What information do mercantile agencies have on you?

Mercantile agencies provide lenders with credit rating information and similar services, but what are they saying about you?

Trade Talk

BOURSE ELECTION COURSESHARES are likely to remain under pressure until the federal election, with polls traditionally depressing equity markets. A report by ABN Amro Morgans chief economist Michael Knox found that federal elections introduce uncertainty into stockmarket returns with investors and institutions historically tending to withdraw funds prior to the election. A survey by Mr Knox of the nine federal elections since 1977 showed the share market fell by about 3.1% in the two months prior to the elec

Cyber Con Is Just Like Old Crimes

EVEN cyber crime is going back to the old economy. A New York waiter has raided the accounts of the rich and famous, including Steven Spielberg, Ted Turner and Oprah Winfrey, by e-mail with an old-fashioned twist. He apparently conned credit agencies with official looking letters from investment ba

Accc Investigates One.tel's Ghost, A Debt Collector

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is looking into alleged harassment of consumers by One.Tel through its use of a ``ghost company" to collect some of its debts. One.Tel customers with outstanding debts have received notices from a debt collection agency owned by One.Tel directors Mr Jodee Rich, Mr Bradley Keeling and Mr Mark Silbermann.

Uk Insurer Rebuffs Qbe Bid

An attempt by QBE Insurance to buy UK insurer Limit for about #500 million ($1.25 billion) has collapsed after the UK company rejected the offer as ``unacceptable". QBE recently approached Limit which owns majority interests in two Lloyd's underwriting agencies in order to undertake due d

Fai Puts Y&r On Notice In Review

The floodgates are set to open on the $6 million FAI Insurance account, with two Sydney agencies circling the business amid rumours the client's relationship with incumbent agency Young & Rubicam is shaky. FAI marketing general manager, Mr Rob Taylor, told the Herald yesterday that the compan

Are Agencies Losing Touch?

A property manager these days is expected to be a career property professional, probably with a formal valuation training. Today's manager must understand the characteristics of property as an asset class and be adept at the techniques used to measure the performance of an asset. We are taught the

Asc Looks To See How It Is Going

THE slogan could go something like ``The Australian Securities Commission _ We Try Harder". Or to lift a line from another high-profile corporate entity: ``The ASC: Tailoring Company Searches to Your Needs". Sophisticated corporate lawyers, shelf-company promotors or credit-search agen

Watchdog Wants To Improve Its Bite

MELBOURNE: The slogan could go something like this: "The Australian Securities Commission - We Try Harder". Or to lift a line from another high-profile corporate entity: "The ASC, Tailoring Company Searches to Your Needs". Sophisticated corporate lawyers, shelf company

Boom Times For One Group - Bad Debt Experts

Declining business confidence and increasing corporate collapses have created boom conditions for insolvency specialists and corporate doctors -they cannot remember when they have been busier. Another less well-known sector of the economy which is benefiting from a dismal economic prognosis

Us Exchanges Apply For Circuit Breakers

CHICAGO: The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) have applied for approval to implement circuit breakers to temporarily halt trading in US stockmarkets during periods of volatile price swings, the CME said. The exchanges applied to their respective regul