Tack

TD Ameritrade And E*Trade: Wedding Bells?

If Etrade is working itself out of its mortgage problems, which seems to be the case (heck, I'm a customer and even received a mailer from them asking if I wanted to borrow!), why on earth would management want to sell out for $3, $4, $5, or anything close?

Etrade has a far superior trading platform to Ameritrade and absent the mortgage carry should run circles around them. Just a couple years back, this firm was selling at close to $30. $3 or $4! Is this serious?

As for speculation that a deal is imminent, that, too, seems ridiculous, as the share price has spiked only about 10%, and that on a couple days of volume.

Frankly, as a very satisfied customer with integrated bank accounts, trading accounts, a credit card and a home equity line, I hope they remain independent, as I doubt I'll get as elegant an integrated set-up as I enjoy now from Etrade.

E*Trade: A Solid, Deep Value Stock

When you have $60B in your loan portfolio, you're in the banking business, whether you want to be or not.


On Oct 20 11:59 AM User 488509 wrote:

> Article is full of errors, misunderstandings and silly assumptions.
>
> Just look at his conclusions:
>
> "Conclusion:
>
> 1. ETFC is priced at pre-bankruptcy prices without a bankruptcy in
> sight.
> 2. Citadel has shown clear signs of holding onto its position.<br/>3.
> The Fed has been explicit in supporting an ‘easy money’ policy, perfect
> for banks to recover their balance sheets.
> 4. Add 1-3 together, and I believe that ETFC, despite seeming like
> a risky stock, is actually a pretty solid deep-value play."
>
> -----------
>
> First , ETFC is actually priced for an "optimistic" earnings scenario.
> Using approx. 3 billion shares as the diluted share outstanding denominator
> , to earn just ten cents per share or a 17 p/e , ETFC will need to
> book a clean $300m profit in the next 12 months.
> Unlikely!
>
> Second,Citadel seems to be leaving as fast as they can. In the last
> 6 months , their overall $2.6 Billion dollar position in ETFC has
> been reduced to under a $1Billion including the complete sale of
> every ETFC interest paying bond they owned.
>
> Third , ETFC is in the banking biz in name only. Third party loans
> are not going to yield much profit. Can't believe you wouldn't know
> this??
>
> This artcle was very,very shoddy work.

E*Trade: Expect a Takeover Any Day Now

Similarly, I have had banking, trading, home equity and credit accounts with Etrade for over 10 years and can say that the ease of managing all these accounts and interchanging funds within their integrated set-up is unparalleled elsewhere.

Also, I have an account service representative that is knowledgeable, courteous and extremely responsive in addressing my requests. I could not be more satisfied.

I dread the thought that Etrade my be acquired and folded into somebody else's inferior platform. The good news, I think, is that management realizes they have a growing and valuable asset, so nobody is going to steal this company on the cheap. I currently maintain a significant position in their shares because any buyout would have to be at a sizable premium to have any chance of being accepted.


On Sep 26 11:07 AM Mike Rabe wrote:

> Etrade has by far the best trading platform. I have accounts in both
> Etrade and Ameritrade.
>
> I give Ameritrade very low marks and I pray they don't acquire Etrade.
>
>
> There is no comparison between Etrade and Ameritrade.
>
> Finally, for those who bash Etrade's customer service, I have talked
> with customer service reps there probably over 200 times in the past
> 6 years. I have had 2 bad experiences. That's 2 out of 200.