U.S. Debt Hits Critical Point, Putting Our Entire Economy on the Brink of Disaster

The U.S. national debt is rising by $1 trillion roughly every 100 days right now, which now stands at nearly $35.8 trillion as of 10/22/2024. To make matters worse, the Treasury has also drawn down its cash balance by $72 billion putting it over $275 billion in the red. The report spread like wildfire, especially

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U.S. Debt Hits Critical Point, Putting Our Entire Economy on the Brink of Disaster by Dr. David Phelps
With the Economy in Decline, Now Is the Time to Line Up Funding 

Massive layoffs have been hitting the news at an increasing frequency, with Intel, CVS, Aetna, and John Deer being some of the most recognizable. At the same time, wages remain stagnant, inflation has made everything less affordable, and credit underwriting has become more stringent.  This is the financial equivalent of “The Captain has turned on

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With the Economy in Decline, Now Is the Time to Line Up Funding 
Amerant Bancorp completes $165 million stock offering

Amerant Bancorp (NYSE: AMTB) announced the closing of its public offering of 8.68 million shares of its Class A common stock at $19 per share, raising approximately $165 million in gross proceeds. The offering included 784,210 shares issued after underwriters exercised their option to buy additional shares. Headquartered in Coral Gables, the company plans to

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Tampa Bay banks shine in national reputation rankings

Two Tampa Bay area banks have been recognized in the latest American Banker rankings for their exceptional customer service and reputation. Regions Bank secured the 12th spot, while Truist Bank ranked 15th. These rankings are based on factors such as customer satisfaction, trust and community involvement. Regions and Truist were commended for their commitment to

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Flagship Bank appoints executive vice president and chief administrative officer

Flagship Bank, a subsidiary of West Florida Bank Corp., has appointed Amy Perdek as its new executive vice president and chief administrative officer. In this role, Perdek will manage the bank’s daily operations and oversee administrative functions, with responsibilities including policy development, budget management and ensuring regulatory compliance. Perdek has more than 25 years of

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Amy-Perdek-Flagship-Bank
Business Credit 101: What You Need to Know About Funding During an Economic Downturn

You’ve probably heard a statistic thrown about the percentage of small businesses that fail within the first year, and while that number changes depending on several variables, it’s always astronomically high.  According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the failure rate for new businesses is roughly 20% in the first two years, 45%

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Funding During an Economic Downturn
LCG Advisors name new managing director of investment banking

LCG Advisors, a Tampa-based financial services advisory firm, has named John Pilson as managing director of LCG’s investment banking division. Pilson started his career in investment banking at Bank of America Securities, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has more than 20 years of finance and advisory experience. Most recently, Pilson held the position of managing

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Here’s what the top 1% of earners make in Florida

SmartAsset has conducted a study on the amount of money that is necessary to be in the top 1% of earners in each state nationwide. Florida ranked 8th in the nation, for states with the highest income threshold to reach the top 1% of earners. In Florida, the income floor of the top 1% of

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Truist names Val Perez as market president for Southwest Florida

Truist Financial Corp. (NYSE: TFC) has appointed Val Perez as the market president for Southwest Florida to oversee commercial banking for Truist. Perez enters the role with more than 35 years of banking experience across retail and commercial banking teams. He has held roles leading customer experience, sales strategy, small business and commercial teams at numerous regional banks.

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Tampa Bay Rays name official bank

The Tampa Bay Rays came to a multi-year partnership agreement with Amerant Bank to make it the official bank of the team. The partnership includes the presence of the Amerant Bank brand in numerous locations inside the stadium and during gameday radio broadcasts. Also included in the agreement are numerous hospitality opportunities, use of the

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TD Bank adds retired Johnson & Johnson executive to its Community Advisory Board

TD Bank has added Anthony Carter, a former chief diversity officer for Johnson & Johnson, to its Community Advisory Board. “I’m honored, and excited, to serve as a member of TD Bank’s Community Advisory Board. I look forward to working with TD Bank’s visionary, and extraordinary, leaders as well as a team of prominent national

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How to watch out for the ‘circle of vultures’

By Taylor Ranker, II, chief executive officer of Questmont Virtual Family Office As a successful business owner you do, in fact, have a target on your back. As your wealth and visibility grow so does that target. If you are in this category with dozens, or even hundreds, of employees you are one of the

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