Best Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014

"I think financial gold is always preferable to physical gold whether it is in ETF form or mutual fund form. It is safer, it is more cost efficient to buy, you don�� have to worry about storage problems. So in every sense, if you are looking to buy gold as an investment, I would favor financial gold. As far as holding onto gold is concerned, gold should always form a part of your portfolio. You shouldn't try to time gold like to try to time stocks. Gold is a good hedge in your portfolio during tough times so holding 10-20% of gold at all times is a wise idea," she advises.

Below is the edited transcript of the interview.

Q: I can invest Rs 2500 per month for a period of three years. My goal is Rs 1.50 lakh to take care of my retirement. I have some insurance, LIC money back plan term with a sum assured of about Rs 2 lakh. I have also invested in Bajaj Insurance Term Plan and have a total investment of Rs 1 lakh yearly in a few equity funds. I also have a SIP in State Bank Gold Fund. How should I allocate the money?

5 Best Growth Stocks To Buy Right Now: CVB Financial Corp (CVBF)

CVB Financial Corp. (CVB), incorporated on April 27, 1981, is a bank holding company of Citizens Business Bank (the Bank). The Company�� primary operations are related to banking activities, including the acceptance of deposits and the lending and investing of money through the operations of the Bank. The Bank also provides automobile and equipment leasing to customers through its Citizens Financial Services Group and trust and investment-related services to customers through its CitizensTrust Division. The Bank�� customers consist primarily of small to mid-sized businesses and individuals located in San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Orange County, Los Angeles County, Madera County, Fresno County, Tulare County, Kern County and San Joaquin County, California. As of December 31, 2012, the Bank operated 42 Business Financial Centers, five Commercial Banking Centers, and two trust office locations with its headquarters located in the city of Ontario. It operates in two segments: Business Financial and Commercial Banking Centers (Centers) and Treasury.

Lending Activities

The Bank provides lending products, such as commercial, agribusiness, consumer, real estate loans and equipment and vehicle leasing. Commercial products include lines of credit and other working capital financing, accounts receivable lending and letters of credit. Agribusiness products are loans to finance the operating needs of wholesale dairy farm operations, cattle feeders, livestock raisers, and farmers. It provides lease financing for municipal governments. Financing products for consumers include automobile leasing and financing, lines of credit, and home improvement and home equity lines of credit. Real estate loans include mortgage and construction loans. The Bank also offers a range of specialized services designed for the needs of its commercial accounts. These services include cash management systems for monitoring cash flow, a credit card program for merchants, courier pick-up and delivery! , payroll services, remote deposit capture, electronic funds transfers by way of domestic and international wires and automated clearinghouse, and online account access. The Bank makes available investment products to customers, including mutual funds, an array of fixed income vehicles and a program to diversify our customers��funds in federally insured time certificates of deposit of other institutions. It offers a range of financial services and trust services through its CitizensTrust division. These services include fiduciary services, mutual funds, annuities, 401(k) plans and individual investment accounts.

Investment Activities

The Company maintains a portfolio of investment securities to provide interest income and to serve as a source of liquidity for its ongoing operations. The composition of the investment portfolio as of December 31, 2012, consisted of the Government agency, residential mortgage-backed securities, municipal bonds and other securities. Investment securities totaled $2.45 billion at December 31, 2012. Approximately $1.46 billion, or 60%, of the total investment portfolio at December 31, 2012 consisted of securities backed by mortgages.

Sources of Fund

The primary source of funds to support earning assets (loans and investments) is the generation of deposits. CVB offers a range of deposit instruments, which include checking, savings, money market and time certificates of deposit for both business and personal accounts. It also serves as a federal tax depository for its business customers. Total deposits were $4.77 billion at December 31, 2012.. The Company�� deposits include non-interest bearing deposits, such as demand deposits, and interest bearing deposits, such as investment checking, money market, savings and time deposits. At December 31, 2012, borrowed funds totaled $698.2 million. At December 31, 2012, noninterest bearing deposits were 50.71% of total deposits. As of December 31, 2012, its borrowings included $198.9 mill! ion in te! rm federal home loan bank (FHLB) advances, $473.2 million of repurchase agreements, and $26.0 million of other overnight borrowings.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Citizens Business Bank holding company�CVB Financial (NASDAQ: CVBF  ) announced yesterday its second-quarter dividend of $0.10 per share, an 18% increase over the payout it made last quarter of $0.085 per share. This is the first increase in the dividend since 2007.

Best Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014: Barclays PLC (GRN)

Barclays PLC (Barclays) is a global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, wholesale banking, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services. The Company�� operations include its overseas offices, subsidiaries and associates. The Company operates in eight segments: UK Retail and Business Banking (UK RBB), Europe Retail and Business Banking (Europe RBB), Africa Retail and Business Banking (Africa RBB), Barclaycard, Barclays Investment Bank, Barclays Corporate Banking, Wealth and Investment Management, and Head Office and Other Operations. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  Big losers (down at least 5%): Direxion Daily Gold Miners Bear 3X Shares (NYSE: DUST), iPath Global Carbon ETN (NYSE: GRN), iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Value ETF (NYSE: EVAL) and the PureFunds ISE Mining Service ETF (NYSE: MSXX).

• [By Todd Shriber, ETF Professor]

  Big winners (up at least 5%): VelocityShares 3x Inverse Natural Gas ETN (NYSE: DGAZ), iPath Global Carbon ETN (NYSE: GRN), ProShares UltraShort DJ-UBS Natural Gas (NYSE: KOLD) and the ProShares MSCI UltraShort Mexico (NYSE: SMK).

• [By Brian Pacampara]

  Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, the iPath Global Carbon ETN (NYSEMKT: GRN  ) has received the dreaded one-star ranking.

Best Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014: Royal Bank Of Canada(RY)

Royal Bank of Canada provides personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking, and transaction processing services under the RBC name worldwide. Its Canadian Banking segment offers personal financial services, business financial services, and cards and payment solutions. The company?s Wealth Management segment provides wealth and asset management, and estate and trust services to affluent and high net worth clients through distributors, as well as directly to institutional and individual clients in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Its Insurance segment provides various life and health insurance, including universal life, accidental death and critical illness protection, disability, long-term care insurance, and group benefits; and property and casualty insurance comprising home, auto, and travel insurance, as well as wealth accumulation solutions; and reinsurance products through retail ins urance branches, call centers, independent insurance advisors and travel agencies, financial institutions, and career sales force. The company?s International Banking segment offers various financial products and services to individuals, business clients, and public institutions in the U.S. and Caribbean. This segment also provides global custody, fund and pension administration, securities lending, shareholder services, analytics, and other related services to institutional investors. Royal Bank of Canada?s Capital Markets segment engages in the trading and distribution of fixed income, foreign exchange, equities, commodities, and derivative products for institutional, public sector, and corporate clients; and involves in investment banking, debt and equity origination, advisory services, corporate lending, private equity, and client securitization businesses. The company was founded in 1864 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  U.S. investors first became aware of the relative strength of Canadian banks during the U.S. financial crisis, but since then, they've realized the benefits of looking north of the border. Canada does have its own systemically important banks, which include not only Scotiabank but also Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE: RY  ) , Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO  ) , and three other large financial institutions, but high capital requirements have demonstrated their creditworthiness and relative safety.

• [By Amanda Alix]

  The housing sector's slow recovery appears to be gaining ground, and homebuilders like PulteGroup (NYSE: PHM  ) Ryland Group (NYSE: RY  ) recently reported gains�in first-quarter revenues and substantial increases in sales prices due to rising demand. The U.S. Census Bureau�reported that housing starts for March were well over one million, nearly 47% over that for the same time last year.

• [By Laura Brodbeck]

  Thursday

  Earnings Expected From: UTi Worldwide Inc. (NASDAQ: UTIW), Renesola Ltd. (NYSE: SOL), Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE: RY), Kroger Company (NYSE: KR), Dollar General Corporation (NYSE: DG), Diamond Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ: DMND) Economic Releases Expected: US factory orders, French unemployment rate, Bank of England interest rate decision, US GDP

  Friday

• [By Eric Volkman]

  The joint book-running managers of the issue are Raymond James Financial (NYSE: RJF  ) unit Raymond James & Associates, Royal Bank of Canada's (NYSE: RY  ) RBC Capital Markets, and the Securities divisions of Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank (NYSE: DB  ) . The sale is expected to close on May 28.

Best Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014: KS Bancorp Inc (KSBI)

KS Bancorp, Inc. serves as the holding company for KS Bank, Inc. (the Bank). The Bank is a community financial institution, which is locally owned and operated. The Bank offers a range of traditional deposit and loan products for consumers and businesses. The Bank offers a range of loans that include Personal Loans, Fixed Rate and Adjustable Rate Home Mortgage Loans, Consumer Loans, Reverse Mortgages, Home Construction Loans, Auto Loans, Boat Loans and Education Loans.

The Bank focuses on attracting retail deposits and using such deposits to make mortgage loans, construction loans, business loans, consumer loans and equity line loans. KS Bank conducts its operations through eight full service retail offices located in Johnston, Wake, Wilson, and Wayne counties in North Carolina.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By CRWE]

  Last Friday, KSBI previously surged (+6.67%) up +0.50 at $8.00 with 235 shares in play at the close (ref. google finance July 26, 2013 ��Close).

  KS Bancorp, Inc. previously reported unaudited net income available to common shareholders of $200,000, or $.15 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2013, compared to a net income available to common shareholders of $86,000, or $.07 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2012. For the six months ended June 30, 2013, the Company reported net income available to common shareholders of $325,000, or $.25 per diluted share, compared to $314,000, or $.24 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2012

• [By CRWE]

  Today, KSBI remains (0.00%) +0.000 at $7.50 thus far (ref. google finance 9:49AM EDT July 23, 2013).

  KS Bancorp, Inc. previously reported unaudited net income available to common shareholders of $200,000, or $.15 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2013, compared to a net income available to common shareholders of $86,000, or $.07 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2012. For the six months ended June 30, 2013, the Company reported net income available to common shareholders of $325,000, or $.25 per diluted share, compared to $314,000, or $.24 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2012

Best Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014: National Bank Holdings Corp (NBHC)

National Bank Holdings Corporation (NBH), incorporated in June 2009, is a bank holding company. Through Bank Midwest, N.A. (Bank Midwest), NBH�� primary business is to offer a range of traditional banking products and financial services to both its commercial and consumer customers, located in Kansas, Missouri and Colorado. The Company offers an array of lending products to cater to the customers��needs, including, but not limited to, small business loans, equipment loans, term loans, asset-backed loans, letters of credit, commercial lines of credit, residential mortgage loans, home equity and consumer loans. It also offers traditional depository products, including commercial and consumer checking accounts, non-interest-bearing demand accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts and time deposit accounts and cash management services. As of December 31, 2011, it operated a network of 103 full-service banking centers, with the majority of those banking centers located in the Kansas City region and Colorado. On October 21, 2011, the Company acquired selected assets and assumed selected liabilities of Community Banks of Colorado, a state chartered bank based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, from the FDIC, which included 36 full-service banking centers in Colorado and four in California.

Lending Activities

NBH�� loan portfolio includes commercial and industrial loans, consumer loans, commercial real estate loans, residential real estate loans and agricultural loans. As of December 31, 2011, approximately 61.5% of the Company�� total portfolio was variable rate loans, approximately 38.5% of the total loan portfolio was fixed rate loans and less than 1.6% of its total loan portfolio was unsecured. As of December 31, 2011, of the loans it had originated, approximately 35.1% were variable rate loans and approximately 64.9% were fixed rate loans.

The Company originates commercial and industrial loans and leases, including working capital loans, equi! pment loans and other commercial loans and leases. As of December 31, 2011, approximately 98.2% of its commercial and industrial loans were secured. As of December 31, 2011, it had $372.0 million in commercial and industrial loans and leases outstanding, comprising approximately 16.3% of its total loan portfolio. During the year ended December 31, 2011, it originated and closed $26.7 million of commercial and industrial loans, which was approximately 18.8% of total loans originated for portfolio investment during that period.

The Company offers a range of consumer loans, including loans to banking center customers for consumer and business purposes, to meet customer demand and to increase the yield on its loan portfolio. As of December 31, 2011, it had $74.3 million in consumer loans outstanding, comprising 3.3% of its total loan portfolio. Its real estate loans consist of commercial real estate loans and residential real estate loans. Commercial real estate loans (CRE) loans, consist of loans to finance the purchase of commercial real estate, loans to finance inventory and working capital that are secured by commercial real estate and construction and development loans. Its CRE loans include loans on 1-4 family construction properties, commercial properties such as office buildings, strip malls, or free standing commercial properties, multi-family and investor properties and raw land development loans.

Residential real estate loans consist of loans secured by the primary or secondary residence of the borrower. These loans consist of closed loans, which are typically amortizing over a 10 to 30 year term. It also offers open-ended home equity loans, which loans are secured by secondary financing on residential real estate. As of December 31, 2011, it had a total of $522.4 million in outstanding residential real estate loans, comprising 22.9% of its total loan portfolio. Agricultural loans consist of loans to farmers and other agricultural businesses to finance agricultural produ! ction.

Source of Fund

NBH�� offers a range of deposit products to the customers, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts and other deposit accounts, including fixed-rate, fixed maturity retail time deposits ranging in terms from 30 days to five years, individual retirement accounts, and non-retail time deposits consisting of jumbo certificates greater than or equal to $100,000. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� deposit portfolio was comprised of 13.4% non-interest bearing deposits and 55.0% time deposits. Its deposits are primarily obtained from areas surrounding its banking centers.

Financial Products and Services

In addition to traditional banking activities, the Company provides other financial services to the customers. It includes Internet banking, wire transfers, automated clearing house services, electronic bill payment, lock box services, remote deposit capture services, courier services, merchant processing services, cash vault, controlled disbursements, positive pay and cash management services (including account reconciliation, collections and sweep accounts).

The Company competes with UMB, Commerce, US Bank, Bank of America, Valley View, Capitol Federal, Central Bancompany, CCB Financial Corp, Enterprise Financial Services Corp, Wells Fargo, FirstBank, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Bank, Bank of the West, KeyBank, Alpine Bank, Compass Bank, Vectra Bank, First National Bank of Colorado and Zions Bank.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Shauna O'Brien]

  On Tuesday, Goldman Sachs reported that it has downgraded National Bank Holdings Corp (NBHC) to “Sell.”

  The firm has cut its rating on NBHC from “Neutral” to “Sell,” and has given the company a $21 price target. This price target suggests that the stock will remain flat at its current price of $20.94.

  An analyst from the firm commented: “While we believe that NBHC can grow EPS longer term as it leverages its $400mn of excess capital (above 10% tier 1 leverage), with shares trading at 1.1x TBV, we see limited upside in the near-term without any strategic M&A.”

  Looking ahead, the firm has maintained its FY2013 EPS estimate of 26 cents. For FY2014 and FY2015, estimates have been maintained at 57 cents and $1.88.

  National Bank Holdings shares were mostly flat during pre-market trading Tuesday. The stock is up 10% YTD.

Best Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014: Bank of Communications Co Ltd (BKFCF)

Bank of Communications Co., Ltd. is principally engaged in banking and related financial services. The Bank's business is divided into four segments: personal banking, including personal savings, bank card, personal lending, payment and settlement, investment services, insurance services and wealth management; corporate banking, comprised of cash management, supplying chain financing, investment banking, financial institutional banking and asset custody services; international banking, consisting of foreign exchange wealth management, document settlement, remittance and bill services, trade finance and offshore banking, and e-banking, including personal online banking, enterprise online banking, mobile banking, telephone banking and self-help banking. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks inched lower early Friday, with mainland Chinese banks and energy shares among the weak spots. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) lost 0.1% to 22,824.44, with the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index down 0.4%, even as the Shanghai Composite (CN:SHCOMP) rose 0.1%. Concerns about the fiscal health of the top mainland lenders loomed again over the shares, with Bank of China Ltd. (HK:3988) (BACHY) down 0.9%, Bank of Communications Co. (HK:3328) (BKFCF) 1.3% lower, and China Construction Bank Corp. (HK:939) (CICHF) off 0.7%. In the energy sector, Cnooc Ltd. (HK:883) (CEO) gave up 0.9% after posting a 17% gain in third-quarter revenue but not reporting its profit for the period. Its peers also lost ground, as China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (HK:386) (SNP) and PetroChina Co. (HK:857) (PTR) fell 1% apiece. On the upside, China Unicom Hong Kong Ltd. (HK:762) (CHU) added 1.6% after announcing a gain of more than 50% for its quarterly profit compared to a year earlier. Rival China Mobile Ltd. (HK:941

• [By MARKETWATCH]

  HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks opened lower Tuesday, after China's central bank reportedly drained 48 billion yuan ($7.9 billion) from the money market on Tuesday through bond-repurchase agreements. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI) moved lower by 0.3%. Banks retreated, as China Merchants Bank Co., (HK:3968) (CIHHF) declined 2.2%, Bank of Communications Co. (HK:3328) (BKFCF) fell 1.6%, China Minsheng Banking Corp. (HK:1988) (CMAKY) lost 1.4%, and China Citic Bank Corporation (HK:998) (CHCJY) dropped 1.2%. China's Dongfeng Motor Group Co. (HK:489) , currently in negotiations to buy a stake in PSA Peugeot Citroen, suspended trading of its H-shares in Hong Kong markets. The state-owned car maker didn't clarify the reason in the announcement. On Monday, the company said in a filing that its commercial-vehicle unit has been served with a request for arbitration by a Brazilian firm, which is seeking damages of approximately 1.67 billion Brazilian reals ($700 million) for Dongfeng's failure to establish a joint venture with the firm. On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite Index (CN:SHCOMP) gave up 0.5% to 2,125.54.

• [By Daniel Inman]

  Bank stocks fell in Hong Kong after a sharp increase during the previous session. Bank of Communications (HK:3328) � (BKFCF) �dropped 1.9%, while Agricultural Bank of China (HK:1288) � (ACGBF) �managed a 0.3% gain.

Best Bank Stocks To Watch For 2014: National Bank of Greece SA (NBGA)

National Bank of Greece SA (the Bank) is a Greece-based financial institution. It provides a range of financial services including retail and commercial banking, asset management, brokerage, investment banking, insurance and real estate at a global level. Its segments are: Retail Banking, which mainly offers different types of loans, deposits and investment products; Corporate and Investment Banking, which includes financial and investment advisory services, deposit accounts, loans, foreighn exchange and trade service activities; Global Markets and Asset Management, which includes all treasury activities, private banking, asset management, custody services, private equity and brokerage; Insurance; International Banking Operations; Turkish Banking Operations, as well as Other. In September 2013, state-owned Hellenic Financial Stability Fund acquired an 84.39% interest in the Company. On December 30, 2013, it sold a 66% of its subsidiary National Pangaea REIC to Invel Real Estate II BV. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By cody56]

  National Bank of Greece (ETE),(NBGA),(NBG) is a global banking and financial service company with its headquarters in Athens, Greece. The bank offers financial products, and services, brokerage, insurance, asset management, shipping finance, leasing and factoring markets. It was founded by Swiss banker Jean-Gabriel Eynard and George Starvros in 1841 as a commerical bank. From its inception until the establishment of the Bank of Greece in 1928, it had the right to issue banknotes. The bank listed on the Athens Stock Exchange right after its founding in the 1880s.

• [By codyeustice1@google]

  National Bank of Greece (ETE),(NBGA),(NBG) is a Greece global banking and financial service company with its headquarters in Athens, Greece. The bank offers financial products, and services, brokerage, insurance, asset management, shipping finance, leasing and factoring markets. It was founded by Swiss banker Jean-Gabriel Eynard and George Starvros in 1841 as a commerical bank. From its inception until the establishment of the Bank of Greece in 1928, it had the right to issue banknotes. The bank listed on the Athens Stock Exchange right after its founding in the 1880s.