Land Of The Flea

International Wire Fees going up from the new remittance transfer rule

"On October 28th, 2013 international wire fees are going up. This is due to the remittance transfer rule amendment to Regulation E from the Dodd-Frank Act. Ironically, as a ‘consumer protection’ amendment, these new stipulations are suppose to help protect and disclose more information to those that are sending money abroad. The issue is that it really does the opposite of that–it simply makes international wires more expensive at the cost of those who can afford it the least. JP Morgan Chase has announced that they will no longer be offer outbound international wire services in response to this new regulation." Continue reading →

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HSBC USA Joins Chase in Limiting International Money Transfers

"Yesterday, I reported that JPMorganChase will start to limit cash withdrawals and ban certain business customers from sending international wire transfers, from November 17 onward. Now, word comes via Simon Black that starting October 20th, HSBC USA's Premier clients will have to wait a minimum of five days before transferring funds to their OWN international accounts! This is not good. The cover story for these measures is to 'protect' banks and customers from theft. In reality, this is a major move toward limiting movement of capital overseas." Continue reading →

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Chase Bank Limits Cash Withdrawals, Bans International Wire Transfers

"Numerous business customers with Chase BusinessSelect Checking and Chase BusinessClassic accounts have received letters over the past week informing them that cash activity (both deposits and withdrawals) will be limited to a $50,000 total per statement cycle from November 17 onwards. The move to limit deposits and withdrawals while banning international wire transfers altogether is a bizarre policy and will cripple many small and medium-sized businesses with Chase accounts. Buying stock from abroad in any kind of quantity will now become impossible for many companies, while paying employees will also be a headache." Continue reading →

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Overtaxed and over there

"'FATCA is strangling us economically,' says Genevieve Besser, an American who has lived in Germany for 25 years. Last year her youngest daughter, a dual citizen, had her local brokerage account closed by Deutsche Bank because her mother had signing authority over it. Americans are even being forced out of products that are not subject to FATCA reporting: some have been forced to pay off mortgage balances with Swiss banks, for instance. American banks and brokerages are growing frostier too. Some are closing the accounts of citizens who no longer have an American address because of FATCA." Continue reading →

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The Biggest Scam In The History Of Mankind (Debt Ceiling Truth)

"You are about to learn one of the biggest secrets in the history of the world...it's a secret that has huge effects for everyone who lives on this planet. Most people can feel deep down that something isn't quite right with the world economy, but few know what it is. Gone are the days where a family can survive on just one paycheck...every day it seems that things are more and more out of control, yet only one in a million understand why. You are about to discover the system that is ultimately responsible for most of the inequality in our world today. The powers that be DO NOT want you to know about this, as this system is what has kept them at the top of the financial food-chain." Continue reading →

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Why Have So Many Americans Considered Expatriation?

"According to Rasmussen Reports, fully 9% of the U.S. population has considered 'expatriation.' A record number of Americans 'officially' expatriated in the second quarter of 2013—and the real number is probably much higher. The mainstream media says that U.S. citizens give up their citizenship only to avoid paying tax. The fact is, more than 7 million Americans now live abroad. Many of them can no longer hold bank accounts, qualify for a mortgage, or set up a tax-deferred account for retirement or their children's education. They don't leave solely because of taxes—they give up their native son and daughter status because they pretty much have to just to function outside this country." Continue reading →

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More on Default

"I fully concede, a default of any kind would be harmful to individuals and institutions holding Treasury bonds in their portfolios. It would cause investors and analysts to rethink the role that T-bills play in the financial system and could cause some painful adjustments. But why should these be the only costs under consideration? What about the cost to the US taxpayer from raising the revenues needed to pay the interest on T-bills? What about the costs to everyone holding assets denominated in depreciating dollars — depreciation that will continue as long as the Fed maintains its policy of monetizing the debt?" Continue reading →

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Ron Paul: New Fed Boss Same as the Old Boss

"The news that Janet Yellen was nominated to become the next Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System was greeted with joy by financial markets and the financial press. Wall Street saw Yellen's nomination as a harbinger of continued easy money. Contrast this with the hand-wringing that took place when Larry Summers' name was still in the running. Pundits worried that Summers would be too cautious, too hawkish on inflation, or too close to big banks. The reality is that there wouldn't have been a dime's worth of difference between Yellen's and Summers' monetary policy. No matter who is at the top, the conduct of monetary policy will be largely unchanged." Continue reading →

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Catherine Austin Fitts: Moral Investing and the Coming Equity ‘Crash-Up’

"Take a look at different predictions that gold is going to increase significantly in value. All those predictions assume that the monetary inflation is going to spill into commodities. And what you're watching instead is the G-7 have been essentially building a corral that forces the horses to run out through the stock market. That's why I call it a crash-up. I think one scenario we're looking at is the possibility of a crash-up scenario where that monetary increase is funneled into the equity markets. One of the most important questions there is, can you get the global population interested in investing in equities? Because the long bond market bull is coming to a close." Continue reading →

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‘Professor of Entrepreneurship’ at MIT Predicts a Bitcoin Backlash

"Simon Johnson, a professor of entrepreneurship at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, expects Bitcoin to face political pressure and aggressive lobbying from big banks because of its disruptive nature. Johnson says that Bitcoin’s success will draw increased attention from governments and regulators, who are used to having tight control over currencies. He believes they will be egged on by established financial institutions, which will likely seek to quash the currency. Bitcoin enables very rapid, cheap transfers and payments that could compete with existing fee-based ways of moving money around. 'Any bankers watching this should be very afraid,' said Johnson." Continue reading →

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