Man About Canton: The Big Banks Are at it Again
By Joe DeFeliceDID YOU KNOW …
Bank of America, the nation’s largest bank with branches in Canton and Stoughton and in most cities and towns in the U.S., plans to charge customers a monthly fee of $5 for using debit cards for purchases beginning in early 2012. Wells Fargo and Chase are testing $3 monthly debit card fees. Most banks are also exploring fees for online banking. Debit fees will more than likely prompt consumers to return to credit cards, which is a more lucrative alternative for the banks. It seems that the consumer cannot win.
By the way, the 2011 salary of Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan is $950,000. He also received $9 million in performance-based bonuses for 2011, which he will receive in Bank of America stock.
Maybe all of those college students who have been marching through downtown Boston to underscore economic inequities have a point. In New York, the protest on Wall Street has been ongoing for over a month. The protesters say they’re fighting for the “99 percent,” or the vast majority of Americans who do not fall into the wealthiest 1 percent of the U.S. population. They also have a point as they chant, “The banks got bailed out; we got sold out.” MAC is beginning to believe them.
Low mortgage rates (30-year fixed) recently dropped below 4 percent, but it has done little to boost home sales. This year is shaping up to be the worst for sales of previously occupied homes since 1997. High unemployment, low wages, and large debt loans have kept many Americans away from the low mortgage rates.
In the October 7 issue of the Stoughton newspaper, nine foreclosures were listed, including two condos and seven single-family homes. Times seem to be getting tougher.
In the month of August 2011, 937 Massachusetts homeowners lost their property to foreclosures, the highest total this year.
The average annual cost of water for a residential home in the town of Canton is $581. The average in Stoughton is $454, while Sharon is only $405.
This year’s foliage viewing is one of the worst in many years. The rains and wind from Hurricane Irene have turned the leaves into a drab color instead of bright fiery colors of red and yellow. The leaf peepers are seeing rust instead of fire and ocher rather than crimson.
The town gave away to Canton residents over 24,000 gallons of Poland Spring water during the boil water order.
St. John the Evangelist Church will celebrate its 150th anniversary with a dinner at The Gatherings at Brookmeadow Country Club on November 5. For ticket information, call 781-828-0090.
Selectmen recently appointed Keith Ryan as a Canton firefighter.
Kenny Wormald, the star of the new “Footloose” movie, is a Stoughton native and graduated from SHS in 2002.
A great movie to see for you baseball aficionados is “Money Ball,” starring Brad Pitt. MAC gives it two thumbs up.
It has been estimated that there are 78 million dogs in the United States and 86 million cats.
Last year, McDonald’s had 49.5 percent of the fast-food burger market in the U.S. Burger King had 13.3 percent while Wendy’s share was 12.8 percent.
Chris Lerner of Canton, former captain of the Thayer Academy soccer team, is a starter on defense for Amherst College. Last year as a freshman, he helped Amherst to a 13-2-4 record, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division 3 tournament. Elsewhere in college soccer, freshman Ramon Ambrosio of Canton is a starter for Bridgewater State University.
The Canton High School boys’ and girls’ soccer teams continue to remain unbeaten. The Boston Globe recently rated the CHS boys’ team No. 2 in eastern Massachusetts, the highest any Canton athletic team has been rated. The girls were rated No. 9 as of October 12.
Congratulations to Paul McCarthy and Lisa D’Attanasio on the birth of their daughter, Emerson. Proud grandparents are Al and Linda D’Attanasio of Canton.
Knowing what you want is the first step to getting it.
This is all for now folks. See you next week.
Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=9044
Posted by Joe DeFelice
on Oct 26 2011. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion.
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