Chris Hoofnagle of the University of California at Berkly penned a very interesting report which seeks to Measure identify theft by institution. Specifically Chris used the Freedom of Information act to obtain data from the FTC which was then used to identify the institution or institutions where the identity thieves either establish fraudulent account or impacted existing accounts.

Basically, how good is your bank at protecting you?

I highly recomend a review of the report, because some of the data does need to be taken with a gain of sand. First the sorce data covers only 3 months, and not consecutive months, in 2006. Secondly, the bigger banks take the brunt of the conclusions from the data. While Chris has appropriately factored for size, based on incidents per $billion in deposits, he has not (and, to be fair, could not) balance for name or number of users. The biggest bank naturally draws the attention from the bad guys.

The following is the breakdown per bank directly from Chris’ report:

The most interesting point, which Chris makes rather firmly, is that the 25 institutions (and this is not just banks, but also service providers and retail outlets) account for just under 50% of all identity thefts — at least for those three months in 2006. The top 5 account for almost 1 out of ever 4 events.

It would be very hard to stay away from the top 25 institutions, as all the major banks and major service providers are accounted for here. None the less there is a clear message that not all providers are policing incidents of identity theft equally.

HSBC is the worst with 21.3 incidents per billion in deposits. They are also the 9th largest, and all of those above them in size perform better. Still, the largest institution, Bank of America, has 17.6 incidents per billion in deposits. And the best among the big banks? Wachovia Bank - they only had 4.9 incidents per billion in deposits are all also the 4th largest institution on the list.

So take it with a grain of salt - but I am not sure I would keep my business with HSBC, Bank of America, or Washington Mutual.

Also reporting:
Concurring Opinions

If you had any lingering doubts that our Judicial system is totally and utterly hopeless, try this little tidbit on for size:

American paper money represents an unfair impediment to the blind, and the Treasury Department must come up with new U.S. currency to help the visually impaired use cash, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge James Robertson said keeping all U.S. currency the same size and texture violates the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in government programs.

You really must be kidding. Thats a slippery slope of logic which can be applied to almost anything. Worse, this is an utter waste of our justice system. Blind people are inconvenienced at most, and identifying the denomination of a note is probably the least of the problems a blind person overcomes every day. We do not have a right to convenience, sorry guys.

I love those tiny little, 2 seater sports cars. However I am 6′5, and I simply do not fit into them, unless I want to have my knees up by my ears. They are imposable to drive. Under this logic these car companies would be discriminating against me, as I am height challenged and I have a right to enjoy the same sports cars all the normal sized people in the world do.

Fortunately, some agree:

But John Paré, director of public relations for the National Federation of the Blind, the nation’s largest organization representing blind people, said identifying the money is hardly the most difficult obstacle for the blind to overcome.

“The focus for improving the lives of blind Americans needs to be put on earning money not figuring out how to identify money,” he said. “Over 70 percent of blind Americans are under-employed or unemployed and this is what needs to be addressed.

“It really is distracting to have this lawsuit,” he said, since assistance should concentrate on people “who don’t have the money in the first place.”

This suit came from the American Council for the Blind. Obviously an organization who has hopes of political activism rather than actually improving the lives of those without sight.

H/T to HotAir

Also Reporting:
Stop The ACLU
Captains Quarters

In a press release posted Tuesday on Wal-Marts news site, Wal-Mart has taken a stand to not support either side in controversial issues. This is exactly the course of action I recommended corporations like Wal-Mart and Ford to take - any other course of action polarizes the customer base.

Respect for the individual is one of the core values that have made us into the company we are today. We take pride in the fact that we treat every customer, every supplier and every member of our individual communities fairly and equally.

We are working hard to make our corporate contributions reflect the values of our customers, communities, and associates. As Sam Walton said, “Each Wal-Mart store should reflect the values of its customers and support the vision they hold for their community.

Wal-Mart will not make corporate contributions to support or oppose highly controversial issues unless they directly relate to our ability to serve our customers.

Wal-Mart does not have a position on same sex marriage and we do not give preference to gay or lesbian suppliers. Wal-Mart does have a strong commitment to diversity among our associates and against discrimination everywhere.

Wal-Mart is also making note of their support for the Salvation Army, specifically allowing them to be outside any Wal-Mart stores. A move that is likely aimed directly at there main competition, Target, who will not permit the seasonal Salvation Army collection stations at their stores.

Good move Wal-mart. My wife is happy she can now shop at your stores without sacrificing her values.

I thought I would start this thread, to be saved for consideration a year or two from now. Today the American people voted the Democrats into control of the congress. It is important to set aside some of the natural bias that partition politics brings and look instead at the raw numbers. So, for future consideration, here are the economic and domestic factors which the Democrats have inherited from Republican leadership.

Unemployment: 4.4%
DJIA: 12,127
NASDAQ: 2377
NYSE: 8833
Personal Income: $10.7 Trillion (per Department of Commerce)
Trade Deficit: $64.3 Billion

I know there are more numbers I could site, but those are the top key and easy to track numbers.

It should be interesting to see how well our economic prosperity is cared for, under new leadership, in the months that follow.

As the economy continues to come under fire from our friends who are left of center, it is interesting to note that the facts dispute hype.

Today, the Department of Commerce released its personal income and outlays report, which shows yet another month of growth.

Personal income increased $53.0 billion, or 0.5 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $49.3 billion, or 0.5 percent, in September, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $11.6 billion, or 0.1 percent. In August, personal income increased $47.2 billion, or 0.4 percent, DPI increased $46.4 billion, or 0.5 percent, and PCE increased $15.3 billion, or 0.2 percent, based on revised estimates.

Private wage and salary disbursements increased $31.0 billion in September, compared with an increase of $10.1 billion in August. Goods-producing industries’ payrolls increased $1.3 billion, compared with an increase of $3.0 billion; manufacturing payrolls decreased $0.4 billion, in contrast to an increase of $0.7 billion. Services-producing industries’ payrolls increased $29.7 billion,
compared with an increase of $7.0 billion. Government wage and salary disbursements increased $1.8 billion, compared with an increase of $3.3 billion.

I wonder how the Democratic Spin Machine will turn this as a negative to republicans and underscoring the need for change?