BBT - BB&T Corporation

I can tell you from the standpoint of a former customer, that bb&t is an absolutely miserable institution. Combine that with the current financial markets and I wouldn't touch it with 10 ft pole. Unless you only want it for the dividend.

On 1/23/08 there was a violation of the 50 dma which caused a small short short squeeze which is over now. you can see the days of covering right behind it.

But the short sellers are still in control.
29,441,100 shares short.

The bigger one would be a news event that will ultimately push it up through 200 dma. It kissed it and failed. If it had violated that line on volume you would have seen additional surge to the upside. which would have been short sellers buying back.

With all due respect ... I don't get this thread.

StockJock-e posted a chart and a brief description of the company (he did the same for another NC bank, Wachovia), without any analysis, or any suggestion of what he wanted to discuss (not even a "what do you guys think of this?").

As far as I can tell, there's really nothing to discuss here: no news of recent developments that would make them acutely good or bad investments at the present time (or in general for that matter) - nothing more (and a great deal less) than I could get on any of a dozen or so sites.

Said another way: what's the point, or the value, of having a discussion about this one at the present time?

I see your point but was my response not clear?
I started the discussion
not getting the information from the first post made me look at it and come to my own conclusion.

the suggestion is to do your own analyst of the stock and possibly keep it on a watch list.

These are just trading ideas, take them and run, do your own DD

Look it up and give your opionion..........................thats having a discussion

AP
BB&T unit buys Southern Risk
Tuesday September 2, 2:55 pm ET
BB&T insurance subsidiary buys brokerage Southern Risk Operations

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- The wholesale insurance subsidiary of regional bank BB&T Corp. said Tuesday that it has purchased Southern Risk Operations LLC, an insurance brokerage.
Terms of the acquisition of Southern Risk by the BB&T subsidiary, CRC Insurance Services Inc., were not disclosed.

Southern Risk, based in Sumter, S.C., is an excess-and-surplus insurance broker specializing in finding coverage for a broad range of risks, including high-risk residential and commercial properties along the East Coast. Founded in 1990, it operates branch offices in Miami; Marlton, N.J.; Concord, N.H.; and Timonium, Md., CRC said in a news release.

CRC, based in Birmingham, Ala., calls itself the largest wholesale property-and-casualty insurance broker in the United States, having written about $3 billion in premiums last year. Southern Risk will operate as a division of CRC, it said.

BB&T, which is based in Winston-Salem, N.C., had assets of $136.5 billion as of June 30 and operated 1,489 banking offices in North and South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Maryland, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Indiana and Washington, D.C. Its primary banking division is Branch Banking and Trust Co. The bank said last week that its chief executive, John Allison, will retire at the end of the year as part of a five-year executive management transition plan that the bank established in 2003. Kelly King, the chief operating officer, will replace Allison as CEO and president.

BB&T could be ripe for a merger once King takes the helm, according to Ladenburg Thalmann analyst Richard Bove. Allison would not likely consider a merger of equals, while King may be more open to the idea, Bove says.

Shares of BB&T rose 45 cents to $30.43 in afternoon trading. The stock has traded between $18.71 and $43 in the past 12 months.

AP
BB&T plans to raise $200 million to support growth
Wednesday September 3, 4:21 pm ET
By Sara Lepro, AP Business Writer
BB&T to raise at least $200 million in capital to support balance sheet growth, acquisitions

NEW YORK (AP) -- BB&T Corp. said Wednesday that it is in the process of raising at least $200 million through the issuance of trust preferred securities as it seeks to support rapid balance sheet growth and possible future acquisitions.

"As we come out of this down economy, we want to be in a position to take advantage of some strategic opportunities, such as looking at community banks, insurance companies, asset management groups as possible acquisitions," said spokesman Bob Denham in an interview with the Associated Press. "This is something we're choosing to do and we're doing it from a position of strength."

The Winston-Salem, N.C.-based regional bank has experienced "incredible" balance sheet growth, Denham said, as demand for both loans and deposits increases.

Citi Investment Research analyst Greg Ketron late Tuesday reiterated a "Buy" rating on BB&T shares, noting that a capital raise will only strengthen the bank's capital position.

"We believe BB&T is taking advantage of retail investor appetite for trust preferred securities to further strengthen its already above-average capital position," wrote Ketron in a note to clients. "The company told us that they were encouraged by the recent results of retail capital raises by peers."

On Tuesday, BB&T's wholesale insurance subsidiary said it bought insurance brokerage Southern Risk Operations LLC for an undisclosed amount.

Last week the bank announced that its chief executive, John Allison, will retire at the end of the year as part of a five-year executive management transition plan that the bank established in 2003. Kelly King, the chief operating officer, will replace Allison as CEO and president.

Despite reporting a decline in profit in the second quarter, BB&T has largely avoided exposure to investments that are proving problematic for many other banks, specifically, collateralized debt obligations, or CDOs, and structured investment vehicles.

BB&T shares gained 35 cents to close at $31.17 Wednesday.

The Next 5 Stocks to Buy?
By Rich Duprey September 2, 2008 | Comment (0) | Recommend (1)

It's not often you find an institution that allows the free-market philosophy to permeate its operations as much as financial-services company BB&T (NYSE: BBT) does. It made headlines a few years ago when it refused to offer loans for commercial projects on private lands that had been seized under eminent-domain laws. It's also funded university grants for the study of Atlas Shrugged author Ayn Rand and her pro-capitalist school of thought.

Putting its capitalist instincts to work, BB&T has acquired a portfolio of community banks, insurance companies, and non-bank financial-services businesses. BB&T has become one of the stronger banking names around. Possessing some of the top spots in market share throughout the Southern states it operates in, financial-services company BB&T now has more than 1,500 branch offices, enough to make it the nation's 14th-largest financial-holding company. What's more, while other banks -- such as Wachovia (NYSE: WB) -- have been cutting their dividends, BB&T just announced that it's raising its payout.

Even with CEO John Allison retiring at the end of the year, most analysts expect a smooth transition. His successor, Chief Operating Officer Kelly King, shares much of Allison's philosophical bent, and the pair has worked together for decades.

Article in full

Now I would say SJ , you made a good call on this one

Smaller Banks Ripe for the Buying
09/02/08 - 06:59 AM EDT
>Debra Borchardt

Dragged down by the general malaise gripping the financial sector, some healthier regional banks are emerging as attractive acquisition targets.

Regional bank stocks have been pummeled along with the rest of the financial sector over the past year, as hedge funds short names across the board. As a result, the valuations of some extremely well-run banks have been pushed down to bargain basement prices, creating new interest among possible buyers.

"Between now and the end of the year, expect to see things happen," says Chris Whalen of Institutional Risk Analytics, a firm that is evaluating several banks for potential acquirers. "The value is compelling, if you can afford to wait."

The KBW Regional Banking ETF (KRE - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) is down about 35% from its 52-week high, even though some of the banks in the index are in excellent shape. Sterling Bank (STL - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) has limited exposure to residential mortgages and has paid dividends for 62 years. Then there's Webster Financial (WBS - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr), which has tumbled 52% for the last 12 months. Both of these banks operate in the northeast and have been spared some of the pain that other regions have faced.

Whalen said he has signed on four new clients to value banks for them. His company takes information directly from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and applies various financial metrics in order to determine the health of a bank called the FDIC/IRA Bank Monitor.

Smaller regional banks have managed to capture a great deal of business as the larger nationwide banks have pulled back credit. The big banks have been distracted with losses from bad residential loans, risky collateralized debt obligations and legal pressure from state and federal authorities on sales of auction rate securities. Meanwhile, businesses continue to need capital and have turned to their local lenders for help.

The community banks are familiar with the businesses and are doing business with their friends and neighbors. As a result, loan quality tends to be better and these "good loans" form the backbone of any bank. It's what the bank depends on for income.

Despite the emerging opportunities seen by analysts, M&A activity in the sector has been slow amid the credit crisis. The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ last month bought out the remaining 35% stake of UnionBanCal (UB - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) it didn't already own for $3.5 billion. Valley National Bancorp (VLY - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) also bought Greater Community Bancorp in March.

In a note Thursday, Ladenburg Thalmann analyst Richard Bove speculated that BB&T (BBT - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) CEO John Allison's plans to retire could make a deal with another regional like Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) more likely.

Private-equity players also have been kicking the tires of many regionals, but are hampered by regulatory requirements that allow only individuals or bank holding companies to control a bank. Thus, while private equity funds like TPG and Corsair Capital have invested in Washington Mutual (WM - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) and National City (NCC - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr), respectively, they can only buy minority stakes.

Anton Schutz, who manages two Burnham Financial Funds, says he believes more private equity funds will create bank holding subsidiaries to get around this restriction. He points out that the best areas for banks are in Texas and the northeast. The weak geographic regions, no surprise, are California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan. But Schutz thinks there's hope for the troubled banks.

"Private equity is looking for broken names, especially the funds that want big returns," he says. "They want to fix these banks up and then sell them for a nice profit."

Schultz says the conservative money that is looking for the strong bank with the weak valuation will "pay off, just not very big."

Morgan Keegan Senior Bank Analyst Bob Patten in July told TheStreet.com that banks in poor housing markets like Florida could bounce back in a few years. But M&A would remain challenging until potential buyers were more comfortable with the credit market, he added.

" The simple fact is if you're having a hard time figuring out what your problems are on your own balance sheet, why would you want to buy somebody else's?" he asked.

Another stock I'm looking to short tomorrow at $35.90 or higher. Look for an exit of $32(pivot point from the recent break(duh)) within a 3 week time frame.

Wasn't even on my radar, but they had good Q1 earnings and are up 12% in the PM.

Cramer really pumped this stock last night. Im trying to find a good safer long term hold(couple years). Im not a cramer maniac or whatever Ive only seen the show a couple times but he made some sense on BBT and I know he's got a pretty good track record. His basic point was that they passed the stress test but went on to raise capitol anyway which looks good in the feds eye and will be looked on favorably when the feds start dibbying out these smaller banks that are in trouble for sale especially in florida. Anybody have any thoughts on BBT.

**** Cramer

I like BB&T.

I think it's to early for that.

Your right and I did pick this as a long term hold. Im just ranting because its gone down since I bought it. Plus every time I turn on the TV it seems like everyone is talking about hedges shorting the regional banks now. I know it will go up I just hate to see em go down. I hope when they say regional there leaving out BBT. I need to check the short sales

note***BBT has great trading desk follow the lead****

Well I added another 200 shares on friday. I hope this thing starts to see green over the next few weeks. This is in my retirement fund so steady as she goes.

Well good news. I think BBT will be the first to pay back tarp. With no dilution.