Emporio Brazilian Café in West Houston, Texas: A Very Short Review

Emporio Brazilian Café is a restaurant that was initially famous by word of mouth and if you tried to look it up online nothing would come up, but since a few years ago the restaurant has expanded making it bigger and added a bar area and HD television great to watch the soccer games (mainly when the Brazilian team is playing). Once you are inside the décor is quite simple and the bar functions almost as a divide creating a feel of two rooms, and you can choose to sit at the bar and enjoy a drink or happy hour or choose to sit at a table and have a full meal, and the great thing about this place is that the food and service are good and the prices are very reasonable especially compared to the other Brazilian restaurants in the city.

There are many properties in some stage of foreclosure or taken back by lenders at this time and a lot of buyers ask about these because they've heard about how this is where you can get an incredible deal. After more experience with these types of properties I've found that there is a lot of false information and hype out there and want to provide you with some more information that can help you understand this whole subject a little better.

During the boom years there were tons of seminars and books on how to make a fortune in real estate by buying and flipping houses. Though some people were able to make good money quickly that way during the period of about 2003 to mid-2005, many others are now part of the foreclosure statistics.

Similarly, there are now lots of websites, seminars, books, etc. on how to make your fortune buying foreclosure properties. They present stories of exceptionally good situations that make it sound like this is how every foreclosure situation goes even though it is really more of a rare occurrence for the average person. Maybe these are the same people who promoted the seminars and books on "flipping" (and maybe they are also the ones who email you about winning the UK lottery or about the Million they want to send you from Nigeria:).

That's not to say that there aren't good deals available in properties that are in some stage of foreclosure, there are. For example, in March I saw a condo in Palm Harbor priced ,000 less than the one a client of mine bought last year (which was already ,000 below what they were priced for in 2005). But this current one also has a garage and upgraded kitchen countertops and cabinets (which my client's condo didn't have).

Another example is a house in Dunedin that one of my clients is buying which is priced about ,000 less than comparable properties in the same area and is in good condition. So it is true you can find some properties that are good deals.

BUT - there are some things you'll need to understand because the process can be quite different from the normal.

First of all there are some different types of 'foreclosure' properties and I want to start off by clearing this up for you.

There is a 'pre-foreclosure'. This is a property where the owner has fallen behind on their payments to a point where the bank has begun the foreclosure proceedings (usually by filing a notice of pending legal action).

There is a 'short sale'. This generally means a pre-foreclosure property where the property is being listed at a price that is less than what is owed on the outstanding loans. You can recognize these in listings as it will either say "short sale" or "3rd party approval needed" or "list price may not be sufficient to cover all encumbrances" (meaning that the bank will have to approve it in addition to the seller accepting the offer).

One word of caution though, some realtors will list a property as a short sale or "possible" short sale without even having their client complete a "short sale package" (the paperwork that will have to be submitted to the bank with any contract) - avoid these as in most cases they end up going nowhere or take months to hear anything back.

There are also "bank-owned" properties. Bank-owned means the bank has completed the foreclosure proceedings and now owns the property fully. These are usually the easiest and quickest of the different types of foreclosure properties to deal with although they are sometimes (not always) in pretty bad condition.

That gives you a basic overview of the types of "foreclosure" properties you may run into. In Part II, I'll go over some information that will be important to know if you are considering purchasing a property in any stage of foreclosure.

Malvern Federal Savings Bank (Malvern Federal) is a bank that I highly recommend. They have fantastic customer service, decent interest rates, and they really make a point to ensure a pleasant banking experience.
Malvern Federal Savings Bank (MFSB) has 7 branches in the SW suburbs of Philadelphia. The branches are located in Coventry, Lionville, Exton, Paoli, Malvern, Berwyn and Westtown.

Overview:
- 3.5% interest on balances up to ,000, if requirements are met
- 1.01% interest on balances over ,000, if requirements are met
- ATM fees are refunded up to the requirements are met
- If you don't meet the requirements, interest rate drops to 0.2%, and no ATM fee refunds
- Minimum of 0 to open the account
- No minimum balance, no monthly fees
- FDIC Insured

Rewards Plus Requirements:
- 10 Visa Check (credit) transactions cleared by the last business day of the month
- One direct deposit or ACH automatic debit per month
- Access Free online banking once per statement cycle

Ease of Opening Account: 6 I opted to actually go into a branch and open the account in person. I went in on Saturday morning and waited about 25 minutes for the person in front of me to finish up. However, there is an option to open the account online, so that would probably have been much easier. Once I sat down with the representative, the process went pretty smoothly. The wait was really the annoying part.

Response Time/Customer Support: 9 When I opened the account, I gave them a check and that showed up in the account the next business day. The people working at the bank are all very friendly. When you walk in, the bank just feels cozy. They even have a fridge with beverages that's free to customers.

Website: 9 The website is simple and pretty intuitive. It links with Quicken and Yodlee.

Cons:
- Purchases takes 2-4 business days to show up on the account, so you have to make 10 transactions 5-7 days before the end of the month (not unusual)
- Cannot link to any external bank accounts (not unusual)
- When you open the account, it can take them up to 4 weeks before they send you the ATM card. If that happens to you, just call and ask them to waive the 10 transactions requirements. They're usually pretty good about that

Summary: I heart MFSB. It reminds me of what a bank should feel like. The representatives are polite, friendly and make you feel welcomed. They're open on Saturdays and they have drinks and sometimes, pretzels for you while you wait. The fact that they have branches near me is a big big plus because even though it's rare, the need to visit an actual bank does arise once a year or so However, even if you don't live near this bank and plan to use this account as an internet bank account, I still HIGHLY recommend this bank.

http://malvernfederal.com/

According to watchdog, in the last two years complaints about personal protection insurance sold with loans, credit cards and mortgages have increased tenfold.

500 complaints a week are received by The Financial Ombudsman about the insurance, which works out at around 25 percent of those who have it.

Watchdog has written to the Financial Services Authority (FSA) asking it to bring the banking and finance industry into line.

Borrowers are been overcharged by a staggering 1.4 billion pounds a year through these protection insurances, according to an official study.

Millions of people have been mis-informed about PPI's and have been conned into buying them. They have been lied to by salesmen, some have even told customers that unless they buy the insurance they will not qualify for the loan, card etc. that they want.

There are more than 14 million PPI polices in existence alongside loans, mortgages, credit cards, store cards and car finance.PPI is supposed to help if the borrower suffers a sudden loss of income through unemployment or sickness.

There are many examples though of where PPI has been sold to people who do not even qualify for cover, such as the sick, pensioners and the self employed.

What is unusual about the complaints to the ombudsman is that they are about the way they have been sold, rather than people not being able to claim. The biggest complaint being that people did not realise that they were taking out PPI and the cost of the policy was not explained to them.PPI can add thousands to the cost of the loan.

In the majority of cases borrowers are charged a one off premium which is added to the cost of the loan and attracts huge amounts of interest.

Some companies have increased premiums resulting in policies that are often more expensive than deals available from a specialist company.

The commission may possibly put a cap on PPI charges and stop the banks selling the policies alongside other products.

Consumer group Which? condemned the PPI sold with credit cards as worthless. It said few people are able to make successful claims.

Personal finance campaigner at Which? , Doug Taylor, said: 'Credit card PPI is a modern day snake oil - it's a useless product, expensive and poorly designed.

'As the credit crunch continues to take hold, people want to be protected and have peace of mind, but credit card PPI, like a house of cards, won't give you the support you need.'

A number of well known firms have been fined by the FSA for mis-selling PPI.

The HFC Bank, was fined 1.085 million pounds, Capital One bank, was fined 175,000 pounds, and GE Capital Bank, was fined 610,000 pounds.

The FSA said: "The FSA is reviewing the position in the light of the information it has received from the ombudsman service, and the information provided by its own ongoing thematic work on PPI.

'It will make a decision on possible measures to take on the basis of this review in due course.'

According to The British Bankers Association (BBA) PPI is becoming an increasingly important safety net for borrowers and restricting the way it is sold 'could leave customers exposed, just as economic conditions are worsening'.

If there is one thing that most people care a lot about, it is their money. Everyone wants to ensure that they take care of their money in the best possible way and obtain positive returns on any investments. Is international banking the right choice for your hard-earned dollars, or your company profits? Interest in offshore banking is currently very high, especially in the financial hubs of Hong Kong and Singapore.

Before you decide to invest your money in this type of banking option, you should know exactly what it is. Like a traditional bank account in your country of residence, international bank accounts are one of the many choices available for storing your savings in what you hope will be a beneficial way.

International, or offshore, banking has been notorious for association with tax evasion, money laundering and other illegal activities. However, international efforts, led by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), to implement global taxation standards have progressed well in the past 12 months. Enforcement of guidelines for disclosure of bank account information does not mean bank account holder details are available to anyone who asks, extensive evidence to support illegal activities is required.

Avoiding taxes is not the only reason that people opt to spread their savings out from within their own country. This type of banking has advantages, including:

- International banking is available in multiple currencies, allowing efficient transfer of money.

- Banking offshore can provide favourable interest rates as interest can be paid tax-exempt.

- Increased global wealth has generated higher demand for quality offshore banking services and hence has the affect of improving the overall standards.

- International banking is a secure and legitimate way for corporations, and individuals, to make tax-efficient international financial transactions.

Offshore banking provides good investment opportunities, especially during recession where offshore jurisdictions may show a more stable economic environment than your country of residence.

Opening an offshore corporate bank account is not a difficult process and can improve the efficiency of funds transfer for organizations with international business operations. Sourcing a good corporate services provider can be advantageous as they can manage the entire process, possibly without the account holder having to visit the offshore jurisdiction.

When deciding if international banking is right for you, do your research thoroughly, or seek professional advice. Choosing the right jurisdiction according to your objectives is a crucial step to ensure positive outcomes.

Philippine banks with high interest rate time deposit products.

One of the products offered by banks in order for your money to grow are time  deposits. Most people place their money on banks with the intention to save or invest their money in these banks. One thing that most people don't realize is that most savings account offer minimal interest and would only end up diminishing the value of your money you placed in the bank. Although there is always the alternative time deposit, most of this products still offer a minimal interest rate insufficient enough to counter the inflation rate. The advantage of placing your money in the bank is it is covered by the PDIC up to P500,000. This assures the depositor that they will receive up to Php 500,000 in case the bank closes down. That is why I did a research on Philippine banks offering high Interest rate time deposit.