Charles Schwab (SCHW) has announced its decision to acquire optionsXpress (OXPS) in a friendly all-stock deal. This deal will help Schwab compete with other firms like E-Trade (ETFC), Ameritrade (AMTD), and Bank of America (BAC), which all have large online brokerage services and are vying to provide investors with the best tools and services.
The deal, which is expected to close by the third quarter of 2011, will cost Schwab $1 billion, and the company will issue 60 million new shares to swap each outstanding share of optionsXpress with 1.02 of its own shares. Our $19.74 price estimate for Charles Schwab is at a premium of almost 12% to its current market value.
BankOfAmerica posts
FeedChuck Adds optionsXpress to Schwab's Portfolio
Continue reading Chuck Adds optionsXpress to Schwab's Portfolio
Judge Approves 'Half-Baked Justice' SEC Settlement with BofA
It all started during the financial crisis. Banks and brokerage houses were tumbling down one after another. One of the biggest was the collapse of Merrill Lynch. Bank of America (BAC) negotiated the purchase of Merrill, but there was one hitch. BofA failed to appraise its stockholders that Merrill had approved $5.8 billion in bonuses to Merrill employees.
The agreement was struck. Everything was kept under the table until the SEC started an investigation into the matter. The SEC is famous for just giving a slap on the wrist to the biggest offenders. In this case the SEC agreed that BofA should pay a measly $33 million fine.
Continue reading Judge Approves 'Half-Baked Justice' SEC Settlement with BofA
John Thain Takes the Top Spot at CIT Group
John Thain -- whom you may recall as the man who presided over the spectacular implosion of Merrill Lynch -- is looking to have some new business cards printed up. Over the weekend, CIT Group (CIT) officially announced that its board of directors has elected Thain as chairman and CEO.
Due to his controversial past, the decision to elect Thain wasn't an easy one. After shelling out a small fortune to tart up his office digs at Merrill Lynch -- and doling out lofty bonuses amid the bank's hasty takeover by Bank of America (BAC) -- Thain became something of a poster boy for Wall Street excesses.
Treasury Does Not Have the Authority to Allow Ken Lewis to Violate Securities Laws
Defenders of former Bank of America (BAC) CEO Ken Lewis, who is now being charged with civil fraud by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, are quick to point out that Lewis may have been pressured not to reveal massive losses to shareholders by regulators -- namely Ben Bernanke and Hank Paulson.Continue reading Treasury Does Not Have the Authority to Allow Ken Lewis to Violate Securities Laws
Bank of America Fourth Quarter Earnings Preview
Before the market opens tomorrow, Bank of America (BAC) is going to be reporting its fourth quarter earnings numbers.Going into tomorrow's earnings release, Wall Street analysts are looking for the company to show a loss of 52 cents per share. For the same period last year, the company had a loss of 48 cents per share.
Continue reading Bank of America Fourth Quarter Earnings Preview
Cramer on BloggingStocks: BofA Got It Right on Moynihan
I like Brian Moynihan. I have wanted him from the get-go. Not because he is a lawyer -- that hasn't been much of a boost for others in banking (sorry Chuck Prince!). And not because he is an insider, although I think learning this story would be darned hard for an outsider.
I've liked him because he is from Fleet, the part of Bank of America (BAC) (Cramer's Take) from New England; Fleet is the least risky, most conservative portion of the bank. Fleet was a bank I loved. It gave you an amazing return and did it in a simple, conservative way: good banking.
Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: BofA Got It Right on Moynihan
Goldman Sachs had bigger role in AIG than realized
Were we all too fast to blame AIG (AIG)?
The insurance giant's role in precipitating the worldwide financial crisis has been covered at length since it teetered on the edge of disaster in September 2008, thanks to a series of high-risk transactions executed through its financial products group. Well, Goldman Sachs (GS), which has recovered quickly from last year's woes and is already figuring out how to pay some hefty bonuses, may have played a larger role in these transactions than everyone realized.
Continue reading Goldman Sachs had bigger role in AIG than realized
Banks subsidizing auto TARP, extra money could be spent
The bailouts of late 2008 and 2009 have cost the American taxpayers $61 billion, according to the Treasury Department, but the banks aren't to blame this time. The auto manufacturer bailout, which includes Chrysler and General Motors (GRM), has cost the country more than $30 billion, with American International Group (AIG) consuming another $30 billion.
Meanwhile, Bank of America (BAC) has already made good with the government, and several banks -- such as Capital One (COF), JP Morgan Chase (JPM) and TCF Financial (TCB) -- only have to clean up situations regarding the warrants they've issued. And interestingly, the losses from the bailouts on AIG and auto manufacturers are being offset by profits from the bank bailouts, which could generate additional funds of up to $19.5 billion.
Continue reading Banks subsidizing auto TARP, extra money could be spent
Why isn't Bank of America updating its shareholders on CEO situation?
Earlier this month, it was reported that Bank of America (BAC) might not announce a replacement for departing CEO Ken Lewis until Thanksgiving.
Now Thanksgiving has come and gone, and there is still no word of a new CEO for Bank of America.
"The selection process is continuing, internal and external candidates are being considered and a decision will be made in the near future," BofA spokesman Scott Silvestri told CNBC, which is speculating that the process could linger on into next year.
Continue reading Why isn't Bank of America updating its shareholders on CEO situation?
Ken Lewis' successor could be... Ken Lewis?
In the past, I've covered Rochdale Securities analyst Dick Bove's inane ramblings about how fantastically awesome Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) CEO Ken Lewis is. Last month he called Mr. Lewis "phenomenally good" and his notes to investors are beginning to have more in common with 12-year old girls' Valentines to Zac Efron than conventional research.But he has outdone himself this time. While Bank of America's chairman of the board goes on a cruise instead of devoting all his energy to finding a successor, Mr. Bove has found the solution to replacing Ken Lewis: "In sum, Mr. Lewis was a key architect in the creation and management of Bank of America. He knows this company better than anyone else and he knows how to operate it," Bove wrote in a research note issued this morning. "At this point in the company's history, this is the type of leader needed. Convincing him to return would be the biggest morale builder that management could get."
Continue reading Ken Lewis' successor could be... Ken Lewis?
Chasing Value: E-Trade, a word of caution
Look before you leap! All year long rumors have been swirling around that E*TRADE (ETFC) was on the auction block being prepared for an acquisition by a bigger fish interested in its customers and superior trading platform. I have not used E-TRADE so I do not have first hand experience. However, this has been acknowledged broadly and I have received very positive comments from regular users when I have written about it.The leading suitor seems to be TD AmeriTrade Holding (AMTD), with Charles Schwab Corp (SCHW) mentioned as perhaps having similar but less conspicuous interest. For Schwab it may be as much about keeping E-TRADE out of a competitors hands as chasing the business.
CEO turnover down, not out
It's still a tough time to be a CEO. In October, 89 top dogs moved on (by choice or not). Though this is 15% lower than the 105 in September and 29% off the whopping 125 CEOs who turned over a year earlier, it's still a sign that "stability" doesn't equal "recovery."
The latest study that Challenger, Gray & Christmas revealed to BloggingStocks reports that October was the eighth month this year in which CEO turnover was down year-over-year. Through the end of last month, 1,028 CEO positions changed hands -- down 18% from the 1,257 by the same point in 2008. In fact, the tally for the first 10 months of 2009 is the lowest since 2004, when the big office found only 561 new inhabitants.
The financial industry remains the toughest place for CEOs, with 19 leaving the job last month. Even though the situation has gotten easier, this industry still has the highest turnover. For the year, approximately 10% of all CEO departures (106) have been in the financial sector. "The financial industry is still incredibly volatile, as both October and September saw major announcements from leading companies including JP Morgan Chase (JPM), Bank of America (BAC) and last month's bankruptcy of CIT Group, which led to the exit of CEO Jeffrey Peek," John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, says.
Former Bank of America director says give CEO job to insider
And now we're back with more from the "Who the hell cares what he thinks?" file:Former Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) lead director Temple Sloan tells Bloomberg that the company should pick an insider from Bank of America to be its next CEO -- because an outsider wouldn't be familiar with how the company (doesn't) work. He supports handing the job to Brian Moynihan, consumer banking head, or Barbara Desoer, who runs home loans and insurance.
Interesting ideas! Why isn't Mr. Sloan still on the board of directors?
Continue reading Former Bank of America director says give CEO job to insider
Bank of America delays CEO announcement
After taking way too long to send CEO Ken Lewis packing, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) is now taking way too long to find a successor.Charlie Gasparino reports that "The board of directors of Bank of America is likely to delay a much-anticipated announcement of a replacement for CEO Ken Lewis until next week, an effort people close to the bank say, to conduct a wide-ranging search for the bank's next leader and appease some investors and analysts who want an experienced outsider to replace Lewis."
The problem is that Bank of America is having trouble finding qualified outside candidates -- because few sane people have a desire to walk into the mess that the current regime at the company has created.
Housing market to dip again next year; Goldman says by 10%
If you've become comfortable with the current state of the housing market ... don't. Economists at Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) and Bank of America's Merrill Lynch (NYSE: BAC) say there's still plenty of risk in the housing market.
Alec Phillips, the head of Goldman's Washington office, said, "The risk of renewed home price declines remains significant." His "working assumption" is a drop of between 5% and 10% by the middle of next year.
Continue reading Housing market to dip again next year; Goldman says by 10%
Savings Experiment: Snow Removal
The Money Man Behind Rick Santorum: Who Is Foster S. Friess?


