As featured in The Wall Street Journal, Money Magazine, and more!

Search: acquisition

New York Community Bank Adding Fees For Former Aurora Customers

This article was written by in Banking. 2 comments.


Last month, I received the news that Aurora Bank deposits would be assumed by New York Community Bank. Aurora Bank is yet another online bank that increased its marketing efforts leading up to a sale. For a while, Aurora Bank was a branch of Lehman Brothers, and part of that company’s bankruptcy proceedings required the bank we sold by May 2012.

With that date now here, and with New York Community Bank as the designated buyer, the acquiring bank has sent all Aurora Bank customers more information on how their accounts will be converted.

Central Park New YorkThis is bad news for Aurora Bank customers, who as a group have done well to avoid fees. Aurora Bank’s online money market account has not been completely free; if a customer’s balance were to drop below the minimum balance of $1,000 or if a customer were to leave the account dormant for three years, there would be $5 fees to contend with. These fees are easy to avoid, but New York Community Bank is raising the barriers.

Beginning June 4, 2012, as long as the bank receives regulatory approval for the acquisition (which is very likely), Aurora Bank online money market accounts will become New York Community Bank’s “My Community Gold Money Market Checking” accounts. Among the features are the following:

  • Minimum initial deposit amount: $2,500
  • Minimum balance to earn interest: $2,500 (up from $1,000 at Aurora)
  • Minimum balance to avoid monthly service charge: $2,500 (up from $1,000 at Aurora)
  • Monthly maintenance charge: $15 per cycle if balance is below $2,500 any day during the month (not an average daily balance, not a monthly ending balance)
  • Tiered interest rates ranging from 0.05% to 0.30% APY

The schedule of fees beyond the above, including the other types of accounts at New York Community Bank, is extensive. This bank may have community in its name, but its policies seem more like a large regional or national bank. The “welcome package” I received from New York Community Bank also included the funds availability policy, explaining how some funds you deposit in the form of checks might not be available until the ninth business day after the deposit. The consumer agreement and disclosure statement is 52 pages. The privacy policy is included in a short pamphlet.

I don’t really need an excuse to close one more of my dozens of online savings and money market accounts, but within five minutes of receiving and reading the letter I received with this information, I scheduled a transfer for my entire balance (just north of $1,000, Aurora’s minimum, plus earned interest) from Aurora to my linked checking account.

ÐIÐËO

{ 2 comments }

Aurora Bank’s Deposits to Be Acquired By New York Community Bank

This article was written by in Banking. Add a comment.

Last year, I opened a money market account with Aurora Bank, a division of Lehman Brothers. If it seemed like an odd thing to do, it probably was. Lehman Brothers had filed for bankruptcy in 2008, yet in 2011, they were promoting their online retail bank and looking for new customers. Not wanting to associate the marketing push with their brand, the bank had the name Aurora Bank rather than Lehman Brothers Bank, as it had been known from 1999 until after the bankruptcy.

I knew at the time that Lehman Brothers had been directed to sell Aurora Bank by May 2012, and that target is approaching. If regulators approve the acquisition, New York Community Bank will be assuming all deposits (savings, money market, and checking accounts) from Aurora Bank. New York Community Bank is no stranger to acquiring “online” banks. AmTrust was a recent acquisition. AmTrust “failed” in 2009, alongside many banks that crumbled under the credit crunch and recession, and New York Community Bank became the receivor. In this case, the situation does not reflect any problem with Aurora, but a condition of Lehman Brothers’ bankrupcty.

As I pointed out in my review of Aurora Bank, with the pending sale, Aurora Bank offered higher than average rates and initiated a marketing push to build a larger customer base in advance of the banking division being sold to the highest or best bidder. The risk of acquisition is mostly meaningless to customers, particularly those who are generally blind to brands and are not concerned with being loyal to a bank with whom they’ve had a relationship for many years. The FDIC ensures that changes like these don’t affect customers, even when banks fail without being acquired by another bank.

New York Community Bank consists of several divisions, each serving a different community. Most of these communities are in the New York area, but with acquisitions, the service area has spread. With the divisions operating somewhat separately, maintaining their own branding, and keeping the word “community” in many of the division names, the bank is certainly looking to emphasize the small-town vibe of a community-focused organization despite the growing size of the company.

  • Queens County Community Bank is a division of NYCB that operates in Queens County, New York.
  • Roosevelt Savings Bank operates in Brooklyn, New York.
  • Roslyn Savings Bank operates on Long Island.
  • CFS Bank operates in Westchester County, Manhattan, and the Bronx.
  • Richmond County Savings Bank operates on Staten Island.
  • NYCB also operates several banks in New Jersey including the Garden State Community Bank.

New York Community Bank’s online features are not as strong as one might expect from a bank that competes for business among the best online savings accounts, but Aurora Bank customers should receive services similar to those they’ve had over the past few years, including high-yield money market accounts accessible online.

Even the bigger online banks are not immune to changes; Capital One has acquired the United States deposits of online juggernaut ING Direct. The retail banking industry has been in a state of upheaval since the recession, and while the rate of failing banks has slowed down, banks with power are seizing opportunities for acquisitions. With consolidation, there is always fear that the customer will lose, and there is some validity to that fear. Competition is good in the banking industry, motivating companies to offer products that meet customers’ needs while keeping fees low.

Here is the text of the letter I received as a customer of Aurora Bank:

Dear Bank Customer:

Please be advised that at 12 noon on July 6, 2012, the following Aurora Bank FSB (aurora) branches will close permanently…

Separately, we wish to inform you that New York Community Bank, in a transaction that is subject to regulatory approval, will be acquiring any deposit accounts you currently maintain at Aurora. In the event the required regulatory approvals have not been received prior to the branch closing date, your accounts will be transferred to, and will be serviced by, Aurora’s home office, currently located at 1000 West Street, Suite 200, Wilmington, Delaware 19801, until such time as the necessary approvals are received. New York Community Bank will contact you with additional information regarding the transfer of your account(s). No action by you will be necessary.

We thank you for being an Aurora customer. If you have any questions, please contact our customer service department at 888-522-9295.

The letter comes to me as a reminder that I have too many open bank accounts floating around, mostly as a result of writing reviews for Consumerism Commentary readers.

{ 0 comments }

Are You Ready For Higher Cell Phone Bills?

This article was written by in Consumer. 16 comments.

As more consumers in the United States are jumping on the smartphone and tablet bandwagon — personally, I contribute to this mess with one of the latest phones with Android software as well as a first-generation iPad — there’s less room in the limited airwaves for customers’ needs to access the internet and occasionally make telephone calls over mobile networks. Mobile carriers are doing what they can to preserve what remains of the spectrum, usually by increasing prices or limiting bandwidth.

The idea behind the peak oil movement is that in the future — and sometime soon — the world will not be able to efficiently produce as much oil as the citizens of the world need to consume, and due to the imbalance between supply and demand, prices for oil (and thus everything else that relies on oil) will skyrocket. Peak oil has been proven difficult to predict.

TabletUnlike peak oil, wireless carriers know how much spectrum they have left before they can’t support any additional traffic over the air. The situation is similar to real estate. There’s only so much available land for construction, and as the available land in any area with adequate demand is sold, the pressure of the lack of supply drives prices up. Dish Network, for example, has a significant amount of unused spectrum, and it would like to sell what it isn’t using to a wireless provider that desperately needs the spectrum to satisfy its customers.

As companies need to devote more of their resources towards increasing spectrum — whether through consolidation attempts in the industry like AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile — or through buying spectrum from other owners at a high price — and as companies use pricing to limit customers’ use of the spectrum, the cost for a family or an individual to receive the same level of service is going to increase.

Save money on your cell phone bills

You can keep your cell phone bills in check:

  • Use a service like Validas to make sure you’re paying for the best mobile plan for you.
  • Compare prices across carriers. Don’t just consider the mainstream plans with the major carriers; pre-paid mobile phone plans could cost less.
  • Consider skipping internet-enabled devices. If all you need to do is talk, you can save yourself the expense of the latest high-tech phones and stay on a less expensive voice plan.
  • If you have other telecommunication services, like cable television and home phone, consider bundling these services to save money.
  • Call and ask for a discount. Sometimes, you can get a price break just by asking. Don’t threaten to leave, though, unless you’re willing to live up to that promise.

I’m currently paying over $100 per month for my mobile phone service with Verizon Wireless, which includes my phone with 4G smartphone service as well as a 3G service for my iPad through a separate device. How much do you pay for your mobile phone service? Are you prepared for this cost to increase in the next year or two as companies fight over remaining broadband spectrum?

Photo: @iannnnn
CNN Money

{ 16 comments }

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to Streamline Regulations

This article was written by in Economy, Link Sharing. 2 comments.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking suggestions from the public about how the government organization can streamline the variety of regulatory responsibilities they’ve inherited from other oversight groups. leave your comments with the CFPB here. The industry and much of the public are never fans of over-regulation, and the CFPB intends to reduce regulations while protecting consumers. Is that going to be a successful approach?

Here are several articles I’ve enjoyed recently or would like to share.

I’ve written on Forbes about the Federal Reserve’s approval of Capital One’s acquisition of ING Direct USA and ShareBuilder. Tomorrow’s podcast, hosted by Bryan J Busch, will cover this topic as well.

Steve Rhode, the Get Out of Debt Guy, warns readers that bankruptcy attorneys are reporting major problems on the horizon for people with student loan debt. Bankruptcy attorneys have noted a significant increase of student loan debt among potential clients, but very few student loan debtors have a chance of student loans being discharged due to hardship. It’s a tough time for graduates, with the unemployment rate still high.

As my income has changed over the past few years, I’ve tried to avoid lifestyle inflation. Sustainable Life Blog tackled this topic recently. Three or so years ago, I moved into a nicer apartment, but that’s the only major change I’ve made in my life. I’ve spent more on hobbies — particularly one hobby that may at least provide some revenue in the future — but for the most part, my life hasn’t changed.

Nelson Smith at Sustainable Personal Finance reminds readers of the importance of having a will. You can never stress this point enough, and I’m falling behind in updating my documents.

Barbara Friedberg says the four hour work week is impossible. The concept of working only four hours per week and maintaining a great lifestyle has a certain appeal for just about every American, particularly those who are tired of dragging themselves to an office to work for someone else. In her article, Barb asks several important questions about what this popular concept leaves out.

{ 2 comments }

Federal Reserve Approves Capital One’s Acquisition of ING Direct

by Flexo
ING Direct

After several delays, the Federal Reserve Board has approved Capital One’s request to purchase ING Direct and ShareBuilder. This deal has been in the works for a while. When ING Direct’s parent company was bailed out, the Dutch government gave the condition that it must divest its business in the United States. Several buyers courted ... Continue reading this article…

17 comments Read the full article →

Home Mortgage Interest Deduction

by Flexo
5432675084_4150041f70_b[1]

Although the home mortgage interest deduction is one of the most oft-cited benefits of owning a home, most taxpayers don’t take advantage of it because it requires itemizing taxes. If itemized deductions including mortgage interest paid throughout the year exceed the standard deduction, a taxpayer can take advantage of the benefit. The benefit isn’t as ... Continue reading this article…

61 comments Read the full article →

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Director, Richard Cordray

by Flexo
Richard Cordray

As many Presidents of the United States have done, President Obama avoided confrontation with Congress by appointing an individual to direct a government organization while lawmakers were on recess. Yesterday, the President appointed former Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray to the long-delayed position of director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Now that this ... Continue reading this article…

14 comments Read the full article →

The $4 Million Photograph: How Do You Value Art?

by Flexo

Last week, a photograph by Andreas Gurksy, Rhein II, was sold at auction for $4,338,500 to an anonymous buyer. The record-breaking sale allowed Gursky to reclaim fame as the artist whose work has claimed the highest price paid for a photograph. This auction was a secondary market sale. As in most art auctions commanding high ... Continue reading this article…

14 comments Read the full article →
Page 1 of 712345···Last »