Then there's the simple theory that if prices fall to a certain point, the stocks become almost irresistible. Though the value school of investing has had a rocky road the past few years, it still has its believers. Lower valuations, in turn, should trigger added merger activity, especially by the third quarter if struggling banks can't turn around their fortunes in the first half, says U.S. Trust analyst Joan Ellis. Copyright c 2000 Thomson Finacial Media. All Rights Reserved.
Software helps lenders keep prepayments at manageable levels.
In 1998, as interest rates fell to phenomenal lows, servicers began to wonder how they could combat the refi craze and its devastating effect on their servicing portfolios. Crossland is currently using Crystal Reports, a Windows-based product, to go after possible refi accounts. Copyright c c 2000 Thomson Finacial Media. All Rights Reserved. There's an ironic contrast between those exhortations and the results of a banker survey conducted by First Manhattan Consulting Group just prior to the conference.