"...spend no more than 45 percent of their monthly income on repaying loan interest and principal"

These bankers continue to use this archaic 45% ratio which was in existance from over 30 years ago from the previous century. The critical importance is to check that despite paying the loan payment for tbe figure to enrich the bank....the emphasis must be on the remaining 55 % percent fot the borrower and family to survive. These bankers fail to look out for the well being and success of these borrowings ...and not realize that the costs of the 55% percent budget itemms, cost of uti,ities, cost of groceries have far risen in prices for the borrower over the past 30 years this ratio favouring the bank with 45% and the remaining 55% percent not favouring the borrower, especially incomes are not in many cases rising in line with cost of living.

The 45%percent ratio is also mathematically incorrect when it deals with borrowers whose income is very high. High income borrowers after paying the loan can have thousands of dollars in their 55% percent to pau utilities, bills, groceries family expenses. High income earners can go beyond the 45% ratio.

Another factor the 45% percent is generally linked to an indemnity insurance which allows the bank to extend loan amounts to up tp 95% percent financing purchase price or Appraised value. This continued use needs to be carefully considered in light of fierce more often hurricames which can devastate entire islands and economy. The use of the Indemnits imsurance has conditions pertaining to economic conditions, etc some 30 years ago.

The headline on "Mandatory" insurance and your dead right comment on "forced property insurance" raises questions on those in the country who are unaware of the dire economic situation, of existing thousands of homeowners can't pay BPL ele tricity bill and have power cut off, over hu dred thousand on food assistance seems all the way to September and future, thousands unemployed, thousands of homes needing repairs many roofs shingles way beyond life span, many in uninsurable state, etc.

"...about 60 percent of buildings destroyed by Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas was not insured at all or were not adequately insured."

The massive destruction shown in the pictures,photographts in media appears to be that of the timbered structures of the illegally built Shantytowns in Marsh Harbour area. These usually wooden structures built without proper Building Permits and Occupancy Certificates seems unlikely to be ever approved for insurance coverage.

It appears that as result of number of conditions that Shantytowns will continue to exist and built and has existed for decades.

Last line should be..."...and collaspe and hopefully not injure anyone."

This burnt out structure needs to be immediately attended to for the safety of all.

"But the government has failed to pay the promised COVID-19 stipend and overtime owed to nurses who have worked up to 16 hours per day during the height of the COvid-19 Pandemic last year."

"In December, after being promised payment over several months Nurse Williams issued an ultimatum giving it to the end of that month to release that payment."

No employer, person(s), entitities should encourage, induce, promise legally biding workers to pay the employees for work and THEN refusing to pay. Mr. Pinder the Govt Labour Bourd expert should know better, but then again the Nurses would have to join the line Courts awarded people money owed to them by Govts. for years and years....and the senior people causing this seems fraud on workers don't go to jail.

The burnt out building should immediately fully demolished and be brought to the ground. The building after the intense heat and water soaked and having support timbers, roof destroyed inside, roof etc would have structure enormously weakened. Given the building is on Bay Street the constant heavy traffic lorries, jitneys, main traffic route would vibrate the weakened structure and collaspe and not injure anyone.

Nurses working and continuous complaining not getting paid in light the govt official view of other priorities getting paid is misguided govt official's view.. First the Nurses and Medical staff is in the front taking care of the ill and part of this terrible Covid situation. After the Medical situation is being brought under control to workable levels, the govt finds some 20 million to create jobs for sidewalks, then millions of dollars to settle corrupt land situation with acreage claimed by major land Developer etc.

These Nurses would have been better off working at Bahamasair continuously bleeding money adding tens of millions of dollatd to taxpayers by doing little or no work and getting paid. Seems something is blatently egregious wrong for these Nurses to be always going through these situations not getting outstanding money from times before Covid and now during Covid.

"pull the rug out from under" is more like pulling a threadbare carpet because it seems unlikely that the current foghorn blast from the mountain top fails to fully understand the dynamics of the market.
The majority of the US market is and has been suffering from high levels of unemployment...high levels of depleted savings...high level of getting financial aid....high levels of persons having to depend on food charities...businesses which employ thousands shuttered and many unlikely to immediately reopen....parents trying to put their children back in schools....virus vaccines.....depleted disposable incomes etcetcetc. The mountaintop cry on blaming the Bahamian crisis needs to take into account that even when the health restrictions are removed that the multitudes of US tourists are unlikely to immediately flood the cruise ships and Bahamian hotels.

The Agriculture industry should be at the top levels for survival of the nation. Along with the huge push in this direction by Administration should be the increased punishments to deter those criminals from sabotaging and derailing the works of growers of Agriculture.

Very good TalRussell. He didn't much bother a lot to deal with the government owned and operated Bank. Just seems now that the financial advisor to the government ...all these years who seems just coming up with all this for new 18 year olds bank account legal age account holders and same 18 age voters.