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	<title>Stock Blog Hub &#187; Discover Financial Services</title>
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	<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com</link>
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		<title>(AXP) American Express Rating Action</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/26/axp-american-express-rating-action/99414</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/26/axp-american-express-rating-action/99414#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:04:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=99414</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Thursday, Fitch Ratings affirmed the long and short-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of American Express Co. (AXP) or AmEx and its subsidiaries at “A+” and “F1,” respectively, with a stable outlook. The affirmation of ratings was based on AmEx’s stable operating results, strong market position, high quality assets and diversified financial sources. Sturdy capitalization, high liquidity and franchise strength also played a role, but the lack of diversity in revenue sources and regulatory pressures prevented an upgrade. Meanwhile, anticipation of continued stable earnings, ample liquidity, strong capitalization and better asset quality compared to peers prompted Fitch to assign a stable outlook on the ratings, which means that there is very low possibility of a change in ratings in the near future. Fitch expects revenue growth in 2012 to be ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/26/axp-american-express-rating-action/99414/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(V) Visa Shuns Global Payments Incorporated for Breach of Data</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/03/v-visa-shuns-global-payments-incorporated-for-breach-of-data/97496</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/03/v-visa-shuns-global-payments-incorporated-for-breach-of-data/97496#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:28:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Global Payments Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GOOG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GPN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=97496</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Visa Inc. (V) has dropped Global Payments Inc. (GPN) from its list of service providers after detecting a cyber intrusion in the latter’s system that likely threatens about 1.5 million customer accounts. This was the second breach of card data by in a year. Atlanta-based Global Payments aids both Visa and MasterCard Inc. (MA) in processing credit card transactions for merchants. Card giants such as Visa, MasterCard, American Express Co. (AXP) and Discover Financial Services (DFS) seek help of over dozen such payment processors to reach out to the merchants, and hence these payment processors are liable to offer a secure customer transaction. The breach of data was initially reported by ‘krebsonsecurity.com,’ which tracks cyber crimes, on Friday and had estimated about 10 million card accounts to have been accessed ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/04/03/v-visa-shuns-global-payments-incorporated-for-breach-of-data/97496/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AXP) American Express Announces $5 Billion Share Buyback</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/14/axp-american-express-announces-5-billion-share-buyback/95231</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/14/axp-american-express-announces-5-billion-share-buyback/95231#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:03:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BB & T Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BBT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MET]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MetLife Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morgan Stanley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[State Street Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[STI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[STT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SunTrust Banks Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Us Bancorp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[USB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wells Fargo & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WFC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=95231</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Basking after an impressive quarter, American Express Co. (AXP) (AmEx) announced its intention of buying back shares worth $5 billion within two years, besides initiating about an 11% hike in its regular dividend to 20 cents from the prior 18 cents. The resolution of a hefty buyback and dividend hike comes after the US Federal Reserve (Fed) passed most of the banks in the annual capital stress-test yesterday, with flying colours. Accordingly, the Fed appeared satisfied about the capital requirement and holding of most of the top banks in the US such as AmEx, JP Morgan Chase &#38;Co. (JPM), Morgan Stanley (MS), Bank of America Corp. (BAC), Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS), Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (BK), State Street Corp. (STT), BB&#38;T Corp. (BBT), U.S.Bancorp. (USB) and Wells ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/03/14/axp-american-express-announces-5-billion-share-buyback/95231/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(V) Visa Ties Up with Intel</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/29/v-visa-ties-up-with-intel/93798</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/29/v-visa-ties-up-with-intel/93798#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:51:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INTC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intel Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VOD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vodafone Group plc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=93798</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, card processing giant Visa Inc. (V) announced a strategic alliance with Intel Corporation (INTC), a multinational semiconductor chip maker, in order to improve the mobile banking experience in the developed and developing economies. Accordingly, Visa has teamed up with Intel to blend its proficiencies in payment processing and account holder authentication along with its global network reach with the latter’s high-grade innovative technologies that offer the world’s best computing devices. Moreover, of late, mobile banking has come up with a profound scope of providing the consumers with a convenient, user-friendly, value-for money, transparent and secure mode of making transactions, which include person-to-person payments, bill payments, adding cell phone minutes and other banking services. Nevertheless, to make mobile commerce widely acceptable and accessible, Visa has assured that the latest payment ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/02/29/v-visa-ties-up-with-intel/93798/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(COF) Capital One Financial Misses Estimates on Higher Expenses</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/20/cof-capital-one-financial-misses-estimates-on-higher-expenses/90557</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/20/cof-capital-one-financial-misses-estimates-on-higher-expenses/90557#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:13:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HBC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HSBC HLDGS PLC ADS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ING Groep NV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NIM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nuveen Select Maturities Municipal Fund]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=90557</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) reported fourth-quarter 2011 earnings from continuing operations of 89 cents per share, significantly below the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.53.  This also compares unfavorably with $1.88 earned in the prior quarter and $2.07 recorded in the year-ago quarter. For the full year, Capital One’s earnings per share from continuing operations was $7.03, up 5% from $6.68 in the prior year. However, earnings missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $7.55. The year-over-year results were adversely impacted by an increase in operating expenses and higher provision for loan and lease. However, these negatives were, to an extent, mitigated by higher revenues. Moreover, the company’s capital and profitability ratios showed improvement. Capital One’s net income from continuing operations for the quarter was $411 million, down 52% from $965 ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2012/01/20/cof-capital-one-financial-misses-estimates-on-higher-expenses/90557/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AXP) American Express and Discover Financial Services Defaults Plunge</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/17/axp-american-express-and-discover-financial-services-defaults-plunge/88835</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/17/axp-american-express-and-discover-financial-services-defaults-plunge/88835#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:31:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=88835</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, major credit card companies American Express Co. (AXP) (AmEx) and Discover Financial Services (DFS) reported a drop in defaults and delinquency rates for November 2011, implying a favorable credit quality. Delinquency rates… Accordingly, the delinquency rate, indicating the future rate of default, for AmEx, 30 days, was recorded at 1.5% of balances, at par with that reported in October and September this year. However, this came in lower than 2.2% of balances recorded in November last year. The delinquency rate for Discover also dipped to 2.43% of balances from 2.48% in October and 4.15% in November 2010. Nevertheless, the results were also favorable for Discover and AmEx as compared to their worst months of October 2009 and February 2009, when delinquency rate struck 5.72% and 5.3%, respectively. NCO rates… ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/17/axp-american-express-and-discover-financial-services-defaults-plunge/88835/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BAC) Net Charge-Off Rate Falls</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/17/bac-net-charge-off-rate-falls/88831</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/17/bac-net-charge-off-rate-falls/88831#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:30:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=88831</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The regulatory filings by major credit card companies have disclosed mixed results in credit card defaults and delinquency rate for November 2011. According to these filings, three of the nation&#8217;s top six credit card companies reported a decline in card defaults, while two of them recorded lower delinquency rates. In comparison with the prior month,Bank of America Corporation (BAC), JPMorgan Chase &#38; Co. (JPM), and Discover Financial Services (DFS) recorded a fall in their respective credit card defaults, where as Citigroup Inc. (C), American Express Company (AXP) and Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) reported a surge for the same. Card companies usually write off the loans that are 180 days past due, assuming those as uncollectible. For BofA, on an annualized basis, net charges-off (NCO) rate fell to 5.67% in ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/17/bac-net-charge-off-rate-falls/88831/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(V) Visa Works to Delay Debit-Fee Rule</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/06/v-visa-works-to-delay-debit-fee-rule/87923</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/06/v-visa-works-to-delay-debit-fee-rule/87923#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:50:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87923</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Visa Inc. (V) appears to have tried out every means to delay the implementation of the debit-fee ruling finalized in June this year, due to which the company’s lobbying charges increased substantially during the third quarter of 2011. However, Visa’s close rival, MasterCard Inc. (MA) is apparently more relaxed about regulatory issues having witnessed a significant decline in its third quarter lobbying charges. Other card players such as American Express Co. (AXP) and Discover Financial Services (DFS) are yet to reveal their lobbying data. Early this week, according to a disclosure report, Visa and MasterCard reportedly spent $1.69 million and $0.58 million, respectively, in the third quarter of 2011. While lobbying costs for Visa jumped 54% year over year and 17% sequentially, the same for MasterCard plummeted 31% from $0.84 ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/12/06/v-visa-works-to-delay-debit-fee-rule/87923/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BAC) Can You Live Without Debt?</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/bac-can-you-live-without-debt/87815</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/bac-can-you-live-without-debt/87815#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:10:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BBY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Buy Company Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economic Crises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[M]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Macy's Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wal-Mart Stores Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WMT]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87815</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Remember the fictional immigrant Balki from the TV show &#8220;Perfect Strangers&#8221;? He seemed to speak a universal truth when he said, “Am I in debt? I&#8217;m a true American.” Well, not anymore. After being battered by the latest recession, Americans are gradually learning to live without debt, priming protection over growth. According to a report released by the New York Federal Reserve, U.S. consumers continued to free themselves of debt in the third quarter, showing a 0.6% sequential decline. The decline was primarily led by reduced mortgage balances. Consumer debt increased substantially during 2002–2008. In 2007, consumer debt had swollen to about 135% of disposable income. Since then, the level has been seeing a steady decline. It is a common perception that living without debt is just impossible, as our ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/bac-can-you-live-without-debt/87815/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services Downgraded to Neutral</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/dfs-discover-financial-services-downgraded-to-neutral/87712</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/dfs-discover-financial-services-downgraded-to-neutral/87712#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:51:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TREE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tree.Com Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87712</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We have downgraded our recommendation on Discover Financial Services (DFS) to Neutral based on a weak momentum in the earnings outlook. The company reported third-quarter 2011 earnings per share of $1.18, significantly ahead of both the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 91 cents and 47 cents recorded in the year-ago quarter. Discover’s credit card sales volume has been witnessing modest improvement owing to improved consumer spending and credit quality trends. In the first nine months of 2011, card sales volume climbed 8% year over year to reach $75.1 billion. Improved credit trends have helped in substantial release of credit loss reserves, a part of which has been reinvested for operational growth. Recently, the company has been focusing on increasing its card acceptance through various alliances. The agreement with Banco Popular de ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/30/dfs-discover-financial-services-downgraded-to-neutral/87712/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BAC) Credit Card Mixed Net Charges Off &amp; Delinquency in October</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/22/bac-credit-card-mixed-net-charges-off-delinquency-in-october/87131</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/22/bac-credit-card-mixed-net-charges-off-delinquency-in-october/87131#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:36:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=87131</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Some regulatory filings by major credit card companies have disclosed mixed results in credit card defaults and delinquency rate for October 2011. According to these filings, three of the nation&#8217;s top six credit card companies reported a decline in card defaults, while four of them recorded lower delinquency rates. Bank of America Corporation (BAC), Citigroup Inc. (C) and Discover Financial Services (DFS) recorded a fall in their respective credit card defaults while JPMorgan Chase &#38; Co. (JPM), American Express Company (AXP) and Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) reported a surge for the same. Card companies usually write off the loans that are 180 days past due, assuming those as uncollectible. For BofA, on an annualized basis, net charges-off (NCO) rate fell to 5.98% in October 2011 as against 5.99% in ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/11/22/bac-credit-card-mixed-net-charges-off-delinquency-in-october/87131/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(V) Card Giants Ease Over Fed Rulings</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/06/v-card-giants-ease-over-fed-rulings/84637</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/06/v-card-giants-ease-over-fed-rulings/84637#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:35:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=84637</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Lobbying charges for Visa Inc. (V), American Express Co. (AXP), MasterCard Inc. (MA) and Discover Financial Services (DFS) witnessed a decline for the second quarter of 2011, reflecting reduced anxiety over financial overhaul reforms. All the card giants lobbied the federal government over the recent regulations. Early this week, Visa, Discover Financial, MasterCard and AmEx reportedly spent $1.44 million, $0.2 million, $0.77 million and $0.61 million, respectively, in the second quarter of 2011. Lobbying costs for Visa declined 6% year over year and 20% sequentially, the same for Discover decreased by 29% year over year and 44% sequentially. On the flip side, American Express’ lobbying costs dipped 3% year over year but were flat sequentially. Furthermore, lobbying charges for MasterCard reduced drastically from $2.33 million in the year-ago quarter and ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/06/v-card-giants-ease-over-fed-rulings/84637/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/06/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-6/84689</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/06/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-6/84689#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:16:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=84689</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services (DFS) third-quarter earnings came in substantially ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate, driven by lower loan loss provision, higher transaction and credit card sales volumes, loan loss reserve release growth and record-low delinquency and charge-off rates. Higher consumer spending and merchant acceptance also contributed to the substantial expansion of income across direct banking and payment services segments. While the SLC acquisition enhanced its already strong student loan portfolio, dividend increment and share buyback further injected optimism. The company&#8217;s extensive network, sound capital position and cost containment initiatives will help accentuate growth over the long term. Our six-month target price of $28.00 equates to 7.0x our earnings estimate for 2011. Given the expected annual cash dividend of $0.24, this price target implies an expected total return of 19.2% ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/10/06/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-6/84689/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(JPM) Major Credit Card Companies Report Delinquency Drop Continues</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/jpm-major-credit-card-companies-report-delinquency-drop-continues/83443</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/jpm-major-credit-card-companies-report-delinquency-drop-continues/83443#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=83443</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Regulatory filings by major credit card companies for the month of August revealed mixed results in credit card defaults and delinquency rate. According to the respective regulatory filing, four of the nation&#8217;s top six credit card companies reported a decline in card defaults, while five of them recorded reduced delinquency rates. JPMorgan Chase &#38; Co.(JPM), Discover Financial Services (DFS), American Express Company (AXP) and Bank of America Corporation (BAC) recorded further drop in their respective credit card defaults, whereas Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) and Citigroup Inc. (C) reported a surge for the same. Card companies usually write off the loans that are 180 days past due and assume them as uncollectible. JPMorgan reported a decrease in net charges-off (NCOs) to 4.67% of its total loan balance in August compared ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/09/20/jpm-major-credit-card-companies-report-delinquency-drop-continues/83443/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AXP) Stock Market News for August 26, 2011 &#8211; Market News</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/08/26/axp-stock-market-news-for-august-26-2011-market-news/82114</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/08/26/axp-stock-market-news-for-august-26-2011-market-news/82114#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:27:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barclays plc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BCS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deutsche Bank AG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Morgan Stanley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RBS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UBS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UBS AG]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=82114</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tense investors chose to raise cash ahead of the Federal Chairman’s speech at Jackson Hole and subsequently dragged the benchmarks lower, negating the effect of Warren Buffet’s $5 billion investment in Bank of America. Additionally, the jobs market painted another gloomy picture of the economy as initial claims grew. The benchmarks registered its first day of losses for the week and ended their three-day rally. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) slid 1.5% to settle at 11,149.82. The blue-chip index had initially gained 85 in the first few minutes of trading, but lost all these gains thereafter. The Standard &#38; Poor 500 (S&#38;P 500) lost 1.6% to close at 1,159.27. The Nasdaq Composite Index plunged 1.9% and finished the day at 2,419.63. The fear-gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) surged to hover ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/08/26/axp-stock-market-news-for-august-26-2011-market-news/82114/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(COF) Capital One Financial Earnings Outpace Estimates</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/07/15/cof-capital-one-financial-earnings-outpace-estimates/79094</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/07/15/cof-capital-one-financial-earnings-outpace-estimates/79094#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:51:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ING Groep NV]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=79094</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corp.’s (COF) second quarter 2011 earnings from continuing operations of $2.04 per share were substantially ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.67. Though this compared unfavorably with $2.04 in the prior quarter, it surpassed $1.78 recorded in the year-ago quarter. Better-than-expected results for the quarter were primarily aided by increased revenues and a lower provision for loan losses ensuing from an improved credit performance. Additionally, the company’s capital and profitability ratios also improved. However, an increase in operating expenses was a downside. Additionally during the quarter, Capital One announced an agreement to acquire ING Direct USA, the online banking unit of Amsterdam-based ING Groep NV (ING), in a stock-cum-cash transaction valued at $9.0 billion. The acquisition is expected to close late this year or early next ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/07/15/cof-capital-one-financial-earnings-outpace-estimates/79094/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Analyst Retains Outperform on Shares</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/07/06/dfs-discover-analyst-retains-outperform-on-shares/78509</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/07/06/dfs-discover-analyst-retains-outperform-on-shares/78509#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Jul 2011 21:18:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ALL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Allstate Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=78509</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover has grown to become one of the largest card issuers in the U.S. and a leading innovator and driver of change in the credit card industry. The company continues to explore healthy opportunities for inorganic growth and also implements several capital-bolstering initiatives. These factors induce us to retain our Outperform rating on Discover Financial Services (DFS). Discover has a dominant position in the credit card industry. Along with its existing Discover networks, the company gained significant international network opportunity following theintegration of the Diner&#8217;s Club. Discover has also experienced continued growth in its direct-to-consumer banking business by leveraging its low cost infrastructure, brand, credit management and marketing capabilities. The multi-year alliance with The Allstate Corporation (ALL) is further expected to expand Discover’s presence in the U.S. We expect these ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/07/06/dfs-discover-analyst-retains-outperform-on-shares/78509/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/07/05/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-5/78285</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/07/05/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-5/78285#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Jul 2011 13:56:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=78285</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services&#8217; (DFS) second quarter earnings came in dramatically ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate, driven by lower loan loss provision, higher transaction and credit card sales volumes that also drove the loan loss reserve release growth. Higher consumer spending and merchant acceptance also contributed to the substantial expansion of income across direct banking and payment services segments. While the SLC acquisition enhances its already strong student loan portfolio, dividend increment and share buyback further injects optimism. The company&#8217;s extensive network, sound capital position and cost containment initiatives will help accentuate growth over the long term. Our six-month target price of $32.00 equates to 9.4x our earnings estimate for 2011. Given the expected annual cash dividend of $0.24, this price target implies an expected total return of 20.7% over ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/07/05/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-5/78285/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(V) Visa Funds Escrow Account</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/30/v-visa-funds-escrow-account/77967</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/30/v-visa-funds-escrow-account/77967#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:28:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=77967</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Visa Inc. (V) has provided the share count details and its pricing regarding the escrow account, which was established on March 31, 2011. During March end, Visa had deposited about $400 million in its escrow account in order to fund its litigation costs. Besides, this was created as a back-up to provide coverage and potential payment for litigation settlements in the U.S. against Visa. Further, Visa made the deposit under its previously implemented retrospective responsibility plan (RRP), the terms of which solely affect the financials of the company’s class B shareholders. Currently, the $400 million deposit has the effect of a repurchase of Visa’s 5.42 million shares of class A common stock at approximately $73.81 per share, on an as-converted basis, by reducing the as-converted class B common stock shares ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/30/v-visa-funds-escrow-account/77967/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services&#8217; Profit Rockets Up</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/23/dfs-discover-financial-services-profit-rockets-up/77285</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/23/dfs-discover-financial-services-profit-rockets-up/77285#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:07:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=77285</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services’ (DFS) second quarter earnings per share of $1.09 came in dramatically ahead of both the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 72 cents and 33 cents recorded in the year-ago quarter. Net income spiked substantially by over 132% year over year to $600 million from $258 million. Net income allocated to common shareholders also surged to $593 million from $185 million in the year-ago quarter. Results included contributions from The Student Loan Corp (SLC) acquisition. The surge in profits was due to strong volumes complemented by lower interest expense, dramatic decline in provision for loan losses and delinquency rates based on improved credit quality, as well as escalated income from both direct banking and payment services business, which also drove the book value per share. However, these were partially ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/23/dfs-discover-financial-services-profit-rockets-up/77285/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(ADBE) Company News for June 22, 2011 &#8211; Corporate Summary</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/22/adbe-company-news-for-june-22-2011-corporate-summary/77056</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/22/adbe-company-news-for-june-22-2011-corporate-summary/77056#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:11:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Application Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ADBE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Adobe Systems Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aruba Networks Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ARUN]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BTU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cognizant Technology Solutions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CTSH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GOOG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NOK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nokia Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peabody Energy Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SUSQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Susquehanna Bancshares Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TOBC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tower Bancorp Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WAG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Walgreen Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=77056</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[•    Walgreen Co. (NYSE:WAG) reported Q3 EPS of $0.65, above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.62 per share. Revenues for the quarter grew 6.8% year-over-year to $18.37 billion, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $18.277 billion •    Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) reported Q2 EPS of $0.55, higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.42 per share. Revenues for the quarter rose 9% year-over-year to $1.02 billion, above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $998.0 million •    Shares of Nokia (NYSE:NOK) rose 3.59% to close at $6.06 after the mobile handset maker launched its new range of affordable mobile phones and also unveiled its new Nokia N9 smart phone. •    Share prices of Peabody Energy Corp. (NYSE:BTU) gained 5.07% after Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) revised its rating for the company from &#8220;Neutral&#8221; to &#8220;Buy&#8221; citing ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/22/adbe-company-news-for-june-22-2011-corporate-summary/77056/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services Earnings Preview</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/22/dfs-discover-financial-services-earnings-preview/77017</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/22/dfs-discover-financial-services-earnings-preview/77017#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:59:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=77017</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Electronic payment processor in the US, Discover Financial Services (DFS) is scheduled to release its second quarter results before the market opens on June 23, 2011. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second quarter is 66 cents per share, representing about 100% growth over the year-ago quarter. Following the first quarter trends, higher consumer spending and gradual rise in merchant acceptance along with improved credit quality and The Student Loan Corp. (SLC) acquisition are further expected to boost volumes and rev up company’s position. However, increased expenses, primarily on marketing and advertising, and regulatory provisions may continue to limit the desired upside. Previous Quarter Performance Discover’s first quarter earnings came in at $465 million or 85 cents per share, dramatically ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 52 cents per ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/22/dfs-discover-financial-services-earnings-preview/77017/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services Sanctions $1 Billion Buyback</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/21/dfs-discover-financial-services-sanctions-1-billion-buyback/76602</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/21/dfs-discover-financial-services-sanctions-1-billion-buyback/76602#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:57:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=76602</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, the board of Discover Financial Services (DFS) approved and authorized a two-year share repurchase program worth $1 billion with an expected expiry on June 14, 2013. Although the approval is effective immediately, the buyback of its shares will be held from time to time through open market operations, depending on the market conditions. Over the last few quarters, Discover has been benefiting from the growth in the loan loss reserve release as well as gains from the payments business that drove the credit card sales volumes. Alongside, higher consumer spending and merchant acceptance also contributed to the increase. These factors have not only generated operating efficiencies but also helped the company implement capital bolstering initiatives, which in turn enhanced its excess capital for deployment in growth opportunities. Being the ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/21/dfs-discover-financial-services-sanctions-1-billion-buyback/76602/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BAC) U.S. Credit Card Defaults Continue to Decrease</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/16/bac-u-s-credit-card-defaults-continue-to-decrease/76581</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/16/bac-u-s-credit-card-defaults-continue-to-decrease/76581#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:07:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=76581</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Regulatory filings by major credit card companies for the month of May have shown a continuous declining trend in credit card defaults, with rates dropping to the pre-crisis level. On Wednesday, five of the nation&#8217;s top six credit card companies reported a decline in card defaults. While, Bank of America Corporation (BAC), American Express Company (AXP), Discover Financial Services (DFS), Citigroup (C) and Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) recorded further drop in their respective credit card defaults, JPMorgan Chase &#38; Co. (JPM) reported a surge for the same. Card companies usually write off the loans that are 180 days past due and assume them as uncollectible. For BofA, on an annualized basis, net charges-off (NCOs) went down to 8.03% in May as against 8.25% in April. Furthermore, this was significantly ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/06/16/bac-u-s-credit-card-defaults-continue-to-decrease/76581/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(JPM) Credit Card Defaults Trend Down</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/30/jpm-credit-card-defaults-trend-down-2/74228</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/30/jpm-credit-card-defaults-trend-down-2/74228#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 May 2011 02:21:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FDIC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=74228</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Regulatory filings by major credit card companies for the month of April have shown a declining trend in credit card defaults. On Monday, five of the nation&#8217;s top six credit card companies reported a decline in card defaults. While JPMorgan Chase &#38; Co. (JPM), American Express Company (AXP), Discover Financial Services (DFS), Citigroup Inc. (C)  and Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) recorded further drop in their respective credit card defaults, Bank of America Corporation (BAC) reported a surge for the same. Card companies usually write off the loans that are 180 days past due and assume them to be uncollectible. JPMorgan reported a decrease in net charges-off (NCOs) to 5.60% of its total loan balance in April compared with 6.02% in March. This is the lowest NCO rate for the ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/30/jpm-credit-card-defaults-trend-down-2/74228/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BAC) Credit Card Risks Linger</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/28/bac-credit-card-risks-linger/74527</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/28/bac-credit-card-risks-linger/74527#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 May 2011 05:11:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FDIC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sentiment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=74527</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Are U.S. credit card users protected now? The answer depends on the type of credit card they are holding. If it&#8217;s a small business credit card, which is easily available for customers who do not own even a small business, the risk of facing awful practices by credit card companies is huge. A study released by the Pew Charitable Trust&#8217;s Safe Credit Card Project on Wednesday conveys this fact. The small business credit cards are exempt from the CARD (Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure) Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in 2009 to protect credit card users from unreasonable late payment fees, unpredictable interest rate hikes and other penalty fees. According to the director of Pew Charitable Trust&#8217;s Safe Credit Card Project, the credit card companies ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/28/bac-credit-card-risks-linger/74527/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(JPM) Credit Card Defaults Trend Down</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/23/jpm-credit-card-defaults-trend-down/74313</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/23/jpm-credit-card-defaults-trend-down/74313#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 May 2011 13:56:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=74313</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Regulatory filings by major credit card companies for the month of April have shown a declining trend in credit card defaults. On Monday, five of the nation&#8217;s top six credit card companies reported a decline in card defaults. While JPMorgan Chase &#38; Co. (JPM), American Express Company (AXP), Discover Financial Services (DFS), Citigroup Inc. (C)  and Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) recorded further drop in their respective credit card defaults, Bank of America Corporation (BAC) reported a surge for the same. Card companies usually write off the loans that are 180 days past due and assume them to be uncollectible. JPMorgan reported a decrease in net charges-off (NCOs) to 5.60% of its total loan balance in April compared with 6.02% in March. This is the lowest NCO rate for the ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/05/23/jpm-credit-card-defaults-trend-down/74313/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AXP) American Express Expands Online Pay</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/19/axp-american-express-expands-online-pay/71816</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/19/axp-american-express-expands-online-pay/71816#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:29:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EBAY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eBay Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=71816</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Wednesday, American Express Co. (AXP) (AmEx) expanded its digital payment services by partnering with a leading mobile payment processing service – Payfone, in a strategic alliance whereby the latter will integrate its advanced mobile authorization and payment services with AmEx’s Serve. Serve is a digital payment service, launched by AmEx about a fortnight ago, using which customers can transfer funds online and also through their mobile phones. Currently, the service is available to the company’s consumers in the US, while an international launch is forecasted in 2012. Serve is the outcome of AmEx’s technology generated from its $300 million acquisition of Revolution Money last year. The latter is also an arch rival of Ebay Inc. (EBAY) PayPal person-to-person (P2P) e-payment services, while core services of Serve are similar to ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/19/axp-american-express-expands-online-pay/71816/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/13/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-4/71372</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/13/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-4/71372#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:23:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=71372</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services (DFS) first quarter earnings were substantially ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The growth in the loan loss reserve release as well as gains from the payments business drove the credit card sales volumes. In addition, higher consumer spending and merchant acceptance also contributed to the increase. Recently, Discover also completed the acquisition of Student Loan Corp., which further enhanced its already strong student loan portfolio. The company&#8217;s extensive network, sound capital position and cost containment initiatives will help accentuate growth over the long term. Our six-month target price of $29.00 equates to 10.9x our earnings estimate for 2011. Given the expected annual cash dividend of $0.08, this price target implies an expected total return of 20.4% over that period. This is consistent with our Outperform recommendation ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/13/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-4/71372/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/05/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-3/70678</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/05/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-3/70678#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:49:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=70678</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services (DFS) first quarter earnings were substantially ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The growth in the loan loss reserve release as well as gains from the payments business drove the credit card sales volumes. In addition, higher consumer spending and merchant acceptance also contributed to the increase. Recently, Discover also completed the acquisition of Student Loan Corp., which further enhanced its already strong student loan portfolio. The company&#8217;s extensive network, sound capital position and cost containment initiatives will help accentuate growth over the long term. Our six-month target price of $29.00 equates to 10.9x our earnings estimate for 2011. Given the expected annual cash dividend of $0.08, this price target implies an expected total return of 20.4% over that period. This is consistent with our Outperform recommendation ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/05/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-3/70678/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services Earnings Scorecard</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/03/dfs-discover-financial-services-earnings-scorecard/70492</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/03/dfs-discover-financial-services-earnings-scorecard/70492#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 Apr 2011 16:09:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=70492</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services (DFS) reported its first quarter earnings for fiscal year 2011 on March 22, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate substantially by 33 cents per share, led by strong net interest income growth and lower loan loss provisions, though partially offset by higher-than-expected interest expenses. Nonetheless, the investors’ reactions to the better-than-expected results were quite optimistic on Wall Street. This gets reflected in the upward price movement witnessed since the earnings release. The confidence could be justified not only by the fundamental improvement in the credit and profitability metrics but also by the recent acquisition of the Student Loan Corp. (SLC). Below we will cover the results of the recent earnings announcement, subsequent analyst estimate revisions and Zacks ratings for the short-term and long-term outlook for the stock. Earnings ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/04/03/dfs-discover-financial-services-earnings-scorecard/70492/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(EIA) Stock Market News for March 31, 2011 &#8211; Market News</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/31/eia-stock-market-news-for-march-31-2011-market-news/70353</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/31/eia-stock-market-news-for-march-31-2011-market-news/70353#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:14:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Closed-End Fund - Debt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AT&T Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CEPH]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cephalon Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chesapeake Energy Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chevron Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CHK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ConocoPhillips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CVX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eaton Vance Insured California Municipal Bond Fund]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EIA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Exxon Mobil Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marathon Oil Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MRO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[T]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tesoro Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TSO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Valeant Pharmaceuticals International]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Valero Energy Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VLO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VRX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[XOM]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=70353</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Markets enjoyed an extended stay in the green following reports of new jobs being created in the private-sector. Domestic data was strong enough to counter any concerns arising from the euro-zone debt woes, Libyan unrest and the Japan nuclear crisis. The Dow inched closer to the levels of February 18, which was the highest close since June 5, 2008. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is en route to its best quarter performance and is within striking distance of reaching its highest levels for 2011. The gains come amidst a host of global tensions and it likely reflects the strength of the domestic economy, which has helped the indices recover from the damages it suffered. The Dow gained 0.6% to close at 12,350.61. The Standard &#38; Poor 500 (S&#38;P 500) ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/31/eia-stock-market-news-for-march-31-2011-market-news/70353/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(V) Visa Inflates Escrow Account</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/29/v-visa-inflates-escrow-account/70177</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/29/v-visa-inflates-escrow-account/70177#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:32:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=70177</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Monday, Visa Inc. (V) announced that it will deposit about $400 million to its escrow account in order to fund its litigation costs. This action is considered equivalent to a repurchase of shares of the company. Meanwhile, the company used the funds allocated for the share repurchase program announced in October 2010 to raise the deposit money. Accordingly, Visa will make the deposit under its previously implemented retrospective responsibility plan (RRP), the terms of which solely affect the financials of the company’s class B shareholders. This financial impact takes place in the form of a reduction in conversion price of such class B shares into class A shares. Apart from funding the litigation escrow account, under the RRP, such action can also be taken when Visa has to arrange ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/29/v-visa-inflates-escrow-account/70177/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BAC) How Are Americans Using Their Credit Cards?</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/20/bac-how-are-americans-using-their-credit-cards/68221</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/20/bac-how-are-americans-using-their-credit-cards/68221#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Mar 2011 17:28:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economic Crises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=68221</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Learning from the latest economic crisis, regulators have been trying to swap the credit card swiping trend with alternative payment methods and prompting consumers to reduce their credit card debts. Consequently, a declining trend of credit card usage has been witnessed in recent years. But does this imply that the Americans’ love for plastic credit is slowly dying out? A closer look into the underlying data might reveal that the US still moves on credit cards and that these remain a major economic force. According to a report released last Friday by credit reporting agency Experian, the average credit card debt decreased 4% to about $4,200 in 2010 from $4,467 in the prior year. However, for several cities, the average credit card debt is much higher than the national level. ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/20/bac-how-are-americans-using-their-credit-cards/68221/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/15/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-2/68735</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/15/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-2/68735#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:17:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=68735</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are upgrading our recommendation on Discover Financial Services (DFS) from Neutral to Outperform based on the acquisition of Student Loan Corp. that would enhance its already strong student loan portfolio. Additionally, Discover&#8217;s fourth quarter earnings were substantially ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The growth in the loan loss reserve release as well as gains from the payments business drove the credit card sales volumes. In addition, higher consumer spending and merchant acceptance also contributed to the increase. However, the CARD Act and the proposed limit on debit interchange fees by the Fed, along with higher-than-expected expenses is expected to hurt the profits of the company in the future. Nevertheless, the company&#8217;s extensive network, sound capital position and cost containment initiatives will help accentuate growth over the long term. ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2011/03/15/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day-2/68735/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services Beats Analyst Estimates</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/17/dfs-discover-financial-services-beats-analyst-estimates/62566</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/17/dfs-discover-financial-services-beats-analyst-estimates/62566#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Dec 2010 23:14:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SLM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Slm Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=62566</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services (DFS) reported a fiscal fourth quarter earnings of $346.5 million or 64 cents per share, well ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 42 cents. The prior-year quarter posted a net loss of $77.9 million or 14 cents per share, excluding an after-tax gain of approximately $285 million related to the settlement of an antitrust litigation with Visa Inc. (V) and MasterCard Inc. (MA). Discover also posted net income of $765 million in the fiscal 2010, as against the $1.3 billion in the prior year, which included an after-tax gain of $1.2 billion related to the Visa/MasterCard antitrust litigation settlement. The surge in profits was due to significant improvements in the credit quality, as well as gains from the payments business driven by strong volumes. However, these ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/12/17/dfs-discover-financial-services-beats-analyst-estimates/62566/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(V) Visa Fourth Quarter 2010 Earnings In Line with The Street</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/10/28/v-visa-fourth-quarter-2010-earnings-in-line-with-the-street/56909</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/10/28/v-visa-fourth-quarter-2010-earnings-in-line-with-the-street/56909#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:04:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=56909</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, Visa Inc.’s (V) fiscal fourth quarter 2010 (ended September 30, 2010) operating earnings of 95 cents per Class A common share were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate but came in substantially ahead of 74 cents reported the year-ago quarter on lower share count. Visa’s GAAP net income for the quarter came in at $774 million or $1.06 per share, dramatically increasing 50.6% from $514 million or 69 cents per share in the year-ago quarter. Operating income substantially increased 28.1% year over year to $1.11 billion. Total GAAP operating expenses for the reported quarter decreased about 1% year over year to $1.0 billion. Total operating revenues for the reported quarter were $2.12 billion, up 26.7% from $1.88 billion in the year-ago quarter and higher than the Zacks Consensus ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/10/28/v-visa-fourth-quarter-2010-earnings-in-line-with-the-street/56909/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AXP) American Express Quartely Report Beats The Street by a Nickel</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/10/22/axp-american-express-quartely-report-beats-the-street-by-a-nickel/56110</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/10/22/axp-american-express-quartely-report-beats-the-street-by-a-nickel/56110#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:43:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=56110</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, American Express Company (AXP) reported third quarter income from continuing operations of $1.1 billion or 90 cents per share, well ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 85 cents. Results in the year-ago quarter were $640 million or 54 cents, excluding a loss of $2.0 million or one cent per share from discontinued operations. However, the results from discontinued operations were nil during the reported quarter. The significant surge in earnings for American Express was attributable to an increased usage of cards with lesser defaults as consumers resumed their spending at a level similar to the pre-recession period. However, strong growth in the top-line and substantial reduction in provision for losses was partially offset by higher-than-expected operating expenses and higher tax rate. American Express’ card members&#8217; spending increased 14% ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/10/22/axp-american-express-quartely-report-beats-the-street-by-a-nickel/56110/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services &#8211; Bull of the Day</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/30/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day/53371</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/30/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day/53371#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:46:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=53371</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We are upgrading our recommendation on Discover Financial Services (DFS) to Outperform based on the forthcoming Student Loan Corp. acquisition that should enhance its already strong student loan portfolio. Moreover, third quarter earnings were substantially ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Higher margin payment service volumes, lower loan loss provisions, higher interest yield, improvement in credit card usage with reduced defaults, and gains from the direct-to-consumer deposit business were partially offset by increased interest expenses and tax rate. Although the CARD Act regulations continued to hurt net interest margin, the company is trending upward and will be able to overcome significant losses. Overall, the company&#8217;s extensive network, sound capital position and cost containment initiatives will help accentuate growth once the markets rebound. Our current target price is $20 per share. ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/30/dfs-discover-financial-services-bull-of-the-day/53371/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AAPL) Stock Market News for September 21, 2010 &#8211; Market News</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/22/aapl-stock-market-news-for-september-21-2010-market-news/52394</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/22/aapl-stock-market-news-for-september-21-2010-market-news/52394#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:15:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Personal Computers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AAPL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apple Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IBM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ID]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International Business Machines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[L-1 Identity Solutions Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Netezza Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NZ]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=52394</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The September rally picked up steam on Monday, sending major averages to their four-month high, amid hopes the Federal Reserve would announce measures to stimulate the economic recovery. However, volume remained low as market participants were hesitant to make bold moves amid broader uncertainties. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 10753.62, its highest close since May 13. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index jumped more than 40 points, or nearly 1.7%, to 2355.83. The widely followed Standard &#38; Poor’s 500-stock index jumped 17 points, or 1.5%, to 1142.71. On the New York Stock Exchange, five stocks rose in price for every one that fell. The S&#38;P’s move beyond the 1130 and then the 1140 mark were seen as a bullish sign and traders picked up stocks anticipating the rally to ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/22/aapl-stock-market-news-for-september-21-2010-market-news/52394/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AZO) Company News for September 21, 2010</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/22/azo-company-news-for-september-21-2010/52395</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/22/azo-company-news-for-september-21-2010/52395#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:15:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Auto Parts Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AutoZone Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AZO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bristow Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BRS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CAG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ConAgra Foods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COT]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cott Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deutsche Bank AG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Forest Laboratories Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FRX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Goldman Sachs Group]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hewlett-Packard Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HPQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JA Solar Holdings Company Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JASO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nabors Industries Limited]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NBR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NOK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nokia Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[S]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Nextel Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wells Fargo & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WFC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=52395</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[• Nokia (NYSE:NOK) for the second time announced delivery delays of its N8 model smartphone • ConAgra (NYSE:CAG) announced worse-than-expected fiscal first quarter earnings of 34 cents a share, off estimates of 39 cents, on revenues of $2.82 billion, below estimates at $2.98 billion • AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) reported better-than-forecast sales and earnings for fiscal fourth quarter, with earnings of $5.66 ahead of Street estimates at $5.42 and revenues of $2.45 billion better than the expected $2.39 billion • Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) ended its dispute with former CEO Hurd • Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) added Nabors Industries (NYSE:NBR) to its Conviction Buy List with a price target $22 • FBR reiterates an &#8220;outperform&#8221; rating on Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S), with a price target $6 • Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) resumed coverage of Forest Labs (NYSE:FRX), with a &#8220;neutral&#8221; rating and a price ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(C) Citigroup Quits Private Student Loan Business</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/20/c-citigroup-quits-private-student-loan-business/52225</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/20/c-citigroup-quits-private-student-loan-business/52225#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Sep 2010 05:04:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SLM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Slm Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[STU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Student Loan Corporation]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=52225</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc. (C) has decided to exit its private student loan business. Its indirect subsidiary, Student Loan Corporation (STU) has signed definitive agreements with Discover Financial Services (DFS) and SLM Corporation or Sallie Mae (SLM) for divesting its business through a string of transactions. Citi has an 80% ownership in Student Loan Corp., and the rest is owned by public shareholders. Deal Details Discover would acquire Student Loan Corp. and its $4 billon of its private student loans, while Sallie Mae will acquire $28 billion of securitized federal student loans and related assets from Student Loan Corp. Citi itself would also acquire certain federal and private student loans and other assets totaling $8.7 billion from Student Loan Corp. Additionally, $4.7 billion in Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) loans would ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/20/c-citigroup-quits-private-student-loan-business/52225/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Services&#8217; Earnings Beat Consensus Estimates</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/20/dfs-discover-financial-services-earnings-beat-consensus-estimates/52207</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/20/dfs-discover-financial-services-earnings-beat-consensus-estimates/52207#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:53:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SLM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Slm Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=52207</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services (DFS) reported a fiscal third quarter earnings of $261 million or 47 cents per share, well ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 35 cents. However, results dipped about 55% from the net income of $577 million or $1.07 per share in the year-ago quarter. This included an after-tax gain of approximately $287 million related to the settlement of an antitrust litigation with Visa Inc. (V) and MasterCard Inc. (MA). The surge in profits was due to a significant rise in the use of credit cards with reduced defaults, improved credit quality, as well as gains from the payments business driven by strong volumes. However, these were partially offset by higher-than-expected expenses, primarily on higher interest expenses and tax rate. Discover’s deposit balances originating from direct-to-consumer and ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/20/dfs-discover-financial-services-earnings-beat-consensus-estimates/52207/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(C) Citigroup Reports Increased Credit Card Charge-offs &#8211; August 2010</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/18/c-citigroup-reports-increased-credit-card-charge-offs-august-2010/52090</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/18/c-citigroup-reports-increased-credit-card-charge-offs-august-2010/52090#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 Sep 2010 17:14:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sentiment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=52090</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc. (C) has reported an increase in credit card charge-offs in August. Charge-offs ? balances that are uncollectible by the company and are subsequently written off ? have increased to 11.18% in August from 9.75% in July at Citi. However, Citi’s delinquency rate for loans due over 30 days decreased to 4.95% in August from 5.3% in July. The trends in credit card charge-offs and delinquency rates in Citi were similar to what other credit card lenders have experienced in August. Capital One Financial Corp. (COF), Discover Financial Services (DFS), Bank of America Corporation (BAC) and JPMorgan Chase &#38; Co. (JPM) reported an uptick in net charge-offs in the month, though American Express Company (AXP) managed to keep its charge-offs rate steady in August. However, all of them have reported ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/18/c-citigroup-reports-increased-credit-card-charge-offs-august-2010/52090/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(C) How About The New Credit Card Rules: Good or Bad?</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/08/c-how-about-the-new-credit-card-rules-good-or-bad/49149</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/08/c-how-about-the-new-credit-card-rules-good-or-bad/49149#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:22:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money Center Banks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=49149</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The final provisions of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act that came into effect last Sunday could have longer term repercussions. Though the new rules will protect credit card users from unreasonable late payment fees, interest rate hikes and other penalty fees, these could prove to be more difficult to card holders than before. On May 22, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the CARD Act into law. The Act aims at protecting the average consumer. However, this law threatens the profitability of major card issuers including Citigroup Inc. (C), Bank of America Corp. (BAC), JPMorgan Chase &#38; Co. (JPM), Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) and Discover Financial Services (DFS), since issuing credit at a rate suited to a customer’s risk is a complex process now. So how ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/09/08/c-how-about-the-new-credit-card-rules-good-or-bad/49149/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(V) Visa Report Notes Lobbying Charges Expand $$</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/29/v-visa-report-notes-lobbying-charges-expand/49577</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/29/v-visa-report-notes-lobbying-charges-expand/49577#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:08:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=49577</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Visa Inc. (V) has reported that it has spent $1.53 million during the second quarter 2010 to address concerns related to credit card regulations and other issues. The lobbying charges nudged up 14% for Visa from $1.34 million in the year-ago quarter and $1.12 million during the first quarter of 2010. According to the report filed on July 20, Visa lobbied the federal government on the sweeping new legislation reform and other legislations involving overdraft coverage and the consumer financial protection agency. Other issues concerning Visa were related to cybersecurity, personal data privacy and protection, and the tax code. In the April-to-June period, Visa lobbied the Congress, the Federal Reserve and the Federal Trade Commission. Besides Visa, its competitors Mastercard Incorporated (MA) spent $2.3 million, Discover Financial Services (DFS) spent ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/29/v-visa-report-notes-lobbying-charges-expand/49577/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(AXP) American Express Company Earnings Exceed Estimates</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/02/axp-american-express-company-earnings-exceed-estimates/44426</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/02/axp-american-express-company-earnings-exceed-estimates/44426#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:54:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Express Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=44426</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On July 22, 2010, American Express Company (AXP) reported its second-quarter income from continuing operations of $1.0 billion or 84 cents per share, ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 78 cents. The significant surge in earnings for American Express was attributable to increased usage of cards with lesser defaults, as consumers resumed their spending, a level similar to the pre-recession period. American Express’ card members&#8217; spending increased 16% year-over-year. The increase came from corporate cards, cards issued by its bank partners and premium co-branded cards. Results in the year-ago quarter were $0.6 billion or 27 cents, excluding a deduction of $0.2 billion or 18 cents per share from a repurchase of preferred shares from the U.S. government. The results also exclude a loss of $5.0 million from discontinued operations. ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/08/02/axp-american-express-company-earnings-exceed-estimates/44426/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(V) Visa Announces Lobbying Charges</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/06/21/v-visa-announces-lobbying-charges/41099</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/06/21/v-visa-announces-lobbying-charges/41099#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Jun 2010 04:10:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Business Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BAC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bank of America Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Capital One Financial Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Citigroup Inc.]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JPMorgan Chase & Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mastercard Incorporated]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[V]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Visa Inc]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=41099</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On Friday, Visa Inc. (V) reported that it spent $1.12 million during the first quarter 2010 on issues related to credit card regulations. The lobbying charges were down 27% from the $1.54 million spent during the first quarter of 2009 and declined 30% from $1.6 million spent in the fourth quarter of 2009. Visa lobbied Congress, the Federal Reserve System and Federal Trade Commission for multiple issues such as credit card regulations, fees charged to merchants for accepting card payments and the creation of a consumer protection agency. The credit card regulations were enforced by The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, known as the CARD Act, which was passed by Congress on May 22, 2009. It included several provisions aimed at regulating the fees levied on customers by ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/06/21/v-visa-announces-lobbying-charges/41099/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(BBY) Housing, Inflation &amp; Production Keys &#8211; Earnings Preview</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/06/13/bby-housing-inflation-production-keys-earnings-preview/40067</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/06/13/bby-housing-inflation-production-keys-earnings-preview/40067#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:33:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Electronics Stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BBY]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Buy Company Inc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FDX]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FedEx Corporation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kroger Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SJM]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The J. M. Smucker Company]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=40067</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Earnings Preview 6/11/10 The first quarter earnings season is effectively over. There will be just 33 firms reporting next week, and some of those will be reporting second quarter earnings, not first quarter (we define fiscal periods ending in May, June and July as being second quarter). However, among the 33 total are five S&#38;P 500 firms. These are Best Buy (BBY), Discover Financial (DFS), Kroger’s (KR), S.J. Smucker (SJM) and Federal Express (FDX). The Fed Ex report should be particularly interesting in that its shipment volumes are a telling clue as to how the rest of the economy is doing. With the week light on earnings reports, most of the attention will be focused on the economic data coming out. It will be a very heavy week for data, ]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/06/13/bby-housing-inflation-production-keys-earnings-preview/40067/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>(DFS) Discover Financial Servcies Forms Alliance With Amalgamated Bank of Chicago</title>
		<link>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/05/24/dfs-discover-financial-servcies-forms-alliance-with-amalgamated-bank-of-chicago/37593</link>
		<comments>http://www.stockbloghub.com/2010/05/24/dfs-discover-financial-servcies-forms-alliance-with-amalgamated-bank-of-chicago/37593#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 May 2010 21:16:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>vitalstocks</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Credit Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DFS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Discover Financial Services]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.stockbloghub.com/?p=37593</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In an attempt to expand its operation in the U.S., Discover Financial Services (DFS) recently announced its strategic alliance with Amalgamated Bank of Chicago (ABOC) in order to launch American Union Financial Services (AUFS) and ABOC Discover card. The AUFS and ABOC Discover card will provide beneficial offers to the cardholders such as no annual fee, a low annual percentage rate, AmalgaMiles travel rewards and zero liability on fraudulent transactions. The card has been initially launched for a select group of Joint Council Teamster local union members and their families. Since its inception in 1986, Discover has grown to become one of the largest card issuers in the United States and a leading innovator and driver of change in the credit card industry. Through the launch of AUFS and ABOC ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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