WICHITA – Wild stories are flying through the local real estate community about Plaza’s decision Friday to affiliate with Coldwell Banker after Stucky & Associates owner Frank Stucky said he dropped the flag, unable to pay its franchise fees.
There are enough of them, frankly, that we’re checking into them.
But I want to give you a little personal philosophy here: Stucky and Plaza president John McKenzie have never been anything less than truthful with me. I’ve known Stucky professionally for 20 years, and his credibility with me is top-notch. McKenzie has also been truthful with me, even at times when it wasn’t in his best business interests to do so.
The message is this: We hear the rumors and we’re listening. But as of today, I don’t expect that the REAL story is anything different than what you’ve read.
Scott Davies, owner of Saturn of Wichita, was one of three Saturn dealers featured by the Wall Street Journal in a story today.
A big part of the story is about dealers who are playing up Roger Penske’s plan to buy the brand, and General Motors gentle admonition to them not to so as to not take “the spotlight off the brand itself,” the article says.
You can read more about Davies and the story here.
WICHITA — An auspicious record was set on Friday.
On that day, state and federal regulators closed five banks: two in California, two in Georgia and one in Minnesota.
Up until then, the most banks regulators had closed on any one Friday was four, on April 24.
To date, 45 banks have failed in 2009. That includes First National Bank of Anthony, which was closed by the Comptroller of the Currency June 19. Its deposits and branches were assumed by SNB Bank of Kansas.
Since the banking crisis began in 2008, 70 banks have failed.