There’s a sobering saying, “The female of the species is more deadly than the male.” It first surfaced in a poem by Rudyard Kipling and achieved international recognition through the “shock shock horror” song by Space. Taken literally when applied to humanity, it suggests women are more likely to kill you than men. Except, when it comes to driving, this is almost certainly not true. There’s a myth put about by men that women are bad drivers. Talk to the average male driver and they will pour scorn on women, telling tall stories about dangerous behavior on the roads. Yet this sexist view is not supported by the accident statistics. When you add up all the numbers from around the world, men are three times more likely to die on the roads than women. The truth seems to be that men may have better spatial awareness and so slightly better control of their vehicles. But women have better self-control which makes them safer drivers. The result in the gender stakes is that men, particularly when young, are more reckless than women, driving faster with less attention. Women are more cautious, driving more slowly and causing fewer serious accidents. Even more importantly, women have fewer emotional hang-ups about the cars they drive. Whereas men prefer to be seen in fast, sleek sporty cars, women tend to have more modest (and cheaper) tastes.

Let’s put the big picture together. For now, we’ll assume that women are as good as male drivers and both sexes have the same number of accidents. The cars driven by women will be traveling more slowly when they collide. That means there will be less impact and so a reduced risk of injuries. Now add in the fact that women tend to be driving less expensive cars and the total loss of damage to the vehicles and injuries to the people inside will always be lower. The rest of the statistics from law enforcement complete the picture. When it comes to tickets issued and convictions, women are rarely caught exceeding the speed limit, do not drive recklessly and are less likely to drive while drunk or incapacitated by drugs. Finally, men love their cars and prefer to drive them over long distances. Women make shorter commuter journeys and take the plane or train over longer distances.

This means lower premiums for women drivers. They are more careful, have fewer accidents and cause less damage. Men are less likely to obey the law, and more likely to be injured and cause injuries. Auto insurance premiums are therefore significantly higher for younger male drivers and, on average, higher than the equivalent female drivers over their lifetimes. So, when women go online to use the search engines for the best insurance rates, they are likely to be pleasantly surprised. The only strategy that men can adopt is to build up a trouble-free driving record over time. The longer male drivers go without picking up a ticket, the better. Savings will also flow from buying cheaper, less powerful cars and driving them less. Accepting mileage restrictions saves dollars on auto insurance premiums. In fact, men save money when they drive like women.

Decreases the cost of interbank checks and reduces, for the score, time to collect the sums paid. Are the effects of the measure by which the Antitrust Authority has agreed, making binding commitments presented by ABI and PattiChiari in the investigation initiated on 10 September 2008 for possible agreements that restrict competition. Instruction initiated by the Authority, says a note, were challenged Abi setting collective level associations, the maximum value in interchange fees for the provision of services to check and Mav (pay by a notice made through bulletin ), and PattiChiari development at the consortium level, a ceiling for days of availability and economic irrevocability of the sums paid by check.

The commitments offered by Abi, provide for the elimination of fees for checks truncated (0.06 euros) and cashier’s checks truncated (0.02 euros), the reduction, from 3.62 to 3.24 euros, the Committee unpaid checks returned to room, new surveys to be undertaken by June 2009 and followed every two years, the values of the committees remained in force (unpaid checks truncated and management requests, unpaid checks returned to room communication MAV paid). According to Antitrust, said the statement, the two committees are removed are those that ensure greater flow of revenue and, therefore, are those that could most affect the usage price check for the final score. The maintenance of the three committees (unpaid checks truncated and management requests, Mav communications paid, unpaid checks returned to room) is instead justified by reasons of economic efficiency.

The commitments offered by PattiChiari requiring instead the reduction of the maximum time of economic availability of the funds paid by check from 7 to 6 working days after the trade date, with effect from 1 March 2009, to get to 5 working days from ‘ October 1, 2009. The time savings will affect the bank consortium that adhere to the “Times of availability of certain amounts paid by check”; commitments necessary to give full information to customers through search engines, the time of collection charged by individual member banks to initiative PattiChiari, connected to all types of current accounts. According to him, the statement concludes, the commitments submitted by PattiChiari promote greater efficiency that will benefit consumers, who may dispose of the sums credited to a much shorter time frame at present. Addition, each bank remains independent in defining the best possible condition, in p articular regarding checks drawn on itself.

The interbank rate continues to slip and today, Tuesday, April 14th, it hit the psychologically important threshold, intended most likely to be knocked down to the bottom in the coming days. It was as predictable as the Italians back to look with great interest the variable mortgages, whose rates are anchored in the very irritable interbank parameter. According to the latest survey of broker Mutuionline, 42.2% of households in the process of acquiring a new home loan in the first three months of 2009 called for the variable rate. The fact that only 26.4% then it has achieved should not be misleading (the process takes time and many requests come to fruition until later), because the reversal is clear. Only last autumn, when the Euribor traveled more than 5%, the variable did not want to hear even more talk and three Italians out of four chose the drive.

Now the situation seems to change again, because choosing a variable rather than a fixed one can immediately save about 100-130 million (10-25%, depending on the duration of the contract) on a loan of 100 thousand Euros. Who is going to take out a new mortgage, however, must avoid being misled by such a convenience: the Euribor will decline further (especially if the ECB will cut back the cost of money to 1 hours, 25%) in the short, but inevitably come back to climb when the economic and financial crisis will be overcome. If you do not want to run into the same mistakes of those who have adjustable-rate mortgages on favorable during the period 2004-2005 (when the Euribor had fallen to then historic low of around 2%) except where it will remain displaced from higher in 2007-2008, it So weigh the choice carefully.

The element can make a difference, as well as difficult to quantify risk appetite (or desire for peace) of each, is the disposable income of the household. Banks are generally willing to grant loans whose rate (monthly, quarterly or half yearly) do not exceed one third by value of revenue of the subscriber. But like all rules, this should be applied with a minimum of analysis, especially in a prospective, if it is true that over time wages will rise (especially if to take out a loan and a young person and early his career), it is also true that the ratio of installment / income must reasonably take into account possible increases in installment.

The rule of “third party”, in other words, may be appropriate for those who take out a loan at a fixed rate, which is certain installment until the end of the amortization schedule; it is a bit ‘less for those who choose the variable, the more reason in this period of historically low rates. Just to give a practical example, who today concluded a twenty-year loan by 100 thousand euro pegged to the Euribor 3 months (+ 1.2% spread) pays 537 Euros a month but that could turn into 750 euro if interbank rates retrace levels maximum in October, a rise of 40% (which may be up to 60% if the loan is thirty years), capable of embarrassing many families.

Agreement between ABI and Umbria for the suspension of payment of mortgages.
1365000 euro is the fund allocated by the region to address the non-payment of loans caused by the period of crisis we are experiencing.

Also explains the press release this money will be used to:

As part of the Umbria Region and the Regional Commission of the ABI will be engaged also:

• promote widespread information on the contents of the Protocol and the Implementation Regulation business banking and the beneficiaries of initiatives;
• promote the signing of the regional financial and banking firms in the specification technical implementation of the Regulation;
• monitor the actions within a quarterly basis and in order to make possible or necessary changes.

“The agreement - said the Minister for the Budget, Vincenzo Riommi - is part of the path debate on anti-crisis measures that the Region of Umbria running for the social and economic forces and thanks to the efforts of ABI Umbria to raise awareness and urge the bank and increase the number of those who have already joined, reinforcing measures in support of families in need. The Region estimates that the resources of the guarantee fund, you could suspend 2500 families.

The President of ABI Umbria, Alfredo Pallini, said he was “satisfied with the agreement achieved. In time of particular crisis was vital to demonstrate once again the ability to collaborate with regional institutions. In this case - continued Pallini - the goal is to prevent families more difficulties will be completely overwhelmed by the crisis, we must help them to react and be ready for a new phase of growth and employment opportunities. “

Good news from the opposite bank, we’ll see how the story will continue in reality, after these agreements on paper.

Although half of payment considered old and rather static in its form, this time the check is for the steps forward

• elimination commissions checks up to 3000 Euros
• disposal commissions cashier up to 12500 euro
• reduced time for the payment of sums from 7 to 6 business days and from October 2009 to 5

Small benefits which I assume will also benefit those who have loans with payment of check (transfer of five) or those who still receive payments in check.

In my opinion seem pretty miserable as improvements, but certainly better than nothing.
Still hoping that the banks agree to adopt these constraints. After the slow implementation of the Bersani law in many no longer trust the only legislation that imposes rules for credit institutions. Rather we must wait for the experience touched customers.

Let us know you too how are things.

The cost of grace is one of those details that can sometimes create panic with the first installment of the loan.
Not being incorporated into the ISC not shown in the prospectus and accordingly is not the most pleasant surprise.
Could even change his mind about the advisability of an inter-comparison another.

The cost of grace is the “price” you pay when you signed the loan is calculated when the first installment. It was pure interest they pay the bank for the technical need to have the count of the installment plan ‘depreciation in the first of the month.

It is a technical course cost is borne by the customer, which is calculated as follows:
(Days of grace Capital X X% annual rate) / 36500

Now that you know this particularly careful when entering into a loan and ask you’re banking institution the cost of grace. Let us know, as do others from time to time, your experience on this.

(ANSA) - BERLIN, April 27 - The Authority ‘antitrust German and’ pronounced against any state aid to companies in crisis. The intervention policy, said the Chairman ‘, Bernhard Heitzer, according to reports from the Austrian press agency APA, should not be the “line of conduct of the state.” Heitzer said that the financial sector is an exception, explaining that in this case the aid was “inevitable”.

At a first glance the competition, the view is certainly correct. If the state helps financially’s Opel consequently the other houses the world are often thrown. It is certainly anti-competitive conduct to help an expense of others.

In Italy about the state funding has been discussed a lot, both about the benefits and the effect is devastating and distortion that may have.

However, he is led around these behemoths is huge.
In addition the car market, involves in part a return in terms of car tax, VAT, taxes on petrol etc, in short, if you lose first with funding (which might return), you could lose in taxes after (finally).

Also support a global enterprise of this kind involves a major limitation of layoffs, affecting particularly the percentage of unemployment that the country (which the politicians get votes).
Not help firms in difficulty can have significant consequences.
One example was the failure of the bank Lehman Brothers.

Well judging always anticompetitive subsidies from the state does not make much sense, but at the same time allows incorrectly can create critical stages for a sector.
Rather we must ask where the balance is.

As long as we can help a company that is failing?
Where does the free market and where the state should intervene?

In our country have more weight than 1000 small firms (of which Italy is so crowded stands) or a large?
The questions I have no one answer … but it always poses the usual dilemma of limited resources for Economic endless.

There are many Italian families who, after the Bersani decree took advantage of subrogation to move at no cost to finance a new house near the bank and thus improve the conditions of the loan. Not always, however, the much vaunted ‘portability’ has proved a simple and above all free of charge: just this week, the Antitrust Authority has announced the use of the State Council to appeal the ruling by which the tar had annulled the fines imposed in Authority in August 2008 led by Antonio Catricalà to 23 banks for “unfair trade practices” regarding the application of Decree Bersani.

The duel between banks and Antitrust (next to which were deployed consumer groups) is therefore intended to continue in the classrooms of administrative tribunals.

Banks continue to defend itself claiming that portability has been hampered by difficulties in interpreting the standard, but now it is a thing of the past, because the subsequent clarifications and decrees (as many as six have been necessary measures to regulate matter) have been used to better manage the situation more delicate. In effect from June last date of entry into force of the automatic procedure which facilitates the transfer of the loan between banks, were second ’s Abi subrogation approximately 27,500 operations carried out. Expediting transactions is still seen, but the fact remains that a few grains of sand in the mechanism is still present, are not uncommon and your comments that signal trouble in the ‘removal’ of the mortgage.

And presumably, throughout 2009 there will be brought into account a slowdown in the number of subrogation and substitution. The significant reduction in interest rates in the last six months (the Euribor base for variable rate dropped from 5% in October to 1% in recent days) made it less necessary to resort to the “mutual exchange” on the part of families. But portability could also help curb the worsening conditions of the lending market: if it is true (see table opposite) that the overall rates have declined, both for fixed and for variable, it is also true that the spreads charged by Banks benchmarks showed a strong increase in response to economic and financial crisis.

Looking at offers on this site MutuiOnline, it has gone from less than 1% of the average charged last August (before the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers) to values approaching 1, 5% and over the counter price rises are, if possible even more pronounced. This means that, unless you want to just change the type of rate (via an example from a fixed to variable or vice versa) or trying to shave a few tenths at a fixed rate, very few customers will be encouraged to abandon the “old” product for one that could prove far less competitive.

And it seemed like a rumor, but it is just a confirmation. … .. The social gap has grown in recent years, in fact, as economists have said this “is that there was a transfer of income” horizontally “between social classes” : self-employed, managers and retirees have seen their incomes rise instead mentree between workers and employees has increased the number of the poor.

To explain how and why this occurred social redistribution, consummates since the mid-90s, was a leader of the research department of the Bank of Italy, Andrea Brandolini, the Labor Committee during a hearing of the Senate. Between 1993 and 2006, the equivalent disposable income (in real terms with the deflator of household consumption) grew by 1, 2% per year, but for the families of autonomous growth was 2.6% for managers (public and private), 1, and 5% and for pensioners, 1, 6%. Much smaller increases occurred but for the workers (+0.6%) and mainly employees (+0.3%) among which are also included middle management, employee management and the teachers. As a result, the percentage of poor (those who receive an income of less than 60% of that average) belonging to these two social classes has risen from 27 to 31% among the workers and from 7 to 8% among employees and decreased between the self-employed.

Not all the figures provided by Bank of Italy arrive, however, today, because the data that allow comparisons of wealth stop at 2006. Missing, therefore, the redistributive effects induced by the financial crisis began in August of 2007: that wealth and those burned on the stock market stock options that could be zero sums with the title of a famous soap opera of the 80s, “Even the rich are crying.” But in terms of fighting poverty itself, by the Bank of Italy has rather come a caveat: in a recession like the present, they risk a lot of those families in which all persons are employed or atypical employment term.

On 5 May in Rome to discuss the appointment of new rules to restore confidence in the market.
In recent months a light at the end of the tunnel of the crisis begins to see, and now the market needs support to resume contacts between people.

A very interesting part of the ABI press release is this:

The crisis has highlighted the need to reform the rules and supervisory practices at the global level and to extend the scope of macro-prudential level; the goal was to help supervisors in a position to monitor cross-border operators in their entirety and to ensure that there are uncontrolled operators in all sectors.

These requirements are especially felt at European level, as evidenced by the debate initiated by the Commission following the publication of the recommendations to address the weaknesses highlighted by the crisis of European regulation. The objectives to be pursued in the near future are therefore associated with the need to centralize with a powerful European supervisory architecture, at both micro and macro-prudential and to extend its application to those market segments that are currently not regulated.

The financial derivative, the one that has developed from years 80 and 90, is in fact escaping the rules. We must not forget the benefits that these tools have had and for business, derivatives represent an extraordinary achievement, are produced by covering risks such as interest rates and exchange rates. Should also promote transparency levels for the prevention of risks in the banking sector and to strengthen relations of trust with customers.

You could not do what you’re trying to do now, before the crisis? Or because no one thought everything went smoothly?

If the financial derivative first covered the major risks of some companies, it was more than understandable that a tool has not only an asset but also negative.

In fact while it regulates itself and allowed various combinations of risk and rates, on the other side slowly escaped regulatory control and usher in the subprime mortgage crisis.

I hope that in future such incidents happen again and quickly find new rules (at European level) for this type of financial market.

However, the crisis does not recur in the same manner as never before, history tells us that despite the consequences are similar and can easily be studied; cases are always variable and not always predictable in a timely manner.