Thursday, December 18, 2008
Update from jeff
I have been dragging my feet in getting this update out to you. However, I do have reason for it, in that I don't want to go through the next few months with more unnecessary challenges to overcome.
As Thomas Jefferson is famously quoted, "Delay, is preferable to error". In my case here, I would prefer to be delayed and late in my corresponding to you, than to be wrong in my decision-making process, of which will certainly affect your lives.
I mentioned to all of you in the last update that I wanted to do a survey. This email is for that purpose.
As for the survey, my questions are as listed below. It will take us a while to get through all of your responses, so please be patient as we absorb more than 532 responses! Thank-you.
Please reply to this email address: replies@firstcapitalsl.com, with ONLY the NUMBER of the comment and please INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME. For example, if you agree with what is said on line #1, then in the SUBJECT LINE of your return email to us, just put "#1" John Doe. If you agree with #2, then just put "#2 John Doe." If #3, then put "#3 John Doe" in the SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR REPLY EMAIL TO US. Simple.
An automated system will read the subject lines only and then file the responses, so no one will be reading the emails. With that said, please do not bother to include comments because they will not be read. We are doing this to speed up the process for everyone's benefit.
Here is the survey: #1 - I would like to have my principal returned to me, along with any and all gain that is due to me.
#2 - I would like to continue with First Capital S&L after January 5th, 2009. However, I know that the rates will be lowered, across the board to ALL clients, to a 2% MONTHLY return.
#3 - I have been Compounding with First Capital S&L and would like to continue Compounding. I understand that the Compounding rate will be set at 2% monthly come January 5th, 2009 and that my old compounding rates will no longer apply. I understand that my Compounding rate will be set at the 2% monthly rate.
Again, please choose ONLY one of the above statements as a #1, #2, or #3 and simply reply to replies@firstcapitalsl.com with the #1, #2, or #3 AND YOUR FULL NAME IN THE SUBJECT LINE.
Thank you again for your patience,
Jeff Lowrance Chairman First Capital S&L
Monday, November 3, 2008
Invite only - password required
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The blog is now "hidden"
There are now two First Capital S&L blogs, this one and www.firstcapitalslprivate.blogspot.com. The purpose of this one is still to allow everyone, including Jeff and his employees, to communicate without serving as an information source to new investors, for now. The private blog is for everyone other than Jeff and his sources to communicate and form a contingency plan for Jan 5th.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Update - better late than never
It has now been a little more than 5 weeks since my last update went out. I did promise to have an update to you after 4 weeks of time, so I am a bit late.
I have been extremely busy with getting this Titanic of a business turned around and going back into the right direction. There is still a lot of work for me to do, but I am back on track and heading the right way.
The first thing that you should know is that I have cut out all other projects and side-tangents so that I can completely devote my time to getting FCSL back to the way it once was. We have 4 great years behind us and I won't see that all go to waste.
I am working to get all of our clients their principal paid back or at least back on track with monthly payments. I say it that way because I have received many, many emails over the last couple of months from clients who do not want us to stop our monthly payment program. They would prefer that we try to pick up from where we left off, if at all possible. I intend to repay/or get monthly payments going again, for all clients, before the January 5th date, if at all possible.
In regards to either paying back all of your principal or starting monthly payments again to our clients; I would like to take a short survey from each one of you to find out what you are thinking. To sort through all of your emails will mean a lot of work for me and my team.
However, I really would like to find out what you are thinking in regards to FCSL returning your principal, verses that of starting monthly payments again. Please watch for a separate email to come to you in regards to that survey. It will be self-explanatory.
Last week, I was ready to send out an update to everyone. Honestly, I would not have had much to say except for the fact that I am still right here in Panama and that I am steadily working towards getting back on track. It was due to be a simple communication to let you know that I am here and that I am doing what it takes to make things right with you.
As for the few investors out there who have been working with my advisor, I assure you that I will make every attempt to return your funds before January 5, 2009 and for the rest of you look forward to the 5th. I will at that time take the steps necessary to return your principal. Once completed, I will send your interest, in full, as soon as is possible.
Thank you for your extreme patience. I just want you to know that I am working 200% to get us back on track again!
Sincerely,
Jeff Lowrance
First Capital S&L
Sunday, October 26, 2008
FYI
"All wires are on hold until January 5th 2009, as per the last major updated."
Thursday, October 16, 2008
USA Tomorrow Update (not acceptable as FCSL update)
It has now been a little more than 3 full months since USA Tomorrow began distributing back during the summer on the 4th of July. With nearly 100 days under our belt and now several thousand people on our mailing list, we feel that we are ready to take the next few steps towards growing USA Tomorrow into a national newspaper. And in order to become a national newspaper, we will need all the help that we can get!
Frankly speaking, I have been surprised by the positive response that USA Tomorrow has received. Americans across the country have reacted with such great comments, emails and phone calls, that it thrills me to know that there are truly still a LOT of people out there who really do care about our country.
With that in mind, we want to thank all of you for the awesome job that you have done in passing out hundreds of thousands of copies of the USA Tomorrow newspaper. You have delivered them to friends and neighbors in your parts of the country and you are to be congratulated. Thank you again for your help!
In regards to our USA Tomorrow Distributorship program, it is geared to earn our distributors substantial monthly income for those who work at it. If you are a worker, then you will most likely enjoy our distributorship program.
This short email message to you is simply a survey to find out if you would like to hear more about either Subscribing to USA Tomorrow, being a Distributor for us, or if you would like more information regarding our financial product now available to our readers.
Please click the appropriate links below. If you have interest in more than one category, then follow the link for each one, filling out the simple request form and then hitting the word "Finish" for each one.
If you would like more information about Subscribing to USA Tomorrow, Click Here
If you would like more information about being a Distributor of the USA Tomorrow newspaper publication, Click Here.
If you would like more information about our financial product that is paying 13.25% - 18.70% annually, Click Here.
Thank you for your time and let's Grow, Grow, Grow!
Sincerely,
Jeff Lowrance
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Comments e-mailed to you
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Authorities Contacted
First Capital Savings and Loan Clients
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Update from a blog member
Another thing that caught my interest on the homepage is First Capital's address in Auckland. The first line of the address is: "Auckland Compliance Ltd."
So I did detective work. I'm a CPA and an attorney. I used to do audit work for Arthur Andersen & Co., the now defunct accounting giant.
I found that FCSL is registered in NZ as just another company, not as financial institution. The term "Savings & Loan" has no meaning in NZ. FCSL is just an ordinary registered company. It is not under the supervision of Reserve Bank of New Zealand, nor in any way a financial institution.
I also found that FCSL's address at Auckland Compliance Ltd. just an address, nothing more. It turns out Auckland Compliance Ltd. is nothing more than a storefront for dozens or hundreds of companies that want a NZ address. It is what is commonly referred to as a business services company. I'm familiar with this because I used to use such a company in Las Vegas, called Business Office Suite Services. I had a Nevada Corporation that used a Las Vegas address.
Finally, FCSL has no physical presence in NZ, no employees, no business activities, no nothing. That is what I have learned.
First Capital Savings and Loan Client
Monday, September 29, 2008
Blog change FYI
On a side note: For those of you who have contacted authorities, there have been requests for further details.
First Capital Savings & Loan Blog Admin
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Poll Changed
Friday, September 19, 2008
Jeff's Update
I deeply apologize for the delay in getting my update to you. The past few months have taken a toll on me as I honestly tried to do way too much with my businesses. I started the USA TOMORROW newspaper to create a vehicle for change and I didn't realize the response to the project to be as enormous as it has become. On the advice of a very smart friend of mine I have decided to set the paper aside, in part, for the next few months and take care of my financial responsibilities to each and every one of you. I have lost money over the past few months on some investments, not unlike almost every major bank in the world. I can't touch my main investment fund until January 5, 2009. At that time I plan to close the fund and return investors their money in full. Also, I am going to be restructuring the interest rates that we have been paying out to clients. Please watch for an update about that subject to come out soon. I have struggled recently, however. I am not tucking my tail, but I am communicating with all of you simply because I'm a man of my word and each of you will be paid in full. I don't need to spend pages here informing you of my various problems, both physically and time wise; I just need to inform you that I am working religiously on your behalf and you will be taken care of. I will be updating you by email at least every 4 weeks until I access our fund. I sincerely wish that I could talk with everyone but that is impossible for me - I need to work. I thank you for your patience.
Sincerely,
Jeff Lowrance
First Capital S&L
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Waiting
We have sent our first attempt at contacting Jeff as a blog and will keep you posted. Communication is the first rule of customer service and what everyone is waiting for at this point. All we want is for him to keep us updated. Jeff, you need to stop leaving us all in the dark. We are all out here with nothing to go on but speculation as a group. What else can we do but discuss at what point enough is enough?
We will stay as patient and optimistic as we can, but that will run out at some point.
First Capital Savings and Loan Client
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Everyone needs to participate in this discussion
Whom do we notify? (New Zealand, FBI, SEC, Panama, California DA, San Diego DA)
Will this tie up all assets for years to come?
Please especially comment on the first question. We need to all agree that whatever we do, we do together. No one jumping the gun.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Ben Greenwood Resignation
This is to inform all of you that I will no longer be representing First Capital Savings or Jeff Lowrance. I have taken on a new job and am excited about the opportunity it presents to me. This situation that we are in together concerning FCSL has been nothing short of life changing for the most of us. For some, it has generated an extremely large return. For others, it has wrecked our lives. I can no longer represent FCSL due to the fact that Jeff has failed to follow through on countless time-lines and promises with all of us. His endless procrastination is unacceptable and inexcusable. I put in my resignation to Jeff effective immediately on Friday August the 22nd if he didn't not either A) call me by the end of business or B) send all funds to clients. He called me later that day and we spoke for about a half hour, maybe 45 minutes. He stated to me that he was going to have his "Major Update" on the decision he was making out to all clients by the end of the weekend. Obviously, we never received it. I talked to him again that Wednesday, and he assured me he would have it out by that Thursday, at the latest, Friday. He said he had been bouncing it back and forth with his advisor Again, I gave Jeff the benefit of the doubt. After speaking with his advisor this week, I came to find out that he had never even seen the email. This is the first time I had ever caught Jeff in a lie to me. This was the last straw and I can no longer be associated with him. My paychecks havenʼt been coming as scheduled and I remained employed only because I was the last line of communication between the clients and Jeff. I kept hoping that he would live up to his promises and give everyone their money. Here we are Friday, September 12th, and we still haven't seen the update. Jeff told me during that conversation on the 22nd that he was in the "process of winding down the fund and was going to be returning everybody's funds to them, starting with the newest clients first that were taking the monthly dividend and were relying on the money to live on. And he would end with the older clients who had been compounding as they didn't rely on the funds for monthly bills." I asked him why he wouldn't just send one large wire and get everyone their funds back at the same time, and his response was "it just isn't that easy Ben. It will take some time." So I followed up with "Do you have the liquidity to pay all funds back to the investors" and he responded with "I do, but it will take some time." He figured it was going to be about a two month process. I have changed my cell phone number due to the fact that I had given it out to many clients over the course of the last couple months. I will however, give you my email address (separate from FCSL email address as I'm sure that one will be canceled) should you wish to you contact me for any reason. I won't promise how long it will take me to respond, and I won't have any further communication with Jeff from this point forward. Being that I am the last rep Jeff has, the last person to reach is Jeff as far as I know. The accountant doesn't have any more answers than I've had over the past few months according to what I have been told. The best way to reach Jeff is via email at jefflow22@hotmail.com and ceo@firstcapitalsl.com. His telephone number in Panama is 610-819-7678 Please forward this to anyone you know who is invested with FCSL.
Kind Regards:
Ben Greenwood
benfcsl@gmail.com
Ben Greenwood
Account Representative
First Capital Savings and Loan
1-866-805-3079
bengreenwood@firstcapitalsl.com
www.firstcapitalsl.com
Friday, September 12, 2008
Sept. 12 update
All wires are pending approval by Jeff.
He was working on distributing his new paper last week.
http://newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd387.htm
Ben Greenwood reigned.
We still have not heard of anyone pursuing legal action. No one wants it to come to that. From many of your e-mails it is apparent that some of you still give Jeff the benefit of the doubt. I personally believe we need to stay positive. Hopefully Jeff will contact the blog personally and allow us at the blog to contact him by phone once a week. That way we can give updates to all.
Please view the new comments on the other posts.
Please notice the new question posted to the right.
According to Jeff, he still has all the principle money in the account and has not been touched.
First Capital Savings and Loan Client
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Sept. 06 update
First Capital Savings and Loan Client
Thursday, September 4, 2008
FYI: e-mail updates
First Capital Savings and Loan Client
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
FYI Desist and Refrain Order, CA
-1-
DESIST AND REFRAIN ORDER
State of California - Department of Corporations
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
BUSINESS, TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING AGENCY
DEPARTMENT OF CORPORATIONS
TO: Jeff Lowrance
Mentor Investing Group, Inc.
www.mentorinvestinginc.com
501 W. Broadway
Plaza “A” - #403
San Diego, CA 92101
DESIST AND REFRAIN ORDER
(For violations of section 29520 of the Corporations Code)
The California Corporations Commissioner finds that:
1. At all relevant times, Mentor Investing Group, Inc. (“Mentor Investing”) conducted
business at 501 W. Broadway, Plaza “A” - #403, San Diego, CA 92101. Jeff Lowrance
(“Lowrance”) was a purported principal of Mentor Investing.
2. Beginning in at least March 2006, and continuing thereafter, Mentor Investing and Lowrance, through its Internet site www.mentorinvestinginc.com, sold or purchased, or offered to sell or purchase commodities under commodities contracts, or offered to enter into, or entered into, as sellers or purchasers any commodity contracts in the state of California.
3. The commodity contracts Mentor Investing, Lowrance and www.mentorinvestinginc.com offered and sold, or offered to enter into or entered into as sellers or purchasers on behalf of investors, were primarily for speculative and investment purposes, in that, the contracts were purchased, sold, and entered into based on quoted price changes and fluctuations in particular currencies, rather than as a means of acquiring the physical commodities.
4. The foreign currencies purchased or sold, or offered to be purchased or sold under commodity contracts were commodities within the meaning of section 29504 of the California Commodity Law of 1990.
-2-
DESIST AND REFRAIN ORDER
State of California - Department of Corporations
Based upon the foregoing findings, the California Corporations Commissioner is of the
opinion that Mentor Investing, Lowrance and www.mentorinvestinginc.com purchased, or offered to sell or purchase commodities under commodities contracts, or offered to enter into, or entered into, as sellers or purchasers any commodity contracts.
Pursuant to Section 29542 of the California Commodity Law of 1990, Mentor Investing
Group Inc., Jeff Lowrance and www.mentorinvestinginc.com are hereby ordered to desist and refrain from the further offer or sale of commodities, including but not limited to foreign currency contracts, or from the further offer to enter into, or from entering into, as sellers or purchasers, any commodity contracts, in the state of California, unless and until such activity is not in violation of Corporations
Code section 29520 of said law.
This Order is necessary, in the public interest, for the protection of investors and consistent
with the purposes, policies, and provisions of the California Commodity Law of 1990.
Dated: September 13, 2006
Los Angeles, California
PRESTON DuFAUCHARD
California Corporations Commissioner
By ____________________________
ALAN S. WEINGER
Supervising Attorney
Enforcement Division
Aug 26 update
Blog Archive
Weblog Introduction
No one knows what the future may bring so if you would like to be included in any communications please sign up by emailing firstcapitalsl@gmail.com
This is the same e-mail address you will use if you would like to:
ask questions
submit questions to be posted for everyone to help answer
submit your name, e-mail, phone, etc to the list
help answer questions others may have
give any information you have on FCSL or Jeff Lowrance
receive any information we have
etc.