In this issue, you will read about the updates from around the company as well our significant stock offering in the Letter from Scott.

In Cocktail Party Chatter, you will see Warren’s insights on the subprime situation at hand.

Karen recaps the equity and bond markets for the third quarter in Devil’s in the Details, and Amy gives us a better understanding on the credit cycle in A Little Education.

You’ll see evidence of our growth when reading about all the new associates we have in the New with First Western section, including Lindsay Thomas Kough, Denver Tech Center President, AJ Patton, Senior Vice President for Northern Colorado and Kristi Benningsdorf, Senior Vice President for Northern Colorado. 

The third quarter saw the first major test of Fed Chairman Bernanke’s tenure and he appears to have weathered it pretty well.  From my perspective there is nothing scarier to a central bank than the potential for a major liquidity crisis.  The last time we saw one was in 1998 when a Greenwich, Connecticut hedge fund firm full of experienced bond traders, Nobel Laureates and other rocket scientist types almost caused the financial systems to seize up.  The Fed acted aggressively at the time, corralling all the major Wall Street players and forcing them to bail out Long Term Capital Management and avert a major crisis.

The First Western Trust Bank Newsletter and the information and research contained herein do not represent a recommendation of investment advice to buy or sell stocks or any financial instrument nor is it intended as an endorsement of any security or investment and it does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities. The articles within the First Western Trust Bank Newsletter represent the author’s own opinions and should not be construed as personalized investment advice.

Investments, insurance, annuities and similar products are not FDIC insured, may lose value, and have no bank guarantee.

Member FDIC