Small business bankers are being hired on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border.
Commercial banking heads at Bank of Montreal believe that small businesses are rebounding and want to offer small business services to offset an anticipated decrease in consumer banking business.
BMO, Canada's fourth biggest bank, will hire 90 specialists who will work exclusively with small business owners. The bank tested a pilot program with 40 specialists in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, last year. Due to its success, the bank will extend the program to Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Meanwhile, Bank of America is continuing its plans to hire more than 1,000 small business bankers by the first half of 2012. The bank will set its sights on New York, Boston and other locations spanning the East Coast for the next round of hiring to be completed over the next two quarters, a spokesman told FINS.
Would You Work 100 Hours? (FINS)
Do you crave one? One third of respondents in Sign or Decline would accept their dream job even if it required them to work 100-hour weeks. Could you swing that?
What Would You Do?
Answer the question and see how you match up with the rest of the FINS community.
You've just been offered your dream job, but...you will have to work at least 100 hours per week -- even over the holidays.
Sign ...or... Decline
Stepping Down (Financial News)
Ken Costa, the chairman of Lazard International, will leave the firm by the end of the week. There will be no official replacement, sources familiar with the matter told FINS.
Selective Hires (Bloomberg)
Jefferies said it would make "selected additions" to its team in 2011, as opposed to wide scale hiring that characterized 2010. Here's the latest one: Alexander Yavorsky, a 33-year-old former Moody's senior analyst, will join as an MD in the financial institutions group.
Inside Look (Business Insider)
Take a peek at the day of the life of a proprietary trader who works for a securities firm in an emerging market. You may be pleasantly surprised to see how normal his hours are.
Getting Ahead (CPA Trendlines)
Only 66% of CPA firms have a website. Want to get a job and impress an employer with your savvy? Find a firm that doesn't have a site and offer to set one up in addition to your accounting duties.
Movers and Shakers (Crain's)
Meet the distinguished Crain's NY 40 under 40. One of the members is a vice president at Goldman Sachs who runs marathons for charity in his spare time.
Dinner Party (Fortune)
If you live in New York, you may have noticed traffic jams all over the city yesterday. That was due to President Obama, who was in town for a fundraiser at a Harlem restaurant. See which financiers paid almost $31,000 for a chance to hobnob with the commander-in-chief.
How to Dress (AOL Jobs)
If you're a man who wants to dress to impress, keep in mind that grooming habits are a key factor in how people perceive you. Keep the stubble for vacation only.
List of the Day: Proceed with Caution
You may dream of moving up the ladder, but it's important to keep in mind some of the drawbacks.
1. Realize how little power you actually have.
2. Be okay with more paperwork.
3. Understand that you can't fully control other people's actions.
(Source: U.S. News)
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