For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 3, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: U.S. Bancorp (USB), JP Morgan Chase (JPM), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), Zions Bancorp (ZION) and SunTrust Banks (STI).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Monday’s AnalystBlog:

Bank Failures Zoom to 115

The nine banks had 153 offices, out of which California National Bank had 68 branches. California National Bank was the biggest of FBOP's banks, the nation's 101st largest with assets of $7.1 billion.

Failure of these institutions represents another impact on the Federal

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 20, 2009 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: CVB Financial (CVBF), JP Morgan Chase (JPM), Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB), U.S. Bancorp (USB) and Zions Bancorp (ZION).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Monday’s AnalystBlog:

U.S. Bank Failures Reach 99 in ‘09

The failure of San Joaquin Bank represents another impact on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) fund for protecting customer accounts as it has been appointed receiver for the bank. The bank failure is expected to cost the deposit insurance fund

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U.S. bank failures continue unabated as U.S. regulators on Friday closed down San Joaquin Bank of Bakersfield, CA. This takes the total number of failed federally insured banks to 99 in 2009, compared to 25 in 2008 and 3 in 2007. As of September 29, San Joaquin Bank, a subsidiary of San Joaquin Bancorp, had about $775 million in assets, $631 million in deposits and 5 branches. The bank had not been included in a previous list of 89 institutions that were undercapitalized as of March 31. But its first quarter amended filing showed that there were additional loan charge-offs and a higher net loss. As of June 30, San Joaquin Bank’s Tier 1 leverage ratio was 4.12% and the total risk-based capital ratio was 6.70%. Though the Tier 1 leverage ratio was above the minimum level of 4% considered adequately capitalized, its total risk-based capital ratio ...

A continued decline in initial claims for unemployment resulted in roughly 10,000 fewer than last week’s upwardly revised total of 524,000. For the fifth time now in six weeks, this figure has declined, beating the Thomson Reuters forecast by 2%, with the four-week average falling six times in a row to 531,500. The initial claims figure is incredibly important because it is a direct expression of lay-offs and the overall propensity within the labor market for hiring.

Several economic analysts have pegged the floor below 200,000 job losses for October, which would set a record for the year. However, the unemployment rate is at 9.8%, the highest in 26 years, and the labor market has lost 7.2 million jobs since December 07. Although initial claims paint a somewhat rosy picture, suggesting improvement, the labor market is still well below the 325,000 benchmark for initial claims, which is an historical indicator of

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Regulators shut down 3 more banks including Corus; total failed banks in '09 reach 92   Three more banks including Corus Bank NA, a subsidiary of Corus Bankshares (CORS), were shuttered by the U.S. regulators on Friday as the recession continues to take its toll on banks. This takes the total number of failed federally insured banks in this year to 92, compared to 25 in 2008 and 3 in 2007. Based in Chicago, the Corus Bank was a major lender to condominium, office and hotel projects. Corus is one of the largest banks to fail this year, with about $7 billion in total assets, $7 billion in deposits and 11 branches. Two other small banks were Lacey, WA-based Venture Bank, with $970 million in assets and $903 million in deposits and Woodbury, MN-based Brickwell Community Bank, with $72 million in assets and $63 million in ...

A pair of positive economic news failed to lift sentiments on the Street as mounting worries that the six-month old rally has gone ahead of the economic recovery led to a nervous selling and all major indexes closed sharply lower.  That September has historically been a rough month for stocks is also a factor why investors appear disinclined to jump into the fray and many say a break in the six-month old rally is on the cards.

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average, after gaining over sixty points in the morning, nose-dived 185.68 points, or 2%, to 9,310.60.  Since Friday, the index has lost 270 points, or 2.8%.  The S&P 500 fell 22.58, or 2.2%, to 998.04, while the Nasdaq composite index fell 40.17, or 2%, to 1,968.89.  Treasuries, which usually benefit from a fall in stocks, could garner only moderate gains.  Volume picked up on the NYSE

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Wachovia Corporation, now a part of Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), will have to shell out a $2.52 million assessment fee to the state for its involvement in the auction rate securities market.   An auction rate security (ARS) typically refers to a debt instrument with a long-term nominal maturity, for which the interest rate is regularly reset through a Dutch auction.   Since February 2008, most of such auctions have failed and the auction market has been largely frozen. In late 2008, investment banks that had marketed and distributed ARSs have agreed to repurchase most of them at par. Wachovia announced yesterday that it would buy back $324.6 million of ARSs it sold to investors.   Wachovia has been slapped with a multi-state investigation under which it will have to pay a $50 million penalty along with buying back $9 billion in auction rate securities sold to ...

This post provides links to a number of thought-provoking articles I have read over the past few days that you may also find interesting.

• Richard Bernstein (Financial Times): America is for now still blowing bubbles, July 20, 2009. By preserving capacity to avoid taking pain today, the US is following the approach that led Japan into a lost decade.

• Kenneth Scott and John Taylor (The Wall Street Journal): Why toxic assets are so hard to clean up, July 21, 2009. Despite trillions of dollars of new government programs, one of the original causes of the financial crisis — the toxic assets on bank balance sheets — still persists and remains a serious impediment to economic recovery. Why are these toxic assets so difficult to deal with? We believe their sheer complexity is the core problem and that only increased transparency will

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Americans should have been in the streets to reclaim the country long ago. Patrick Henry and his fellow patriots are turning over in their graves about the present day USA. The savvy folks I talk to on a regular basis are exceedingly pessimistic that our blessed republic can pull out of this present financial, economic and political tailspin. The US as we have known it is on the ropes.

Our third President and signer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, long ago stated …”Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies”.

He also declared …“If Americans ever allow banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children will wake up homeless.”

Hello.

A second American Revolution is now at least as necessary as the first one was though few citizens have an overall understanding of

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US markets shot higher for the fourth consecutive day on Thursday as JP Morgan’s robust numbers fed hopes that the worst of the economic troubles had passed.  Although trade remained choppy throughout the session, markets succeeded in getting a foothold towards the end as traders picked up technology and financial stocks.  Technology-heavy NASDAQ ended at its highest level since October.   

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 94 points, or 1.1% and the S&P 500 index increased 8 points, or 0.9%. The NASDAQ index jumped 24 points, or 1.3%.  Volume remained moderate with only 1.2 billion shares exchanging hands on the New York Stock Exchange and advancing shares outpacing declining issues by a seven-to-three margin.  Stocks have rallied this week as better-than-expected earnings from Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and Intel’s (NASDAQ:INTC) robust third quarter outlook have lifted sentiments on the Street.

Helping the sentiment further were reports that said New York

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