Click the link for an insightful Associated Press article.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ECONOMY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-01-28-16-54-09
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Big Developer, Selling Off Property...
Properties available in Waihee, Wailuku, Kihei and even in Kona on the Big Island.
If you have any questions about Commercial Real Estate available on Maui, please call Bob Hansen, BROKER at 808.283.9456 or Donna D. Hansen, Realtor (S) at 808.280.1650.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Dollhouse in Piilani Village
This single level home has a spacious great room with large kitchen island, a dining room area, large master suite, two other bedrooms in separate wing and an adorable garden. Tenants would love to stay on and rent while taking great care of this fabulous home. This is a perfect opportunity for an investor or someone wishing to purchase a home now at today’s great prices, rent it out to the perfect tenant until the time to move over permanently comes along.
Call Bob Hansen, BROKER @ 808.283.9456 or Donna D. Hansen, Realtor (S) @ 808.280.1650 to schedule a showing appointment.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Hawaii Had Over 7 Million Visitors in 2010 and Spending Rose 16.2%
Hawaii attracted 7 million visitors, $11.4 billion in spending in 2010
By Allison Schaefers
Article from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Jan 26, 2011
Visitor arrivals to Hawaii grew by 8.7 percent to nearly 7.1 million in 2010 and spending rose 16.2 percent to $11.4 billion.
Arrivals in December grew for the fourteenth straight month and overall spending rose by double-digit increases for the eighth straight month, according to data released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Total arrivals rose 9.6 percent to 633,730 visitors in December and total spending by these visitors increased 17.9 percent to $1.1 billion. Arrivals in all major markets posted December gains. Visitors from the U.S. West rose by 8.4 percent, visitors from the U.S. East grew by 10.1 percent, visitors from Canada grew by 16.6 percent, visitors from Japan increased by 8.6 percent and cruise ship traffic was up 11.5 percent.
While the results are solid indicators that Hawaii tourism is continuing to gain momentum, the state still has a way to go to achieve full recovery, said Mike McCartney, HTA’s president and chief executive officer.
By Allison Schaefers
Article from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Jan 26, 2011
Visitor arrivals to Hawaii grew by 8.7 percent to nearly 7.1 million in 2010 and spending rose 16.2 percent to $11.4 billion.
Arrivals in December grew for the fourteenth straight month and overall spending rose by double-digit increases for the eighth straight month, according to data released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
Total arrivals rose 9.6 percent to 633,730 visitors in December and total spending by these visitors increased 17.9 percent to $1.1 billion. Arrivals in all major markets posted December gains. Visitors from the U.S. West rose by 8.4 percent, visitors from the U.S. East grew by 10.1 percent, visitors from Canada grew by 16.6 percent, visitors from Japan increased by 8.6 percent and cruise ship traffic was up 11.5 percent.
While the results are solid indicators that Hawaii tourism is continuing to gain momentum, the state still has a way to go to achieve full recovery, said Mike McCartney, HTA’s president and chief executive officer.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Missing Something? How To Find Out If You Have Unclaimed Property
State acquires almost $18M in forgotten funds
Unclaimed property went up in the last fiscal year, compared with the previous year
By Kristen Consillio
Article from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser
The state collected $17.7 million in unclaimed property, including bank accounts, uncashed checks and stocks, last fiscal year — the highest accumulated in a decade.
The state’s Unclaimed Property Program acquired nearly $1.2 million more in the fiscal year ended June 30 compared with the previous year, while paying out $5.7 million to 7,452 claimants, up from nearly $5.5 million paid to 7,681 people the year before.
The average claim since 2006, when the state launched an outreach program to encourage more people to retrieve forgotten funds, was $672.
The lowest claim, which was mailed to the office, was for 19 cents, while the highest in recent years was about $112,000, according to Scott Kami, administrator of the Financial Administration Division at the state Department of Budget and Finance.
“Some people want to make sure the government isn’t holding any of their money,” Kami said.
The reason for the increase in collections is due in part to outreach efforts both to companies that report the overlooked funds as well as prospective claimants, he said.
Unclaimed funds typically consist of bank accounts, stocks, uncashed business checks, safety deposit boxes and various types of insurance proceeds.
COME AND GET IT
Types of unclaimed property:
» Safety deposit boxes
» Deposits held by utility companies
» Dormant savings and checking accounts
» Insurance and medical refunds
» Shares of stock
» Uncashed traveler’s checks, money orders, dividend checks, payroll checks
Source: State Department of Budget and Finance Unclaimed Property Program
MISSING SOMETHING?
How to find out whether you have unclaimed property:
In Hawaii
» Search for your name at www.ehawaii.gov/lilo/app.
» E-mail unclaimedproperty@hawaii.gov.
» Call the state unclaimed property office at 586-1589
Outside Hawaii
» Visit www.unclaimed.org or http://www.missingmoney.com/.
“Where we see a lot of unclaimed property in part because of your tourism (industry) is going to be with the transient work force,” said Valerie Jundt, president of Boston-based nonprofit Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization, which has more than 300 members that include banks, insurance companies, oil and gas firms, and retailers.
Unclaimed property scenarios include people who have multiple jobs and do not notify employers when they move; shareholders of a company that merge with another firm; or part-time residents using Hawaii as a second home who forget about bank accounts here, she said.
The company also sees high unclaimed property rates in college towns as students forget to collect deposits for utilities or cable, she added.
“Especially with all the identity theft that’s been going on in recent years with technology, people don’t necessarily share as openly with their personal lives, and they aren’t going to be as open where they have certain accounts or have transactions that occur,” Jundt said.
Makiki resident Celia Suzuki, 54, retrieved about $200 last year for herself, her parents and two siblings. While her portion was only $9.50 for uncollected dividends, Suzuki said, “every penny counts.”
She even checked the state website for friends who might have forgotten funds.
“One classmate and his wife on Maui had $1,000 in savings they totally had forgotten about,” Suzuki said.
If the property is not claimed, it goes to the state budget. The program pays all proven claims each year. If there is more than $1.3 million left after paying the claims, the excess goes to the general fund, a statutory requirement.
Approximately $12 million in unclaimed property was transferred to the general fund last fiscal year, up from about $10 million in fiscal 2009.
“It’s one of the ways that states are supplementing their revenue,” said Kim Sawyer, president and general counsel for Locator Services Group Ltd., a Boston-based firm that helps corporate clients recover unclaimed funds.
“The perspective states take is it shouldn’t be a windfall to private companies that are holding onto dormant assets. Rather, citizens of states should benefit by state governments having the ability to utilize these funds until the rightful owners come forward.”
Hawaii has no statute of limitations for unclaimed property and does not charge a fee to claimants, who must fill out a form with personal information, including Social Security number and explanation of ownership.
The state faces challenges at times, especially when people have common names, but said most claims are returned.
“We do get a lot of claims for John Smith,” Kami said. “You could have one John Smith file a claim for all John Smiths. We need to make sure we are getting it to the right people.”
Nationally, at least $32.9 billion is collectively being held by states and other agencies for 117 million accounts, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.
The state program, which has nine workers, is currently focusing efforts on catching up on claims processing. It can go back 20 years to try and verify ownership through a people finder subscription website.
Unclaimed property went up in the last fiscal year, compared with the previous year
By Kristen Consillio
Article from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser
The state collected $17.7 million in unclaimed property, including bank accounts, uncashed checks and stocks, last fiscal year — the highest accumulated in a decade.
The state’s Unclaimed Property Program acquired nearly $1.2 million more in the fiscal year ended June 30 compared with the previous year, while paying out $5.7 million to 7,452 claimants, up from nearly $5.5 million paid to 7,681 people the year before.
The average claim since 2006, when the state launched an outreach program to encourage more people to retrieve forgotten funds, was $672.
The lowest claim, which was mailed to the office, was for 19 cents, while the highest in recent years was about $112,000, according to Scott Kami, administrator of the Financial Administration Division at the state Department of Budget and Finance.
“Some people want to make sure the government isn’t holding any of their money,” Kami said.
The reason for the increase in collections is due in part to outreach efforts both to companies that report the overlooked funds as well as prospective claimants, he said.
Unclaimed funds typically consist of bank accounts, stocks, uncashed business checks, safety deposit boxes and various types of insurance proceeds.
COME AND GET IT
Types of unclaimed property:
» Safety deposit boxes
» Deposits held by utility companies
» Dormant savings and checking accounts
» Insurance and medical refunds
» Shares of stock
» Uncashed traveler’s checks, money orders, dividend checks, payroll checks
Source: State Department of Budget and Finance Unclaimed Property Program
MISSING SOMETHING?
How to find out whether you have unclaimed property:
In Hawaii
» Search for your name at www.ehawaii.gov/lilo/app.
» E-mail unclaimedproperty@hawaii.gov.
» Call the state unclaimed property office at 586-1589
Outside Hawaii
» Visit www.unclaimed.org or http://www.missingmoney.com/.
“Where we see a lot of unclaimed property in part because of your tourism (industry) is going to be with the transient work force,” said Valerie Jundt, president of Boston-based nonprofit Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization, which has more than 300 members that include banks, insurance companies, oil and gas firms, and retailers.
Unclaimed property scenarios include people who have multiple jobs and do not notify employers when they move; shareholders of a company that merge with another firm; or part-time residents using Hawaii as a second home who forget about bank accounts here, she said.
The company also sees high unclaimed property rates in college towns as students forget to collect deposits for utilities or cable, she added.
“Especially with all the identity theft that’s been going on in recent years with technology, people don’t necessarily share as openly with their personal lives, and they aren’t going to be as open where they have certain accounts or have transactions that occur,” Jundt said.
Makiki resident Celia Suzuki, 54, retrieved about $200 last year for herself, her parents and two siblings. While her portion was only $9.50 for uncollected dividends, Suzuki said, “every penny counts.”
She even checked the state website for friends who might have forgotten funds.
“One classmate and his wife on Maui had $1,000 in savings they totally had forgotten about,” Suzuki said.
If the property is not claimed, it goes to the state budget. The program pays all proven claims each year. If there is more than $1.3 million left after paying the claims, the excess goes to the general fund, a statutory requirement.
Approximately $12 million in unclaimed property was transferred to the general fund last fiscal year, up from about $10 million in fiscal 2009.
“It’s one of the ways that states are supplementing their revenue,” said Kim Sawyer, president and general counsel for Locator Services Group Ltd., a Boston-based firm that helps corporate clients recover unclaimed funds.
“The perspective states take is it shouldn’t be a windfall to private companies that are holding onto dormant assets. Rather, citizens of states should benefit by state governments having the ability to utilize these funds until the rightful owners come forward.”
Hawaii has no statute of limitations for unclaimed property and does not charge a fee to claimants, who must fill out a form with personal information, including Social Security number and explanation of ownership.
The state faces challenges at times, especially when people have common names, but said most claims are returned.
“We do get a lot of claims for John Smith,” Kami said. “You could have one John Smith file a claim for all John Smiths. We need to make sure we are getting it to the right people.”
Nationally, at least $32.9 billion is collectively being held by states and other agencies for 117 million accounts, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.
The state program, which has nine workers, is currently focusing efforts on catching up on claims processing. It can go back 20 years to try and verify ownership through a people finder subscription website.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Maui Memorial Medical Center Adds Two New Interventional Cardiologists To Staff
MMMC poised to be among state’s largest heart programs
Improving viability
By CLAUDINE SAN NICOLAS, Staff Writer
Article from: The Maui News
WAILUKU – With two new interventional cardiologists on staff, Maui Memorial Medical Center recorded its first angioplasty just three days into the new year.
Two more procedures – used to open blocked or narrowed coronary arteries – were successfully done at the end of last week, with the number of angioplasties projecting to run as high as 200 on Maui by the close of 2011.
“This is huge,” said Maui Memorial Chief Executive Officer Wesley Lo. “It’s something we’ve been working to do for a long time.”
Last November, Drs. Colin Lee and Joseph Chambers – colleagues who attended the same medical school – joined the cardiology and cardiovascular team of physicians at Maui’s only acute-care hospital.
“The center is poised to become one of the largest and most comprehensive heart programs in the state,” read an announcement of the latest development at Maui Memorial’s Heart Brain and Vascular Center.
Lee and Chambers spent their first eight weeks at work meeting with staff and orienting medical personnel to the angioplasty procedure and what it can do for patients.
Angioplasty is a common medical procedure, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, that may be used to:
* Improve symptoms of chest pain or discomfort.
* Reduce damage to the heart muscle caused by a heart attack.
* Reduce the risk of death in some patients.
Lee and Chambers each have more than 20 years of experience in angioplasty, treating thousands of patients on the Mainland. More than a million people annually in the United States undergo angioplasty, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
Under Lo’s leadership, the hospital received final approval for a state certificate of need in July 2007 to offer cardiac procedures including angioplasty and open heart surgery.
Maui Memorial estimates that as many as 400 cardiovascular cases have been transferred off-island annually in the last two or three years because of the hospital’s inability to provide acute interventional care such as angioplasty. The medivac expense alone costs approximately $18,000 per patient, Lo said.
With angioplasty now offered at Maui Memorial, Lo said residents can be treated near their homes and be spared the transportation costs of being flown elsewhere. Angioplasties are covered by most medical insurance plans, and Lo’s office has already contacted the state’s major health insurers to inform them of Maui Memorial’s newest cardiac services.
In developing its cardiac unit, Lo brought on board cardiac surgeon Dr. Pat Cochran to lead the heart center and a team of cardiovascular doctors. Cochran served as the standby surgeon while the first angioplasty was performed at Maui Memorial.
Since Cochran’s hiring, two other noninvasive cardiologists have been added to the hospital’s staff – Drs. Jonathan Allen and Leslie Oberst. Dr. Koonlawee Nademanee, a renowned physician in cardiac electrophysiology, also is listed as part of the cardiac team and sees patients at Maui Memorial several times a year.
The first angioplasty procedure at Maui Memorial was completed Jan. 3 on 72-year-old Ruth Shorting, a visitor from Canada who experienced chest pains during a trip to Maui.
Shorting was admitted through the emergency room after reporting worsening chest pains. After a consultation with Oberst, Shorting was referred for a diagnostic angiogram with doctors determining that she needed an angioplasty.
Together, Lee and Chambers performed the procedure to treat what appeared to be a critical coronary blockage in Shorting.
The patient’s chest pain was resolved with no heart damage, and she was discharged after two days of observation.
Contacted in Canada, Shorting was grateful for her treatment.
“I could not have asked for a better hospital, and my daughter works in a hospital, so I know,” she said. “From the doctor’s office to the ER and procedure, everything just went so smoothly. It was just an amazing experience.”
Lee and Chambers described Maui Memorial’s cardiac center and its equipment as “state of the art.” They acknowledged that they had established medical practices and careers on the Mainland – Lee in Idaho, and Chambers in Oregon, but they wanted to come to Maui so they could focus on medicine.
“This is a rare opportunity because the services are needed. I figure why not do it where it’s important,” Chambers said.
For Lee, a 1974 Punahou School graduate, coming to Maui allowed him to fulfill a dream he had as a youngster to work and then retire on the Valley Isle.
“I’m really thrilled about the opportunity to contribute to the community,” he said.
Lo said the cardiac center and angioplasty procedures themselves could generate thousands of dollars for Maui Memorial, a state community hospital, and help reduce its annual budget deficits.
“This should have a major impact on us over time,” Lo said. “Certainly, it’s a start in the right direction toward improving our viability. Whether we’ll be entirely out of a deficit, I don’t know,” he said.
Lee and Chambers said angioplasties will require a referral from a patient’s primary physician. “We say to people this is not an easy fix,” Lee said.
About one in 500 angioplasties result in serious complications; and about one in 1,000 result in death, Lee said. The procedure takes about 90 minutes to complete. A patient would need to stay in the hospital for one to three days after the procedure.
Improving viability
By CLAUDINE SAN NICOLAS, Staff Writer
Article from: The Maui News
WAILUKU – With two new interventional cardiologists on staff, Maui Memorial Medical Center recorded its first angioplasty just three days into the new year.
Two more procedures – used to open blocked or narrowed coronary arteries – were successfully done at the end of last week, with the number of angioplasties projecting to run as high as 200 on Maui by the close of 2011.
“This is huge,” said Maui Memorial Chief Executive Officer Wesley Lo. “It’s something we’ve been working to do for a long time.”
Last November, Drs. Colin Lee and Joseph Chambers – colleagues who attended the same medical school – joined the cardiology and cardiovascular team of physicians at Maui’s only acute-care hospital.
“The center is poised to become one of the largest and most comprehensive heart programs in the state,” read an announcement of the latest development at Maui Memorial’s Heart Brain and Vascular Center.
Lee and Chambers spent their first eight weeks at work meeting with staff and orienting medical personnel to the angioplasty procedure and what it can do for patients.
Angioplasty is a common medical procedure, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, that may be used to:
* Improve symptoms of chest pain or discomfort.
* Reduce damage to the heart muscle caused by a heart attack.
* Reduce the risk of death in some patients.
Lee and Chambers each have more than 20 years of experience in angioplasty, treating thousands of patients on the Mainland. More than a million people annually in the United States undergo angioplasty, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
Under Lo’s leadership, the hospital received final approval for a state certificate of need in July 2007 to offer cardiac procedures including angioplasty and open heart surgery.
Maui Memorial estimates that as many as 400 cardiovascular cases have been transferred off-island annually in the last two or three years because of the hospital’s inability to provide acute interventional care such as angioplasty. The medivac expense alone costs approximately $18,000 per patient, Lo said.
With angioplasty now offered at Maui Memorial, Lo said residents can be treated near their homes and be spared the transportation costs of being flown elsewhere. Angioplasties are covered by most medical insurance plans, and Lo’s office has already contacted the state’s major health insurers to inform them of Maui Memorial’s newest cardiac services.
In developing its cardiac unit, Lo brought on board cardiac surgeon Dr. Pat Cochran to lead the heart center and a team of cardiovascular doctors. Cochran served as the standby surgeon while the first angioplasty was performed at Maui Memorial.
Since Cochran’s hiring, two other noninvasive cardiologists have been added to the hospital’s staff – Drs. Jonathan Allen and Leslie Oberst. Dr. Koonlawee Nademanee, a renowned physician in cardiac electrophysiology, also is listed as part of the cardiac team and sees patients at Maui Memorial several times a year.
The first angioplasty procedure at Maui Memorial was completed Jan. 3 on 72-year-old Ruth Shorting, a visitor from Canada who experienced chest pains during a trip to Maui.
Shorting was admitted through the emergency room after reporting worsening chest pains. After a consultation with Oberst, Shorting was referred for a diagnostic angiogram with doctors determining that she needed an angioplasty.
Together, Lee and Chambers performed the procedure to treat what appeared to be a critical coronary blockage in Shorting.
The patient’s chest pain was resolved with no heart damage, and she was discharged after two days of observation.
Contacted in Canada, Shorting was grateful for her treatment.
“I could not have asked for a better hospital, and my daughter works in a hospital, so I know,” she said. “From the doctor’s office to the ER and procedure, everything just went so smoothly. It was just an amazing experience.”
Lee and Chambers described Maui Memorial’s cardiac center and its equipment as “state of the art.” They acknowledged that they had established medical practices and careers on the Mainland – Lee in Idaho, and Chambers in Oregon, but they wanted to come to Maui so they could focus on medicine.
“This is a rare opportunity because the services are needed. I figure why not do it where it’s important,” Chambers said.
For Lee, a 1974 Punahou School graduate, coming to Maui allowed him to fulfill a dream he had as a youngster to work and then retire on the Valley Isle.
“I’m really thrilled about the opportunity to contribute to the community,” he said.
Lo said the cardiac center and angioplasty procedures themselves could generate thousands of dollars for Maui Memorial, a state community hospital, and help reduce its annual budget deficits.
“This should have a major impact on us over time,” Lo said. “Certainly, it’s a start in the right direction toward improving our viability. Whether we’ll be entirely out of a deficit, I don’t know,” he said.
Lee and Chambers said angioplasties will require a referral from a patient’s primary physician. “We say to people this is not an easy fix,” Lee said.
About one in 500 angioplasties result in serious complications; and about one in 1,000 result in death, Lee said. The procedure takes about 90 minutes to complete. A patient would need to stay in the hospital for one to three days after the procedure.
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