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[ad_1] Continuing their downward trajectory for the third consecutive week, the country’s foreign exchange reserves declined by USD 2.03 billion to stand at USD 617.648 billion in the week ended March 25, RBI data showed on Friday. In the week ended March 18, the forex kitty had declined by USD 2.597 billion to USD 619.678 billion. It had plunged by USD 9.646 billion to USD 622.275 billion in the week ended March 11. During the reporting week, the fall in the reserves was mainly on account of a decline in the foreign currency assets (FCA), a major component of the overall reserves, as per weekly data by the Reserve Bank of India. FCA dropped by USD 3.202 billion to USD 550.454 billion in the week ended March 25.Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves. Gold reserves increased by USD 1.23 billion to USD 43.241 billion in the reporting week, the data showed. The special drawing rights (SDRs) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) dipped by USD 44 million to USD 18.821 billion.The country’s reserve position with the IMF also decreased by USD 14 million to USD 5.132 billion. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Finance of America CEO Patti Cook In February, Finance of America CEO Patti Cook announced her retirement after a successful career in finance that spanned 45 years. HousingWire sat down with this Woman of Influence winner to find out some of the important lessons she learned along the way. HousingWire: One of your first jobs in the industry was at Salomon Brothers, starting in 1979. What part of that job did you love? Patti Cook: When I look back on my time at Salomon Brothers, what drew me to that work and kept me there was the innovation coming to the fixed-income markets during that decade. When you look at how fixed-income developed, mortgage-backed securities were brand new at the time and I was right at the forefront of that work. CMOs or collateralized mortgage obligations were developed. Then, that led to REMICs — real estate mortgage investment conduits — and the market really took off from there. Salomon Brothers was at the epicenter of the innovation taking place in fixed-income and I really loved that firsthand experience working with mortgage-backed securities, CMOs, REMICs and securitization more broadly. HW: You worked at Salomon Brothers when it was rare to see women on Wall Street. What did you take away from that experience that has shaped the roles you’ve had since then? Patti Cook: My experience there really led me to my “excellence every day” mantra. When you commit to excellence every day, it gets rewarded. For me, I wasn’t focused on women being unique in the workplace or having a bigger mountain to climb or anything like that. I genuinely feel I was lucky to have that job and I demonstrated that in my approach to work. I put my head down, worked hard every day, and I was rewarded for it. That commitment to excellence and working hard — even on the days when you might not feel up to it — really shaped my outlook and has been a key driver in my success. HW: From 2004-2008 — at the height of the financial crisis — you served as EVP and chief business officer at Freddie Mac. What was it like to be there as it went into conservatorship? Patti Cook: That was certainly quite the experience. I can say that there is no playbook for a situation like that. There was no safety net. We were working with some of the smartest people in the room — leaders from the Fed, Treasury and at the highest levels of government — to develop a response and sort out the right solution. Our focus was on calming the markets and ensuring stability. In some ways, when I look back at that time, it was like we all had a front row view of history in the making. HW: Was there any thought then that conservatorship would last so long? Patti Cook: At the time, we were singularly focused on fixing the situation and bringing stability to the markets. We weren’t concerned with the long-term view of how they get out of conservatorship. During that time, that wasn’t the focus of our work. We were focused on shoring up the markets. HW: Working at lenders, financial firms and Freddie Mac, how do you think about the consumer, the borrower, today? Patti Cook: I think it’s all about empowerment for the customer. If you consider the last few decades and how the industry’s view of the customer has evolved, it is all about putting power in the hands of the customer. I don’t think we talked about the customer in that way 20 years ago. What we’ve evolved to is a model where we provide customers with the tools and expert guidance they need to help enable them to make better financial decisions. That also leads me to how we approach our business today at FOA. We strive to offer the widest breadth of products and services, so we can help our customers at whatever stage of life they’re in. Our No. 1 priority and focus today is on the customer and putting them first. HW: You’ve held the top leadership role at some of the largest companies in our industry. What is one key to your success? Patti Cook: My guiding principle has always been to work very hard while always treating all people with respect. This approach has helped me build trust and knowledge, which I’ve accumulated throughout my career and which, in turn, has made me a better and more effective and compassionate leader. I feel very fortunate to be able to look back on a long career that has been filled with such rewarding experiences. HW: Who have been some of your mentors? Patti Cook: I view mentors as those in life who motivate you along the way. The truth is that for me this has and will always be my family. Everything that I’ve done throughout my career — all of the hard work and nights and weekends at the office — have been driven by my desire to provide for my family and help ensure that they were well educated and had everything they needed to be successful. I wanted them to be proud of me. That’s what motivated me. It’s still what motivates me. HW: What are some of the qualities you can identify early on in a junior team member that are great predictors of success? Patti Cook: One of the things I believe I am really good at is identifying young talent and then doing what I can to help nurture those careers. This means making myself available to impart wisdom and counsel and helping to ensure that they have access to the tools and resources to facilitate their professional development. I always assume people are smart enough, but I think the best predictor of success is one’s work ethic and desire to learn. Where someone went to school is much less important to me than their willingness to raise

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[ad_1] India’s fuel sales surged past pre-pandemic levels in March on twin impact of the economy rebounding from the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions and anticipation of price increases leading to stocking. In the first two weeks of March, dealers, as well as the public, topped up their tanks in anticipation of an increase in prices that had been on hold in the run-up to the elections in states like Uttar Pradesh. While daily price revisions restarted on March 22, the increases were calibrated. The price increases moderated the consumption. Petrol sales by state-owned fuel retailers, which control roughly 90 per cent of the market, at 2.69 million tonnes during March were nearly 8.7 per cent higher than the same period last year and 14.2 per cent higher than the period in 2019, preliminary industry data showed. Diesel, the most-used fuel in the country, saw sales jumping 10.1 per cent year-on-year to 7.05 million tonnes. This was 5 per cent higher than sales in March 2019. Petrol and diesel sales had risen 18 per cent and 23.7 per cent respectively in first half of March when most of the hoarding on price hike expectations took place. While petrol sales were 38.6 per cent higher than the sales during March 2020, diesel sales were up 41.6 per cent over the same reference period. Month-on-month, petrol sales were up 17.3 per cent and diesel sales surged 22.3 per cent. Diesel sales during March are the most in any month in the last two years and more than the total volume of diesel sold in April 2020 when the country was under a complete lockdown.Industry sources said, while there was a panic buying by individual vehicle owners, petrol pump dealers topped up not just their storage tanks but also any mobile browser or tanker truck they had. The dealers hoped to make a quick buck by buying fuel at a lower rate and selling at revised higher prices. Petrol and diesel prices hit the freeze button just as electioneering for five states including Uttar Pradesh picked up in early November 2021. The record 137-day freeze ended on March 22 and since then petrol and diesel prices have risen by Rs 6.4 per litre each. Jet fuel (ATF) sales rose 9.8 per cent to 491,200 tonnes in March but were 27.6 per cent less than pre-COVID levels of 2019. They were, however, 7.5 per cent more than sales in the same period in 2020. ATF sales are expected to pick up with the complete opening up of air travel last week. India went in for a complete lockdown, stopping flights, halting rail and road movements and shutting businesses, in the last week of March 2020, to contain the spread of coronavirus. The March 2020 period was near normal as COVID restrictions were just kicking in. LPG sales were up 12 per cent to 2.53 million tonnes in March, the data showed. Cooking gas sales moderated after a Rs 50 per cylinder hike in prices on March 22. LPG sales had risen by 17 per cent in the first half of March. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] WFG National Title Insurance Company (WFG) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Williston Financial Group and a national title insurance underwriter dedicated to taking time and cost out of real estate transactions. By focusing on its clients and their processes, WFG helps compress the time required to close a loan and/or transfer real property ownership. By empowering industry professionals with integrated technologies, WFG provides efficient, high quality products and services through four key divisions: Direct Operations, Agency Operations, Lender Services, and WEST, its technology and digital marketing subsidiary.   WFG develops solutions in direct response to industry concerns solicited through regular engagement with its Executive Roundtable (ERT) of C-suite lending executives. The company’s post-transaction customer surveys and Net Promoter Score program rankings consistently reflect high marks for customer satisfaction across all divisions. This ongoing engagement is an example of WFG’s foundational pledge to “Communicate, Collaborate, Coexist.”  “Through our Executive Round Table (ERT) and the customer surveys we conducted in 2020 and 2021, we found that the biggest pain point for lenders – especially during the last few years’ record-high volumes – was turn-times,” said Dan Bailey. “That, plus challenges with capacity, as well as technology integration and implementation, continue to inform WFG as we develop new solutions that address our customers’ needs.” WFG Lender Services offers a comprehensive portfolio of end-to-end origination products and services supported by:  Real-time pricing  One-touch ordering  One point of contact  LOS integration and delivery Consistent, world-class service  WFG’s MyHome, Blocks, and DecisionPoint products are perfect examples. DecisionPoint instant title decisioning has provided a boost for WFG clients by reducing application to close times and loan fall-out. It analyzes property encumbrances and applicant circumstances, immediately grades the time needed to clear title and projects a completion time based on a customizable rating system. The result is delivered promptly with a pre-title report. DecisionPoint offers immediate title clearance for about a third of U.S. properties.  WFG’s Agency division operates a program called WFG Blocks, which offers title agents direct access to many of the services WFG has developed for its own operations. The six modular programs, or Blocks – Compliance Services, an Expense Management program, Human Resources, Information Security, Marketing and Sales, and Title and Settlement Services – are available as-needed, at any time and in any combination, without long-term or minimum commitments. “The Blocks program provides a way for agents to move fixed costs to variable costs so that they are able to save money and greatly reduce overhead,” said Patrick Stone. WFG’s MyHome streamlines the resale process and enhances consumer satisfaction by eliminating duplicate touchpoints, providing real-time status updates, enabling proactive communication and facilitating data and document collection, storage and sharing.  Additionally, MyHome Funder Dashboard gives lenders and closers instant insight into the history and status of every loan in their pipeline, as well as the steps remaining before they can get to the closing table.  “While taking time and cost out of the real estate transaction, we are empowering the Realtor, lender, and consumer with greater transparency and new technologies, including digital closing,” said Steve Ozonian. “When we all know where we stand and what’s required to close the transaction, we expedite the process and eliminate errors. DecisionPoint, MyHome, and others accomplish this and, most importantly, create a better experience for the consumer, which benefits everyone involved.” Patrick F. Stone, Founder and Executive Chairman, Williston Financial Group A two-time HW Vanguard Award recipient, Patrick F. Stone founded WFG in 2010 and has lead the company through more than ten years of rapid growth nationally, driven by a mission to remove time and cost from the entire real estate process through communication, collaboration, and technological innovation. Steve Ozonian, CEO, Williston Financial Group Building on a track-record of leveraging technology to engineer the dramatic growth of multiple real estate related businesses, President and CEO and HW Vanguard Award winner Steve Ozonian has led WFG to near-$1 billion revenues in 2021 and current reserves of $172 million.  Dan Bailey, SVP, WFG Lender Services & WFG Enterprise Solutions A 20-year Title industry veteran and HousingWire Insiders Award recipient, Dan Bailey is responsible for operations at WFG Lender Services, heads Enterprise Solutions’ national sales team, and has expanded the division’s client base while gaining a reputation for providing world-class customer service with truly customizable, customer-focused solutions.  The post WFG reduces time and cost in real estate transactions appeared first on HousingWire. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] It’s predicted that the price of food in Canada will rise between 5% and 7% this year (nearly $1,000 more per year for a family of four). So, there’s no better time to earn useful rewards and cash back to balance out the rising costs. If you’re partial to shopping at Loblaw banner stores (like Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Fortinos and Loblaws) or frequently fill up at Esso and Mobil stations, the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard could be a good card to earn points on these essential purchases. With every dollar charged to this card, you earn PC Optimum points you can use to save on groceries and other everyday purchases. The more you use this card, the more you can earn. It also comes with benefits, like travel insurance and 24/7 concierge service—none of which will cost you a dime, since it has no annual fee. Find your next credit card.What kind of credit card are you looking for? Get matched with the best cards for you in under 2 minutes at ratehub.ca. Let’s get started. I want to earn rewardsI want to pay low interest You will be leaving MoneySense. Just close the tab to return. Quick Card Facts PC Financial World Elite* Annual fee: $0 Interest rates: purchases 20.97%, cash advances 22.97% (21.97% Quebec) Rewards: 30 points per $1 at affiliated Loblaw banner grocery stores; 45 points per $1 at Shoppers Drug Mart; 30 points per litre at Esso and Mobil stations; 10 points per $1 spent on everything else Point value: 10,000 PC Optimum points = $10, which works out to 10 points = $0.01 Purchase interest rate: 20.97% Income requirement: Minimum annual personal income of $80,000 or household income of $150,000 Best feature: This card offers exceptional rewards on groceries for a no fee card and hassle-free redemption at over 2,500 locations where PC and President’s Choice products are sold Who it’s good for: PC Optimum members, frequent shoppers at PC-affiliated stores (like Loblaws and No Frills) and Shoppers Drug Mart Get more details about the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard* What are the benefits of the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard? 1. You easily earn Optimum points (and they’re more flexible than you may think) You may remember Optimum as Shoppers Drug Mart’s loyalty program, but its’s expanded over the years. You can now use them on [to redeem for? or to earn from?] everything from groceries, to drugstore items to home essentials, clothing and gas. With this card, you’ll rack them up: You get 30 points per $1 spent at affiliated Loblaw banner grocery stores. Plus, you earn 45 points per $1 at Shoppers Drug Mart and 30 points per litre at Esso and Mobil stations. Beyond that, it’s 10 points per $1 spent on everything else. 2. You can earn extra Optimum points if you’re savvy To collect more points, keep your eyes peeled for points-earning promotions at participating stores, like Shoppers Drug Mart’s “20x the Points” shopping events. Plus, sign up at PCOptimum.ca for weekly offers sent via email.  3. It comes with good insurance benefits The PC Financial World Elite Mastercard is a unicorn in the credit card world. Although it has no annual fee, cardholders get the added benefit of insurance coverage. As part of the package, you’ll get car rental collision/loss damage waiver insurance and up to $1 million in travel emergency medical insurance (for up to 10 days from departure). Those are two valuable features that could save serious coin on your next trip if you are involved in an accident. It’s hard to find a $0 annual fee credit card with these kind of extras. How to earn PC Optimum points Earning is easy: simply charge purchases to your PC Financial World Elite Mastercard. You’ll earn the most when you shop at PC-affiliated stores, and fuel up with its gas-station partners. With the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard, you’ll earn 30 Points per $1 spent at affiliated Loblaw banner grocery stores (Loblaws, Fortinos, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, etc.), making this one of the best no annual fee credit cards for groceries.  The earn rate is a whopping 45 points per $1 spent at Shoppers Drug Mart (as well as Pharmaprix in Quebec) and at least 30 points per litre of gasoline or diesel fuel purchased at Esso and select Mobil stations in Canada, making this one of the best credit cards for gas on the market.  You’ll also get 30 points per $1 spent through PC Travel; and 10 points per $1 spent everywhere else. How to redeem PC Optimum points One of the best features of PC Optimum Rewards is that redemption is a cinch. As soon as you accumulate 10,000 PC Optimum points, you can redeem them for up to $10 worth of free groceries or merchandise at any participating stores; or you can save them for fatter savings down the line. Points are calculated based on the purchase price of eligible products, less any applicable discounts and taxes shown on the receipt. You can redeem PC Optimum points at about 2,500 participating retail locations, including:  grocery stores such as Loblaws, Fortinos, No Frills and Real Canadian Superstore retail stores such as Zehrs and Joe Fresh drugstores such as Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix Just tell the cashier that you would like to “spend” your points when you scan your PC Optimum card at the checkout counter. Or you can redeem points off you bill shopping online at Beauty Boutique, Joe Fresh and PC Express websites.  You can see the list of participating retailers here. While the PC Optimum rewards program is very flexible, there are a few limitations. PC Optimum points cannot be earned or redeemed for certain items, including tobacco, alcohol and gift cards.  Each province and territory has different rules pertaining to earning and/or redeeming PC Optimum points on prescriptions, medication and other pharmacy or healthcare-related products and services. So check with the staff first.  Are

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