Standard Chartered has grown tremendously during the last five years. Such rapid growth can obscure sins like sloppy underwriting that come back to haunt investors in later years.The bank's U.K. headquarters and Asia-focused geography can make it difficult for management to keep a close watch on
The firm has lacked a consistent overall strategic plan as it has had three CEO departures during the last three years. The firm is no longer able to offer its highly profitable refund-anticipation loan product to customers as HSBC (its only funding partner for these products) recently pulled all
Casino Guichard-Perrachon has rapidly expanded sales and profit margins at international operations.
Weight Watchers' solid brand and products are peerless in the weight-management industry.
Any substantial decline in the company's trust investments could force the company to fund any shortfall between trust assets and customer deposits.A customer shift toward lower-cost cremations could hurt Stewart's growth.Big-box retailers and independent funeral service providers have begun to
A significant market decline in the company's roughly $5 billion in trust investments could force Service Corp to fund any shortfall in trust assets.Because the company books preneed revenue into trust accounts, the Internal Revenue Service routinely audits tax returns for inconsistencies. If
Jackson Hewitt's poor operational execution has lead to a rapid deterioration in performance.The firm was extremely late with providing online/software options to its customers.Pricing will remain an issue over the medium term as increased competition and lower-priced tax filing options become more
Stewart faces increasing competition, changing consumer preferences, and unfavorable dynamics.
H&R Block entered the subprime mortgage business during the height of the housing boom and has been hurt by significant losses.The firm's highly profitable refund-anticipation loans have come under scrutiny as being predatory.The firm has lost a material portion of its market share over the past
Western Union is not immune to the downturn but should improve its market position.