Home
Jump to Risk Factors
Jump to Industries
Jump to Exposures
Jump to Event Codes
Jump to Wiki Summary

Industries
Diversified Financial Services
Real Estate
Real Estate Services
Asset Management and Custody Banks
Exposures
Military
Express intent
Judicial
Regime
Provide
Event Codes
Solicit support
Comment
Host meeting
Agree
Accident
Warn
Sanction
Yield to order
Reject
Reward
Propose
Sports contest
Consult
Wiki Wiki Summary
Financial services Financial services are the economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, accountancy companies, consumer-finance companies, stock brokerages, investment funds, individual asset managers, and some government-sponsored enterprises.\n\n\n== History ==\n\nThe term "financial services" became more prevalent in the United States partly as a result of the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act of the late 1990s, which enabled different types of companies operating in the U.S. financial services industry at that time to merge.Companies usually have two distinct approaches to this new type of business.
Siemens Financial Services Siemens Financial Services (SFS) is a Division of Siemens. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany.
Motilal Oswal Financial Services Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited is an Indian financial services company offering a range of financial products and services. The company was founded by Motilal Oswal and Raamdeo Agrawal in 1987.The company is listed on BSE and NSE stock exchanges.
Oracle Financial Services Software Oracle Financial Services Software Limited (OFSS) is a subsidiary of Oracle Corporation. It is a retail banking, corporate banking, and insurance technology solutions provider for the banking industry.
Operation Mincemeat Operation Mincemeat was a successful British deception operation of the Second World War to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily. Two members of British intelligence obtained the body of Glyndwr Michael, a tramp who died from eating rat poison, dressed him as an officer of the Royal Marines and placed personal items on him identifying him as the fictitious Captain (Acting Major) William Martin.
Special Activities Center The Special Activities Center (SAC) is a division of the Central Intelligence Agency responsible for covert operations and paramilitary operations. The unit was named Special Activities Division (SAD) prior to 2015.
Operations management Operations management is an area of management concerned with designing and controlling the process of production and redesigning business operations in the production of goods or services. It involves the responsibility of ensuring that business operations are efficient in terms of using as few resources as needed and effective in meeting customer requirements.
Special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism actions, and are typically conducted by small groups of highly-trained personnel, emphasizing sufficiency, stealth, speed, and tactical coordination, commonly known as "special forces".
Emergency operations center An emergency operations center (EOC) is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions at a strategic level during an emergency, and ensuring the continuity of operation of a company, political subdivision or other organization.\nAn EOC is responsible for strategic direction and operational decisions and does not normally directly control field assets, instead leaving tactical decisions to lower commands.
Operations research Operations research (British English: operational research), often shortened to the initialism OR, is a discipline that deals with the development and application of advanced analytical methods to improve decision-making. It is sometimes considered to be a subfield of mathematical sciences.
Competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, individuals, economic and social groups, etc.
Savings and loan crisis The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s (commonly dubbed the S&L crisis) was the failure of 1,043 out of the 3,234 savings and loan associations (S&Ls) in the United States from 1986 to 1995. An S&L or "thrift" is a financial institution that accepts savings deposits and makes mortgage, car and other personal loans to individual members (a cooperative venture known in the United Kingdom as a building society).
United States House Committee on Financial Services The United States House Committee on Financial Services, also referred to as the House Banking Committee and previously known as the Committee on Banking and Currency, is the committee of the United States House of Representatives that oversees the entire financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking and housing industries. The Financial Services Committee also oversees the work of the Federal Reserve, the United States Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other financial services regulators.
Mortgage loan A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any purpose while putting a lien on the property being mortgaged. The loan is "secured" on the borrower's property through a process known as mortgage origination.
Valuation (finance) In finance, valuation is the process of determining the present value (PV) of an asset. In a business context, it is often the hypothetical price that a third party would pay for a given asset.
Disparate impact Disparate impact in United States labor law refers to practices in employment, housing, and other areas that adversely affect one group of people of a protected characteristic more than another, even though rules applied by employers or landlords are formally neutral. Although the protected classes vary by statute, most federal civil rights laws protect based on race, color, religion, national origin, and sex as protected traits, and some laws include disability status and other traits as well.
Loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word permanently adopted from one language (the donor language) and incorporated into another language without translation. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because they share an etymological origin, and calques, which involve translation.
External commercial borrowing External commercial borrowing (ECBs) are loans in India made by non-resident lenders in foreign currency to Indian borrowers. They are used widely in India to facilitate access to foreign money by Indian corporations and PSUs (public sector undertakings).
Borrowing statute Within the United States, a statute of limitations is typically deemed to be a procedural law, meaning that a state will ordinarily apply its own statute of limitations to any case that is filed within its courts. A borrowing statute, is a statute under which a U.S. state may "borrow" a shorter statute of limitations for a cause of action arising in another jurisdiction.
Borrowing base Borrowing base is an accounting metric used by financial institutions to estimate the available collateral on a borrower's assets in order to evaluate the size of the credit that may be extended. Typically, the calculation of borrowing base is used for revolving loans, and the borrowing base determines the maximum credit line available to the borrower.
Current Expected Credit Losses Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) is a credit loss accounting standard (model) that was issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) on June 16, 2016. CECL replaces the current Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses (ALLL) accounting standard.
Expected loss Expected loss is the sum of the values of all possible losses, each multiplied by the probability of that loss occurring. \nIn bank lending (homes, autos, credit cards, commercial lending, etc.) the expected loss on a loan varies over time for a number of reasons.
Citibank Citibank is the consumer division of financial services multinational Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, and later became First National City Bank of New York.
PIK loan A PIK, or payment in kind, is a type of high-risk loan or bond that allows borrowers to pay interest with additional debt, rather than cash. That makes it an expensive, high-risk financing instrument since the size of the debt may increase quickly, leaving lenders with big losses if the borrower is unable to pay back the loan.
Adverse effect An adverse effect is an undesired harmful effect resulting from a medication or other intervention, such as surgery. An adverse effect may be termed a "side effect", when judged to be secondary to a main or therapeutic effect.
Compound interest Compound interest is the addition of interest to the principal sum of a loan or deposit, or in other words, interest on principal plus interest. It is the result of reinvesting interest, or adding it to the loaned capital rather than paying it out, or requiring payment from borrower, so that interest in the next period is then earned on the principal sum plus previously accumulated interest.
Interest rate An interest rate is the amount of interest due per period, as a proportion of the amount lent, deposited, or borrowed (called the principal sum). The total interest on an amount lent or borrowed depends on the principal sum, the interest rate, the compounding frequency, and the length of time over which it is lent, deposited, or borrowed.
Real interest rate The real interest rate is the rate of interest an investor, saver or lender receives (or expects to receive) after allowing for inflation. It can be described more formally by the Fisher equation, which states that the real interest rate is approximately the nominal interest rate minus the inflation rate.
Interest rate cap and floor An interest rate cap is a type of interest rate derivative in which the buyer receives payments at the end of each period in which the interest rate exceeds the agreed strike price. An example of a cap would be an agreement to receive a payment for each month the LIBOR rate exceeds 2.5%.
Nominal interest rate In finance and economics, the nominal interest rate or nominal rate of interest is either of two distinct things: \n\nthe rate of interest before adjustment for inflation (in contrast with the real interest rate); or,\nfor interest rates "as stated" without adjustment for the full effect of compounding (also referred to as the nominal annual rate). An interest rate is called nominal if the frequency of compounding (e.g.
Neutral rate of interest The neutral rate of interest, sometimes called the natural rate of interest, is the real (net of inflation) interest rate that supports the economy at full employment/maximum output while keeping inflation constant. It cannot be observed directly.
Environmental hazard An environmental hazard is a substance, state or event which has the potential to threaten the surrounding natural environment or adversely affect people's health, including pollution and natural disasters such as storms and earthquakes. It can include any single or combination of toxic chemical, biological, or physical agents in the environment, resulting from human activities or natural processes, that may impact the health of exposed subjects, including pollutants such as heavy metals, pesticides, biological contaminants, toxic waste, industrial and home chemicals.Human-made hazards while not immediately health-threatening may turn out detrimental to a human's well-being eventually, because deterioration in the environment can produce secondary, unwanted negative effects on the human ecosphere.
Institution Institutions are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity.
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( smith-SOH-nee-ən), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. Government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded on August 10, 1846, it operates as a trust instrumentality and is not formally a part of any of the three branches of the federal government.
Disciplinary institution Disciplinary institutions (French: institution disciplinaire) is a concept proposed by Michel Foucault in Discipline and Punish (1975). School, prison, barracks, or the hospital are examples of historical disciplinary institutions, all created in their modern form in the 19th century with the Industrial Revolution.
Risk Factors
WGNB CORP Item 1A Risk Factors Like all other banking and financial services companies, our business and results of operations are subject to a number of risks, many of which are outside of our control
In addition to the other information in this Report, readers should carefully consider that the following important factors, among others, could materially impact our business and future results of operations
which conducts business through its wholly-owned subsidiary, West Georgia National Bank
Our success depends on our ability to compete effectively in the competitive financial services industry - We encounter strong competition for deposits, loans, and other financial services in all of our lines of business
Our principal competitors include other commercial banks, savings banks, credit unions and savings and loan associations
Many of our competitors are significantly larger than us and have greater access to capital and other resources
In recent years, there has been substantial consolidation among companies in the financial services industry
Such consolidation may increase competition because consolidation creates larger entities who may be able to offer additional services that we are unable to offer, have greater financial resources or have substantially higher lending limits with which to compete
Further, our ability to compete effectively is dependent on our ability to adapt successfully to technological and other changes within the banking and financial services industry
15 _________________________________________________________________ Our business may be adversely affected by the highly regulated environment in which we operate - We are highly regulated by state and federal agencies
Recently enacted and future legislation and regulations may have significant impact on the banking and financial services industries
Regulatory or legislative changes could increase our cost of doing business, restrict our access to new products or markets, or otherwise adversely affect our operations or the manner in which we conduct our business and, on the whole, adversely affect the profitability of our business
We may be adversely affected by a general deterioration in economic conditions - The risks associated with our business are greater in periods of a slowing economy or recession
Economic declines may be accompanied by a decrease in demand for consumer or commercial credit and declining real estate and other asset values
Declining real estate and other asset values may reduce the ability of borrowers to use such equity to support borrowings
Delinquencies, foreclosures and losses generally increase during economic slow downs or recessions
Additionally, our servicing costs, collection costs and credit losses may also increase in periods of economic slow down or recessions
We are subject to credit risk inherent in our loan portfolio - In the financial services industry, there is always a risk that certain borrowers may not repay borrowings
We maintain a reserve for loan losses to absorb the level of losses that we estimate to be probable in our portfolio
However, our reserve for loan losses may not be sufficient to cover the loan losses that we may actually incur
If we experience defaults by borrowers in any of our businesses, our earnings could be negatively affected
Changes in local economic conditions could adversely affect credit quality in our loan portfolio
In addition, federal and state regulators periodically review our loan portfolio and may require us to increase the provision for loan losses or recognize loan charge-offs
Their conclusions about the quality of the loan portfolio may be different from ours
Any increase in the allowance for loan losses or charge-offs as required by these regulatory agencies could have a negative effect on our operating results
We may be adversely affected by interest rate changes - We realize income primarily from the difference between interest earned on loans and investments and interest paid on deposits and other borrowings
Interest rate fluctuations are caused by many factors which, for the most part, are not under our direct control
For example, national monetary policy plays a significant role in the determination of interest rates
Additionally, competitor pricing and the resulting negotiations that occur with our customers also impact the rates we collect on loans and the rates we pay on deposits
As interest rates change, we expect that we will periodically experience “gaps” in the interest rate sensitivities of our assets and liabilities, meaning that either our interest-bearing liabilities will be more sensitive to changes in market interest rates than our interest-earning assets, or vice versa
In either event, if market interest rates should move contrary to our position, this “gap” may work against us, and our earnings may be negatively affected
Although we actively manage our interest rate sensitivity, such management is not an exact science
Rapid increases or decreases in interest rates could adversely affect our net interest margin if changes in our cost of funds do not correspond to changes in income yields
An increase in interest rates that adversely affects the ability of borrowers to pay the principal or interest on loans may lead to an increase in nonperforming assets and a reduction of interest accrued into income, which could have a material adverse affect on our results of operations
We could be held responsible for environmental liabilities of properties acquired through foreclosure - Environmentally related hazards have become a source of high risk and potentially unlimited liability for financial institutions relative to their loans
Environmentally contaminated properties owned by an institution’s borrowers may result in a drastic reduction in the value of the collateral securing the institution’s loans to such borrowers, high environmental clean up costs to the borrower affecting its ability to repay the loans, the subordination of any lien in favor of the institution to a state or federal lien securing clean up costs, and liability to the institution for clean up costs if it forecloses on the contaminated property or becomes involved in the management of the borrower
To minimize this risk, we may require an environmental examination of, and report with respect to, the property of any borrower or prospective borrower if circumstances affecting the property indicate a potential for contamination, taking into consideration the potential loss to the institution in relation to the burdens to the borrower
Such examination must be performed by an engineering firm experienced in environmental risk studies and acceptable to the institution, and the costs of such examinations and reports are the responsibility of the borrower
These costs may be substantial and may deter a prospective borrower from entering into a loan transaction with us
We are not aware of any borrower who is currently subject to any environmental investigation or clean up proceeding which is likely to have a material adverse affect on our financial condition or results of operation
16 _________________________________________________________________ Loss of our senior executive officers or other key employees could impair our relationship with customers and adversely affect our business - We have assembled a senior management team which has substantial background and experience in banking and financial services in the western Georgia market
Loss of these key personnel could negatively impact our earnings because of their skills, customer relationships and/or the potential difficulty of promptly replacing them
As previously disclosed, our former Chief Executive Officer, L Leighton Alston, recently terminated his employment with us
His duties are currently being performed by HB Lipham, III, who previously served as our Executive Vice President