Blogs

A year ago, a headline “The Recession of 2023 might surprise everyone” would have been prescient simply because it didn’t happen. On the contrary, last year showed surprising resilience and a pace of growth no one expected, despite forecasts of a slowdown or recession by most economists. 2023 was supposed to have been the year in which the economy succumbed to the sharpest increase in interest rates in four decades; tightening lending standards by the banks; and the end of pandemic-era government spending. Accumulated savings from Covid-related shutdowns and receipts of stimulus checks were...

Commonly known as the Beige Book, this report is published eight times per year. Each Federal Reserve Bank gathers anecdotal information on current economic conditions in its District through reports from Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts and other sources. The Beige Book summarizes this information by District and sector. An overall summary of the twelve district reports is prepared by a designated Federal Reserve Bank on a rotating basis. Overall Economic Activity Retail sales, including autos, remained mixed; sales of...

Work with banking partners you can count on to help you achieve growth goals It’s still sunny economically in the greater Phoenix area and William (Bill) Callahan, President & CEO of Arizona Bank & Trust, a division of HTLF Bank, expects it to continue into 2024. “It doesn’t feel like business has dropped off dramatically,” he said. He’s seen profit margins decline, but customers have created strategies to deal with changing economic realities. Commercial and industrial customers make up about 75 percent of the bank’s portfolio. Clients are building something, selling products or in service...

Tax season is right around the corner! With a bit of planning before you start filling out tax forms, you can make the process much easier on yourself this year. So, let’s review important insights, as well as the forms and documents you might need to gather to file your tax return ASAP. Filing Your Taxes: What You Need to Get Started Before you begin the filing process, you should first gather the information and documents that the IRS needs to process your tax return. Tax forms often include a lot of technical terms, but basically, you’ll need: Your Social Security Number (SSN) or Tax...

Questioning the authenticity of your new online relationship? Are the stars aligning or is there something more to the story? If you have doubts about your newfound romance, it could be a warning sign of a potential romance scam. Every year, countless Americans become targets of romance scams, where skilled social engineers use various tactics to deceive their victims. The consequences can be devastating. These scams not only cause severe financial and emotional harm but also emphasize the importance of recognizing and understanding the strategies used by these scammers. Romance scams have had...