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Mortgage Corp loan provisions $71m off norm

Mortgage Corp loan provisions $71m off norm By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Bahamas Mortgage Corporation's (BMC) existing policy underestimates loan loss provisioning by more than $71 million, it was disclosed yesterday, its chairman unveil

Mortgage Corp loan provisions $71m off norm

Mortgage Corp loan provisions $71m off norm By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Bahamas Mortgage Corporation's (BMC) existing policy underestimates loan loss provisioning by more than $71 million, it was disclosed yesterday, its chairman unveil

Bank payment charges need ‘legitimate redress’

THE Central Bank yesterday appeared to concede that fees for payment services were too high and “require legitimate redress”, a view shared by 78 per cent of Bahamians.

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CCA: WE SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BAHAMAS – Contractor reached out for help to son of top govt advisor

Baha Mar's main contractor asked the son of Perry Christie's top policy adviser to intervene when his father proposed changing The Pointe's Heads of Agreement over how many Bahamian construction workers would be employed.

China provides 'no Baha Mar comfort'

Baha Mar's Bahamian creditors and former employees "can't take much comfort" from the project's financier breaking its silence, the FNM's deputy leader arguing that it merely confirmed "no deal is in hand".

Bahamas shrugs off FTX for perfect ‘40 out of 40’

The Bahamas yesterday shrugged off FTX’s implosion through what the attorney general hailed as the “enormous accomplishment” of a perfect score in the fight against financial crime.

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Bran: 'Very dodgy' to interfere with business pricing

The Government will be "in very dodgy territory" should it seek to interfere with how Bahamian businesses price their goods and services, the DNA leader has warned.

Court: ‘No deal’ for 25,000 acre property

An $11.5 million deal to purchase the 25,000 acre property that was once Long Island’s largest employer cannot be concluded because there was never “an enforceable sales contract”, the Privy Council ruled yesterday.

BAHA MAR'S OCCUPANCIES 3-4% ABOVE FORECAST LEVEL

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor While occupancies at Baha Mar's two existing Cable Beach resorts are trending 3-4 per cent ahead of 2012 forecasts, the resort developer yesterday said they had yet to reach "levels considered acceptable", followi

$10M PORT IPO SETS A BAHAMIAN RECORD

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Arawak Cay Port Development (APD) offering has set a Bahamian record by becoming the "most widely subscribed for IPO in the history of the Bahamian capital markets", Tribune Business was told yesterday, one of

FEEDBACK FROM THE FIRM'S KING

By Ian Ferguson We agree that a stronger focus on our customers enhances our ability to grow and expand our businesses, and to deepen our ability to maximise customer satisfaction. We say often that the customer is 'KING', and that they are the driving f

Chamber hopes for ‘11th hour’ pre-Budget meeting with Gov’t

The private sector is still hoping for an ‘11th hour’ pre-Budget meeting with the Government, so it can help it present “the most viable” economic plan for the Bahamas.

Ex-minister files suit against BREA

A former PLP Cabinet Minister yesterday confirmed he had instructed his attorney to proceed with legal action against the Bahamas Real Estate Association (BREA) for publicly naming him among 70 realtors who had allegedly failed to pay their annual licence fees.

ATLANTIS EYES 12-14% GROUP BOOKING RISE

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Atlantis is looking at a 12-14 per cent increase in group business for 2012, the head of Kerzner International's Bahamian operations yesterday saying its $50-$60 million annual capital expenditure plans would like

IBC directors urged: 'Ensure all deals legit'

IBC directors urged: 'Ensure all deals legit' By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Bahamian financial services professionals were yesterday urged to take their responsibilities as International Business Company (IBC) directors seriously and "make su

Bahamian insurer ‘bolstered’ after hurricane losses

* Security and General in Q4 capital injection * Performance ‘marginal’, ‘below average’ * Rival Summit also gets top ratings

A MAJOR Bahamian insurer has seen its balance sheet “bolstered” by its parent as a result of recent hurricane-related losses. A. M. Best, the insurance rating agency, said Security and General Insurance Company had received a fourth quarter capital injection from its Bermuda-based owner following recent storm payouts. The rating agency, which reaffirmed the Bahamian property and casualty insurer’s creditworthiness, provided few details and its top executive, Marlon Graham, did not return Tribune Business’s voice mail message yesterday seeking comment.

Govt told: ‘Stop bragging’ about $852m VAT funds

The Opposition’s finance spokesman yesterday urged the Government to “stop bragging” about its $852 million VAT revenues, as this represented monies sucked away from Bahamian consumers and businesses.

Govt told: ‘Cut inefficient taxes across the board’

The Government was yesterday urged by a leading governance reformer to reduce “inefficient taxes across the board” so that it could make room for potential Value-Added Tax (VAT) rate increases.

Entertainment 'loses its way'

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Bahamian entertainment industry has "lost its way", a leading musical entrepreneur charged yesterday, blaming factors such as a decline in standards among sector players and the 'unfair competition' posed by g

Public spending to rise 'less than 0.1% of GDP' via wage freeze end

Public spending to rise 'less than 0.1% of GDP' via wage freeze end Sub-Deck: * Gov't acknowledges major difference with IMF over 'timing and will for major tax reform' * Debt Management Committee set up to oversee Bahamas' fiscal position By NEIL HA