Best Financial Companies To Own In Right Now

The impacts of the federal government are spread unevenly throughout the 50 states and the District of Columbia. States like Virginia with a lot of federal employees are among the hardest hit on that scale. But there are other, less well-known impacts, and what might happen in the event of a government default on debt payments paints an even bleaker portrait.

Financial advice website WalletHub has prepared a report on which states are most and least affected by the federal government shutdown. As well as the number of federal employees affected, the report also looks at federal contract dollars, Small Business Association loans, possible Social Security funding shortages, and impacts on real estate, student loans and veterans��benefits. Social Security payments, for example, are not affected by the government shutdown directly, but a default on the federal debt could result in cuts to benefits.

Overall the five states that are most affected by the government shutdown are Virginia, Alaska, Alabama, D.C. and Maine. The five least affected states are Iowa, Indiana, New York, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Best Financial Companies To Own In Right Now: Premafin(PRAI.MI)

Premafin Finanziaria SpA, through its subsidiary, engages in the insurance business in Italy and internationally. Its products include: car insurance, such as civil liability and auto; non-life insurance, which comprise liability, injury, illness, transportation, and individual risks; and life insurance and financial products, such as pension funds and asset management. The company also undertakes promotion and development of real estate. Premafin Finanziaria SpA is headquartered in Rome, Italy.

Best Financial Companies To Own In Right Now: Corporate Office Properties Trust(OFC)

Corporate Office Properties Trust, a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the acquisition, development, ownership, management, and leasing of suburban office properties. As of December 31, 2005, the company?s portfolio consisted of 165 office properties; 14 wholly owned office properties under construction or development; and land parcels totaling 311 acres. As of the above date, the company, through joint ventures, owned 18 operating properties, 2 office properties, and land parcels totaling 138 acres. As an REIT, it would not be taxed on the portion of its income, which is distributed to shareholders, provided it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income. Corporate Office Properties Trust was founded in 1988 and is based in Columbia, Maryland.

Best China Stocks To Own Right Now: First Bancorp Inc(ME)

The First Bancorp, Inc. operates as a holding company for The First, N.A., which is a chartered national bank that provides various banking services to individual and corporate customers in coastal Maine. The company offers various deposit products, including demand, savings, NOW, money market, and certificate of deposit accounts. It also provides various loan products, such as commercial real estate, commercial construction, and other commercial loans; municipal loans; residential term and construction loans; home equity lines of credit; and consumer loans. In addition, the company offers private banking, financial planning, investment management, and trust services to individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations, and municipalities. It operates a network of 14 full-service banking offices in Lincoln, Knox, Hancock, and Washington Counties located in the mid-coast and down east regions of Maine. The company was formerly known as First National Lincoln Corporation and changed its name to The First Bancorp, Inc. in April 2008. The company was founded in 1864 and is based in Damariscotta, Maine.

Best Financial Companies To Own In Right Now: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce(CM)

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce provides various financial products, services, and advice to individual, small business, commercial, corporate, and institutional clients in Canada and internationally. The company offers retail markets services comprising personal banking, business banking, and wealth management services, as well as investment management services to retail and institutional clients. It also provides wholesale banking services, including credit, capital markets, investment banking, merchant banking, and research products and services to government, institutional, corporate, and retail clients. The company provides its services through its branch network, automated bank machines, mobile banking, and online banking site. As of June 3, 2011, it operated approximately 1,100 branches and 4,000 automated bank machines in Canada. The company was founded in 1867 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Katia Dmitrieva]

  Canadian Imperial (CM) said it�� being shut out in the new agreement. The deal ��ppears to have been intentionally structured in a way that attempts to nullify CIBC�� right of first refusal and any ability to match,��the bank said yesterday in a statement. ��iven the structuring of the document and our contractual rights, we are exploring our options.��

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  It's easy for U.S. investors to paint Canadian banks with a single brush-stroke, as the differences in the banking system helped keep Bank of Montreal and its peers safer during the financial crisis five years ago. As Canada's housing market has kept rising even after the housing bust south of its border, however, investors have gotten increasingly concerned about the potential health of its banks, especially the largest ones. With downgrades for Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE: CM  ) , Toronto-Dominion (NYSE: TD  ) , and Bank of Montreal among a total of six banks in January, Moody's identified higher debt levels among Canadian consumers as driving potential risk for the economy.

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce� (NYSE: CM  ) �announced this morning�its second-quarter dividend of $0.96 per share, a 2% increase over the $0.94-per-share payout it made last quarter.

Best Financial Companies To Own In Right Now: Harris & Harris Group Inc.(TINY)

Harris & Harris Group, Inc. is a venture capital and venture debt firm specializing in seed, start up, early stage, and mid venture investments. It primarily invests in tiny-technology-enabled companies with a focus on nanotechnology, microsystems, and microelectromechanical systems technology. Harris & Harris Group, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is based in New York, New York with additional offices in Palo Alto, California and Los Angeles, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sally Jones]

  Highlight: Harris & Harris Group Inc. (TINY)

  The TINY share price is currently $3.07 or 22.1% off the 52-week high of $3.94. The company does not pay a dividend.

Best Financial Companies To Own In Right Now: OMEGA IURANCE HLDGS LTD COM STK USD0.10(OIH.L)

Omega Insurance Holdings Limited operates as an insurance and reinsurance company in Bermuda, London, Chicago, and Cologne. The company primarily underwrites short-tail property insurance and reinsurance accounts, with a focus on small and medium sized insureds and reinsuring smaller insurance companies. It offers property catastrophe treaty reinsurance, property per risk treaty reinsurance, non-marine property insurance, liability insurance and reinsurance, marine insurance and reinsurance, motor insurance and reinsurance, and professional indemnity insurance, as well as satellite, aviation, war, fine art, personal accident, and kidnap and ransom insurance or reinsurance. The company was founded in 1980 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Best Financial Companies To Own In Right Now: E-House(China)

E-House (China) Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a real estate services company in China. It provides primary real estate agency services, secondary real estate brokerage services, real estate information and consulting services, real estate advertising services, real estate online services, and real estate investment fund management services. The company offers primary real estate agency services to real estate developers of residential properties. Its secondary real estate brokerage services include offering advisory services on choices of properties; accompanying potential buyers on house viewing trips; drafting purchase contracts; negotiating price and other terms; and providing preliminary proof of title, as well as coordinating with the notary, the bank, and the title transfer agency. The company also provides market information to buyers and sellers based on its research, as well as listing and brokerage services comprising sales and rentals. Its real estate consulting services include land acquisition consulting and land development consulting. The company?s real estate information services comprise the sale of online subscriptions to its proprietary CRIC system to support its primary and secondary real estate agency services. Its real estate advertising services comprise advertising design and sales in print and other media. The company?s real estate online services include real estate news, information, property data, and access to online communities to real estate consumers and participants through local Web sites. Its real estate investment fund management activities consist of investments in China?s real estate sector. E-House (China) Holdings Limited was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People?s Republic of China.

Best Financial Companies To Own In Right Now: Gyrodyne Company of America Inc.(GYRO)

Gyrodyne Company of America, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the investment, acquisition, ownership, and management of a portfolio of medical office and industrial properties in the northeast region of the United States. The company also involves in the development of industrial and residential properties. It focuses on acquiring, developing, owning, leasing, and managing medical, commercial, and industrial real estate. The company has elected to be taxed as REIT under the Internal Revenue Code. As a REIT, it would not be subject to federal income tax purposes, provided that it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in St. James, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon] >Syms (SYMSQ) where at some point the company�� entire value really depended on its balance sheet.

  Obviously when looking at things like real estate you don�� go by what it says on the balance sheet. You try to find a note on depreciation that breaks out land, buildings, etc. And gives information about how the company depreciates its property.

  And ��of course ��you look at the ��roperties��item in the 10-K. In the U.S., you then use the information you��e gathered to check county land records and things like that for more information about the property.

  Generally, you want to:

  路 Find out when the company bought the property

• [By Sally Jones]

  Highlight: Gyrodyne Company of America (GYRO)

  The GYRO share price is currently $73.85 or 35.7% off the 52-week high of $114.80. The company does not pay a dividend.