CVB Financial Corp. is proud to announce that Sean Kraus, Charted Financial Analyst from CitizensTrust, Citizens Business Bank’s Wealth Management Group, was listed in Los Angeles Magazine’s 2011 Five Star Wealth Managers. Kraus is the Senior Vice President, Chief Investment Officer for CitizensTrust. Ontario-based Citizens Business Bank has a strong presence in the South Bay, with locations in El Segundo, Manhattan Beach and Torrance.
The list of the 2011 Wealth Managers is an elite group, representing less than 2 percent of the wealth managers in the Los Angeles ... Continue Reading

By David Whitehead and Brian Simon

The last time Business Insider Magazine chatted with executives from several small- to medium-sized financial institutions in the area we wanted to see how they were faring in light of what was described as the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We didn’t expect the news to be all hunky dory. The sub-prime collapse, subsequent real estate downturn and crippling credit crunch had already wreaked havoc on the banking industry as a whole, spurring the shocking demise of more than a few once seemingly invincible financial giants. All indicators ... Continue Reading

Sacramento, CA — The California Association of Business Brokers (CABB- a non profit trade organization) says if you are a small business owner looking to sell your business but are waiting for the economy to turn around, use this time to start preparing. One of the most vital steps in this process is to understand what your business is worth.
Ron Hottes, president of CABB and of several Business Team Business Brokerages says that a business broker’s opinion of value can provide you with an objective view of what ... Continue Reading

By David Whitehead

Economist Nouriel Roubini was dubbed the “prophet of doom” when he tried to warn the financial community they were building a house of cards with the Real Estate market. He wasn’t taken seriously until 2007 when it became clear a massive asset bubble was about to cause catastrophic damage to the global economy. Today, he receives praise for his insights and is the voice Wall Street calls on the most to explain what so many insiders claimed to have missed.
However, Roubini was hardly the only notable economist pointing out that asset bubbles can be identified, tracked ... Continue Reading

By Ken Roberts

How many times do we have to hear about how the pendulum had swung too far in the “loose lending” direction and now is moving too far in the “no lending” direction? It’s no secret that banks would rather not lend money in these tough economic times. If you don’t lend any money, you can’t lose any money! Take the bail-out funds and keep them on your balance sheet. That has been the mantra repeated in banking boardrooms of late. So real estate lending is more challenging now than at any time in ... Continue Reading

By Kurt Andrew Schlichter, Esq.

The article appeared in Business Insider Magazine’s first issue of 2009

While the economic downturn will increase most businesses’ exposure to legal problems, it can also be a good time to get your legal house in order. Companies and individuals in trouble often look to the law as a quick way to avoid debts or to collect on real or imagined claims that in good times would be put aside. But when things are slow, businesspeople have the chance to focus on legal matters they would otherwise ... Continue Reading

By Angela L.H. Sayers, CPA, MBA

This column ran in Business Insider Magazine’s first issue of 2009

The stock market is extremely volatile and our investment portfolios have plummeted. So how can we keep our businesses running profitably and riding through the recession without too much turmoil? Small business owners have to manage their companies much more effectively than large corporations on Wall Street regardless of the economic climate. After all, small businesses are going to pull our country out of the recession. Here are some points to help your business ... Continue Reading

By David Whitehead

The financial crisis may not be the only thing putting a strain on your business. If your IT upgrades didn’t keep pace with your growth during the boom years, chances are expensive inefficiencies are starting to get noticed. Surviving a tough economy requires all of us to be as efficient as possible, which means it’s time to take a hard look at productivity problems created by poorly planned IT systems.
I have worked for several companies that allowed their IT to become grossly inefficient because systems were allowed ... Continue Reading

By Ken Roberts

This article appeared in Business Insider Magazine’s second issue of 2009

If the real estate climate was reported like the weather, it might sound something like the following:
“Expect the stormfront in the South Bay real estate market to continue with cold temperatures, scattered showers, and occasional gale force winds in the middle class areas, gradually giving way to partial clearing and a warming trend for first-time buyers with the worst behind us for the high-end market.”
One of the barometers of the real estate climate is the number ... Continue Reading