Federal Home Loan Bank Review
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Vol.7 pfe No. 8 FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK REVIEW MAY 1941 ISSUED BY FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK BOARD WASHINGTON D.C. Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CONTENTS FOR MAY 1941 ARTICLES Page FEDERAL BUSINESS PROMOTION EXPENDITURES OF SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS 242 Substantial increase in participating associations—Size of business promotion expenditures—Distribution of the advertising dollar— The effect of size on advertising programs—The cost of obtaining HOME new business. PROPERTY INSURANCE AGAINST WAR RISKS 248 History of the British War Damage Bill—-Is war damage an insur able risk?—-Framework of the Bill—Contributions: the mortgagee's LOAN share—-Basis of compensation—Administration of the Bill. SHARE CAPITAL TURNOVER 251 Principal results of capital turnover study—Use of turnover data— Variations by asset and by community size groups—Repurchases compared with new investments—Repurchase ratios by asset and and by community size groups—Geographic variations—Further BANK studies needed. LIFE INSURANCE COMPANIES: THEIR INVESTMENT POLICIES DURING 1940 257 The 1940 investment program—The problem of investment out REVIEW lets—'The accumulation of savings in life insurance companies. THE ROOFS OVER AMERICAN HOMES 260 Questionnaire survey of roofing practices in the U. S.--Two regional surveys—Weathering qualities of roofing materials. Published Monthly by the FEDERAL HOME LOAN MONTHLY SURVEY BANK BOARD Highlights and summary 267 General business conditions 268 Foreclosures 268 John H. Fahey, Chairman Residential construction 268 T. D. Webb, Vice Chairman Building costs 269 F. W. Catlett W. H. Husband New mortgage-lending activity of savings and loan associations 269 F. W. Hancock, Jr. Mortgage recordings 270 Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation 271 Federal savings and loan associations 271 Federal Home Loan Bank System 271 FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK SYSTEM FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN STATISTICAL TABLES ASSOCIATIONS New family dwelling units—Building costs—Savings and loan lending—Mortgage FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN recordings—Total nonfarm foreclosures—HOLC properties—Insured savings INSURANCE CORPORATION and loan associations—Federal Home Loan Bank advances—Government in HOME OWNERS' LOAN vestments in savings and loan associations—Private long-term savings . 272-280 CORPORATION REPORTS From the month's news 256 Directory of member, Federal, and insured institutions 263 Resolutions of the Board 264 Member institutions and defense savings bonds 265 SUBSCRIPTION PRICE OP REVIEW. The FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK REVIEW is the Board's medium of communication with member institutions of the Federal Home Loan Bank System and is the only official organ or periodical publication of the Board. The REVIEW will be sent to all member institutions without charge. To others the annual subscription price, which covers the cost of paper and printing, is $1. Single copies will be sold at 10 cents. Outside of the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the insular possessions, sub scription price is $1.60; single copies,* 15 cents. Subscriptions should be sent to and copies ordered from Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. APPROVED BY THE BUREAU OF THE BUDGET. 312101—41 i Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis BUSINESS PROMOTION EXPENDITURES OF SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS DURING 1940 The fourth annual survey of savings and loan business promotion expenditures, now in the process of tabulation, indicates that adver tising disbursements increased again during 1940. Analysis by size of association and size of community provides yardsticks of comparison for the management and directors of individual associations. • THE bill for the 1940 advertising and other tried to present convenient yardsticks against which business promotion efforts of savings and loan the programs of individual institutions can be members of the Federal Home Loan Bank System measured. amounted to almost six million dollars. This esti mate, based upon the results of the fourth annual SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN PARTICIPATING survey of savings and loan business promotion ex ASSOCIATIONS penditures conducted by the Department of Public The first inquiry based on 1937 business promo Relations, represents a 10-percent increase over the tion expense, called the "Hunt for Facts" survey, 1939 disbursements of these institutions and leaves brought usable reports from 271 of the associations little doubt that managers and boards of directors contacted. The latest polling of Bank members are placing added emphasis on this phase of their resulted in approximately five times this number of association operations. In fact, the 1941 allocations responses, with usable schedules from 1,284 indi of the reporting associations indicate a further rise vidual institutions, or slightly more than one out of this year of 10 percent over the expenditures for the every three savings and loan members of the Bank past year. System. On the basis of asset volume, the sample With larger and larger amounts being spent for is even more complete as almost half (48 percent) advertising and business development purposes, ex of the total association membership assets are held tended research becomes all the more profitable and by the institutions included in the current study. essential if maximum productiveness and minimum waste are to be assured. The accomplishment of Table 1.—Distribution of responses these aims involves primarily a careful appraisal of the policies and programs of each individual asso Percent Federal Home Loan Bank Total I Associ ciation; it is the object, of course, of each manager number ations of total District and class of of Bank report Bank and his board of directors. association members' ing members Four years ago, the Federal Home Loan Bank Board through its Department of Public Relations UNITED STATES 3,824 1, 284 33. 6 set out to provide association executives with perti Bank Districts: nent information on the business promotion activi Boston 212 55 25. 9 New York 401 99 24. 7 ties of savings and loan associations as a guide to Pittsburgh 513 114 22. 2 these policy-making decisions. The subsequent an Winston-Salem 400 128 32. 0 Cincinnati 585 189 32. 3 nual surveys have been designed to ascertain how Indianapolis 215 91 42. 3 much money is spent by associations; the relation Chicago 457 134 29. 3 Des Moines 242 103 42. 6 ship between the size of association and the size of Little Rock 273 96 35.2 community upon promotional programs; the media Topeka 224 106 47. 3 Portland 133 66 49. 6 and methods used for carrying out the plans; and to Los Angeles 169 103 61. 0 some extent the effectiveness of the various programs Class of association: Federal 1,437 740 49. 9 and the results obtained. They have never attempted Insured State-chartered 836 348 39. 8 to recommend or endorse specific amounts of money Uninsured State-chartered _ 1,551 196 12. 3 to be spent or media to be used; but have simply 242 Federal Home Loan Bank Review Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis The distribution of responses, as shown in Table 1 Table 2.—Analysis of reporting associations on on the opposite page, indicates that more than half the basis of amount of business promotion of all Federals returned their questionnaires, two expenditure out of five insured State members, and about one in eight uninsured members. From the viewpoint of Percent of reporting asso- ciations Bank Districts, it is evident that the most complete Business promotion expenditure coverage was again obtained in the Los Angeles region group although the greatest gain over 1939 in reporting 1940 1939 institutions was found in the numerical increase in the Cincinnati area, and the percentage increase in Over $10,000 4. 1 $5,000-$9,999_ __ __ 5. 8 } 8. 9 the Topeka District. $2,500-$4,999 _ __ _ ___ 10. 7 10. 9 Recognizing that not all elements of the total pop $l,000-$2,499 20. 9 19. 4 $500-$999 19. 0 15. 3 ulation are potential prospects for savings and loan $100-$499 27. 3 30. 6 services, nevertheless some indication of the contact Under $100___ __ 12. 2 14. 9 possibilities open to these institutions is apparent Total 100. 0 100. 0 from their geographic distribution. The reporting associations are located in 838 cities and towns in 655 counties or other political divisions throughout was spent. What media did they use and what the continental United States, and in Alaska and proportions of the total advertising appropriations Hawaii. These associations are located in cities and were alio ted to each medium? towns having a combined population of 49,000,000. The great bulk of funds, of course, was employed by the associations for their own individual adver tising without regard for cooperative programs, solic SIZE OF BUSINESS PROMOTION EXPENDITURES itor expense, or miscellaneous disbursements. The The aggregate expenditure of the 1,284 associa breakdown of the aggregate business promotion tions for all kinds of business promotion activity expenditures is included in the following table: during 1940 was $2,812,000, or $2,190 for each insti Individual association advertising $2, 463, 297 tution reporting money spent for this purpose. The Group advertising 59, 440 average reporting association had assets of $1,600,000 at the end of 1940 and a gross operating income for Total advertising expenditure $2, 522, 737 Solicitor expense 245, 698 the calendar year of $81,900. On this basis, the Miscellaneous expense 43, 662 ratio of business promotion expense to gross operat ing income is 2.7 percent and is equal to one-eighth Total business promotion expenditure $2, 812, 097 of 1 percent (0.133 percent) of the total assets at the end of 1940. DISTRIBUTION OF THE ADVERTISING DOLLAR These averages are somewhat misleading, however, Prime interest of savings and loan executives is in as to the actual amounts disbursed by the associa the 88 cents out of every business promotion dollar tions.