Finance
UBS latest bank to announce NJ job cuts as finance sector shrinks
2-minute read
May Day Rally in Newark for NJ unemployment expansion: Video
Labor activists and unions gathered for a May Day Rally at Military Park in Newark on May 1, 2024, calling for a NJ unemployment benefits expansion.
Swiss bank UBS is laying off 51 employees at its Weehawken office, public records show, as New Jersey’s banking and finance sectors more broadly grapple with tightening budgets amid uncertain economic times.
UBS is reportedly looking to trim its costs by $13 billion, which includes cutting one in every 12 employees, according to Reuters. A spokesperson for UBS declined to comment for this story.
Data from state filings showed that five financial institutions announced New Jersey layoffs so far in 2024: The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation, TD Bank, Prudential Financial, Citibank and JPMorgan Chase Bank.
Some of those banks — including Citibank and Charles Schwab — are cutting their head counts by the thousands or tens of thousands across their entire operations.
Nationwide, Charles Schwab is cutting 2,000 employees and Citibank 20,000 of its staff.
“Banks are reducing back-office costs, and this includes people and head count reductions, unfortunately,” said Christopher Marinac, director of research at Janney Montgomery Scott, a financial services firm. “Overall, bank earnings are stable and generally not growing. Further, bank balance sheets are not expanding much this year.”
One factor — the Federal Reserve, which has raised interest rates 11 times since the COVID-19 pandemic. That pushed mortgage rates higher for homebuyers, meaning fewer people obtained mortgages, prompting Wall Street to respond with layoffs, said a report by CNBC.
That resulted in the state’s first job losses in half a year, unemployment figures show.
“Banks are being careful on new lending and trying to retain more capital as the Federal Reserve is tightening standards and raising capital requirements soon,” Marinac said.
James Hughes, an economist at Rutgers University, told NorthJersey.com that white-collar jobs in banking and finance have become saturated after a two-year hiring spree that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.
Layoffs this year
New Jersey companies are letting go of more than 4,600 employees in 2024, public records show.
The layoffs include 2,774 job cuts announced in 2023 for this year, and another 1,847 cuts announced in the first three months of 2024.
Those cuts come at a time when New Jersey’s workforce posted a net loss in jobs for the first time in six months. Meanwhile, the state unemployment rate has hovered at 4.8% since September, state data shows.
Daniel Munoz covers business, consumer affairs, labor and the economy for NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Email: munozd@northjersey.com; Twitter:@danielmunoz100 and Facebook
Finance
‘It Won’t Be Enough’: Financial Experts Warn Gen X About Key Retirement Pitfalls
As the oldest members of Generation X (those born between 1965 and 1980) approach retirement, financial experts warn that many in this group may not be as prepared as they think. Generation X faces unique challenges as they prepare for retired life, from shortfalls in savings to unexpected costs that may arise.
Here’s what experts say Gen Xers need to know to avoid these key pitfalls and ensure a more secure retirement.
Many Gen Xers are significantly behind in their retirement savings. A recent study by Northwestern Mutual found that only 7% of Gen X respondents have saved more than 10 times their annual income–the amount most experts recommend for a comfortable retirement.
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Perhaps even more concerning, over half of Gen X respondents say they have only saved three times their annual income or less. Fidelity recommends having at least three times your annual salary by age 40, six times your salary by age 50 and eight times your salary by age 60 to stay on track for a comfortable retirement.
This shortfall in savings is compounded by the fact that many Gen Xers do not have a retirement income plan. According to Allianz, only 30% of Gen Xers have mapped out how they will fund their post-work years, the lowest rate among all generations surveyed.
A common misconception among Americans is that taxes decrease in retirement. However, financial experts caution that many Gen Xers could face higher-than-expected tax burdens. The reason? Most have their retirement savings in tax-deferred accounts, like 401(k)s and IRAs, which require taxes to be paid upon withdrawal.
“The big problem is that a lot of them are going to be faced with a lot of taxes in retirement,” Jonathan Dane, founder and chief investment officer for Defiant Capital Group in Pittsburgh, told U.S. News. He says one way to mitigate this is to stop putting money in tax-deferred accounts and transition to Roth accounts, which allow for tax-free withdrawals.
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Another concern is healthcare costs. While Medicare provides comprehensive coverage starting at age 65, it doesn’t cover everything. Long-term care expenses, like assisted living, typically aren’t included. Experts suggest considering long-term care insurance or using a health savings account (HSA) to prepare for these costs.
Finance
Deregulation to boost banks, a ‘force for strength in the economy’
Bank of New York Mellon (BK) CEO Robin Vince joins Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi at the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to discuss US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House and his expectations for the president’s second term and the impact on the financial sector.
“To see a government that’s really focused on growth and being able to make the economy everything that it can be, because ultimately, as one of America’s leading banks, we are focused on helping our customers to be able to grow and thrive. You know, that’s what our platforms are all about,” Vince says.
As deregulation under Trump is expected to benefit the financial sector, Vince says he’s “not that concerned” about the risks associated with loose regulation. “We have to be vigilant that that doesn’t happen. We need a strong, healthy financial system,” he says, explaining, ” We’ve seen how the strong banks have been able to actually help the system over the course of the events … We’ve been a force for strength in the economy, and that’s actually the role that we should be playing.”
The CEO underlines, “I’m looking forward. I’m thinking about the innovation. I’m thinking about the investment. I’m thinking about helping to make economies grow and our clients be successful.”
Watch the video above to hear more from the BNY CEO on tariff expectations, a potential uptick in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity, and his crypto outlook.
Click here for more of Yahoo Finance’s coverage from the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Check out Yahoo Finance’s Davos interview with Bank of America (BAC) CEO Brian Moynihan here.
This post was written by Naomi Buchanan.
Finance
Global climate finance alliances at risk as top lenders pull out | Semafor
Major global climate finance alliances are increasingly at risk with European lenders reportedly mulling following major US banks in withdrawing from the UN-backed Net Zero Banking Alliance.
The timing of the departures of top US banks including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and Morgan Stanley — as well as four large Canadian counterparts, and potentially top lenders in Europe, too — is significant: US President Donald Trump and other Republicans have led criticism of finance’s role in the energy transition, and the latest departures come months after the COP29 climate summit sought to increase targets for global climate finance.
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