রবিবার, ১০ ফেব্রুয়ারি, ২০১৩

Carmel real estate professionals sued over alleged loan fraud ...

Click photo to enlarge

The "Dollhouse" on Laurel and Congress avenues in Pacific Grove that the plaintiffs tried to buy.

A Florida couple have filed a lawsuit alleging two local real estate professionals conspired to enlist them in a fraudulent home loan to secure a house in Pacific Grove.

Seemingly backed up with tape-recorded evidence, the couple claim loan officer Robert Walker and Realtor Deba Christensen tried to persuade them to fabricate a lease agreement and rental income on their Florida residence to qualify for a loan. When they balked, commercial pilot David Hurstfield-Meyer said, he lost more than $13,000 he had placed in deposit.

Hurstfield-Meyer is seeking return of the deposit as well as punitive damages for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, civil conspiracy and aiding and abetting.

Walker is a loan originator with Blue Adobe Mortgage in Carmel. Christensen is an agent with Coldwell Banker in Carmel. Both businesses are named in the Feb. 1 lawsuit, as is Summit Funding Inc., the parent company of Blue Adobe.

Walker confirmed that Hurstfield-Meyer and his girlfriend, Tracey Michel, were his clients and were turned down for a loan. He declined to comment beyond that, saying he was unaware of the lawsuit or any claims against him by the couple and could not discuss their confidential loan file.

Neither Christensen nor representatives of Coldwell Banker, Blue Adobe or Summit Funding responded to repeated phone calls and emails this week.

In a Jan. 18 letter to the plaintiffs' attorney, Coldwell Banker lawyer Victoria Naidorf denied Christensen

made any effort to get the clients to fabricate lease documents and never recommended they release contingencies without final loan approval. The letter places blame at Walker's feet.

However, Michel and Hurstfield-Meyer released emails and voicemails from Christensen and Walker that appear to support their contentions.

Hurstfield-Meyer told The Herald his troubles began in November when he and Michel came to the Peninsula for a month intent on buying a home near his children, who live here with his ex-wife. An Air Canada pilot, he intended to maintain homes on both coasts.

After completing an online inquiry, they were contacted by Christensen and agreed to work with her. She discouraged them from seeking financing from Bank of America, which had preapproved the couple, recommending they go to Blue Adobe and Walker, "who she works nearly exclusively with and claims that he gets unbelievable rates," according to the lawsuit.

They followed her advice and Walker came through, Hurstfield-Meyer said, verbally approving the couple for as much as $600,000 on a 30-year fixed FHA loan at 3.2 percent. Hurstfield-Meyer and Michel quickly fell in love with the "Dollhouse," a pink and white cottage at Laurel and Congress avenues in Pacific Grove.

The sellers accepted an offer of $465,000 and escrow opened, with Hurstfield-Meyer putting down a $13,350 deposit.

According to the suit, Christensen and Walker conference-called Michel in mid-December and told her underwriters might require that the couple lease their Florida home to show additional income. Both allegedly told Michel the lease did not need to be authentic.

"All (they) had to do was to get a friend to draw up a lease agreement with them and get the friend to deposit a check into their account until the loan was approved ... then tear it up," the suit states.

When Hurstfield-Meyer objected that the plan would be illegal, the suit alleges that Christensen told him: "Money is tight in today's market and people are looking for ways to get loans approved. It's not like trail blazing, everyone does it."

Hurstfield-Meyer refused and, in a Dec. 20 email, Walker said he had "submitted the loan without using any rent." Then, on New Year's Eve, Hurstfield-Meyer said, the agents each informed the couple that Walker had received verbal approval on the loan and they thought it safe to release contingencies.

Hurstfield-Meyer said he had already told Christensen not to release contingencies until Blue Adobe approved the loan "without changes." Christensen's attorney, Naidorf, maintains Michel gave her Realtor an unconditional go-ahead.

Later on Dec. 31, Walker's assistant called Michel asking for a copy of the lease and confirmation of a rental deposit in the couple's bank account. Michel objected that the lease was not a condition of the loan.

"It is now," she was told, according to the suit.

The couple assert they immediately called Christensen to stop the deal, but she had already released contingencies. The next day, the suit states, Christensen reiterated the need to "do up a fake lease." They refused.

Naidorf denies that Christensen made such a suggestion or encouraged them to release contingencies without final loan approval.

"The (emails) establish that Ms. Christensen acted properly and professionally," she stated in a Jan. 24 letter to the couple's lawyer. "She neither encouraged nor pressured your clients into removing the financing contingency. ... She gave no assurances it was 'safe' to do so as you have alleged."

However, on a voicemail provided to The Herald, Christensen states, "I think we're pretty secure now" to release contingencies.

On Jan. 1, after learning his deposit was gone and the loan would not be approved without a lease on his Florida property, Hurstfield-Meyer got another message from Walker.

"So the story is still the same, we need a lease," Walker says on the voicemail. "That seems to be the quickest way through the maze here to get the cheese.

"I'm sure somewhere out there someone's going to step up and do this," Walker continues. "It's not like you're really even asking for that big of a favor. Basically you're just looking for a couple grand to be loaned to you for about two weeks. ... The lease? You know, who cares about the lease, I mean no one's going to enforce the lease."

According to Naidorf, the sellers offered to refund half the deposit, but Hurstfield-Meyer demanded it all. In her letter, she cautioned him that pursuing a lawsuit would end up costing him more than he was seeking.

Hurstfield-Meyer has taken his allegations ? and his emails and voicemails ? to his congressman, senator, Monterey County prosecutors and the California Department of Real Estate.

Managing Deputy District Attorney Annie Michaels said her office referred Hurstfield-Meyer to the Department of Real Estate, which is "working on the case." That department investigates potential administrative violations. Michaels said the case "might well come back to us (for criminal prosecution) in the future ... depending upon what their findings are."

Hearing the details of the allegations but not the names of the parties involved, Sandy Haney, chief executive officer of the Monterey County Realtor's Association, said: "That sounds like fraud to me. If that can be proven true, there's a couple of agents who are in trouble."

Haney and former state Real Estate Commissioner Jeff Davi said loan fraud remains a problem, in part due to strict lending practices put in place after the housing market crash.

"Fraud is still a big thing on the Department of Real Estate's radar because the market is so tight, people are desperate," Haney said.

Said Davi: "After what we've been through in the last six years ... I'm surprised that there are still people out there who think it's still OK to lie to a lender, (but) it happens a lot and it's very illegal."

Last year, the Department of Real Estate filed more disciplinary actions against agents than at any time in its 100 year history, revoking or accepting surrender of more than 1,100 licenses. Spokesman Tom Poole said the department is on pace to match the number this year.

Without judging the veracity of the claims, Davi said there is a lesson to be learned in the couple's story.

"Don't release contingencies until you have hard-copy loan approval you're comfortable with," he said. "An email from a loan broker is a little risky."

Virginia Hennessey can be reached at 753-6751 or vhennessey@montereyherald.com.

Source: http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_22552939/carmel-real-estate-professionals-sued-over-alleged-loan

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শনিবার, ৯ ফেব্রুয়ারি, ২০১৩

Hunt for ex-officer centers in snowy CA mountains

A San Bernardino County Sheriff SWAT team returns to the command post at Bear Mountain near Big Bear Lake, Calif. after searching for Christopher Jordan Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Search conditions have been hampered by a heavy winter storm in the area. Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer, is accused of carrying out a killing spree?because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job. (AP Photo/Pool, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Will Lester)

A San Bernardino County Sheriff SWAT team returns to the command post at Bear Mountain near Big Bear Lake, Calif. after searching for Christopher Jordan Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Search conditions have been hampered by a heavy winter storm in the area. Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer, is accused of carrying out a killing spree?because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job. (AP Photo/Pool, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Will Lester)

A San Bernardino County Sheriff SWAT team returns to the command post at Bear Mountain near Big Bear Lake, Calif. after searching for Christopher Jordan Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Search conditions have been hampered by a heavy winter storm in the area. Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer, is accused of carrying out a killing spree?because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job. (AP Photo/Pool, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Will Lester)

This undated photo released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows suspect Christopher Dorner, a former Los Angeles officer. Dorner, who was fired from the LAPD in 2008 for making false statements, is linked to a weekend killing in which one of the victims was the daughter of a former police captain who had represented him during the disciplinary hearing. Authorities believe Dorner opened fire early Thursday on police in cities east of Los Angeles, killing an officer and wounding another. Police issued a statewide "officer safety warning" and police were sent to protect people named in the posting that was believed to be written by Dorner. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Police Department)

A San Bernardino County Sheriff SWAT team returns to the command post at Bear Mountain near Big Bear Lake, Calif. after searching for Christopher Jordan Dorner on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. Search conditions have been hampered by a heavy winter storm in the area. Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer, is accused of carrying out a killing spree?because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job. (AP Photo/Pool, The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Will Lester)

Members on the California Highway Patrol search a truck for Christopher Dorner, a former Los Angeles police officer accused of carrying out a killing spree because he felt he was unfairly fired from his job, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, in Big Bear Lake, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) ? The hunt for Christopher Dorner in the snow-covered San Bernardino Mountains is expected to resume at daybreak Saturday, when authorities hope clearer skies will allow airplanes to help them in their search.

Relentless snowfall on Friday grounded helicopters with heat-sensing technology and hampered their effort to find the former Los Angeles police officer suspected of going on a deadly rampage to get back at those he blamed for ending his career.

After they found his burned-out pickup truck near at this ski resort town Thursday afternoon, SWAT teams in camouflage started scouring the mountains, aware to the reality they could be walking into a trap set by the well-trained former Navy reservist who knows their tactics and strategies as well as they do.

"He can be behind every tree," said T. Gregory Hall, a retired tactical supervisor for a special emergency response team for the Pennsylvania State Police. "He can try to draw them into an ambush area where he backtracks."

As authorities weathered heavy snow and freezing temperatures in the mountains, thousands of heavily armed police remained on the lookout throughout California, Nevada, Arizona and northern Mexico for a suspect bent on revenge and willing to die.

Police said officers still were guarding more than 40 people mentioned as targets in a rant they said Dorner posted on Facebook. He vowed to use "every bit of small arms training, demolition, ordnance and survival training I've been given" to bring "warfare" to the LAPD and its families.

The manhunt had Southern California residents on edge. Unconfirmed sightings were reported near Barstow, about 60 miles north of the mountain search, and in downtown Los Angeles.

Some law enforcement officials said he appeared to be everywhere and nowhere, and speculated that he was trying to spread out their resources.

For the time being, their focus was on the mountains 80 miles east of Los Angeles ? a snowy wilderness, filled with thick forests and jagged peaks, that creates peril as much for Dorner as the officers hunting him.

The small army hunting him has the advantage of strength in numbers and access to resources, such as special weapons, to bring him in.

In his online rant, Dorner baited authorities.

"Any threat assessments you generate will be useless," it read. "I have the strength and benefits of being unpredictable, unconventional, and unforgiving."

Without the numbers that authorities have, Dorner holds one advantage: the element of surprise.

Authorities said they do not know how long Dorner had been planning the rampage or why he drove to the San Bernardino Mountains. Property records show his mother owns undeveloped land nearby, but a search of the area found no sign of him.

It was not clear if he had provisions, clothing or weapons stockpiled in the area. Even with training, days of cold and snow can be punishing.

"Unless he is an expert in living in the California mountains in this time of year, he is going to be hurting," said former Navy SEAL Clint Sparks, who now works in tactical training and security. "Cold is a huge stress factor. ... Not everybody is survivor-man."

Jamie Usera, an attorney in Salem, Ore., who befriended Dorner when they were students and football teammates at Southern Utah University, said he introduced him to the outdoors. Originally from Alaska, Usera said, he taught Dorner about hunting and other outdoor activities.

"Of all the people I hung out with in college, he is the last guy I would have expected to be in this kind of situation," Usera, who had lost touch with Dorner is recent years, told the Los Angeles Times.

Others saw Dorner differently. Court documents obtained by The Associated Press on Friday show an ex-girlfriend of Dorner's called him "severely emotionally and mentally disturbed" after the two split in 2006.

Dorner served in the Navy, earning a rifle marksman ribbon and pistol expert medal. He was assigned to a naval undersea warfare unit and various aviation training units, according to military records. He took leave from the LAPD for a six-month deployment to Bahrain in 2006 and 2007.

Last Friday was his last day with the Navy and also the day CNN's Anderson Cooper received a package that contained a note on it that read, in part, "I never lied." A coin riddled with bullet holes that former Chief William Bratton gave out as a souvenir was also in the package.

Police said it was a sign of planning by Dorner before the killing began.

On Sunday, police say Dorner shot and killed a couple in a parking garage at their condominium in Irvine. The woman was the daughter of a retired police captain who had represented Dorner in the disciplinary proceedings that led to his firing.

Dorner wrote in his manifesto that he believed the retired captain had represented the interests of the department over his.

Hours after authorities identified Dorner as a suspect in the double murder, police believe Dorner shot and grazed an LAPD officer in Corona and then used a rifle to ambush two Riverside police officers early Thursday, killing one and seriously wounding the other.

The incident led police to believe he was armed with multiple weapons, including an assault-type rifle. That detail concerned officers whose bullet-proof vests can be penetrated by such high-powered weapons, said LAPD Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese.

As a result, all LAPD officers have been required to work in pairs to ensure "a greater likelihood of coming out on top if there is an ambush," Albanese said. "We have no officers alone right now."

___

Associated Press writers contributing to this report include Michael Blood and John Antczak in Los Angeles and Julie Watson in San Diego.

Risling reported from Big Bear Lake and Abdollah reported from Los Angeles. She can be reached on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LATams

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-09-LA%20Police%20Shootings/id-347844422b4d4398ab44a805ecfc675b

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New insight on relationship between parents, preschoolers and obesity

Feb. 8, 2013 ? While sugary drinks, lack of exercise and genetics contribute to a growing number of overweight American children, new research from Washington State University reveals how a mom's eating habits and behavior at the dinner table can influence her preschooler's obesity risk.

The findings come from WSU alumna Halley Morrison's undergraduate honors thesis, which recently was published in the journal Appetite.

As a biology major and student fitness instructor, Morrison knew she wanted to focus on health and the human body. She learned about the childhood obesity and prevention research of Tom Power, chair of the WSU Department of Human Development.

Together, they analyzed surveys of 222 low-income African-American and Latino Head Start preschoolers and caregivers in a U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service Children's Nutrition Research Center study.

"The problem is no longer food scarcity, but too much food," Morrison said. "It doesn't cost families extra to change their behavior."

Morrison found that moms who eat when they are already full and also show a high level of control when feeding their kids -- for example, by pushing children to finish what's on their plate or withholding food until the next meal -- tend to produce picky eaters. Meanwhile, moms who eat in response to their emotions or who are easily tempted by the sight, scent or taste of food had children with a strong desire to eat.

"Like mother, like child," Morrison said. "This is especially true when kids are so young their environment is primarily based on what their parents are doing."

Nearly 17 percent of U.S. children between ages 2 and 19 are obese. While past research has focused mainly on middle-class European-American families, Morrison said the demographic focus on low-income families made this particular study unique. Obesity rates among preschoolers are highest in African-American and Latino populations: 21 and 22 percent, respectively.

The results from the study suggest a family can alter eating behaviors to reduce obesity risk and associated health problems like high blood pressure, respiratory issues and sleep apnea.

Power said some of these behavior changes can include dishing up smaller portions of food and then giving children more only if they ask. This creates a positive mealtime experience for a child, as he or she feels a sense of accomplishment and is less likely to overeat.

Power said moms who eat based on their emotions or temptation can try to keep unhealthy foods out of cupboards.

"When a preschooler says they are full and still has food on his or her plate, it's important for parents to listen and trust the child," Power said. "Limit the availability of high-calorie low-nutrient foods, like sweets, but don't turn them into forbidden fruits."

It typically takes up to eight exposures to a new food before a child is willing to eat it -- a natural instinct to make sure the food isn't poisonous or dangerous, Power said. Since preschool children tend to get hungry every two or three hours, they might not eat everything on their plate but rather enjoy a healthy snack a few hours after a meal.

As children grow up and begin to make their own food choices, they have a tendency to seek out foods they were not allowed to eat when younger, Power said. Morrison said this could lead them to consume unhealthy foods in amounts that increase their obesity risk.

"It's important for parents to be mindful of their eating practices and how they feed their children," Morrison said. "It will help their kids develop a healthy relationship with food that can then naturally carry over into future generations."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Washington State University. The original article was written by Rachel Webber.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Halley Morrison, Thomas G. Power, Theresa Nicklas, Sheryl O. Hughes. Exploring the effects of maternal eating patterns on maternal feeding and child eating. Appetite, 2013; 63: 77 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2012.12.017

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/mind_brain/child_development/~3/HUn4r9zSyGQ/130208110043.htm

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Christian Left Hopeful About Obama's Second Term

NEW YORK (RNS) Heartened by his inaugural calls for gay marriage and for bold action on climate change, leaders of the Christian left are confident that President Obama will now claim the progressive legacy they believe he craves.

While acknowledging disappointment over specifics in president's first term -- worry over the use of drones as a foreign policy tool is a repeated refrain -- progressive Christians say they believe the president's solid re-election in November has emboldened him, and freed him to pursue concrete progressive goals they say always have been in his heart.

Still, those goals and the legacy they could produce won't come easy, says Gary Dorrien, an ethicist at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, one of the nation's most prominent liberal Protestant seminaries.

"He's got to 'plant a flag' on something," said Dorrien, whose 2012 book, "The Obama Question: A Progressive Perspective," offered a nuanced view of a figure whom Dorrien describes as full of "protean irony and complexity."

While Dorrien thinks Obama "punted on third down" on a number of issues during his first term, including major long-range economic reforms and a "public option" health care measure, he believes that Obama is now set to embrace a more progressive agenda.

Immigration reform and expanded public investment in infrastructure, clean energy and the environment could be among the benchmarks of a successful second Obama term, he said.

Left behind for good, Dorrien believes, is any possibility of breaking the power of the nation's large banks or introducing the health care "public option" -- two things Dorrien thinks Obama could have accomplished early in his first term had he not "settled for less than what he could have gotten."

The Rev. Peter Heltzel, who teaches across the street from Union at New York Theological Seminary, shares Dorrien's mix of admiration and caution about the 44th president.

"I am proud of President Obama and look forward to working for justice with him the next four years," Heltzel said, one day after penning an op-ed in USA Today in which he bemoaned the "dramatic expansion of the notion of war" during Obama's first term.

"Through global counter-terrorism activities and excessive reliance on drones and covert operations, we have normalized the use of violence and desensitized ourselves to the killing," Heltzel wrote.

Heltzel praised Obama's renewed push for gun control as an example of "building blocks for becoming the nation of peace that (Martin Luther) King (Jr.) dreamed about."

The evocation of King and his vision of peace is an example of a complex dance those on the Christian left have had to perform with the president, a former community organizer and onetime member of one of the most socially liberal Christian denominations in the country, the United Church of Christ.

While those on the left feel Obama understands and is sympathetic to their agenda, they also accept the obligation to keep the president's feet to the fire on the issues they care about.

Sometimes the mixture of hope and grass-roots pressure has worked, say two Christian leaders who have championed the issues of gay and lesbian rights and the environment, respectively.

Recently retired Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay man to be elected bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion, said Obama's linking of rights for women, blacks and gays during his inaugural address was a milestone -- and not merely because it was the first time any U.S. president had done so in such a prominent way.

"It wasn't just a nice turn of phrase," Robinson said of the president's inaugural evocation of "Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall."

"I don't think we'd have heard that from a white, middle-class president," Robinson said. "It was really significant because the movements have often been 'silo-ed' into separate constituencies."

As for the president's public call for gay equality in his inaugural speech -- another first -- Robinson said grass-roots activism played a role in pushing Obama on the issue, but credit must also be given to the president himself.

"He has offered his support for our love," Robinson said, "and that's above and beyond what any other president has done."

The Rev. Sally Bingham, president and founder of the San Francisco-based Interfaith Power & Light, a national faith-based campaign focused on climate change, said the president's call to "preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God" was another marriage of grass-roots activism and presidential leadership.

"He could not ignore what people are talking about on the ground," she said.

Bingham believes the theologically crafted language was a signal to environmental activists and faith-based advocates that the president recognizes the religious dimension of care of the planet -- an affirmation for clergy like Bingham who have embraced the issue for years and are seeing the results pay off in growing support.

"That sentence (about 'commanded to our care') was just overwhelmingly positive," Bingham said, adding to a feeling of momentum "that we're finally getting somewhere" on the issue of climate change.

Robinson, Bingham and Dorrien all acknowledge the frustration many progressives felt over the president's first term, with Robinson cautioning, "We can't look for a Messiah in a president, especially those of us who are in the Messiah business, and the Messiah is not Barack Obama."

Yet all three feel progressives' criticism of the president was sometimes misplaced; Dorrien argues that liberal disillusionment -- particularly acute in 2010 and 2011 -- was misdirected. Obama never claimed to be anything but a "liberal-leaning politician who still acted out of the center, someone who could mediate conflict. That's the kind of politician he is," Dorrien said.

Moreover, while the left will have to keep the pressure on Obama, Dorrien argues that the nation's first nonwhite president has faced the toughest and most entrenched opposition of any president.

While unafraid to critique the president, Dorrien has never "felt betrayed" by Obama as have other progressives -- most notably the eminent African-American philosopher Cornel West, a colleague of Dorrien's at Union, who at times has harshly criticized the president.

In his book, Dorrien writes that Obama's promise as a leader, "is still in play because Obama is singularly gifted, and he has historic accomplishments to his credit to build upon -- achievements that too many progressives and others often fail to acknowledge."

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/09/christian-left-obama-second-term_n_2653720.html

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Christina Applegate is departing her NBC comedy, "Up All Night." "It's been a great experience working on 'Up All Night', but the show has taken a different creative direction and I decided it was best for me to move on to other endeavors," Christina said in a statement on Friday. "Working with Lorne Michaels has been a dream come true and I am grateful he brought me into his TV family. I will miss the cast, producers and crew, and wish them the best always."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nemo-vidoes-from-the-storm-202334807.html

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শুক্রবার, ৮ ফেব্রুয়ারি, ২০১৩

ECB's Draghi assessing impact of strong euro

(AP) ? Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, went beyond what was expected and indicated that he and his fellow policymakers are keeping a close watch on the recent strength of the euro ? and the effect it is having on Europe's faltering recovery.

Though Draghi said Thursday that the recent appreciation of Europe's single currency was a sign of confidence following its debt crisis-related traumas over the past few years, he indicated that it could prompt a policy response.

"However, the exchange rate is not a policy target but it is important for growth and price stability," he said in a press briefing after the bank kept its main interest rate unchanged at the record low of 0.75 percent.

"We will want to see if the appreciation will alter our assessment as far as price stability is concerned," he added. "We will closely monitor money market developments."

Though the euro has clearly benefited from the region's easing debt crisis, analysts also say a more aggressive Japanese economic policy designed to revitalize the country has indirectly pushed up the value of the single European currency. This rising exchange rate has major impacts for the economy of the 17 European Union countries that use the euro. It could raise the price of exports, unappetizing news for many hard-pressed businesses across the recessionary eurozone. That prospect of lower activity could weigh on prices ? as would the lower import costs that the high euro could engender.

If inflation, which Draghi said is expected to fall below 2 percent in the months to come, drops by more than anticipated, then it could pave the way for interest rate reductions.

The scale of the comments surprised traders who thought he would bat away any comments regarding the euro in a manner similar to his predecessor, Jean-Claude Trichet.

The euro took a nosedive after those remarks, trading a full euro cent lower at $1.3450.

His remarks on the euro came after a cautiously upbeat assessment of the prospects of the eurozone economy.

As well as predicting that inflation will likely fall below the target in the coming months, Draghi said economic growth would likely resume thanks to low borrowing rates, an improvement in financial market conditions and a pick-up in global demand.

Draghi said risks to inflation are "broadly balanced" but that the risks to growth are "to the downside."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-02-07-European%20Central%20Bank/id-b774dba0fad049d09e995d7bf9ff3179

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Paton Internet Marketing: One Name for All Web Marketing Solution ...

With the growing trend of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Blogs social internet solutions are taking a lead in the web development industry. In this era of online interaction it is imperative to have a social presence to boost social media networking or internet marketing. With the right combination of both Search Engine Optimization coupled with a strong Social Media presence you can reach complete online visibility.

Whether you have a small business or a large one, social internet solutions can make a change in your business outlook. Paton Marketing is an online marketing company that offers comprehensive services like Search Engine Optimization, Website Development, Pay Per Click Management, Reputation Management, and Social Media Marketing.

With fierce competition in every field, online marketing is regarded as a key to success. Therefore visibility is crucial. Being visible in all major social networking platforms develops your business presence and adds to your success considerably. Marketing has always been the ultimate strategy to achieve the golden crown. That has not changed even today but yes; the whole face of marketing has gone through a changeover witnessing the growing importance of social media interaction in the vast arena of marketing.

Paton Marketing is a reliable and experienced SEO company that ensures your website boasts good ranking and further reaches top position in major search engine pages. SEO Services Miami ensures that your website comprises of keywords which are searched the most by clients further resulting in increase in the business profit levels. SEO Services Miami has successfully placed its clients to page one of Google, and we can do it for others too. Traffic is another advantage associated with hiring SEO services.

We also specialize in Web Development and Website Design Miami. Paton Marketing provides our clients with a strategically-developed premium custom website. A great website will go a long way in getting your business noticed online. It also delivers a high-quality user experience. We have the tools to build the best Website Design Miami. We keep your website up to date regularly.

As a Social Media Marketing Agency Miami, Paton Marketing guides the clients to how to increase their sale and how to make best customer interaction and to provide with the best service possible. We help the client in networking and detailing the ways to approach towards the business goals, designing the best possible ways to deal with the customers so that their business can get better move in the future.

.As a Social Media Marketing Agency Miami, Paton Marketing has helped hundreds of businesses develop a strategic internet marketing campaign. SEO Services Miami .

Source: http://www.articleswide.com/article/15832-Paton_Internet_Marketing_One_Name_for_All_Web_Marketing_Solution.html

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