I believe the next few quarters bodes ill for HTBK.

I was going through some old papers and things this weekend and came upon their first stockholder bulletin folllowing going public. Their stated (THEN!!)mission was "to be a pre-eminent business bank, delivering reliable, responsible and highly personalized services. We will concentrate our talents and the bank's resources in our owncommunity. (here comes the disconnect)We shall accomplish our mission with experienced executives who have solid roots in the community, by providing all employees with a rewrding place to work, and by complementing their efforts with state-of-the-art technology. We shall strive to provide our shareholders with consistently avove average returns"---end. Is it any wonder I've turned negative on these guys as these past years have gone by? There is no return here; the execs are not rooted in San Jose area; and I'm told it is no longer the great place to work as 10 years agoes, times change and circumstances change. Boots and all notwithstanding. But the insiders should have foreseen the changeover in management from local to regional. We no longer are built to sell/merge but to survive----maybe.

All goes to show that Nothing is for sure! Good luck SV, my tit is in a wringer here and I feel a bit anxious because there seems to be no lining in the clouds.