As per the federal agreement, HSBC has agreed to pay $470 million to provide relief to abused mortgage loan borrowers. The payment will be directed towards mainly Virginia, along with 48 other states. The bank, accused of malpractices like robosigning and bad loan designs, will now be monitored by an independent body to ensure it adheres to the revised banking standards and settlement terms.
United States
Volkswagen's trucks division mulls over IPO, expansion
Volkswagen's heavy truck division is exploring several options for enhancing business growth. The trucks division is studying initial public offer (IPO) plan and acquisition route to achieve higher growth rate. Trucks division is keen on expanding in the US and Chinese markets.
Advisory Services of Barclays, Credit Suisse and Evercore Fail To Protect Apollo Education From Acquisition
Barclays, Credit Suisse and Evercore have acted as financial advisers to Apollo Education. Despite their advisory efforts, the institution has incurred a loss of $60.8 million during the last concluded fiscal quarter. Finally, Apollo Education has been compelled to go through acquisition for $1.1 billion.
Eyeriss: MIT Introduced Chip Capable of Deep Learning Using AI Technology
An MIT research team has introduced a new computer chip, Eyeriss, that will allow IoT devices to go through deep learning process. Data collected by the devices, is currently uploaded to the internet for processing by power servers. Eyeriss chip processes the collected data locally using the neural technology and thus ensures data security and reduces power consumption.
Sony Releases US Oriented Versions of Xperia Z5 And Z5 Compact Excluding Biometric Authentication
Sony has kept its words through releasing Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact smart phones in committed date. But the US oriented version of the Z5 genre hasn’t inherited the biometric authentication system. This lacking will affect the consumers using Android 6.0 and thus shave Sony’s profit margin to some extents.
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All the tech giants are investing heavily in the research and development of virtual and augmented reality products. Google has been reportedly planning a successor to the cardboard VR viewer. The smart phone based headset incorporating improved sensors and lenses will be housed in a solid plastic casing instead of a cardboard.
Contrary to earlier bullish predictions for 2016, several Wall Street strategists have started lowering their forecasts on S&P 500 stocks. The Chinese economy slowdown, volatile oil prices and interest rates are the major reasons for drop in forecast. The gap between highest and lowest forecast has been widening.
The failure of Takata's airbag inflators are keeping pressure on several automobile giants. Volkswagen and Audi will recall Tiguan and Q5 model vehicles for defective airbags made by Takata. Dealers of automobile companies will replace the defective side airbags of Takata at free of charge.
Rolls has been participating in the Naples Winter Festival for the last 15 years with the first production of any new version placed for auction. The first copy Dawn Convertible has been auctioned in January 31 for $750,000 and thus collects $4.8 million in total. The amount received from auction is dedicated for Naples Children & Educational Foundation (NCEF).
Venture capital (VC) funding activity seems to be heading towards pre-recessionary mark. The VC activity recorded robust growth phase for over seven years. The sluggish financial markets are discouraging VC funding and raising money.
The Los Angeles-based fashion retailer Nasty Gal is reducing the number of employees by 10 percent as part of its strategic restructuring. The increasing market competition and uncertainty in financing aspects are forcing the company to reduce the costs. Several former employees moved court against Nasty Gal against layoffs.
Honda said it recalled a total of 442,997 vehicles in Japan. The automaker will also recall 2.2 million cars in the US.
Terming the daily fantasy sports as illegal gambling, the New York Attorney General has filed a lawsuit against DraftKings and FanDuel. While the lawsuit proceeds in its own pace, banking giant Citigroup has imposed a ban on transactions to the DFS sites by the New Yorkers. Some US states express reluctance while some declare the sites as legal.
Samsung has released 4K Blu-ray player, UBD-K8500/ZA at selective stores of Santa Monica. The product has been expected to get released sometime in March. The new video player for $399 is believed to offer a superb content viewing experience.
