Estate-planning expert Deborah Jacobs details how spouses can take advantage of the 'portability' tax provision, which allows them to maximize both partners' estate tax exclusion, and how this strategy differs from trusts.
Community banks are starting to regain some traction when it comes to bringing in fees from deposit accounts. The Federal Reserve Board dealt banks a setback in July 2010 with Regulation E, requiring customer permission for enrollment in overdraft programs. It wasespecially harsh on smaller banks, ...
Margin pressure, regulatory hurdles and intense competition will test the nation's smallest banks next year, industry experts predict. Those issues could lead to a resurgence of consolidation among community banks.