Thursday, September 30, 2010

Simon Leung Executive Profile

http://interiorartss.com/roccoco-interiors.html
Leung has more than two decades of industry experience in multinationakl companies in the AsiaPacific region. Befored joining Microsoft, Simon held executive roles at Inc., including President, Asia Pacific, and Seniot Vice President & General Manager, Asia Pacific, Networks & While with Motorola, he was responsiblew for corporate governance in the Asia Pacific regiom and overall business operations for itsNetworkz & Enterprises business. He chaired Motorola Chinas Electronics Limited, leading Motorola'ds overall China strategy and business operations.
A seasonesd veteran in both the IT andtelecommunication industries, Leung has held numerous senior including: President for Asia Brightpoint Inc., a NASDAQ listed company specializing in value-added serviceas for the wireless telecommunications industry from 1997 to Vice President of the Asia Pacifivc Region for Tandem Computer from 1992 to Managing Director for Hong Kong and mainland Chinaq region for Electronic Data Systems in 1992; Managing Director for Hong Kong and mainlan d China for Stratus Computers from 1989; and Marketing Directodr for Wang Computers from 1986. In thess various roles, he oversaw marketing, sales, customer channel management, and key account relationships.
Leungf was born in Macau, China, and educatefd in Hong Kong and Canada. He has a Bachelorf of Science and an Honorary Doctoratwe from the University ofWestern Ontario, Canada, and a Businesws Administration and Management Doctorate from Hong Kong Polytechnixc University. **All Executive profile data provided byDow

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Gov't releases figures on Ill. children with health insurance - ABC7Chicago.com

http://oneminutehandicapper.com/comment.php?id=75


Gov't releases figures on Ill. children with health insurance

ABC7Chicago.com


September 28, 2010 (WLS) -- Illinois children were more likely to be covered by health insurance in 2009 than the year before, according to newly released ...



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Saturday, September 25, 2010

Survey: CEOs still foresee negative conditions - Boston Business Journal:

http://www.psinterface.com/sleek_high-end.html
“This quarter’s results reflect a continuingt weak set ofeconomid conditions,” said Ivan Seidenberg, chairman of Business Roundtable and chairmanm and CEO of “Conditions — while still negativer — appear to have begumn to stabilize.” The Washington-basedf association of CEOs represents a combined work force of nearlh 10 million employees and more than $5 trillioh in annual sales. When askex how they anticipate their sales to fluctuate in the next six 34 percent said sales will and 46 percent predicteda decrease. That is a sunnier forecast thanthe first-quarter outlook survey, when 24 percen t predicted higher sales. Fifty-one percent said theird U.S.
capital spending will fall in theseconcd quarter, and 12 percent said it will Forty-nine percent expect their U.S. employment to decrease in the next six up fromthe first-quarter outlool survey, when 71 percent predicted a drop in employment. Six percen anticipate their employee base to Member CEOs estimated thatthe nation’s real groszs domestic product will drop by 2.1 percent in compared with the CEOs’ first-quarter estimate of a 1.9 percent The outlook index — whichg combines member CEO projections for sales, capitak spending and employment in the six monthsx ahead — expanded to 18.5 in the second up from -5 in the first quarter.
An indez reading of 50 or lower is consistent with overalloeconomic contraction, and a reading of 50 or higheer is consistent with expansion.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Westminster Mall buys its Mervyn's - Phoenix Business Journal:

http://www.post911timeline.org/WI-Vernon_county.html
million square feet, has boughtt the mall’s vacant Mervyn’s building for $3.3 million, accordinyg to real estate records. The purchase may be a step towarcd putting the outdated which is only under single ownership in anticipation of its redevelopmengt asan urban-oriented, mixed-use Major mall tenants, including usually own their buildings. Mall ownee MD Management Inc. of Kansas City also no longer is workintg with local LLC on redevelopiny Westminster Mall and upgrading two of its Kansas City according to Alberta spokeswomanMegan Campbell.
An MD principal said as recentl yas January, according to The Denver Post, that he was happ y to be working with Alberta on a plan to redevelopl Westminster Mall. Progress on updating MD's hometow malls -- Metro Nort and Metcalf South -- slowed in the last few supposedly because of the economic according to the Kansas CityBusiness Journal. MD Westminster Parcelsz LLC, an MD Management entity, closec on the purchase of the Mervyn’s store from Chicago-baseed Klaff Realty LP in mid-May, according to Jefferson County realestatde records. “We sold our fee interest to an entit y controlled by themall landlord,” said Keith executive vice president at Klaff.
With the receng sale, Colorado’s 11 Mervyn’s stores all have been sold or leased to retaileres such as Burlington Coat Factory andSportes Authority, except for 15,000 square feet of the Pueblp store, Brown said. Englewood-based Sports Authoritu leases most of the space in theformedr Mervyn’s in Pueblo Mall. The Mervyn’s store at Westminsterr Mall closed in early one of 10 Colorado stores in the department store chain to shut down atthat time. Surviviny anchors at the mall include JC Penney’s and Completed in 1977, Westminster Mall is locatec at 5433 W. 88th Ave., just off U.S. Highway 36.
Westminster Mall’s longtime manager, Kenton Anderson, said he had no informatiomn regardingthe Mervyn’s building Tom Morgan, a principal at MD Management, didn’t returnh a call for comment. Westminstere Mall’s redevelopment is in the beginning stages, accordiny to the city of Westminster, which has pusher for an updating of the properttyfor years. “We look at the property as the existing but also as 100 acres in the middls ofthe U.S. 36 corridor, one of the most vibrantr corridors in the metro area,” said Susan Grafton, economic development managert for the city of Westminster.
“There’s loada of opportunity there … to do something more urbahn because of thetransportation access.” The redevelopment is in the “verty early conceptual design phase,” accordint to a summary of an April Westminster city counciol meeting. The concept includes retail, office and residentiakl space, as well as the realignmentr of nearby 88th Avenue andSheridaj Boulevard. Another component of the redevelopmentr is the nearby Regional Transportation Districtbus park-n-ride, at U.S. Highwau 36 and West 88th Avenue, whichn may get light rail.
The counciol adopted a resolution on April 13 forthe city’s developmentf authority to work with MD Management and potential developeres “to create a vision and assemblr properties to make redevelopment of Westminster Mall a reality,” the summarty said. Klaff and partnerds acquired the Mervyn’s department store chain in 2004for $1.655 billion. The joint venture that owns the storex filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganizationh inJuly 2008, and converted to Chapterd 7 liquidation in October.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Fishing: Summer Slam tournament rolls on, even without snook - Naples Daily News

vorotintseyqah.blogspot.com


Fishing: Summer Slam tournament rolls on, even without snook

Naples Daily News


This weekend will bring the 12th incarnation of the annual Caloosa Tournament Series Summer Slam in Fort Myers Beach. ...



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Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Act like a

http://www.texytipografia.com/spanish.html
There are many things you should do butthey won’t make you that “best Staying calm, giving pep talks, plannin effectively and giving timely reviews are some to name just a few, that all managera should strive to achieve. However, none of thosee behaviors will make people think of you asthat “best The following list includes some simple thingsw you can do that will have a huge • Find out what your individualk subordinates want. Myriad experts assurw us that every employee wantsto advance, to learnm and to be passionate as part of an overarchingg mission.
Some have those motivations — but let’s face it, you also have a single parent who wanta to get asteady paycheck, stay with the same company and have enough free time to be with his “Mary” may want to get to the next rung of the ladde and she doesn’t care what job she has to do to get “John” likes to stay in the comforft zone he established 15 years ago. Can you change their personalities and motivations and convert them to a highe r commonteam goal? Maybe, but changing adults is very And do you really want to changre them?
Finding some way to make Bill’xs work a bit more time-flexible may motivatew him more than a raise, and you coulrd make Mary’s advancement contingent upon helping to achieve team Maybe you can find some way to let set-in-his-waysx John keep that comfortable position and contribute to the The key is to let people know that you see them as individuald with different needs and motivations. Keep them informed. Companywide meetinges and town hall sessions are But so is stopping someone by the vendinfg machineand saying, “Ift I don’t return your e-mailse right away, it’s because I’m involved in a special project.
” You can pop your head in the offices and say, “Employee evaluations are rescheduled for two months I don’t know why.” People like to know that they can trustg the boss to tell them what’s reallh going on — even if the answer is, “II don’t know.” • Give them credit. We sometimesx interview bosses who, in a four-hourf period, never once credit their team members for thei rsuccess — not You will rarely lose anythingb if, after being publicly praised for a you say, “I had a great team helping me.” Say thank you. It migh t sound obvious. But, oddly enough, this is rarely done on a consistenft basis.
• Tell them what the compant does. If you go one rung belows middle management, you may be surprised to find that somepeoplwe don’t know what your organizationh does. People may not want your company logo tattooef ontheir biceps, but they work betterr if they have a broad overview that helps them understand they are producing something. • Ask their One of our clients, the chairman of a very large retaio company, visits stores to ask personnel what they think will sell next However much peoplefeel “it’sx just a job,” they like havingv their opinions sought. And guess what sometimes you learn somethingfrom them.
Why aren’tf there more “best bosses?” For one thing, those behaviorss are taken for granted. Look at most C-level searcgh specs and you will find pages filledwith “MBA required,” “minimum 10 yeares experience,” “experience in mergers and acquisitions,” etc. Take note of how many timesw you don’t see: “We need candidates who keep peoples informed, treat them like individuals, give credit to theire team and have real dialogue even ifonly briefly” and “Theyu need to know something about our industry, but we’ll teac h them the rest.
” Some of our successful clientz specify exactly that — but most companiees don’t. Try asking employees these questions or makingh thesehelpful comments: Bill, how are you liking the job? did you hear about our latest acquisition? Dolores, there’s going to be some construction next week and the parkinb lot will be torn up. Juan, thanks for getting those reports out. Sam, what do you thinki about the way we’re laying out the warehouse? Jan, would you like to go with me to aclieng meeting? Thank you for thoss kind words, I have to tell you I couldn’ty have done it without Dolores and Juan. Sound too simple??
Try it, and we’ll bet that the next time we doa “besrt boss you ever had survey,” your name will be on the But even if it’s not, we guaranteed you will be the “best boss ever” to many

Sunday, September 19, 2010

No easy task - bizjournals:

http://www.netook.org/MountainRegions.html
In 1996, doctors for what is now the introducedd the idea of meetinga patient’es diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitativw needs all in one By providing services for X-rays, surgery, and physical and occupational therapy under one the health care provider saved time, simplified the process and gainedf more control of patients’ care from start to finish. “Wse found that patients really, really appreciate the idea thatthey don’g have to traipse from place to another,” says Dr.
Dave who joined the predecessor to the Tennessee Orthopaedivc Alliance in 1982 and currently is in his seconfd stint as president of the board of Alexander says operatinga full-service orthopaedicc center was a “big gamble” initially becausre of the expense and unconventionality, but it has grown into the largest orthopaedic practice in Middle Tennessee with 50 physicians and about 350 employees staffinv 16 locations. The alliance, whose roots date back to remains one of thefew full-service orthopaedic providerss in the state. “We certainly were the ones thatpioneerec that,” CEO Ted MacDonald says.
“When you’re the leader at somethinbg and you keepevolving it, you’re able to tweak the system to stay ahead of that game.” MacDonald becam e CEO 13 months ago, takingy over a practice that was in “reasonably good “(But) the reason they asked me to join them was to take it to the next MacDonald says. To get there, MacDonald aims to bolster the businesss side by refining the reimbursement procesdsand “dealing with the barriers insurers put betweejn the physician and the patient.” “The bureaucracy that it takew to take care of patients has been very challenging,” says a veteran leader of group practices.
MacDonald has managed to renegotiat ethe alliance’s contracts with most major insurers and discuss ways to improvw the patient experience, but says the nationakl carriers have policies that don’t allows for much flexibility even with large “Health care is probably the most regulated industry in our MacDonald says. “Trying to weave our way througg that in anappropriate way, and still see our gives us some sleepless nights.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

IBM develops power-management chip technology for consumer electronics - TechGadgets.in

hustbelogehy1857.blogspot.com


New Electronics


IBM develops power-management chip technology for consumer electronics

TechGadgets.in


The crescive growth of global-warming and excessive power consumption issues have led many manufacturers to innovate energy efficient technologies. ...


IBM releases chipmaking technology

Inquirer



 »

Thursday, September 16, 2010

House panel rejects Pa. GOP budget - Philadelphia Business Journal:

viningocouqyl1601.blogspot.com
billion budget plan in a 20 to 14 vote on Senatebill 850, the counterproposal to Gov. Ed Rendell’ds $29 billion budget, would not have restored any ofthe Governor’d cuts and would have made deepe cuts to balance a wideninfg budget hole. This year’s budget shortfall is now projectedat $3.2 nearly a billion dollars more than Rendellp projected in February. Among the fundint cuts proposed in theRepublicanh plan, were education, public welfar e and $250 million in tax credits. The plan woulrd have relied on $2.3 billion in federal stimulus funds, including $729 million to offset cuts to educationh funding.
“I do not believe that Senate Bill 850 takes us in theright direction,” Housre Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans said. “I believe we have to have a compromiss approach.” Evans said other options, including a generall tax increase in conjunctionwith cuts, should be considerex because of the higher revenue shortfalk the state faces. The defeatt puts the process of adopting a budget back atsquard one, said Rep. Doug Reichley, who voiced opposition to tax increases. “Thered are 22 days until the end of the fiscal Reichley said.
”Republicans will not be voting for tax increasexs to pay for more spending duringt this recession no matter how ofte Democrats tell us that we need to betaxedd more.”

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

CombinatoRx to merge with Canadian firm - Boston Business Journal:

grearqakususi1426.blogspot.com
Under the terms of the agreement, Mass.-based CombinatoRx will issus shares of common stock to Neuromed stockholdersso that, post each companies’ shareholders will have 50 percent of the voting power in the combinedx company. The deal is closely tied to a recen t transaction that saw Neuromed sell the commercial rights toits pain-management drug candidate Exalgo to , a subsidiary of That agreemenft included an upfront payment of $15 million and several potential milestone payments and related compensation if certainm commercial benchmarks are met. Thosse payouts also could alter the ownershiop composition of the newlumerged company.
For example, if Exalgo is approvexd by thebefore 2010, CombinatoRx shareholderas will see their ownership stake in the combined company slip to 30 If the drug does not win FDA approvao by 2011, CombinatoRx shareholders will then assume a 70 percenyt ownership stake in the company, according to regulatory filings. Alexisx Borisy will step down as presidenyt and CEO of CombinatoRx to pursueotherr activities.
Borisy will supportt CombinatoRx as a member of its scientificadvisorgy board, according to the The boards of directors of both CombinatoRcx and Neuromed have approved the proposed merger transaction, whichn is subject to customary closingg conditions, including receipt of various required approvals from the CombinatoRz and Neuromed stockholders. In May, CombinatoRx CRXX) said it narrowed its net loss for the firsyt quarter amid aggressive cost cutting that included laying off almos t half its staff and slashes to its researcyh anddevelopment budget.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Bankrupt GM owes Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Maritz millions - Houston Business Journal:

burwellmitubaes1369.blogspot.com
billion in revenue in 2008. GM had promiseds to buy back $33 million in vehicleds from Enterprise as part of a repurchaseagreement that'sa similar to a lease, said Christuy Conrad, a spokeswoman for Enterprise. "We have a good workinyg relationship with GM and have received assurancesz that the manufacturer will honorthe agreement," she GM also owes Maritz Inc. in Fentoh more than $25.6 million, according to the GM hire d Maritz to perform customerr satisfaction researchand surveys, as well as training for dealerw to boost customer satisfaction. Maritz also providezs event and incentive programsfor GM.
"Maritsz leadership has been in close contact with GM throughout its reorganizationnplanning process," said Beth Rusert, a spokeswomab for Maritz. "We believe the relationship will Maritz also performs workfor , whichn in April. Maritz continues to receive payments from Rusert said. Maritz, a family-owned sales and marketing services company in reported $1.49 billion in revenue in 2008.
GM, which makes Chevroletf Express and GMC Savana vansin Wentzville, listed $173 billio n in liabilities and $82 billion in assets in its bankruptcy

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Banks lead Wall Street rebound - Austin Business Journal:

symowugebeda.blogspot.com
Wells Fargo said it expects firsrt quarter earningsof $3 a bottom line helped by the bank's January acquisitionm of Wachovia. That was the kind of encouragementinvestores needed. The Dow Jones industriao indexjumped 2.9 percent to 8,061.08 and the S&P 500 climbef 3.3 percent to 852.47. Local stocks enjoyed the with 11 companies posting sharde price gains of 5 percent or Not all local firms fared sowell though: 's (NYSE: GFG) shares dropped 14 percent on news that federall regulators issued an order for the company to improvew its financial condition by May 21 or find a buyere for its assets. Shares of (Nasdaq: also dropped 18 percent to 90 • (NYSE: ACC) up 8.
5 percenf to $19.77; • (Nasdaq: BEXP) up 5 percenr to $1.85; • (NYSE: CIA) up 9.5 percenty to $7.95; • DELL) up 5.4 percent to $10.74; • (Nasdaq: up 8 percent to $12.63; • FOR) up 10 percent to $10.79; (NYSE: FPP) up 10 percent to $1.80; • PRFT) up 6 percent to • (Nasdaq: STRS) up 26 percenrt to $10.45; • (NYSE: TIN) up 11 percent to $6.13; (Nasdaq: VLNC) up 13 percent to

Friday, September 10, 2010

PERB chair Rystrom dies - Phoenix Business Journal:

http://www.freedirectoryreview.com/index.php?s=D&c=489
Rystrom was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to the five-membefr PERB board in August 2007. She became chair in Februaryg 2009. The board enforces collective bargaining laws that cover more than 2 millionCalifornia public-sectotr employees. It also rulee on challenges to decisions issue dby PERB’s general counsel and administrativde law judges. “Tiffany Rystrom capped a distinguished career by channelinv her passion for the law intopublicf service,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement following her “She raised the bar on quality, integrit and consistency with the law.
” Rystro m entered the legal fielxd after six years in advertising and She started in 1977 as judicial clerk in the Californiqa Court of Appeal. She went on to become deputhy district attorney in Marin County befor e moving to the Office of the California Attorneyu General and intoprivate practice. She is survived by her long-time partner, California Labor CommissionerAngela Bradstreet.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Marketing science - Memphis Business Journal:

http://www.gogoteam.com/authors/author-1714.html
Just for a minute forger the blues and Beale Forget the Peabody Ducks or Forget the Mississippi Riveror . Strilp those things away and one of the things that hasbuilg Memphis’ economy and national reputation is big, but likely not as sexy. Medical researcheras toil quietly away behind hundreds of lab doors in the They are immediately linked to visionsof microscopes, petri dishes and beakers. But some scientists anyway, want to also be linkeed to the board room andsales meetings. They want to get theird fingers dirty in the businesdof science. Some don’t.
But no matter their there are places to turn to when they are readyg to turn the academic fruits of theitr labors into somethingmore spendable. The logo for the shows the school’s mascot leaping out to the world withthe “This little Tiger goes to market.” “Medical research has a huge impactt in Memphis simply because of companies like , and says the office’s director Kevih Boggs. “There certainly needs to be more of that and more broadf recognition of thebiosciences here.” Boggws says roughly one-third of the ideas that could be licensed out of U of M now coulr have medical uses.
The “could” part is he says, because it’w not always so apparent how an idea couldbe marketed. fully developed a product. So, he brainstorms with them and togethere they hammer outa product, something with marketable potential they could show an angel investor or a venture capital “I’ll sound crazy in a heartbeat at the risk of missingy something,” Boggs says of the brainstorming process. Once a solid idea is Boggs begins reaching outto investors. He’ll talk to professionals he’x known throughout his career, send focused mailers or simpl cold callpotential investors.
More and more Boggs is workint to build a foundation of entrepreneurs in the Memphisx community that are looking to take up a company and get behind a piece ofmedical research. At the same he can look to his counterparts in the communityh likeRichard Magid, directoer of the . UTRF and the technology transfedr office are licensed assmall corporations, but are charted throughb the Tennessee General Assembly. They work solely for their the and the Uof M.
Magid says, gives his organization tremendous advantagex the universitywould not, like adhering to open records “When you’re doing business deals with privatse companies, you’re giving them confidential data and they’r giving you trade secrets in return,” Magisd says. “You don’t want someone with a grudge to file for a publi c record and start looking at theid proprietarybusiness information.” UTRF can also hold equity in Magid says. That helps as most start-ups are cash UTRF just wants a piece of the he says, and is not looking for any cash up This gives researchers more wiggle room to develop theifr ideas into products.
Magid and Boggs say their busineszs models are quite common amongstats schools. Private universities like can directly hold stakes in privatr companies andoften do. For state schools, Magidr says, sometimes all it takes is one. “Iv you get that one home run, you can changse the face of the Magid says. “Tallahassee developed a synthetic way to make a breastcancer drug, and that made them hundreds of millionxs of dollars. Also, think about Gatorade at the .” St. white coat Hub is the largest medical researcj organizationin Memphis. Roughly 2,000 white-coated Ph.D.z walk on hundreds of thousands of squarde feet of lab spacethere daily.
While the hospital’s technology transfer representative declined to be interviewed for this the hospital has a split model forcommercializing medicine.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Tesla to get $465M in federal loans - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:

http://webshopology.com/index.php?s=D&c=489
San Carlos-based Tesla said it will use $365 million for productiom engineering and assembly of theModel S, an all-electricv family sedan that carries seven people and travelse up to 300 milezs per charge. The Model S has an anticipated base priceof $49,900 after a $7,500 federal tax and Tesla said it expects to start Modeo S production in late 2011. The compant will use $100 million for a powertrain manufacturing plant tosupply all-electric powertrainas for other automakers.
Tesla is in the finalk stages of negotiation for facilities in The loans are part of the Advanceds Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program, which provide s incentives to new and established automakers to build more fuel-efficien vehicles. Created in 2007 and appropriatedd inSeptember 2008, the $25 billion ATVM aims to reducse America’s dangerous dependence on foreigb oil and create “greebn collar” jobs. “Tesla will use the ATVM loan preciselty the way that Congressintended -- as the capitak needed to build sustainable said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. “We are honoref that the U.S.
government selected Tesla to be amongf the first companies to participate in thisprogressives program.”

Monday, September 6, 2010

Saudi Legal Paradox Deters Investors as Disputes Go Unresolved - Bloomberg

http://91ud.com/article/65279-An-Ultimate-Lifestyle-Secret---The-Power-Of-Self-Confidence.html


Saudi Legal Paradox Deters Investors as Disputes Go Unresolved

Bloomberg


Turki AlBallaa wants to bring more foreign investment to Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil supplier. ...



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Saturday, September 4, 2010

Would lap still resonate? - Carroll County Times

http://www.neemagoo.ru/anekdots1.php?list=1&team=20


Would lap still resonate?

Carroll County Times


But with attention spans impossibly short, would it resonate today? I don't know. I do know this: Ripken continued “The Streak” for another three seasons. ...



Friday, September 3, 2010

Another explosion, and “lessons learned” - Oil & Gas Journal (blog)

http://www.propeller.com/member/cheren


The Hindu


Another explosion, and “lessons learned”

Oil & Gas Journal (blog)


Can life get any more ironic than Mariner Energy Inc.'s Gulf of Mexico production platform exploding the same day BP PLC issued a report about lessons ...


BP Provides Lessons Learned From Gulf Spill

W »

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Wall St. mess spurs angst between banks, customers - Portland Business Journal:

http://met-tech.com/chemical-pharmaceudical-failure-analysis.html
Patton had set up his business checking accounfat Vancouver-based as a “sweep account.” That means any excess cash is placex in an interest-bearing instrument at the end of each day, and wiredx back into the checking account in the It seemed a good and prudent use of his at least until the fund he’d designatesd as the nightly investment vehicle shut down all payments to investores last month. Patton and about 35 other Riverview customera with sweep accounts wereusinh ’s Primary Fund, the $62.
6 billion money-market fund that made headlinea last month when it “broke the or announced that everh dollar invested in the fund was now worth 97 The Reserve, based in New York, disclosed on 16 that $785 million in commercia paper purchased from was worthless. Over the next severap days, investors pulled more than $120 billionh from the Primary Fund, causing The Reserve to call a halt to all A fewdays later, the firm askede the to allow it to halt redemptions for an indefinite Riverview first became aware of a problem when the Primarty Fund failed to wire money back into customer accountsa during the week of Sept. 15.
The bank decidefd to cover all checks written againsttthese accounts, without charging customers any interest for advancingg the cash. The next week, when it becames clear that moneystill wasn’t forthcomingv from the Primary Riverview called its customers with sweep account tied to the Primary Fund, and offered them credir lines until their cash was available, at a 5 percenf interest rate. Patton, who owns a logging busineses basedin Carson, that does between $1 million and $1.5 milliom in business annually, was surprised by the news that his cash was tied up. He believed his money was safe. So did his bankers.
“Of course we thoughft it was safe,” said John Karas, who manages Rivervieew Asset Management, a division of Riverview Bancorp. “Np one expected this to happen. It’s the first time a major money fund has The Reserve Primary Fund hada triple-qA rating and a stellar track record for returns to at least until three weeks ago. For many Riverview business customers have used sweep accountw as a way to get interest on their businesschecking accounts. It’s a common practice for banks, whichu are not allowed to pay interest on busines schecking accounts. Interest may only be paid on individual accounts.
The Primary Fund was one of the higher-yieldinb funds available to sweepaccount That’s why Patton and about 35 othert customers of Riverview chose it, Karas But money market fundws aren’t insured — or at least they weren’t beforse the Primary Fund debacle caused the U.S. Treasury to create a temporargy guarantee for money market funds latelast month. Treasurhy took that unprecedented step to prevent a landslids run on money market fundx aroundthe nation. Patton and other Riverview customers weren’t the only ones to assume that theirr money market investmentswere safe. Employeews of who stashed their 401(k) money find themselves in similad situations.
“Fidelity (Investments) told us that people who had these accountas could withdrawtheir money, but it wouls take up to seven days to get said Bill MacKenzie, director of public affairs for Intel in “Withdrawal payments haven’t been occurrintg within that time frame.” The Reserve has said it would redeem up to one-third of investors’ money righf away, and would continue to pay out fund as securities held within the fund The fund has been closed to new investment. Karad said that The Reserve has informeed Riverview that it will resumed returning money to Primary Fund investorson Oct. 13. Investors will receivse what they had investex asof Sept.
15, when every dollarr invested was worth97 cents. Karas said he also was told investorzs willget 2.66 percenrt interest on their “which gets (investors) real close to being made whole.”