issuer to divide up the cash flows in order […]

Why mortgage servicing rights imply risks for servicers

Brent Nyitray, CFA, MBA — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 21:16:30 GMT

Risks of being a servicer Generally, servicing seems like an easy job. Collect the payment, give the government its take, pass the (smaller) payment to the bondholders, and keep the rest. What could go wrong? There’s just one catch. What happens if you miss your mortgage payment? The U.S. government guarantees Ginnie Mae securities. When […]

CalPERS adds new position in Liberty Media

Samantha Nielson — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 16:10:18 GMT

Liberty Media Corporation owns interests in a range of communications and entertainment businesses. Recently, the company completed the previously announced spin-off of its cable business, Liberty Broadband.

Bank of Korea Keeps Rates Unchanged, Asian ETFs Trade Positive

David Meyer — Fri, 12 Aug 2016 14:21:05 GMT

South Korea’s monetary policy committee kept the benchmark interest rate unchanged at a record low of 1.3%—in line with expectations.

Real Estate Market Hot in the West, Cold in the Northeast

Brent Nyitray, CFA, MBA — Tue, 26 Jul 2016 14:10:08 GMT

Home prices in the Pacific and Mountain states have outperformed prices in the rest of the country over the past two years.

Portfolio Moves of the AB International Growth Fund in YTD 2016

David Ashworth — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 14:49:29 GMT

The AB International Growth Fund’s assets were spread across 57 holdings in May 2016, and it was managing $334.2 million in assets.

Corn Prices Could Continue to Test Crucial Support

Sean Brown — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 17:48:08 GMT

March 2016 corn futures prices were trading near the support level of 355 cents per bushel on March 3, 2016. Prices declined after two days of rising by 0.28%.

Should You Look to European Stocks for Growth?

David Ashworth — Tue, 23 Feb 2016 00:02:48 GMT

European stocks began the year with a lot of hope pinned on them for providing capital appreciation in the year.

Are the BRICS Nations Standing on a Shaky Foundation?

David Ashworth — Tue, 19 Jan 2016 14:15:04 GMT

Among the BRICS, the most concerning at this point in time is China. The world’s second largest economy is slowing down and undergoing a structural shift.

A Detailed Holdings Analysis of PLVVX

Ivan Kading — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 15:27:25 GMT

PLVVX holds fixed income securities in both long and short positions. The fund also holds derivative forward, future, and swap agreements on government securities, indexes, and currencies.

Will Corn Prices Be Range-Bound before WASDE Report Release?

Sean Brown — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 16:35:56 GMT

On October 6, 2015, CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade) December expiry of corn futures contracts rose, breaking the resistance level.

Turbulence in China’s Stock Market

Lynn Noah — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 19:42:53 GMT

Due to recent stock market turbulence in China’s stock market, the SSE (Shanghai Stock Exchange) Composite Index was down 22.7% month-over-month and ended at 3,200.23 points on September 11.

What Is Bankruptcy Investing?

Ivan Kading — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 08:52:39 GMT

Informed investors can profit from businesses that have filed for bankruptcy. A chapter 11 bankruptcy gives a company a second chance to revive its business.

How Have China-Focused Mutual Funds Performed?

Lynn Noah — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 18:27:28 GMT

In the one-month period ended August 4, 2015, each of the four funds we’re covering in this series posted negative returns due to the stock market crash that spread from the end of June until July.

Why the Affordable Care Act hurts the managed care industry

Margaret Patrick — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 20:48:30 GMT

The Affordable Care Act requires health insurers spend at least 80% of premiums on health expenses for small group plans and 85% for large group plans.

Annaly CEO Wellington Denahan shares her vision for the future

Brent Nyitray, CFA, MBA — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 15:00:16 GMT

On the company’s conference call to analysts and investors, Annaly CEO Wellington Denahan addressed the current interest rate environment and where she saw the company heading in the future.

Why George Soros sold his fund’s position in Johnson & Johnson

Samantha Nielson — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 17:00:06 GMT

Soros sold its 1.20% position in Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) last quarter. Johnson & Johnson’s reported 37% increase in adjusted net earnings in 4Q was mainly driven by its pharmaceutical segment.