As credit has become scarce, moreover, universal banks have been able to demand a larger share of lucrative investment-banking business from their clients in return for offering loans.

ECONOMIST: Investment banking

Start with an important universal fact: growth in electric demand outpaces that of all other energy forms.

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The movie would have only been available to Comcast cable subscribers in Portland and Atlanta (Comcast owns Universal) but even the experimental video-on-demand offer put theater owners on edge.

FORBES: Connect

In his new position, Burke has the opportunity to (re)shape the entertainment landscape, making pivotal decisions on topics ranging from retransmission consent to video-on-demand to the business of online viewing (NBC Universal is a part owner of Hulu).

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However, such an overhaul should not have to mean a replacement or upgrade to existing systems, but rather a universal platform that connects throughout the bank, interrogating all the necessary data on demand, and using the latest high speed technology.

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Demand for many services will not go away, but in a world of scarcer credit, universal banks will be tempted to use their lending capacity to win juicier investment-banking business from companies.

ECONOMIST: Investment banking: Is there a future? | The