Timeshare owners should be on their guard if contacted by either Barclays Sterling Ltd & CAS Consumer Arbitration Services, both of which have been brought to the attention of the police in the UK.

Barclays Sterling Ltd, which does not appear to be registered at Companies House but which quotes a Lancashire address, is reportedly contacting timeshare owners and advising them that a buyer has been found for their week or points. This is practice that RDO condemns as, more often than not, the sale fails to take place and the owner loses all monies paid for the so called service.

Barclays Sterling Ltd claims to be part of Consumer Arbitration Services, an organisation that purports to offer resale advice to timeshare owners. The company is again not registered at Companies House and its website was set up using a false address in the US.

Timeshare owners looking to sell should only ever use a company that is a member of RDO and has signed up to its code of conduct. For more information go to www.rdo.org

he police in Spain have closed down 9 companies in Benalmadena, Costa del Sol and have arrested 4 British Nationals allegedly behind the companies, including one individual who had been sought by Interpol.

Members of the public who believe they may have been defrauded by any of these companies should contact RDO’s enforcement team on enforcement@rdo.org as a matter of urgency. The enforcement team, which is headed up by a former Spanish police inspector, works closely with the authorities in Spain to protect timeshare owners and to help bring fraudulent operators to justice.
The companies that have been closed down are:

-INSIDE EUROPE (DENTRO DE EUROPA)
-VIVA CHOICE
-VIVA TRAVEL SPAIN S.C.
-VIVA INTERNATIONAL VACATION AGENCY S.L.
-BLUE CHIP S.L.
-EURO INDEPENDENT MARKETING
-WESTMISTER CONSULTANTS
-AGRICO LTD
-CONTINENTS CONNECTIONS S.C

In Shanghai, industry regulators are warning city residents about buying timeshares.

In the last few weeks, the Shanghai Commission of Consumers' Rights and Interests Protection has received multiple complaints relating to timeshare purchases. Apparently, some timeshare companies are failing to meet their contractual obligations to the timeshare buyers.

In 2010, the regulator has already received 25 complaints relating to timeshare companies, marking a 70 percent increase compared to 2008.

Customers buy a period of time at a resort, which they can use or exchange for a holiday elsewhere. However, the methods used to sell have become deceiving.

Companies claim that they can give the buyer a better price. So, buyers sign the contract without actually reading it, putting them in serious financial risk.

It has been brought to the attention of RDO (Resort Development Organisation) that a business may be operating fraudulently under the guise of affiliate Travel and Leisure Group and undertaking a cold calling programme to timeshare owners.

This company is contacting timeshare owners pretending to be Travel and Leisure and asking them to part with large sums of money to sell their timeshare week. Travel and Leisure Group's Jim Wilson said "the operation is based in a virtual office located in Luton with the contact number 0845 2996074. We have informed the authorities of the situation and urge any timeshare owner who is contacted by this company not to give their credit card details".

If you have been contacted by this apparently fake organisation please contact either Travel and Leisure at their offices on 01781 881111 or email RDO’s enforcement team on enforcement@rdo.org

Summary
After two years of drastic industry decline, the timeshare industry appears to be rebounding. The credit crunch of 2008-2009, in construction financing and especially in receivables funding, forced most large timeshare developers to contract significantly. Most developers refocused their attention on cost cutting and more efficient selling. During this period, the timeshare receivables held up and funding is now becoming available. The outlook is for 12-15% growth for the next 12 months.
Analysis
After a couple of bankruptcies (Celebrity and Island One), the industry has demonstrated its vitality by cutting costs and increasing sales efficiencies. The cost cutting included becoming more responsible in marketing programs and in trimming the less efficient sales staff. Also, they refocused their efforts on selling more to existing timeshare owners, who have demonstrated an 84% satisfaction rate with their ownership. These improvements have resulted in most timeshare developers continuing to sell and remain in business.
The declining property values and lack of construction lending has created a new opportunity and new focus for those timeshare developers who have available investment funds or who are very creative. The highly discounted vacation condominium real estate creates the opportunity for timeshare developers to work with the developers of the "failed condominium projects" to convert them to timeshare. So, timeshare developers are finding a lot of available inventory to sell that can be acquired or sold under contract at very favorable prices.
The timeshare industry continues in business because the product is sold face-to-face and as long as customers can be attracted to the timeshare sales offices, there are sales people there who can sell them.
The only real limitation, which is now showing signs of loosening, is Receivables Funding. Because the timeshare business model is based on building or buying inventory and marketing and selling it and then lending money to the buyer, the cash flow is necessarily negative. Without receivables funding, timeshare developers cannot continue to sell (to existing owners) indefinitely. They need new customers and new customers mean the developer needs receivables funding. In the recent past, some developers were very aggressive in selling to anyone and did not require a minimum credit scores. These developers loan portfolios (for their receivables lenders) took a beating during 2008-2009. However, many developers used credit standards and their portfolios have continued to perform acceptably. Further, the Midwest developers did not have the delinquency problems that east and southeast coast developers had. As a result, some developers portfolios have continued to perform very well during the crisis (less than 2% delinquency). As a result of developers getting more efficient in selling, the institution of tighter credit standards, and some changes in advance rates, the availability of receivables funding is increasing. Advance rates were 90% of the face amount but recently, rates in the area of 75% to 85% have been the norm. However, rates below 85%, in my opinion, are foolish for the lender because it puts the developer at an unnecessarily high risk of negative cash flow -- which could hurt both the developer and the lender, eventually.
So, the outlook is improving. Construction lending is beginning to trickle. Receivables funding is becoming more and more available (where else can an investor get 7% to 9% net with very low risk). Developers are projecting 12-15% growth for the next year. The industry is showing signs of expansion again. As consumer optimism increases, so will the interest in owning their vacations. One interesting point about this two year dip in the economy, while many people postponed or shortened vacations, for the most part, they didn't stop taking vacations. Those who owned their timeshare already, were able to use their previous purchase to minimize their vacation costs in this poor economy. Owning timeshare in this economy has been an advantage for many people.

First American Title Insurance Company becomes a corporate sponsor of Perspective Magazines first annual timeshare and fractional industry networking and awards event.
Perspective Magazine, the timeshare and fractional industrys top independent information provider, announces that First American Title Insurance Company will join in the celebration by becoming a Bronze Sponsor of the First Annual Global Networking Expo, GNEX 2011.
Were excited about this event and proud to be a sponsor of this new opportunity to learn best practices from around the world, said Wayne Sobien, Vice President, First American Title Insurance Company.
GNEX 2011 and the Perspective Magazine Awards Gala will be held May 11th-12th, 2011 at the spectacular Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas. The networking expo will feature an exhibitor hall with creative workshops, networking sessions and areas for one-on-one meetings so business can be conducted. The two-day event will also include a welcome reception, open networking time and the Perspective Magazine Awards Gala dinner where industry nominees will vie for the coveted title of Best In The World.
First American Title Insurance Company has been an industry leader for more than 120 years. They provide comprehensive title insurance protection and professional settlement services for timeshare buyers and sellers, real estate agents and brokers, mortgage lenders, commercial property professionals, homebuilders and developers, title agencies and legal professionals to facilitate real estate purchases, construction, refinances or equity loans. They offer thorough title searches, while title clearance and title insurance policies help to produce clear property titles and enable the efficient transfer of real estate.
We are delighted to welcome First American Title Insurance Company as a sponsor and look forward to them sharing their vast experience in the timeshare and real estate industries with GNEX 2011 attendees in one of our key sessions. said Paul Mattimoe, President and CEO, Perspective Magazine.
For more information on attending the event and to find out how your company can become a sponsor of GNEX 2011, please visit www.perspectivemagazine.com/gnex.

The largest online timeshare marketplace, RedWeek.com, continues its impressive growth with the registration of its 1.5 millionth registered user. Featuring more than 5,000 timeshare resorts worldwide, unique by-owner resort reviews, and an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, it's no wonder the timeshare community and travelers are flocking to RedWeek.com.

“1.5 million users is a significant milestone for us,” says RedWeek.com President Maurice Aubrey. “Our mission is to serve as an advocate for the timeshare owner, so it's encouraging to see our continued growth, much of which is attributable to word-of-mouth recommendations. We have some exciting plans for the future which I'm highly confident will continue this growth trend.”

Other recent milestones include the launch of an affiliate program, a site redesign and user interface improvements, and partnerships with like-minded groups and individuals such as The Timeshare Crusader, Lisa Ann Schreier, and traveling-with-kids website, Trekaroo.com.

RedWeek also continues to enhance its social media presence, including:

· The RedWeek Blog

· RedWeek Travel on Twitter

· RedWeek on Facebook

RedWeek.com is the leading website for by-owner timeshare rentals and resales. With 1.5 million registered users and an A+ Better Business Bureau rating, more-and-more people are turning to RedWeek for their timeshare and travel needs. Owners are able to advertise their weeks for rent or sale, and travelers are able to find amazing deals on timeshare rentals and resales.