The terms “eMoney” or “eFinance” are quickly becoming popular. While traditional banking is still the cornerstone of private finance, more and more people are looking for alternative means of finance. This trend has become more pronounced with the credit squeeze. People are finding it difficult and costly to obtain finance from traditional operators. Virtual banks offer more attractive loan terms because their operations are low-cost, automated and rapid.They save on labor and communication costs and pass this savings to their customers. Moreover, since they are new entrants, most of them want to attract customers. Thus, they tend to be more flexible than their traditional competitors. The advantages of online banking for the customer are as follows:* Faster approval
* Cheaper rates
* Better loan terms
* Convenient-does not require a visit to the bank. Everything can be done online.
* Safe with advanced encryption technology being used.Online Instant Credit
Most online companies have credit cards as their main business. Credit card approvals are very rapid, ranging from 30 seconds to about 5 minutes between filling out the form and the confirmation of approval. The form is also very simple and convenient. Some providers also enable you to customize the credit card to your needs. For example, customers can choose from:(a) Lower interest rates at the beginning which increases later on; or
(b) A single interest rate that remains throughout.Electronic Mortgages
Mortgages are more complicated. They require more information from the customer and the latter still has to fill out paperwork that arrives by mail.Peer to Peer Lending
This is one of the newest trends in online finance. It does not involve banks or lending institutions per se. Instead, online companies (e.g. Lending Club and Prosper Marketplace) match individuals who want to borrow money with those who have money to lend. These loans are usually small (less than $10000).

If you need to get a passport quickly, you can apply for an expedited passport. This service is an option no matter what type of passport you need. You will need to pay an extra $60 beyond the fees that are associated with the particular type of passport you are applying for.In some cases, it is specifically recommended that you send your application in as expedited. This is the case if your travel plans are in fewer than a couple of weeks. Also, if you will need a passport within a month for securing a foreign visa, it is also recommended.Passports generally take around four to six weeks for processing. However, when the office is really busy, it can take as many as ten weeks. If you need your passport any time prior to that, you might want to think about requesting the expedited service to be on the safe side.If you are requesting this service, it is also recommended that your application be sent using an overnight delivery service and to have it returned to you that way. If you choose to send it via mail, make sure you write EXPEDITE on the envelope. It is best to send it so that it can be traced as well. However you send in your passport application, make sure it is packaged securely to keep it from being damaged.You can have your passport expedited for any reason or for no particular reason at all. It is a service that is available to anyone and for all types of passports: renewals, first time, for a name change or for a child. Bear in mind that if you send multiple passport applications together, the passports themselves may be sent back separately. Any personal documents that need to be returned may also be sent separately.If a life or death emergency situation requiring a passport in less time than this, do not use the expedited service for your passport. Rather, you will have to call the passport agency to request an emergency service appointment. When you go to the agency, you might be asked for proof of why you need your passport immediately.You will normally receive your expedited passport within 2 or 3 weeks. For this reason, it is always a good idea to always have a passport that is valid. If you want to travel in fewer than two weeks for something other than an emergency, you might have to cancel your vacation.Keep in mind that, if your name has been changed such as because of marriage, you will require a new passport reflecting that change. This is important to think about if you are planning an international honeymoon. It may be best not to initiate any paperwork regarding the name change until you are back in the United States.

Did you know that a commercial roofing contractor can not only stop leaks and replace a building’s roof, but they also save the owner money on their taxes? I will get to that in a minute, because a commercial roofing contractor has lots of knowledge regarding some things that most people don’t know they know about, like saving money on utilities, and what commercial building owners can do to take advantage of tax credits that the federal government is offering to building owners wanting green roofing.The newest trends in commercial building construction are not only environmentally friendly, but they can also put quite a bit of money back into the owner’s pocket. I’m talking about green roofing and how a commercial roofing contractor can create a beautiful retreat atop commercial buildings. These fabulous gardens can provide a place to soak up the sunny Southern California weather and turn it into cash for commercial property owners.In some places in the world architects are getting together with commercial roofing contractors and designing some really amazing green roofing spaces atop commercial buildings that would normally just soak up the hot sun and transfer that heat into the interior of the building, there by driving utility costs up. Some commercial building owners are then leasing these spaces out to nurseries or to biotech companies and thereby increasing their generated incomes with normally wasted spaces.Now here is the best part, the Federal Government has passed several different bills that allow commercial property owners to take advantage of tax credits for retrofitting existing building with environmentally friendly materials and materials that cut energy costs. A commercial roofing contractor can assess just what types of options are available to building owners depending on the structural integrity of the building, but think of the possibilities!Now a commercial roofing contractor cannot tell the commercial building owner just how much of a tax credit an owner can claim on their taxes, but they can tell the owner which materials qualify and how much of an initial cost the building owner will have to pay for the green roofing. Only a tax professional can give commercial building owners advice about what they need to do to qualify, because there is a certification requirement that must be made, and the IRS recommends that commercial building owners get that certificate from a tax professional.Commercial building owners should do a couple of things to get started. First, talk to a tax professional about the requirements for the tax credits because different types of renovations qualify for different credits, but in some cases the credits can be equal to the total cost of the job. Then, do some research and find a commercial roofing contractor that can help with the details of the retrofitting. There are many options that include things like elaborate green roofing, water collection system that utilize rain water as supplemental grey water, and heat reflection systems that keep the sun from cooking the building.Building owners wanting to utilize wasted space and turn a profit should find it easy to find a commercial roofing contractor with experience, they just have to look.