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Experian has revealed that fraudulent applications for current accounts have fallen sharply in 2012. Current account fraud peaked in Q1 2012, with around 19 in every 10,000 applications found to have a criminal element. This has since declined to around 15 in every 10,000 by the end of the year, dropping by approximately a quarter.

While current account fraud is falling, the overall rate of fraud at point of application across the UK’s financial services sector is inching higher, with a three per cent increase in the past year. This is partly due to a rise in mortgage fraud for the sixth successive year, with a hike of nine per cent from 2011 to 2012. In addition to record mortgage fraud figures, this overall jump was also driven by growth in credit card and savings fraud.

Experian’s data shows that the majority (71 per cent) of attempted current account fraud in 2012 was down to individuals misrepresenting their personal information on applications. Typically these first party perpetrators involve an individual attempting to hide their adverse credit history when opening a current account or applying for an overdraft. The remaining (29 per cent) current account fraud attempts were down to third-party identity fraudsters seeking to open accounts as a springboard to obtain other, more lucrative credit products, or for money laundering purposes.

Nick Mothershaw, UK&I director of identity and fraud at Experian, said: “A decline in current account fraud is a positive step for the financial services industry as current account fraud is often the first step for fraudsters who later plan mortgage, loan or credit card deception. It is also important to highlight that the drop is very much the result of better systems and vigilance by financial services providers.”

Experian’s analysis of fraudulent applications using its Mosaic classification revealed that fraud was highest amongst the Terraced Melting Pot group. This group, which represents those in relatively routine urban occupations, was responsible for 21 per cent of first party fraud cases in 2012. Fraudulent applications were also high amongst the Liberal Opinion group, consisting of young, professional and well-educated people. This demographic accounted for 14 per cent of all first party fraud cases in 2012.

Mothershaw added: “Given the challenging economic climate and on-going squeeze on personal incomes, it comes as no surprise that the vast majority of frauds continue to be attempted by individuals. As a result of poor or patchy credit, more and more ‘non-professional’ fraudsters are clearly attempting to ease their position, misrepresent applications or make exaggerated claims over their income and personal finances.

“In 2012, about 70 per cent of financial services application fraud in the UK is down to first parties misrepresenting their circumstances. The insurance, automotive and mortgage industries have a significant first party fraud element to them.”

Experian predicts that fraudulent applications will rise throughout 2013. This rise will be driven by a number of factors including the on-going squeeze on household incomes and benefits, while stricter credit and lending criteria will drive more attempts.

Experian’s Fraud Index is based on data derived from National Hunter and Insurance Hunter, the UK’s leading fraud prevention systems, operated by Experian on behalf of members. These systems enable financial institutions to cross-match applications against over 100 million previous application records in order to spot commonalities and anomalies that are potentially indicative of fraud for further investigation.

About Experian:

Experian is the leading global information services company, providing a payment gateway, and data and analytical tools to clients around the world. The Group helps businesses with fraud investigation, managing credit risk, target marketing offers and business analytics. Experian also assists individuals with credit card protection.

PR Contact:

Chantal Heckford
Lansons Communications
24a St John Street
London
EC1M 4AY
020 7490 8828
www.experian.co.uk

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Being the leader of the free world is an expensive proposition. And the costs don’t stop once you leave the White House.

The government spent nearly $ 3.7 million on former presidents in 2012, according to an analysis just released by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. That covers a pension, compensation and benefits for office staff, and the government also picks up the tab for other costs like travel, office space and postage.

The costliest former president? George W. Bush, who clocked in last year at just over $ 1.3 million.

The $ 3.7 million taxpayers shelled out in 2012 is about $ 200,000 less than in 2011, and the sum in 2010 was even higher. It’s a drop in the bucket compared with the trillions the federal government spends each year.

Still, with ex-presidents able to command eye-popping sums for books, speaking engagements and the like in their post-White House years, the report raises questions about whether the U.S. should provide such generous subsidies at a time when spending cuts and the deficit are forcing lawmakers and federal agencies to seek ways to cut back.

Under the Former Presidents Act, previous inhabitants of the Oval Office are given an annual pension equivalent to a Cabinet secretary’s salary — about $ 200,000 last year — plus $ 96,000 a year for a small office staff.

Departing presidents also get extra help in the first years after they leave office, one reason that Bush’s costs were higher than other living ex-presidents. The most recent ex-president to leave the White House, Bush was granted almost $ 400,000 for 8,000 square feet of office space in Dallas, plus $ 85,000 in telephone costs. Another $ 60,000 went to travel costs.

President Bill Clinton came in second at just under $ 1 million, followed by George H.W. Bush at nearly $ 850,000. Clinton spent the most government money on office space: $ 442,000 for his 8,300 square foot digs in New York’s Harlem neighborhood.

Clinton’s predecessor, President George H.W. Bush, received about $ 840,000 in federal funds last year. Costs for Jimmy Carter, the only other living former president, came in at about $ 500,000.

Widows of former presidents are entitled to a pension of $ 20,000, but Nancy Reagan, the wife of former President Ronald Reagan, waived her pension last year. The former first lady did accept $ 14,000 in postage.

The cost totals for ex-president don’t include what the Secret Service spends protecting them, their spouses and children. Those costs are part of a separate budget that isn’t made public.

Funding for ex-presidents under the Former Presidents Act dates back to 1958, when Congress created the program largely in response to President Harry Truman’s post-White House financial woes, the Congressional Research Service said. The goal was to maintain the dignity of the presidency and help with ongoing costs associated with being a former president, such as responding to correspondence and scheduling requests.

These days, a former president’s income can be substantial from speaking and writing, and ex-presidents also have robust presidential centers and foundations that accept donations and facilitate many of their post-presidential activities.

Noting that none of the living ex-presidents are poor, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, introduced a bill last year that would limit costs to a $ 200,000 pension, plus another $ 200,000 that ex-presidents could use at their discretion. And for every dollar that an ex-president earns in excess of $ 400,000, their annual allowance would be reduced by the same amount. The bill died in committee.

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San Diego, CA (PRWEB) March 15, 2013

The Blades Ecommerce Awards and annual Miva Merchant Conference recognized the American made clothing company as the best website design of 2012. Out of the 5 nominees and over 300,000 Miva Merchant stores, All American Clothing Co. took home the prize for best website design of 2012.

The Blades Ecommerce Awards announced that AllAmericanClothing.com was awarded best website design for its clean, all-American look that is a perfect embodiment of the brand. The All American website was also recognized as having an advanced functionality and usability that make an easy and enjoyable shopping experience. The USA Made company is always seeking to improve their customers’ experience as they regularly update the design and add new features, which continue to be well-received by their customers.

Co-founder BJ Nickol oversees all functions of the All American Clothing Co. website. He accepted the award during the inaugural Blades Ecommerce Awards, which were held in conjunction with MivaCon 2013, Miva Merchant’s 13th annual conference.

“We are honored to have received this award! Our goal with the website has always been to make shopping for ‘USA made’ easy. With this goal in mind, our customers can look forward to us adding even more new features, improvements and new items in 2013.”

All American Clothing Co. was recognized at The Blades Awards along with other Miva Merchant stores that have achieved excellence in ecommerce. The categories for awards included Best Use of Social Media, Best New Feature, Best Design, Most Unique Marketing Promotion, and Best New Website of 2012.

The conference and awards dinner took place in San Diego, CA, from March 6 – 8, 2013, at The Hyatt Regency, La Jolla. PayPal and Miva Merchant were active sponsors of the event.

About All American Clothing Co:

All American Clothing Co. produces high-quality jeans and apparel that are Made in USA Certified™. All American Clothing is a made in America success story in today’s economy. The entire company supports a “USA made passion” as they strive to foster loyalty among customers. All American Clothing Co. is proof that small business can grow and succeed in America today. To find out more about the passion and effort it takes to build a business in today’s economy go to http://www.allamericanclothing.com and read the tab “Our Story.”

About Miva Merchant:

Miva Merchant, located in San Diego, CA is a leading e-commerce solution consisting of PA-DSS validated shopping cart software, PCI compliant ecommerce hosting, credit card processing services and custom website design and development for businesses looking to sell online. Miva Merchant shopping cart software has been used by over 300,000 online merchants. For more information about Miva Merchant, please visit http://www.mivamerchant.com.

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Prepaid solutions from Prepaid Financial Services (PFS) are helping Local Authorities and councils meet the challenges posed by the abolition of the discretionary social fund and its impact on Crisis Loans and Community Care Grant payments, as outlined in the Welfare Reform Act 2012.

From April 2013, the Department of Work and Pensions will be handing over the responsibility of making Crisis Payment and Community Grants to Local Authorities. This follows the changes implemented via the Welfare Reform Act 2012 which abolished the discretionary Social Fund and introduced payments on account to replace Crisis Loan alignment payments and eventually Budgeting Loans as well, and paves the way for delivery of new local services to replace Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans for general living expenses.

The funding is not “ring-fenced” for any purpose, but the Government has advised Local Authorities what it expects the funding to be used for, the underlying principles, and the new initiatives are expected to deliver a range of positive impacts; providing a more responsive and integrated service for local residents.

The Challenge for Local Authorities

The new regulations pose a number of challenges for Local Authorities as summarised below

- Implement a solution that complies with the new regulations.
- Find a mechanism to dispense one off payments effectively.
- The solution should allow for spend to be tracked.
- The solution needs to be implemented and in place by April’2013
- All of the above needs to be achieved cost effectively to meet government outlined austerity objectives, in the new economic climate.

Real Time Integrated Solutions from PFS

The dedicated Local Authority prepaid solutions provided by PFS are designed to help Local Authorities meet these challenges head-on. Key features include

- Prepaid cards for one off or recurring loads
- Cards can be given out over the counter or sent to recipients via post
- Cards can be loaded in real time or bulk load by the Local Authority for the specific sum
- There is greater control over spend with the ability to block spend at certain merchants (MCC Code blocking) along with the ability to restrict ATM facilities as well.
- Cards can have 90 day expiry if required for one off payments or can be valid for up to 3-5 years for longer recurring payment programmes.
- Local Authority solution can be set up in a matter of days to ensure that they are compliant and meet all regulatory deadlines.
- PFS can provide demonstrable evidence of the direct financial benefit to local authorities utilising PFS solutions. Examples include one council which had £150k in savings from overpayments in January 2013, compared to £13k in the same period last year in addition to savings of around 5% of their annual spend of £4m on direct payments.

Benefits to Local Authorities

The benefits to Local Authorities are numerous and can be summarised as follows:

- Fast setup with solution live in a matter of days.
- Effective solution which directly impacts financials
- Easy to manage
- Low cost of set up and run
- Allows quick and effective reclamation of unspent funds
- Track all spend without cumbersome monitoring policies
- Track via exception as opposed to having to track as default with a comprehensive audit trail.
- Meet compliance deadlines and additional savings generated can be invested in other departments and initiatives.

Benefits to Local Residents

- Safe and secure mechanism to receive grants, loans and other disbursements and avoid some of the security issues around cash in pocket.
- Can spend online, in-store and over the phone.
- Easy to budget and see what is left on account.
- Fast and effective release of disbursements.
- No longer need to maintain extensive expense trails on spend as spend is monitored.

How it Works

PFS can have you set up in a number of days using a well-established process

- Scheme set up for Local Authority in a number of days.
- Local Authority holds cards in stock at its premises or orders cards when required from PFS.
- Local Authority staff enter amount to be loaded to each card or bulk entry for larger loads.
- User gets PIN number by SMS or IVR
- User can spend wherever MasterCard® is accepted (but some MCC & ATM may be blocked by Local Authority )
- Local Authority monitors cards and spend in real time
- Local Authority can issue a replacement card if card is lost
- Local Authority can recoup unspent funds if desired
- Solution can be integrated with Local Authority finance and audit solutions for tracking, monitoring and reporting purposes.

A number of public sector organisations are already benefitting from the unique prepaid solutions for Local Government provided by Prepaid Financial Services. If you are interested in finding out how your organisation could benefit from the real time integrated prepaid disbursement and payment solutions for Loans, Grants, Benefits and Expenses, contact a member of the PFS sales team on +44 (0)207 125 0321 or e-mail [email protected]

Prepaid Financial Services Ltd. has programmes operating in 10 currencies and is recognised as a specialist supplier to the prepaid industry globally and is one of the preferred suppliers for MasterCard Europe.

- Notes to the Editor -

Prepaid Financial Services (PFS) Ltd. is an award winning global prepaid programme manager, e-money Issuer and a preferred MasterCard® supplier, operating out of the UK. PFS is authorised and regulated as an e-money issuer by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in the UK and have passported our e-money license across the SEPA region to enable card issuance in up to 32 countries.

In addition to programme management and issuance, PFS also offer BIN sponsorship and processing services for entities running or planning to run prepaid programmes within Europe.

PFS manage multiple programme’s processing millions of transactions every week and our products are utilised by Governments, Local Authorities, blue chip corporations, SME’s and individual consumers utilising our cutting edge, secure technology.

Since our launch in 2008, PFS have rapidly established itself as a trusted, dependable and credible prepaid provider to a range of clients across the globe.

You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook at @prepaidfs and prepaidfs

For more information, go to www.prepaidfinancialservices.com or call +44 (0)207 125 0321.

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Park Inn Radisson Solna was awarded CSR Company of 2012 by the city of Solna. The award is given in recognition of the hotel`s extensive effort to help unemployed people find sustainable employment.

Cecilia Wingard, Hotel Manager at the Park Inn Radisson Solna said: “It is truly rewarding to see how our new employees adapt into their roles and gains more and more confidence. To see them grow and develop is inspiring and in accordance to our leading words of strategy (PEGA); Personality, Commitment, Happiness and Commercial.”

The hotel in Stockholm has collaborated with Solna city over a long period of time to give unemployed an opportunity to enter the labour market. This award strengthens Park Inn by Radisson Solna’s identity as a successful CSR enterprise. The award acknowledges the Hotel’s humanistic and welcoming approach towards jobseekers and appreciates the fact that Park Inn By Radisson hire trainees with the objective of permanent employment.

Park Inn by Radisson accepted the award at Solna City’s breakfast at Friends Arena. The award was delivered by Roland Hagberg, chief of employment, and Lars Raden, chairman of the competence committee in Solna City.

Located near the Friends Arena and Solna Business Park, the hotel in Solna is situated near Stockholm city centre and offers comfortable, modern Stockholm accommodation. The onsite Restaurant Flamingo offers globally influenced, innovative Swedish cuisine crafted from fresh, local ingredients and the stylishly renovated, well-equipped meeting rooms can accommodate a Stockholm conference of up to 130 attendees.

About Park Inn by Radisson:

Park Inn by Radisson is a modern and innovative mid-market hotel brand within the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, with more than 150 hotels across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and North America.

Park Inn by Radisson offers friendly and welcoming hospitality at a competitive price, comfortable beds, spotlessly clean rooms, service with a smile and a hassle-free experience.

More information can be found at www.parkinn.com.

About Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group – born in early 2012 – is one of the world’s largest and most dynamic hotel groups. The portfolio of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group includes more than 1,300 hotels, a global footprint spanning 81 countries and territories, a powerful set of global brands (Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson and Hotel Missoni). In most of the group’s hotels, guests can benefit from the loyalty program Club Carlson, one of the most rewarding loyalty programs in the world. The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and its brands employ more than 80,000 people. Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., and Brussels, Belgium.

More information can be found at www.carlsonrezidor.com.

PR Contact:

Angelica Montez de Oca
Manager PR & Communication
Holbergsgt 30
N0166 Oslo
Norway
+47 9488 1861
www.parkinn.com

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PRLog (Press Release) – Jan. 31, 2013 – IMARC’s new report “Indian Agricultural Equipments Market Report & Forecast: 2012-2017” provides an analytical and statistical insight into the Indian agricultural equipments market. The research study serves as an exceptional tool to understand the drivers, market size, structure, competitive landscape and the outlook of the Indian agricultural equipments market till 2017-18. This report can serve as an excellent guide for investors, researchers, consultants, marketing strategists and all those who are planning to foray into the Indian agricultural equipments market in some form or the other.

Key Questions Answered in this Report:

• What is the total size of the Indian agricultural equipments market?
• How has the Indian agricultural equipments market performed in recent years?
• What is the share of various sources that provide power to agricultural activities in India?
• What is the share of various equipments in the Indian agricultural equipments market?
• What is the competitive structure of the agricultural equipments market in India?
• Which are the key domestic and multinational agricultural equipment manufacturers in India?
• What are the key drivers of the agricultural equipments market in India?
• What is the outlook of the agricultural equipments market in India?

Information Sources – Information has been sourced from both primary and secondary sources:

• Primary sources include industry surveys and face to face/telephone interviews with industry experts.
• Secondary sources include proprietary databases and search engines. These sources include company websites and reports, books, trade journals, magazines, white papers, industry portals, government sources and access to more than 4000 paid databases.

To buy the complete report or to get a free sample, please contact:

IMARC Group Asia
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +91-120-415- 5099

IMARC Group North America
Email:  america@ imarcgroup.com
Phone: +1-631-791-1145

IMARC Group Europe, Middle East & Africa
Email:[email protected]
Phone: +44-702-409- 7331

To know more please visit: http://www.imarcgroup.com/ indian-agricultural- equipments-…

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PRLog (Press Release) – Jan. 24, 2013 – DISH TV INDIA LIMITED

EARNINGS RELEASE FOR THE QUARTER ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2012

·   DISH TV ADDS 829 THOUSAND NEW SUBSCRIBERS; LEADS IN INCREMENTAL SHARESUBSCRIPTION REVENUES OF Rs. 4,943 MILLION, UP 16.2% YOY

·   AVERAGE REVENUE PER USER (ARPU) OF Rs. 160

·  SUBSCRIBER ACQUISITION COST (SAC) DOWN TO Rs. 2,201

 Highlights

v  Dish TV added 829 thousand new subscribers in the quarter ended December 31, 2012 achieving a total of 14.7 million gross and 10.5 million net subscribers at the end of the period.

v  Total standalone operating revenues for the quarter stood at Rs. 5,578 million, recording a growth of 13.1% as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.

v  Subscription revenues for the quarter were Rs. 4,943 million, recording a growth of 16.2% as compared to the corresponding period last fiscal.

v  Subscriber Acquisition Cost (SAC) at Rs.2,201 compared to Rs. 2,273 in the immediately preceding quarter.

NOIDA, India- Dish TV India Limited (Dishtv) (BSE: 532839, NSE: DISHTV) today reported third quarter fiscal 2013 unaudited standalone operating revenues of Rs. 5,578 million, recording 13.1% growth over the corresponding period last fiscal. EBITDA of Rs.1,377 million registered 4.8% increase over the corresponding quarter last fiscal. EBITDA margin for the quarter stood at 24.7%.

The Board of Directors in its meeting held today, has approved and taken on record the unaudited standalone results of Dish TV for the quarter ended on December 31, 2012.

Mr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Dish TV India Limited, said, “The Indian media industry is witnessing a sea change as it moves towards a fully digitized environment. With the government remaining committed to the cause, stakeholders across the value chain are working overtime to make the best of the opportunity.

“As digitization sweeps the pay-tv households in India, platforms with evolved business systems and processes having last mile reach are likely to have an upper edge, said Mr. Chandra.

“Amongst DTH platforms, Dish TV with its technological lead and superior product line-up is one of the best placed to capitalize on the digitization mandate, he added.

  Mr. Jawahar Goel, Managing Director, Dish TV, said, “While the distribution industry remained on tenterhooks preparing for digitization, the third quarter saw the much debated compulsory switch off of analog television signals take place in key metro markets. Although lack of execution in Chennai and Kolkata was a dampener, festival demand coupled with mandatory conversion in Delhi and Mumbai brought the DTH industry back to the 1 million plus monthly run-rate. DTH garnered around 35% share of incremental additions post the sunset date.

“In line with our expectation, we witnessed significant subscriber uptake around the sunset date of 31st October. Dish TV achieved the largest share of 28% amongst DTH platforms in the digitization territories. ‘Dish+’, India’s first standard definition recorder, played its part in differentiating and attracting consumer interest in a crowded market, he added.

Commenting on the third quarter performance, Mr. Goel said, “A larger base did create pressure on the average revenue per user which, primarily supported by price hike in the second quarter, increased marginally to Rs. 160. In the third quarter, apart from the usual additional spends typically experienced due to the festive season, additionally this year the company’s investments to capitalize on the digitization opportunity are also reflected in higher costs during the quarter. A seasonally higher marketing expense was as per budget. Content cost for the year is expected to be within the guided range of 12% increase over the previous fiscal.

Dish TV recently launched India’s first Standard Definition Recorder, ‘Dish+’, with unlimited recording facility. ‘Dish+’ comes equipped with a USB slot and is positioned at a competitive price compared to non recorder ready boxes. ‘Dish+’ was initially launched in the 42 cities covered under Phase I and Phase II of digitization and is now available across India as a value for money differentiator over other boxes in the market.  

In a first within the television distribution industry, Dish TV has launched recharge option through Interbank Mobile Payment Service (IMPS) through which the subscriber can recharge his Dish TV account securely and conveniently through an instant, interbank electronic fund transfer service that can be initiated only through mobile phones. Considering the deep penetration of cell phones in the country, money transfer through them is likely to emerge as a popular mode of transacting for daily services in the days ahead.      

Dish TV India Limited continues to be the largest DTH Company in India and the whole of Asia Pacific and is one of the largest DTH platforms in the World.

For further Information, please contact:
Atul Malikram
9827092823

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babyboomboom, an online retailer of participative multi-lingual products for the whole family to enjoy, has won a bronze award at this year’s Practical Parenting & Pregnancy Awards for its popular Junior band-bag product.

The Junior band-bag was recognised in the learning/development toy over £20 category and the award is a great endorsement of the product. The babyboomboom Junior band-bag contains a multi-lingual music CD and four musical instruments which are great for stimulating young minds and, of course, having great fun! The CD features nursery rhymes and songs in English and a second language. Each verse is sung in English and then repeated in the second language helping little ones to become familiarised with other languages. babyboomboom has eight available languages including, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Polish, Welsh, Chinese Mandarin and Scottish Gaelic.

The Practical Parenting & Pregnancy Awards have been judged through a range of processes, including home-testers, baby experts and parents from local schools and nurseries. From bottles to bums, travel systems to toys, the team of judges have tried and tested everything a mum could possibly need when it comes to caring for their little ones. Overall, more than 200 people have been involved in judging this year’s awards.

Juliet Machan, co-founder of babyboomboom, said “Our team is absolutely delighted to have gained a bronze award in the Practical Parenting & Pregnancy Awards. The Junior band-bag is one of our most popular products and we are thrilled that it continues to be a real hit with parents. The fact that the entries have faced rigorous testing makes us even prouder to have won this prestigious award.”

ENDS

Images and further information available on request.

Contact [email protected]
Tel: +44 1491 636262

About babyboomboom Ltd

babyboomboom Ltd provides fun ways to familiarise babies and toddlers with the sounds of other languages. Creating fun, lively and participative multi-lingual products for the whole family to enjoy, babyboomboom launched with its hugely popular multi-lingual musical CDs and band-bag musical instrument collections. The CDs are original recordings of well-known and traditional songs and nursery rhymes played first in English, and then repeated in a second language. babyboomboom is not a provider of language courses, but does strive to develop products that contribute positively towards a child’s early development. babyboomboom products are available at www.babyboomboom.com and selected retailers.

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