Investopedia: U.S. Bancorp Standing Out And Outstanding

For investors leery of the extent to which banks have been making their numbers on the back of reserve releases and "non-operating" charges, U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) is a breath of fresh, clean air. Once again U.S. Bancorp has distinguished itself from its peers with a strong quarter. While some investors may be put off by the relatively low percentage of actual banking within USB's business mix, this company seems undervalued and underappreciated by the Street today.

Finally, a Bank with a Clean Result   

Because of the impact that decisions like security sales can have on financial results, there will never be a perfectly clean quarter for a major bank, but U.S. Bancorp's second quarter results are close enough for jazz. Better still, they were largely on target with the expectations laid out by management.

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U.S. Bancorp Standing Out And Outstanding (USB, WFC, TCB, C, BAC, BK, STT)

5 Software Stocks Worth A Closer Look

Software is a huge sector, and like any huge sector there is a mix of wheat and chaff. The trick, then, is to separate the two and focus one's time on the most promising ideas. The following are five above-average software companies that are worth a closer look by investors seeking some technology ideas with solid chances of market-beating performance.

1. Cognizant Technology Solutions (Nasdaq:CTSH)
Cognizant is the youngest of the Tier 1 Indian IT firms (which includes Infosys (Nasdaq:INFY) and Wipro (NYSE:WIT)), and has the added twist of a U.S.-based management. Employee turnover is quite high compared to U.S. software companies, but this is nothing new in this sector. The company has a high reliance on financial services, but recently crossed the $1 billion mark in quarterly revenue despite the uncertain conditions in the sector. Wage and tax pressures in India are concerns to monitor, but recent revenue growth in excess of 40% and increasing analyst estimates suggest solid near-term momentum.

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http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2010/5-Software-Stocks-Worth-A-Closer-Look-CTSH-DST-MCRS-ORCL-RHT-INFY-VMW1013.aspx

Bank of New York Marking Time

Custody banks like Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK) do not generally get all that much attention. These "banks' banks" operate huge businesses involving trillions of dollars, but they take only tiny percentages of these awesome amounts and generally run themselves quite conservatively. As a result, the average investors' default response is to scrunch up their faces at the blizzard of numbers they report, sigh at the generally modest growth and move on to other ideas. 

That could be a mistake, however. While custody banks are not operating the most exciting businesses in the world, they are gatekeepers and toll collectors in the massive financial services industry and an integral part of an industry that seems poised for worldwide growth. So, while regular banks like Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) and TCF Financial (NYSE: TCB) worry about loans and deposit share in their home markets, and Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) battles for hegemony in trading and asset management, BNY quietly services hundreds of banks and asset managers across the world. 



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