Identity Theft Protection Services

Pittsburgh acquirers activity down in 4Q

Written on January 13, 2012 – 6:34 am | by Chloe Gatenby

Wabtec President and CEO Al Neupaver views acquisitions as part of Wabtec’s balanced growth strategies and plans to keep on buying.

Pittsburgh-area companies curbed acquisition activity in the final three months of 2011.

A report by Pittsburgh-based investment banking boutique Raptor Partners LLC    Raptor Partners LLC Latest from The Business Journals Stock market uncertainty stems M&A activity for much of 2011Once again, businesses wary of potential capital gains tax hikeMain Street Capital Holdings partners with firm on deal to acquire Contessa Follow this company counted 13 transactions, the second-lowest quarterly number in four years. Only the first quarter of 2009 had fewer, with 11. There were 19 during the fourth quarter of 2010.

That mirrored the national picture: there were 3,052 fourth quarter deals, the lowest level in a year.

Raptor used Capital IQ data augmented by its own research. Man

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Tags: Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Acquirers

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Top 5 Fastest Growing Industry Contenders

Written on January 7, 2012 – 2:56 pm | by Chloe Gatenby

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There’s a scene in  where Forrest discovers that his money troubles are over because his partner, Lieutenant Dan, has invested in “some sort of fruit company,” a reference to Apple.

The scene, funny as it is, speaks to the dream that seems to follow most investors: Getting in on a growing company and then sitting back and watching the returns roll in. Most families have a story passed down through the ages about how Great Great Great Grandpappy Zeke was in Atlanta in 19-aught-7 and could have gotten in on the ground floor of Coca-Cola for just $500. Alas.
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Compare Life Insurance Rates To Get The Maximum Advantage

Written on December 30, 2011 – 11:52 pm | by Chloe Gatenby

Life insurance is the best possible way to protect your family when you will no longer be with them. That is why people all over the world want to purchase life insurance so that they can secure the future of their family even after their death. However, it is obvious that you need to compare life insurance rates before you obtain the best insurance policy for you and your family. This comparison becomes mandatory because there is a huge competition in the market and there are lots of insurance houses who offer great insurance policies with lots of other benefits for their clients.

In order to compare the rates of life insurance the first thing you need to do is to select some top class insurance companies who offer the best policies and have good reputation in the market. There are numerous insurance companies in the market who claim to be the best. However you have to depend on the market review while choosing the right one for yourself and your family.

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Tags: Insurance, Life Insurance

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Watch Out for Credit Card Skimmers to Avoid Credit and Debit Card Fraud

Written on December 28, 2011 – 3:19 pm | by Brayden Lorenzini

By the AllClear ID Team

Chris here with the AllClear ID Investigation team. Identity thieves are placing credit card skimming devices everywhere, but particularly on gas pumps, and as we wrote earlier, on outdoor ATMs.

These devices are small and hard for the typical person to detect, but they can be financially lethal. Skimmers are designed to capture credit card information when one is scanned through for a purchase, and then they either transmit the information via a Bluetooth device to a nearby laptop, or store it locally for the thief to pick up at a later date. This information can then be used online, or uploaded onto a blank card for making purchases.

Skimmer devices are made to look exactly like the regular card scanner that is already on the ATM or gas pump, and they attach perfectly to the face of the machine. Most people never even notice that there is anything different with the machine they’re using. The skimmer doesn’t stop you from making your purchase or ATM transaction so everything works as usual. This

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Tags: Card, Credit Card

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Heartland Breach: Claims Dismissed

Written on December 14, 2011 – 11:19 pm | by Brayden Lorenzini

A U.S. District Judge has ruled to dismiss the majority of claims included in a multi-institution suit against Heartland Payment Systems, which in 2008 was hacked, ultimately compromising 130 million U.S. debit and credit cards.

The Heartland breach, announced in January 2009, was the first card processor breach to attract international attention. A multiparty complaint against Heartland ultimately resulted, after the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated individual suits filed by consumers and U.S. banking institutions seeking financial compensation for losses suffered as a result of systems breach.

But earlier this month, after more than two years of litigation, District Judge Lee Rosenthal dismissed the majority of those claims, saying the plaintiffs failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

One exception, however, was noted in Rosenthals ruling.

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Tags: Claims, Claims Dismissed

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U.S. military marks end to nearly nine bloody years in Iraq

Written on December 13, 2011 – 7:21 am | by Chloe Gatenby

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. forces formally ended their nine-year war in Iraq on Thursday with a low key flag ceremony in Baghdad, while to the north flickering violence highlighted ethnic and sectarian strains threatening the country in years ahead.

“After a lot of blood spilled by Iraqis and Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern and secure itself has become real,” Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at the ceremony at Baghdad’s still heavily-fortified airport.

Almost 4,500 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis lost their lives in the war that began with a “Shock and Awe” campaign of missiles pounding Baghdad and descended into sectarian strife and a surge in U.S. troop numbers.

U.S. soldiers lowered the flag of American forces in Iraq and slipped it into a camouflage-colored sleeve in a brief outdoor ceremony, symbolically ending the most unpopular U.S. military venture since the Vietnam War of the 1960s and 70s.

The remaining 4,000 American troops will leave by the end of the year.

Toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is dead, executed in 2006 and the worst sectarian violence has, at least for now, passed.

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Tags: Iraq

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