Morgan Keegan paying $200M to settle fraud charges WASHINGTON – Investment firm Morgan Keegan & Co. is paying $200 million to settle civil fraud charges that it overstated the value of mortgage investments just as the housing market was collapsing in 2007 and lured buyers of its funds with false sales materials. Morgan Keegan's parent company, Regions Financial Corp., also announced Wednesday that it hired investment bank Goldman Sachs & Co.
tiffany and co outlet to explore "potential strategic alternatives" for Morgan Keegan. The alternatives could include a sale of the firm or divisions of it. Federal and state regulators said the actions of Morgan Keegan, based in Memphis, Tenn., caused investors in five funds to lose an estimated $1.5 billion. Morgan Keegan failed to use "reasonable" procedures to calculate the value of securities in the funds backed by high-risk mortgages, the regulators said.
tiffany cufflinks The firm misrepresented the value of the funds and the risk involved to entice people to invest, they said. Half of the money will go toward compensating investors. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, regulators in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, and securities industry regulators announced the settlement Wednesday. tiffany pendants
Two former employees of the firm also agreed to pay civil penalties. It was the latest legal action by regulators in connection with the mortgage meltdown and financial crisis. On Tuesday, Wall Street bank JPMorgan Chase & Co. agreed to pay $153.6 million to settle the SEC's civil fraud charges that it misled buyers of complex mortgage investments just as the housing market was collapsing. Regulators have been investigating a number of major banks' actions ahead of the financial crisis that plunged the country into the most severe recession since the 1930s. tiffany & co outlet
More charges are expected. Of the $200 million that Morgan Keegan agreed to pay, a $75 million penalty and $25 million in restitution was levied by the SEC. The remaining $100 million will go to a state fund, with the money to be distributed to investors who were harmed. In addition, Morgan Keegan agreed not to make valuations of securities for investment funds for three years. The firm got out of the valuation business in 2008. tiffany jewelry outlet
"The falsification of fund values misrepresented critical information exactly when investors needed it most — when the subprime mortgage meltdown was impacting the funds," SEC Enforcement Director Robert Khuzami said in a statement. "Such misconduct does grievous harm to investors." Regions, based in Birmingham, Ala., received $3.5 billion in taxpayer funds under the federal financial bailout in 2008 and hasn't yet repaid the government. __ Associated Press writer Greg Bluestein in Atlanta contributed to this report. tiffany outlet
Convicted Kennedale killer was a regular at strip club FORT WORTH -- Wearing a low-cut halter dress, a red-haired dancer who goes by the stage name Scarlet testified Thursday in the capital murder trial of John Hummel, telling jurors that he was a regular client at the topless club where she worked and texted and phoned her repeatedly. "I would make at least 100 bucks every time he came in, at least," said Gretchen Bowe, 35, who said she's been dancing on and off since she was 18. "He knew my schedule. tiffany men's necklace
" Bowe told the jury that, on several occasions in late 2009, Hummel tried to get her to come to the Cleburne hospital where he worked nights as a security guard to "smoke weed and do other things" but she never did. "He would blow my cellphone up, like text after text after text," she said. She said she playfully flirted with Hummel and sat and talked with him at the club -- as she does with other regulars -- but never took it any further. "We would talk, and then I would give him a dance," she said. "Whatever they're interested in, I'm interested in." Bowe was among several prosecution witnesses called Thursday during the punishment phase of Hummel's trial. The jury convicted Hummel, 35, on Wednesday of killing his pregnant wife, Joy, 34, and his disabled father-in-law, Clyde "Eddie" Bedford, 57. tiffany necklace
The jury also heard that Hummel killed his 5-year-old daughter, Jodi, and set their house in Kennedale on fire with their bodies inside. Now jurors are hearing testimony to determine whether Hummel should be sentenced to life in prison without parole or to death. Since the trial began last Monday, prosecutors Miles Brissette and Bob Gill have maintained that Hummel killed his family so he could be free to pursue other women and party. On Thursday, they continued with that theme, presenting evidence that Hummel frequented topless clubs and used drugs after he killed his family. On Dec. tiffany necklace silver
19, 2009, while authorities were investigating the deaths in Kennedale, Hummel arrived in Oceanside, Calif., where he checked into a motel room and went to a topless club. He met a man near the club, and they went to Mexico. Scott Matejka testified that Hummel approached him on the street and asked him if he knew where he could get marijuana. Matejka said they returned to Hummel's motel room, where they smoked crack cocaine and talked about driving to the border and going into Mexico to find more drugs. "Mexico is always a trigger for me," Matejka said. tiffany necklace white gold
"When we talked about it and I had a ride, heck yeah, I was in." Matejka said they parked at the border, smoked the last of his crack and walked into Mexico, where they went to a topless bar. Matejka said he couldn't get any drugs and didn't know whether Hummel did. He said that when they tried to cross back over the border, he was allowed through but Hummel was stopped. The jury had heard earlier that Hummel was detained at the border for not having the proper documents and was arrested when authorities learned that he was wanted in Texas. Matejka said he took public transportation home. tiffany charms
Investigators contacted him later, wanting to talk about Hummel, whose name he did not remember at the time. On cross-examination by defense attorney Fred Cummings, who is working with Larry Moore and Pam Fernandez, Matejka said he did most of the talking the night he was with Hummel and found him to be a quiet man who drank little, if any, alcohol. "We were given a free beer, and I don't even remember him being a drinker," Matejka said. Testimony is scheduled to continue today in state District Judge Ruben Gonzalez's court. tiffany pendants
Pandora Beads Charms My name is Winston due to my grandmother having lived in Britain during World War II. I have melting brown eyes and silvery blond hair and am tall and well built. I live with my family in an upper-crust neighborhood. When they adopted me, they thought I was going to be average in height and build. They became anxious when my feet grew huge, but they had already fallen in love with me and did not have the heart to send me back. The first thing I did in my new home was to chase the cat, Oscar, a good-for-nothing, sit-on-the-windowsill-basking-in-the-sun type. I chased him downstairs and he took up quarters on top of the freezer. I never did like cats. The next thing was to proclaim myself boss of the family. My mother was a single mom with two daughters, and my job was to look after them.
Pandora Charms OnlineI would tell them what to do -- not the other way around -- and they soon became my adoring slaves, especially Mom. My sisters were in a kind of love/hate relationship with me, which really annoyed me as I was always affectionate. When they felt like it they paid me attention, and when they were busy they yelled at me. Another thing I don't like is that when my sisters bring out their soft toys, I bring mine out from my toy box, but they will not let me join in their games. And then there is my ball: Mom will play with me by throwing it, but never outside. They tell me to go out and play, but there is nobody to play with, so I kick the door until they let me in. Why should I go out and play by myself when they don't have to?
Pandora Charms for braceletsAnother of my banes is that they will not let me eat at the table. I sit there and watch them at mealtime, and they ignore me. I used to go into the kitchen and help Mom cook and would taste the meat on the counter (I am really tall) and the whole family would panic and chase me around the house. Well, serves them right. They should let me eat at the table instead of my having to get my dinner off the kitchen counter. Undignified! Mom hung sleigh bells on the back door, so that when I want to go outside I ring the bells. When I am hungry I ring the bells, and they come running, thinking I want to go out, but I just stand there, and they get me some food. Being the man of the house, I keep a close watch on the front door. Pandora Earrings
When the mailman comes around I really go off my rocker -- I leap to the front door, and he just will not open that door and give me the mail. I want to take Mom's mail to her, but the mailman does not trust me. And then there is Granma. Well! Granma does not care for me, maybe because I am adopted and not a blood relative. But, being of a very affectionate nature, I am all over Gran when she comes over, and she always says "Go away!" To Winston! She does not know who she is dealing with. My biological parents were both champions who won trophies in shows, but, because of my silvery coloring, I don't qualify. Sometimes they treat me like a dog! But I still love them and will do anything for them, and will still watch over them and keep strangers away from the house. I am the best friend they have; you'd think they would appreciate me more. Well, Mom treats me well; in fact, people say she spoils me, but it is my sisters and Gran who treat me like a dog. Pandora Earrings Silver
But, on the whole, my family is very good to me, giving me Christmas gifts and special treats, and letting me put my huge feet on the chairs and sleep. I have a comfy bed in Mom's bedroom. No, I am not a mama's boy, I am there to watch over her. When she goes to work I watch the house and chase Oscar down to the basement if he ever dares to show his face. I know when my sisters come home from school, and I know when Mom is coming home from work. I wait and wait at the top of the stairs for her and jump all over her, kissing her and hugging her. She is really my best friend. I love Mom! Pandora Necklace
Pandora NecklaceTiffany’s Jewelry Can be a Brand Name That We Believe Is very important Tiffany’s jewelry can be a name recognised by lot of people these days because of the way we attach a particular interest within the brand name of what ever we acquire. This is genuine of anything from cars and clothing to dish soap and bottled water. Nevertheless, brand names appear to be very important with regards to jewelry. A lot of people, on admiring a piece of jewelry need to know what it cost, but they frequently will not ask unless they know the person very effectively. For all those that don’t really feel cozy or usually do not need to offend by asking what a piece of jewelry cost, the next best question is exactly where the piece of jewelry come from or what did brand is it. By obtaining this out, it is then considerably less difficult to seek out out what the piece of jewelry price.
Cheap Pandora Charms Tiffany’s jewelry is observed to become one of many most extremely regarded brand names in the world and also one of the most high-priced. Why Get Tiffany’s Jewelry Lots of people cannot even afford to purchase Tiffany’s jewelry but for all those that may the top quality is usually why individuals purchase there, together with the prestige that comes from owning a piece of their jewelry. This can be not to say that Tiffany’s jewelry does not are available in a wide range of prices, but only that it’s generally the much more elite crowd that will make their jewelry purchases there. Those that perform normal jobs and have what a lot of people would think about being middle-income, average jobs wouldn’t appear to purchasing Tiffany’s jewelry since it would be expense prohibitive. In several techniques this can be unfortunate simply because Tiffany’s jewelry is usually very stunning and distinctive, and surely much more folks would prefer to have uncover jewelry for example can be bought there. For all those that may purchase there, they are assured that they may be getting high-quality and distinctive pieces that they’ll not have the ability to go to an additional jewelry shop and find, for the identical price tag or lower if in any way, and this is very important to folks which have the funds and also the desire to very own a thing that no one else has. Pandora Charms Sale
Good quality versus Price tag High quality is very important, naturally, but price can also be a concern for many people. Even a lot of people that could be considered rich are still careful with their money?-.which is frequently how they ended up wealthy in the very first spot. For people including this, Tiffany’s jewelry may well not be the best approach to go as a result of reality that the cost is so high. Even so, the quality is also very substantial and critical, and these folks that desire top quality for their jewelry may possibly desire to maintain Tiffany’s jewelry in mind if it can be a thing that falls into their cost range and acquiring capabilities. Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist who lived from 1848 to 1933. He became effectively identified for his perform on stained glass which he utilized in several different settings which includes windows, enamels, metalwork, lamps and jewelry. He is normally linked using the Aesthetic and Art Noveau movement and was also a member of the prestigious Associated Artists along with other effectively acknowledged artists of the time such as Samuel Colman, Lockwood De Forest and Candace Wheeler. The Tiffany Firm was founded by his father Charles Lewis Tiffany. Louis was initially enthusiastic about becoming a painter but created an interest in glassmaking close to 1875 and discovered the tactics by working in glass producing factories until 1878. Pandora Beads Charms
In 1885 he founded the Tiffany Glass Company which became known as Tiffany Studios in 1902. His very first experiments with glassmaking used low-cost jelly jars and bottles which contained impurities that he used to make special styles. He attempted to persuade fine glass makers to leave inside the impurities in order that he could generate his special designs but he failed to persuade the, As an alternative he founded his personal glassmaking organization where he could produce glass to his personal specifications. Previously, stained glass was made by painting on clear glass but he used opalescent glass in different colours and textures to create his own original designs. In 1983 he founded the Stourbridge Glass Company and built his new factory to make his stained glass. In 1893 he produced his very first stained glass styles and exhibited lamps for the first time at the Chicago venue of the World’s Fair that year. In 1894 he trademarked the term Favrile, a word type the French which means handmade which he applied to all his enamel, glass and pottery goods. Pandora Charms Online
From 1895 his company produced stained glass, lamps along with other interior decorations. These days a complete collection of Tiffany’s operate is housed in Florida in the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. Included are examples of Tiffany lead glass windows. lamps, paintings, pottery, jewelry and much more. The interior of a chapel, created for the World’s Columbian Exposition which was held in Chicago in 1893, may also be observed there. Glass panels initially placed in the house of Louis, Laurelton Hall, are also exhibited in the museum. The organization founded by his father, the Tiffany Firm, also sold his made and in 1902, soon after the death of his father, he became the Artistic Director. His company Tiffany Studios ceased organization in 1932. Collecting Genuine Tiffany Lamps One of the most well-known collectible items made by Tiffany Studios are stained glass lamps. Pandora Earrings
They’re lovely examples of his perform and genuine Tiffany lamps sell for an excellent deal of money these days. Tiffany began creating lamps within the 1980′s and they were extremely well-liked till about 1920 when they went out of favor together with the wealthier classes who considered them old fashioned. Inside the 1960′s they came back into favor as Art Noveau movement increased in reputation. Christie’s sold a genuine Tiffany lamp in 1997 for $2.eight million! A genuine Tiffany lamp will sell for anywhere among $10,000 and hundreds of thousands of dollars according to each the good quality and also the size. A Tiffany apple blossom lamp was sold for $136,000 and dragonfly lamp for $185,000. Well-liked Tiffany lamps consist of the dragonfly, wisteria and peony styles which all sell for more than a hundred thousand dollars. Lamps with other styles, geometric patters and flowers and vines are much less well-liked but nonetheless command a hefty price tag at auction. You’ll find, of course, several fakes as a signature is effortlessly copied. To ensure you only buy a genuine Tiffany lamp often purchase from a reliable auction establishment. Pandora Earrings Silver
Jewelry Producing For Entertaining And Profit There is certainly an old adage that says function isn’t truly perform should you get pleasure from what you??￥re carrying out. If one particular of the hobbies is jewelry producing, why not turn this activity into a source of revenue? You??￥re already possessing enjoyable anyway, and it wouldn’t take a complete lot more to share your jewelry creations with people who would appreciate them and be much more than satisfied to pay for them. Using a bit of added effort, time management and discipline, jewelry producing is an excellent approach to have entertaining and make a bit of extra income on the side. No matter whether you’re a novice about to enter the jewelry creating field for the first time or whether you??￥ve been doing this for some time now, you will find always many simple factors to think about. tiffany & co. necklace
1st, it??￥s essential to have an adequate quantity of space exactly where you’ll be able to work unbothered for a selected length of time each and every day and where you are able to shop your jewelry creating supplies and tools. It doesn’t have to be a large space, just a corner or room exactly where you can concentrate on bringing your tips to life and be totally free from undue distractions. Second, should you haven’t currently, decide on the kind of jewelry you are going to produce. If you’re just getting your feet wet within the jewelry generating arena, start off out with some thing simple. Take into consideration what form of jewelry you’d appreciate and really feel comfy wearing and go on from there. What ever supplies you may want are readily obtainable either on the net or in a physical retail store. Then, as you grow to be more adept at what you’re doing, you can start off exploring other, more complicated jewelry creating techniques. Remember, there is certainly a plethora of data resources to help you earn money from your hobby: tiffany earrings
books, specialty magazines, the internet, and other jewelry makers. Right after you’ve made numerous jewelry items, you can find actions it is possible to take to get other folks considering them. Be a walking advertisement for the jewelry producing business. Put on a few of your creations whenever you go out: wear them to operate, once you go to the supermarket, or once you attend parties. Word of mouth is also an excellent strategy to let other people know about your jewelry creating endeavor. Show a few of your completed pieces to family members and pals, and encourage them to spread the word. The crucial factor to bear in mind is that you continue to take pleasure in producing jewelry and to take pride within your creations. Your love for jewelry creating will likely be the important aspect in sustaining your creativity level and it’ll assist you to come up together with the designs that appreciative clients will get. Never forget the fun factor in jewelry making, as this may be reflected in your work, as well as the profit factor will follow.
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There are also numerous other net websites that give low-priced hip-hop jewelry inspired by popular rap artists. Hip-hop jewelry comes in numerous shapes and sizes, all of them meant to catch the eye and attract attention. Heavy chains of silver or gold (or each) can oftentimes be observed on celebrities including LL Cool J and Ja Rule in their music videos. Hip-hop jewelry web sites provide totally iced-out bling-bling, or watches, rings, bracelets and earrings that are heavily decorated with real or faux diamonds. So-called spinnerwatches and rings are large greatest sellers in the hip-hop jewelry category.
tiffany charms Also offered are customized, removable gold, silver and platinum teeth which could possibly be studded with jewels and gemstones, so even the pearly whites can have their share of hip-hop jewelry. Girls celebrities are keeping pace with their male counterparts when it comes to wearing hip-hop jewelry. Stars including Beyonce, Lil’ Kim, Ashanti and Missy Elliott are frequently witnessed in photos wearing huge diamond jewelry items of numerous colors. Even young female celebrities are obtaining on the bling-bling bandwagon. Teen stars like Jo Jo and Hilary Duff are mentioned to become avid hip-hop jewelry enthusiasts and count themselves amongst the huge number of bejeweled stars nowadays. Large, ostentatious pieces of jewelry didn’t begin becoming common only as a result of the hip-hop cultural phenomenon (feel Elvis Presley and Tom Jones), but hip-hop has altered the jewelry industry inside a massive way. Fans see what their favored celebrities are wearing, and you’ll find numerous choices for them to emulate their idols – at the very least in terms of fashion. Jewelry has usually been a portion of popular culture, and today’s hip-hop jewelry and also the celebrities who put on them are even more so in this age of instant details. tiffany pendants
Pasadena Playhouse: A time to rethink fundamentals Pasadena Playhouse’s announcement that it will close on Feb. 7 after the final performance of “Camelot” while trying to find a way out of its current financial straits is sad news for its soon-to-be out-of-work employees, the surrounding business district that depends on it, the local cultural life of Pasadena and the greater theater community of Southern California, of which the playhouse is a long-standing pillar. Artistic diminishment of this kind is a spiritual loss. I remember the actress Glenn Close remarking at the site of a prospective new theater in Princeton, N.J., that such an undertaking is comparable to the founding of a church. The idea was that theater serves an analogous function in our lives—for group reflection, confession, expiation and celebration. The South African playwright Athol Fugard echoed this sentiment in a more secular way, stressing “the central importance of theater to the psychic well-being and sanity of a society." If the American theater lost sight of this broader purpose in the boom years of yesterday, perhaps the economic hardships of today will help us regain our bearings. The signs at the moment, however, are not auspicious. tiffany online
The New Year has arrived and many theaters remain dark; in others, revivals of box-office-wooing musicals and inconsequential dramedies dominate. The consumerist model continues its stranglehold. This approach has left us with a glut of chestnuts that only those addicted to the familiar can get excited about, and the irony is that it's clearly not bringing in enough dough. Truth be told, theatergoers no longer find theatergoing indispensable. Subscriptions are a luxury too many are happy to do without when households start belt-tightening, and even single tickets can seem like a risky investment. Why spend 100 bucks (not counting parking) when you and your significant other can cut your entertainment expenditures by $75 without the fear of gratuitous boredom taking a chunk out of your weekly budget? Ever since hearing the somber news about Pasadena Playhouse, I keep thinking of the title of Polish director Jerzy Grotowski's book “Towards a Poor Theatre.” tiffany and co outlet
This revolutionary text from the late 1960s was all about returning to fundamentals. For Grotowski, the essence of theater was in the communion between actors and audiences. Sublime things, in short, could occur in meager rooms, with limited technical capacity and a paucity of props, when performers were illuminated with radical purpose and spectators were receptive to having their paradigms budged. I’m not advocating that actors live in communes and playgoers form cults. But I do wish that artistic directors would examine more honestly their reason for making theater. The art form relies on robust institutions, yet these institutions need to care more about the contributions of their artists than the décor of their lobbies. “Starchitecture” and other forms of what has been waggishly referred to as theater’s “edifice complex” have led us down an expensive cul-de-sac. No wonder patrons would rather stay home with Anderson Cooper than fight traffic for Neil Simon and intermission wine. When reality gets tough, tedious unreality is easily sacrificed, no matter how attractive the ambience. tiffany jewelry outlet
I’m not singling out the State Theater of California, Pasadena Playhouse’s special designation. The last thing I want to do is kick a theater when it’s down and desperate to reorganize. Artistic director Sheldon Epps deserves a round of applause for diversifying his theater’s offerings and audience to better reflect the face of Southern California, even if his taste has too often headed in an unchallenging commercial direction. The situation I’m describing—one in which marketing has in effect become the mission—is a widespread ill. But perhaps the notion of finding opportunity in adversity can turn out to be more than a tired cliche. Give the people something that they really need and they’ll find a way to afford it. The challenge is getting them to sample what they might not know to be good for them. Once theatrically bitten, twice shy. But courage is contagious, and loyal support will follow when souls are nourished. tiffany outlet