Smith Undergrads’ ‘Woodstock for Capitalists’ Experience includes ‘Buffett v. Mayweather’ This year’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., annual shareholder meeting coincided with the conglomerate’s 50-year anniversary under Chairman Warren Buffett  – and the Floyd Mayweather- Manny Pacquiao boxing showdown.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- Though successfully scraping together a 200 million euro repayment to the IMF, Greece will struggle to cover the 770 million euros due to the IMF by May 12, the Associated Press reports today. Bill Longbrake, executive-in-residence at the University of Maryland’s Robert H.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- Newly confirmed U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has a strong record for going after mortgage fraud, says Cliff Rossi, professor of the practice at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. He anticipates that Lynch will reinforce predecessor Eric Holder’s actions to hold lenders accountable for their role in the 2008 financial crisis.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- Say on Pay, which gives shareholders a nonbinding vote on executive compensation, leads companies to reduce excessive pay in certain circumstances. That's according to new research by Russ Wermers, a professor of finance at the University of Maryland's Robert H.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- Borrowers live or die by their FICO scores — numbers that offer a snapshot of how reliable they've been in paying back their debts. But some 53 million Americans don't have such scores because their credit history is thin or nonexistent.

By Kristen Fanarakis

Bank executives sometimes viewed Smith professor Cliff Rossi as a killjoy during the buildup to the 2008 global economic meltdown. As chief risk officer at several of the largest U.S. financial institutions, Rossi faced the task of raising unwelcome concerns when banks started setting aside traditional safeguards and packaging subprime loans. “I had a front row seat at the party and the funeral,” says Rossi, who spent time with Citigroup, Washington Mutual, Countrywide Bank, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (March 26, 2015) — Working professionals with an interest in the Washington, D.C., region have a new source for bite-sized business insights, delivered weekly to their inboxes from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Smith Brain Trust, published every Thursday, will provide commentary on the latest mergers, marketing campaigns, policy debates, investment news and business research — drawing upon the broad knowledge of the school’s faculty.

Russ Wermers, professor of finance at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, will provide expertise, as an affiliate, to one of the largest economic consulting firms in North America.

SMITH BRAIN TRSUT -- Smith Executive-in Residence and Professor of the Practice Cliff Rossi has raised concerns as mortgage underwriting giant Freddie Mac recruits traders from the likes of Citi, Bank of America and Credit Suisse to place new housing wagers.