The percentage of loans paying off on their balloon date rebounded in January after a sharp drop in December. The latest reading is about 25 points higher than the December rate of 49.6%, which was the lowest reading since July 2012. The January rate was 71.9% which is above the 12-month moving average of 66.1%. (This number sums the averages of each month and divides by 12--there was no balance weighting across the months.) The highest rate in the...

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Various whistleblower laws protect employees who "lawfully" disclose confidential information in good faith to bring to light illicit or illegal activity. Generally, therefore, employees do not receive whistleblower protections when they obtain or disclose the information illegally.  A recent U.S. Supreme Court case however, demonstrates an exception to that rule. In Department of Homeland Security v. MacLean, the Court held that an air marshal who disclosed confidential information in direct violation of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations was entitled...

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As of January, 2015 DS-Concept has officially joined Factors Chain International (FCI). Established in 1968, FCI is a global network of leading factoring companies whose common aim is to facilitate international trade through factoring and related financial services. Currently, the FCI network consists of  271 factors in 73 countries, actively engaged in more than 80% of the world's cross-border factoring volume. “We are excited to join FCI and believe that our involvement will help DS-Concept further promote the benefits of...

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Montreal, QC — CM Labs Simulations announced today that it is partnering with Canadian venture capital firm Emerillon Capital and Desjardins-Innovatech to accelerate its growth trajectory. Established in 2001, the Montreal-based simulation company is the developer of Vortex, a unique platform for creating interactive real-time simulation-based training and engineering applications. The technology is the leading platform in construction and port terminal operations training and offshore simulation. CM Labs Simulations was recently named to the prestigious Deloitte Technology Fast 50™ listing, ranking...

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In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama made clear that he would veto efforts by the Republican-controlled Congress to undo some of the work that the administration has advanced on a number of pivotal issues. One issue that President Obama referenced by name was immigration. Specifically, the president suggested that he would defend his recent executive action on immigration, vowing that any effort to refight “past battles” would earn his veto. With the implications from that pronouncement...

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Starting from 1st December 2014, certain financial companies have become subject to reporting obligations to the Banque Centrale du Luxembourg (the "BCL") as a result of the entry into force of the Regulation No 2014/17 dated 21 July 2014 (the "New BCL Reporting Regulation") of the BCL. What is the background of the reporting obligations? The Council Regulation (EC) No 2533/98 of 23 November 1998 established the framework of statistical reporting obligations (the "Reporting Obligations") for financial institutions and designated the...

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Goldberg Segalla, one of the fastest-growing law firms in the United States, will further expand its U.S. footprint when it opens a new office in St. Louis on March 1. St. Louis will be home to Goldberg Segalla’s 13th office, highlighting the dynamic growth that has defined the 200+ lawyer firm since it was founded in 2001. The St. Louis office will be launched by a team of five lawyers led by Kurtis B. Reeg, a nationally recognized insurance coverage,...

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With today’s date marking Data Privacy Day 2015, we look back on some of our top stories in the past year. We also glance forward to the coming 12 months and what they may hold for privacy law. It is important to point out that the last few years have unfolded to the backdrop of Edward Snowden’s allegations of mass surveillance and data collection. This is reflected, in some sense, in the court decisions and stories arising in that...

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Being knowledgeable in CMBS is a lot like being a good comedian or being successful at Jeopardy, it certainly helps to know a little bit about a lot of different topics. Good CMBS investors can rattle off the prospects of retailers like Sears and J.C. Penney; they know what cities, borrowers, and buildings could be impacted by $40 oil; they now know how to pronounce Lake Pontchartrain; and they have a grasp of the potential affect of the sequester on...

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Last year proved to be full of unprecedented challenges to the cybersecurity infrastructure of the U.S. economy. Security breaches at Sony Pictures, Target, Apple, JPMorgan, and Home Depot have featured prominently in the news cycle over the past year and highlighted the many risks faced by public companies and their board members. Indeed, the National Association of Corporate Directors has listed cybersecurity as one of the three critical challenges for public company directors in 2015, and not without good...

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