This book contains the results of the first and only multi-institution study of interlibrary loan and document delivery customer satisfaction among academic library patrons. By examining customer perceptions and ILL/DD activities, Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery and Customer Satisfaction: Strategies for Redesigning Services allows library administrators and managers to better understand service needs and shows them where to best allocate resources. The volume includes current reports on workload and staffing in ILL, analysis of current ILL statistical software packages, reports of on-site software development, and suggestions for the future of ILL/DD services. As ILL and DD are the fastest growing services in academic libraries, having a tool that provides so much comparative data on service quality, efficiency, and effectiveness is crucial for librarians in search of solutions to an array of ILL/DD problems.Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery and Customer Satisfaction is a valuable resource for academic librarians, public and special librarians struggling with ILL/DD issues, DD providers (commercial or otherwise), and students in the field of library and information studies. Readers become immersed in the issues as this book: describes the development of local software to reduce the tedious tasks involved in request fulfillment, freeing office personnel to tackle more difficult requests analyzes how important delivery speed is to academic ILL/DD requestors and suggests when investing additional resources in improving delivery speed may be a waste of money provides comparative data on how many requests can be processed by the typical ILL office staff member debunks some long-held assumptions about delivery speed sets guidelines for efficiency and effectiveness proposes two strategies for redesigning ILL services to incorporate new developments in technology and innovative approaches toward long-standing, traditional servicesInterlibrary Loan/Document Delivery and Customer Satisfaction is useful not only to administrators interested in redesigning ILL and DD, but also to other libraries interested in comparing the speed and effectiveness of their service with some positively evaluated services provided by high-volume libraries. The software review helps providers implement the best choice of software for their offices and provides in-depth discussions about the strategies needed to further develop one’s own software to reduce workload. At a time when the tenets of Total Quality Management and customer satisfaction are the focus of many managers, interlibrary loan and document delivery are transforming from peripheral services to primary services in the academic library. Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery and Customer Satisfaction reflects the convergence of these trends and provides a great snapshot of services provided by a representative group of academic libraries.

Predatory lending: A problem rooted in the past that continues today. Looking for an investment return that could exceed 500 percent annually; maybe even twice that much? Private, unregulated lending to high-risk borrowers is the answer, or at least it was in the United States for much of the period from the Civil War to the onset of the early decades of the twentieth century. Newspapers called the practice “loan sharking” because lenders employed the same ruthlessness as the great predators in the ocean. Slowly state and federal governments adopted laws and regulations curtailing the practice, but organized crime continued to operate much of the business. In the end, lending to high-margin investors contributed directly to the Wall Street crash of 1929. Loan Sharks is the first history of predatory lending in the United States. It traces the origins of modern consumer lending to such older practices as salary buying and hidden interest charges. Yet, as Geisst shows, no-holds barred loan sharking is not a thing of the past. Many current lending practices employed today by credit card companies, payday lenders, and providers of consumer loans would have been easily recognizable at the end of the nineteenth century. Geisst demonstrates the still prevalent custom of lenders charging high interest rates, especially to risky borrowers, despite attempts to control the practice by individual states. Usury and loan sharking have not disappeared a century and a half after the predatory practices first raised public concern.

The financial services industry is undergoing significant change. This has added challenges for institutions assessing their operations and internal controls for regulatory considerations. Updated for 2019, this industry standard resource offers comprehensive, reliable accounting implementation guidance for preparers. It offers clear and practical guidance of audit and accounting issues, and in-depth coverage of audit considerations, including controls, fraud, risk assessment, and planning and execution of the audit. Topics covered include: Transfers and servicing; Troubled debt restructurings; Financing receivables and the allowance for loan losses; and, Fair value accounting This guide also provides direction for institutions assessing their operations and internal controls for regulatory considerations as well as discussions on existing regulatory reporting matters. The financial services industry is undergoing significant change. This has added challenges for institutions assessing their operations and internal controls for regulatory considerations. Updated for 2019, this industry standard resource offers comprehensive, reliable accounting implementation guidance for preparers. It offers clear and practical guidance of audit and accounting issues, and in-depth coverage of audit considerations, including controls, fraud, risk assessment, and planning and execution of the audit. Topics covered include: Transfers and servicing; Troubled debt restructurings; Financing receivables and the allowance for loan losses; and, Fair value accounting This guide also provides direction for institutions assessing their operations and internal controls for regulatory considerations as well as discussions on existing regulatory reporting matters.

Managing Credit Risk, Second Edition opens with a detailed discussion of today’s global credit markets—touching on everything from the emergence of hedge funds as major players to the growing influence of rating agencies. After gaining a firm understanding of these issues, you’ll be introduced to some of the most effective credit risk management tools, techniques, and vehicles currently available. If you need to keep up with the constant changes in the world of credit risk management, this book will show you how.

Investing in property is the largest single financial transaction anyone will make. Property buyers usually concentrate their research on online search engines, looking at glossy photos of beautifully staged homes. Instead, they would be better off working out how much they will need to borrow, how they should structure their loan and who would be the best lender. Author and personal finance expert, Stuart Wemyss, admits that finding the right loan is a bit like a game of snakes and ladders. You run up the ladder when you think you've found the lowest interest rate, only to slide down the snake when you realise the fees are high and conditions are stringent. "Interest is the single largest lifetime expense for investors" says Stuart. "The amount of borrowings investors carry affects their net worth and their cash flow and can make or break their retirement goals. Getting their borrowing right and structuring their investments correctly can save a considerable amount of money - often thousands of dollars per year."To make sure you get your borrowing right, Stuart explains the Rules of the Lending Game in this fascinating book. It contains invaluable information on: Choosing the right loan products Calculating how much to borrow and how to reduce the overall cost Structuring loans to manage cash flow and create wealth Making the most of your equity.

Explores how the financial industry will be affected by developments in blockchain and cryptocurrencies at the dawn of a new digital age in finance Our financial system is in the midst of a digital revolution. Blockchain, viewed by many experts as “the most important invention since the Internet,” has changed the way we exchange value and information. Although most people are aware of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, few understand how security tokens—digitized forms of traditional ownership certificates—can drive blockchain to reach its fullest potential by offering investors features and innovations that are simply not possible with paper certificates. Digital Finance: Security Tokens and Unlocking the Real Potential of Blockchain explains how the integration of blockchain and security token technology will transform the current financial infrastructure and radically improve efficiency, transparency, and security. Using clear language and an easy-to-follow framework, author Baxter Hines draws upon his decades’ experience in the financial industry to address how the digitization of assets will drive cost reductions, enhance flexibility, and pave the way for new business models and revenue streams for years to come. Filled with real-world case studies and expert insights on the latest opportunities and trends, such as the COVID-19 pandemic’s role in accelerating the adoption of blockchain, this must-have resource: Shows how blockchain and distributed ledger technology are disrupting the financial industry Explains what security tokens are and why they are the next major breakthrough for investing Highlights how blockchain technology has created new and more efficient ways of fund raising and investing Identifies the ways companies like IBM, Fidelity Investments, and AXA are deploying blockchain and tokenized solutions Describes how assets only available to institutional investors could become marketed to the mainstream Discusses the impact that security tokens will have on real assets such as stocks, real estate, bonds, and derivatives Provides insight into how central banks around the world are embracing blockchain and beginning to issue digital currencies Digital Finance: Security Tokens and Unlocking the Real Potential of Blockchain is essential reading for financial professionals, general investors, finance and technology students, regulators, legal professionals, and users of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.