Posted by Istvan Fekete
Office Buildings
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

Grand Rapid’s biggest office building is listed fore a sale at a public foreclosure auction next month. The 17-story blue-glass Bridgewater Place dramatically changed the city’s skyline when built in the early 90s. Many people refer to the building as the Varnum building because of the firms’ prominent logo near the top floor. The law [...]
Posted by Arnold Balthazaar
Economic Updates
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

The ability of the United States to not only recover from her recessionary doldrums, but also her ability to combat inflation and at the same time maintain the integrity of the US financial system will remain key criteria for the US to maintain her status as world economic leader. These strong words come on the [...]
Posted by Arnold Balthazaar
Economic Updates, Financial Institutions, Government
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
While the precise measures for regulation are still being debated, one of the foremost considerations in the United States appears to be the participation of banks in the interests of hedge funds and private equity consortiums. Clearly outside the traditional activity of a bank, these devices offer commercial banks the opportunity to generate revenue and [...]
Posted by Arnold Balthazaar
Financial Institutions, Government
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
In the aftermath of all social tragedy there is a compelling attraction toward drastic action and in that of the Global Financial Crisis it appears that things are no different. After observing the ludicrous risks taken in pre-2008 lending practices, and the remuneration offered those approving such conduct, the ideology of self correcting market forces, [...]
Posted by Arnold Balthazaar
Economic Updates, Government
Friday, April 23rd, 2010

Recessions are rarely predictable in shape, but there is no mandate that it be V-shaped. Therefore, the current economic climate plentiful with distressed property, commercial short sales and foreclosures, needs to be carefully nurtured to sponsor confidence in the broader economy. It is this reality that would prevent the immediate enactment of statutory regulation curtailing [...]