“Love of trucks drives man to pursue and run dealerships - Detroit Free Press” plus 4 more

Love of trucks drives man to pursue and run dealerships - Detroit Free Press
Rockland police blotter - VillageSoup Belfast
Ford brings in-dash computers to the next level - WTOL-TV
Kelly: Eight years later, we still can’t get it right - NorthJersey.com
Ally Bank builds deposits, needles rivals - Cincinnati.com

Love of trucks drives man to pursue and run dealerships - Detroit Free Press

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 06:15 AM PDT

Jesse Berger was on the verge of completing his dream of becoming a Kenworth truck franchisee in 2005, but the deal was dragging because the previous owner wasn't in a hurry to sell.

But Berger, 38, doesn't give up easily.

"I don't know where it comes from, God makes us all different," Berger said. "Once my jaws clamp shut on something, I usually stick with the project."

Berger became interested in the car and truck business as a child because his stepfather owned a Sunoco gas station.

"I didn't love homework," Berger said. "So I learned about trucks and got greasy at a young age and before I knew it I was fixing engines and changing springs."

Berger further developed his interest in the automotive and truck business while attending Northwood University, where he majored in business administration with a specialty in dealership and automotive aftermarket parts management. It was there that he decided he wanted to become a Kenworth truck franchisee.

"Kenworth trucks have the tagline 'The world's best,' " Berger said. "I wanted the prom queen of trucks."

The power and quality of Kenworth trucks are alluring. Kenworth's W900 comes with a 550-horsepower Cummins engine with 1,600 pound-feet of torque and 18 gears. The average Kenworth truck costs about $120,000.

Before he could realize his dream, Berger bought out the family truck repair business, called Berger & Sons, in 1997.

He managed that business until he had the opportunity to pursue two acquisitions in 2005. One was a truck rental and leasing business in Sterling Heights called Michigan Truck & Trailer and the other was a Kenworth franchise in Dearborn.

Family squabbles on the part of the seller caused the acquisition of the truck-leasing business to drag on for 30 months, Berger said. Other issues complicated the Kenworth deal, and he finally completed that deal in May 2006.

Gary Moore, Kenworth assistant general manager for marketing and sales, said Kenworth was immediately impressed with Berger even though he is among Kenworth's youngest franchisees.

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Rockland police blotter - VillageSoup Belfast

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 05:03 AM PDT

Government
Rockland police blotter

ROCKLAND (Oct 18): An arrest or summons does not constitute a finding of guilt. An individual charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at criminal proceedings.

Rockland police handled the following calls from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11.

Oct. 5

Sgt. Kenneth Smith responded to a criminal mischief complaint on Park Drive.

Officer Andrew Redden responded to an animal problem at Old County Road and Rankin Street.

Sgt. Kenneth Smith responded to a disorderly conduct complaint at the Family Dollar store.

Officer Larry Muldoon responded to a trespassing complaint on North Main Street.

Officer William Smith responded to an animal problem on Rankin Street.

Officer Muldoon responded to a harassment complaint on Park Street.

Officer Smith responded to a disorderly complaint at Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport.

Officer Smith responded to a harassment complaint on New County Road.

Officer Smith responded to a drug complaint on Rankin Street. Amanda French, 22, of Rockland was arrested for possession of drugs.

Oct. 6

Officer John Bagley responded to a disorderly conduct complaint at the Trade Winds Motor Inn.

Officer Lloyd Daniels responded to a complaint of a stray animal on Broad Street.

Officer Daniels responded to a trespassing complaint at Gay Street Place.

Officer Smith responded to a disorderly complaint at Grace Street Place.

Officer Smith responded to a drug complaint on Gay Street.

Oct. 7

Sgt. Matthew Lindahl responded to a complaint of disorderly conduct on Myrtle Street.

Officer James Jillson responded to a car crash on Main Street. There were no injuries.

Officer Jillson responded to a car crash on Broadway near Grace Street at nearly 4 p.m. Megan L. Holden, 28, of Owls Head was driving south on Broadway in a 2004 Jeep when she glanced away from the road briefly, and struck the rear of a car stopped in traffic. The 2006 Hyundai that was hit, driven by Chandler S. Woodman, 74, of Thomaston, then was pushed into the rear of a 1994 Ford pickup truck driven by Terry W. Robinson, 41, of Warren. There were no injuries but damage totaled $7,000 to the three vehicles.

Officer Daniels responded to a car crash at Union Street and Talbot Avenue. There were no injuries.

Officer Redden responded to a car crash on Maverick Street.

Kathrine Marsters, 19, of Thomaston was issued a summons for illegal transportation of liquor by a minor.

Oct. 8

Officer Daniels responded to a car crash on Payne Avenue. There were no injuries.

Officer Bagley responded to a car crash at the Verizon store. There were no injuries.

Sgt. Kenneth Smith responded to a disorderly conduct complaint on Orange Street.

David Bates, 50, of Rockland was arrested for violating a condition of release.

Marcia Davis, 38, of Rockland was arrested on two warrants: theft and misuse of identification.

Edmond Guay, 45, of Rockland was arrested for operating under the influence.

Oct. 9

Sgt. Anthony Camporiale responded to a theft at Hannaford Supermarket.

Sgt. Camporiale responded to a car crash in the VIP parking lot. There were no injuries.

Officer Jillson responded to a criminal mischief complaint in the parking lot of Rockland District Middle School.

Officer Redden responded to a theft on Talbot Avenue.

Officer Redden responded to a theft on Fulton Street.

Officer Redden responded to a property damage car crash on Ocean Street. There were no injuries.

Officer Larry Muldoon responded to a disorderly complaint on Marks Lane.

Sgt. Matthew Lindahl responded to an animal welfare complaint on Union Street.

Cindy Leary, 46, of Rockland was arrested for OUI.

Oct. 10

Sgt. Smith responded to a criminal mischief complaint at the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse.

Sgt. Smith responded to an animal problem at the soccer field on Old County Road.

Sgt. Smith responded to a car crash by the Rankin Center.

Officer Jillson responded to a car crash on Main Street near Auto Zone. Brian Campbell, 62, of South Thomaston was walking south on Main Street when a 1999 Ford pickup truck driven by Maitland Pine, 65, of Rockland attempted a left turn and bumped Campbell, who fell to the ground. He was not seriously injured.

Officer Muldoon responded to a harassment complaint by Wass' hot dogs.

Officer Smith responded to a drug complaint on Main Street.

Officer Redden responded to a disorderly complaint on Willow Street.

Tyler Batty, 24, of Rockland was arrested for a probation violation.

Oct. 11

Sgt. Camporiale responded to a property damage crash on Myrtle Street.

Officer Redden responded to a complaint of drugs on Myrtle Street.

Deputy Police Chief Wally Tower responded to a hit-and-run car crash at Tim Hortons.

Officer Smith responded to a report of a dead body at the Rankin Center.

Sgt. Camporiale responded to a motor vehicle burglary at Knott Street.

Kevin Sheppard, 45, of Rockland was arrested for operating under the influence.

Michael Mello Jr., 24, of Massachusetts was arrested for OUI and possession of drugs.

Oct. 12

Officer Daniels responded to an animal problem in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Officer Daniels responded to a theft on Main Street.

Officer Daniels responded to five complaints of motor vehicle burglaries at Boston Financial during the midafternoon.

Sgt. Smith responded to an animal welfare complaint at the public landing.

Officer Muldoon responded to a threatening complaint on Willow Street.

Officer Smith responded to a drug complaint at the Trade Winds Motor Inn.

The Herald Gazette news staff can be reached at 207-594-4401 or by e-mail at news@villagesoup.com.

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Ford brings in-dash computers to the next level - WTOL-TV

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 03:08 AM PDT

Cars have had computers for years. The fact that today's vehicles get good fuel economy while emitting little exhaust is simply one example of the computer power of a modern automobile. Yet aside from some entertainment and navigation functions, drivers haven't been able to tap into the vehicle's computer power or even do rudimentary tasks like browse the Internet -- until now.

Ford Motor Co. has hurdled the competition with several industry-exclusive technologies that will help make business owners more productive and successful, and it points the way for applications that we will soon see in noncommercial cars and trucks.

The new effort, going under the heading "Ford Work Solutions," starts with an in-dash computer developed with Magneti Marelli and powered by Microsoft Auto. The computer provides full high-speed Internet access via the Sprint mobile broadband network, Bluetooth-enabled hands-free calling and navigation by Garmin. It is the first broadband-capable factory-installed in-dash computer in a production vehicle. (What took it so long?) The system allows customers to print invoices, check inventories and access documents stored on their home or office computer networks right on the job site. Pretty much anything you can do in your office, you can now do in your Ford truck with the convenience of Internet access, various applications like word processing and spreadsheets, and a full-size wireless keyboard.

"Our truck customers are smart, and they work hard," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of The Americas. "Ford Work Solutions provides truck customers new technologies and tools to help them work even smarter and further boost their productivity."

The in-vehicle computer might seem like a huge step forward -- and it is -- but that isn't the whole story. If you've ever left a tool at a job site only to have it disappear, you will very much appreciate Tool Link, a radio-frequency-identification asset-tracking system. With Tool Link, you simply tag your tools (or sporting goods or kids' toys) with embedded RFID-enabled labels, and you may never lose another hammer or power saw. This technology -- developed in partnership with DeWALT, a top maker of professional power tools, and ThingMagic, an expert on radio-frequency ID technology -- enables customers to maintain a detailed real-time inventory of their tools and equipment. If the tool is not in your truck as you prepare to depart the job site, the system will let you know. Unfortunately, it won't find it for you ... at least not yet. In another effort to help you keep your stuff, Ford Work Solutions also features a cable lock security system developed in partnership with Master Lock to discourage theft of expensive tools too large to fit inside the truck.

Finally, it's not enough to simply manage your business and keep track of your stuff; you also have to manage your employees and keep track of them. Crew Chief provides the dynamic location and performance data fleet owners need to manage their vehicles more efficiently, quickly dispatch workers to job sites, monitor driver and driver performance for safety and economy, and keep detailed vehicle maintenance records. It was developed by Ford with market-leading telematics specialist Microlise, and it might tell you more about your employees' behavior than you want to know.

Ford's strategy in all this is clear: It wants to extend easy-to-use technology solutions to its customers, and it wants to do it in a way that adds value to its products. That's something all business owners can appreciate.

Luigi Fraschini Driving Today Contributing Editor Luigi Fraschini is in favor of anything that makes work easier.

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Kelly: Eight years later, we still can’t get it right - NorthJersey.com

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 03:30 AM PDT

REMEMBER this name: Hosam Smadi. Remember this number: $1 billion.

Smadi, a 19-year-old from Jordan, was charged recently with plotting to blow up a Dallas office tower. The $1 billion is what America has spent in recent years to figure out how to find people like Smadi – visitors to our nation who overstay their tourist visas and melt into the shadows of American life.

Eight years after the terror of Sept. 11, 2001, America still has not solved one of the most vexing immigration problems – a problem that is especially difficult for New Jersey. This problem does not involve illegal immigrants – the throngs of mostly poor people from Mexico, Central America and South America who sneak across our borders so they can earn a paltry wage cutting our lawns, raking our leaves and scrubbing dishes in our restaurants.

No, this is illegal immigration by people who pay to come here – people who plunk down the money for visas and tickets. People like Hosam Smadi.

Reminiscent of Sept. 11

Four of the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 plot were just like Smadi – visitors to America who had legal visas but who never went home when their visas expired. Several lived for a period of time in Bergen and Passaic counties. Amid the calls for security reforms after the Sept. 11 attacks, the federal government was supposed to fix the visa system to keep track of tourists who stayed too long.

So far, the price tag is $1 billion. And still, as Smadi's case proves, there are gaping holes.

In just 2008, almost 40 million foreign visitors were allowed to come to America on visas like Smadi's. Most went home. But more than 2.9 million stayed, leaving few clues to their whereabouts.

Of the 11 million illegal immigrants who are believed to be living in America, roughly 40 percent are like Smadi. The came on legal visas and overstayed. Like Smadi, most simply fade into the ordinariness of American life. And unless they apply for a driver's license or enroll in school, there is little chance of catching them.

Smadi's case points to some glaring problems, though.

Federal officials, tracing Smadi's life, have assembled a portrait of a

man who did not attract much attention. He traveled to the United States in early 2007 on a standard tourist visa that allows him to remain here for six months.

At the end of six months, however, Smadi simply stayed put. He did not make any announcements about his new-found home, and he did not apply for U.S. citizenship or even a legal residency. He just started living like the rest of us.

He didn't attract attention

More importantly, he did nothing to attract attention – not immediately. Even more important, U.S. officials had no way to keep track of him. And one more thing: Security officials say they saw nothing in Smadi's background in Jordan that might offer any hints that he planned to get involved in terrorism.

When he walked off the plane, he was 17 – and a tourist.

That tourist designation is crucial. After the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. security officials tightened up visas for students. And if a foreign student left school or disappeared, immigration agents at least had a place to begin looking – the address of the school itself.

The federal government concedes that it has no program yet that answers the question of whether tourists actually leave or not. What's left is the honor system. Departing foreign tourists are asked to turn in a paper stub that essentially is the only evidence that they have departed.

Hosam Smadi first lived with friends of his family in San Jose, California. Even though he was not authorized to work, he found a job in a local restaurant. He later moved into an apartment with his brother, got another restaurant job and even enrolled in a public high school. At no point did anyone ask if he was here legally.

In 2008, he moved to Texas, got another job, passed at least one criminal background check, rented an apartment and got married – and separated. Still no one asked about his immigration status.

He had even purchased at least two used cars and at least one handgun and ammunition.

It turns out that Smadi's name eventually turned up on an FBI watch list. But how he got there has nothing to do with his immigration status. Smadi posted sentiments about wanting to kill Americans on Web sites that reportedly catered to militant Islamic Jihadists.

Discussed bombings

During the summer, he reportedly met with undercover FBI agents posing as al-Qaida operatives and discussed a plan to blow up a Dallas skyscraper. He was arrested after reportedly parking a truck that he believed was loaded with explosives in the skyscraper's parking garage.

But that was not his first arrest. A few weeks earlier, Texas police jailed Smadi for driving without a license or auto insurance.

He was quickly set free.

He walked out of jail on Sept. 11.

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Ally Bank builds deposits, needles rivals - Cincinnati.com

Posted: 18 Oct 2009 02:25 AM PDT

GMAC Inc., the lender that received two U.S. bailouts, has attracted $2.9 billion of new deposits and riled its rivals by offering the highest interest rates and running advertisements that portray bankers as deceptive.

Ally Bank, GMAC's Internet arm, boosted deposits 13 percent to $25.4 billion in the second quarter, according to regulatory filings, enabling the Detroit-based company to help the U.S. prop up automakers by funding car loans. Analysts say Ally is attracting "hot money" from depositors concerned only about yield who will pull out as soon as someone else offers more.

"The government has created an artificial competitor," said Christopher Whalen, managing director of Torrance, Calif.-based Institutional Risk Analytics and creator of the IRA Bank Monitor, which rates the health of banks for consumers. "Every bank in the U.S. is at a disadvantage because our government is picking losers as winners."

Ally's campaign may set up a clash with competitors and regulators concerned that rate wars will put pressure on healthy banks. U.S. officials have said IndyMac Bancorp Inc. and Corus Bankshares Inc. paid too much before they collapsed, and GMAC has drawn fire from lenders and the American Bankers Association, whose members also are vying for more of the nation's $9 trillion in deposits.

The Ally Web site offered 12-month CDs at 2.05 percent on Oct. 7, the highest in the nation and more than a quarter of a percent better than the U.S. average of 1.70 percent, according to Bankrate.com, which tracks deposit and loan rates.

"Our intention is to offer competitive deposit rates, but not to be a price leader when benchmarked against a broad market comparison," said Jeff Brown, GMAC's treasurer. Ally will lower the rate on its 12-month CD to 2 percent this Friday, he said.

The rates are linked to an ad campaign started in May to introduce Ally, the name adopted after the GMAC Bank brand became tainted by GMAC's near-collapse in 2008. The ads, created by BBH New York, include television, online and print outlets such as the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal and Wired magazine.

The television ads feature a tall male banker who offers toys to small children and then changes what they actually get. In one, a boy plays with a bright red pickup truck for a few seconds until the banker grabs it away and gives the boy a cardboard replica. When the boy complains, the man says the limited play time was explained in tiny writing on the truck's underbody. A voice-over delivers the punch line: "Even kids know it's wrong to hide behind fine print -- why don't banks?"

Ally's Web site promises no minimum deposits or balances, no monthly fees and, in capital letters, "No sneaky disclaimers." Print ads include the slogan, "It's just the right thing to do."

Chief Financial Officer Robert Hull credited GMAC's marketing for drawing new customers. "Deposit gathering is something we think we do a very good job at," Hull said during the second-quarter earnings call.

Like its competitors, Ally offers accounts guaranteed up to $250,000 by the U.S., freeing consumers to choose the best rate without concern about a bank's health.

GMAC averted collapse last year when the U.S. declared the firm crucial to the auto industry and pumped in $13.5 billion. The U.S. has a 35.4 percent stake, GMAC spokeswoman Gina Proia said.

"It's irritating for the community banking industry to see someone who has failed in their business dealings now turning around and saying they are so smart," said Paul Merski, chief economist of the Independent Community Bankers of America in Washington, which represents almost 5,000 banks. GMAC's rates "are way out of line with the rest of the industry."

In May, Edward Yingling, president of the Washington-based American Bankers Association, wrote a letter to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. criticizing Ally Bank's interest rates. The group declined to comment for this article.

"The hypocrisy of Ally Bank's ad campaign is dramatic given the company's true history and the exceptional governmental assistance given to its parent company," said Christopher Nunn, chief financial officer at Security Bancorp of Tennessee Inc. The Halls, Tenn.-based lender has $569 million in deposits, about 6.6 percent more than a year earlier, according to FDIC data.

Ally Bank can offer high rates because it doesn't have the built-in costs of branch networks, Proia said. The company uses the deposits to make loans on homes and autos, including those sold by General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC. Proia declined to say what the ad campaign cost.

Other Internet banks are also able to offer higher-than- average rates. ING Groep NV's web-based lender, ING Direct, currently offers a 12-month CD at 2.10 percent, according to its Web site. An "Added Value" CD for new deposits offers a higher rate of 2.25 percent.

Robert Garsson, a spokesman for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, wasn't available for comment and David Barr, an FDIC spokesman, said the agency doesn't comment on open institutions.

Regulators criticized previous campaigns that allegedly maligned the industry. In September 2008, FDIC general counsel Sara Kelsey wrote a letter to Texas Dow Employees Credit Union objecting to the organization's ads, which said money in a credit union was safer than in a bank, according to the trade journal Credit Union Times.

As for boosting interest rates, the FDIC in May forbade banks that are less than "well-capitalized" from offering rates that "significantly exceed" national averages. The previous rules were "allowing some weak banks to drive up costs for the rest of the industry," FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said in a statement.

Ally Bank is well-capitalized, according to a June 1 letter written by GMAC Chief Executive Officer Alvaro de Molina.

Concern about hot money typically centers on funds collected by brokers from individuals and then routed to banks with the highest rates. Ally Bank held $8.1 billion in brokered deposits at the end of June, a decrease from $10.2 billion a year earlier, according to the FDIC.

CreditSights Inc. analyst Adam Steer said Ally is using a different tactic by making sure it has the highest rate offered in Bankrate.com's survey. The result is still hot money, he said, because consumers were attracted only by the extra yield. "This is not a brokered deposit, but it certainly has the same dynamics of one," Steer said.

Proia said a survey conducted by the bank shows 80 percent of customers would recommend it to a friend or family member. "We are seeing higher than the industry retention rates," she said. "It is not just exclusively about competitive rates; it is about offering value and service to the customer."

Ally suffered a loss of $323 million in the second quarter, FDIC data show, while GMAC reported a $3.9 billion loss, its seventh in eight quarters, according to Bloomberg data. GMAC turned to retail deposits because the lender's junk-level debt rating makes it too expensive to sell bonds on its own. The lender sold $4.5 billion in bonds through the FDIC's Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program, which pledges government backing.

The FDIC said June 4 that GMAC must "diversify Ally Bank's overall funding and, particularly, to focus on reducing Ally Bank's overall deposit costs" as a condition of GMAC's continued enrollment in the agency's debt guarantee initiative.

Some lenders that tried to save themselves with high interest rates last year failed anyway. Pasadena-based IndyMac collapsed last year after $1.3 billion of deposits were withdrawn in 11 days. The FDIC's Bair said in August 2008 that IndyMac relied on brokered deposits and high rates, a combination that made the company unattractive to buyers.

The U.S. Comptroller ordered Corus on Feb. 18 to restrict interest rates on deposits as losses mounted. The Chicago-based company said in an April 7 filing it historically had paid above-average rates to attract funds nationwide, and more than half its deposits came from outside Illinois -- and that didn't count brokered money. Corus failed on Sept. 11.

The FDIC cited unsafe and unsound banking practices on July 16 when it ordered the banking unit of CIT Group Inc. not to accept any more brokered deposits. The New York-based parent company is teetering near bankruptcy.

"As a general proposition, regulators think that rapid growth can raise the risk profile of the organization," said Richard Spillenkothen, former director of the Federal Reserve's bank-supervision division and now with Deloitte & Touche LLP, without discussing Ally directly.

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