Identifies Strongest and Weakest Financial Institutions and Brokers;
Advises Consumers and Investors How to Protect Their Money
JUPITER, FL — (Marketwire – August 14, 2008) — Following one of the largest bank failures in history — Indymac Bank — and the largest brokerage firm failure in history — Bear Stearns — Weiss Research advises consumers and investors to carefully monitor the financial safety of their banks and brokers in a webinar titled, “The X-List.” It identifies the strongest and most vulnerable financial institutions and brokers using a compilation of data from TheStreet.com Ratings and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as well as proprietary analysis.
“Many banks and brokers have announced large losses — and more are likely to face financial difficulties as the mortgage crisis spreads,” stated Mike Larson, interest rate and real estate analyst at Weiss Research. “It is imperative that consumers and investors understand how to use ratings and other data available to make informed decisions about where to deposit and invest their money.”
Hosted by Martin Weiss, president of Weiss Research, and Larson, “The X-List” webinar provides clear, concise advice for consumers and investors, providing critical data needed to make informed decisions about evaluating and selecting a bank or broker. The hour-long presentation addresses key questions, including:
— How safe is your bank?
— How safe is your broker?
— What happens to your money and your investments if your bank or broker fails?
— What protection does the FDIC provide?
— What happens if your deposits are over the FDIC insurance limits?
— What do safety ratings represent and what guidelines should I follow when evaluating financial institutions?
— What are the risks of selecting a weak bank or broker?
— Where is the best place to put your money to keep it safe?
— Why is it important to select a broker with a capital cushion larger than the SEC requirement?
— What’s the first thing I should I do if my broker fails and I am denied access to my account?
“The X-List,” which identifies the 100 weakest and the 100 strongest banks and names brokers with the weakest and strongest capital, according to a study by Weiss Research, is available for free, including the webinar, at MoneyandMarkets.com.
Weiss Research, Inc. is an independent research firm in Jupiter, Florida. Founded in 1971, Weiss Research is dedicated to providing information and tools to help investors make sounder financial decisions and offers its insights in MoneyandMarkets.com.
