Regional Sales Managers To establish small ticket vendor programs in major metro areas. Excellent compensation/ benefit package. View job description. Send resumes to Zully.Fernandez@IrwinCF.com Company Description: Irwin Commercial Finance (NYSE: IFC) is a true direct lender and in the ever changing leasing environment, we bring stability, creativity and consistent customer service levels to our business.

www.IrwinCFequipment.com

Friday, April 20, 2007

Headlines---

Classified Ads---Senior Management
    Marlin Leasing announces new President
        Nassau Reports "Repo Trends"
Learn vehicle leasing-add to sales tool box
    Classified Ads---Help Wanted
        ELFA Financial Institutions Conference report
“To Tell the Truth---Barry A. Dubin, Esq
"Not in favor of signed lease check list"
    Meetings for Members/Non-Members/networking
        Melissa Data acquires Peoplesmith Software
Affiliated Announces Warehouse Line Increase
    Olivier Delière in France for Alta Group
        Bank divided as deputy tells Wolfowitz to go
    News Briefs---
You May have Missed---
    "Gimme that Wine"
        Calendar Events
Snapple Real Facts
—“High Five:” Dusty Baker/Glenn Burke
    Today's Top Event in History
        This Day in American History
Baseball Poem—“Stolen Butter”
    SuDoku
        Daily Puzzle

######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Classified Ads---Senior Management

All classified advertisers have been contacted three times to confirm that they want to continue their ad, to confirm the e-mail is working, and to learn if they are any changes. Those that have not responded, will be deleted from the classified ads as no longer seeking employment.
editor

Atlanta, GA
Experienced leasing exec looking for next challenge. Various asset types, deal sizes and channels. Turn-around or expansion opportunity.
Email: akimicata@mindspring.com

Atlanta, GA
Strong sales and leadership skills; demonstrated with sales training and sales performance. Lead team in both regional and national operations and developed marking programs.
Email: mll1946@comcast.net

Baltimore, MD
25 year veteran of commercial and equipment leasing seeking a senior management position with leasing or asset based financing company in the southeast (Florida preferred)
Email: kellogg_md@yahoo.com

Denver, CO
Fortune 500 GM/SVP wants to team up with aggressive lender looking for Western expansion mid-market equip. finance/leasing. 20+ years experience within Rocky Mountain/Southwest and
Ca markets.
Email: legal@csotn.com

Hope, NJ
25 years in optimizing call center operations, collections, billing, and back end revenue generation. Experienced in $7 + billion dollar portfolios. Verifiable achievements.
E-mail: cmate@nac.net

Long Island, NY
Degree Banking/Finance. 13 years leasing exp. Now prez young leasing company where promises were not met. Interested in joining established firm with future.
Email: bob33483@yahoo.com

New York, NY, NJ, Ct Tri-State
Top Exec. middle and big ticket, top skills treasury,funding, ops,transaction detail, syndication, ready to max profit, help build quality operation. right now!
E-Mail: leasefinance@optonline.net

Philadelphia, PA
27 yrs. exp. sales, ops., credit, strategy, P&L mngmet. Most recently created & executed the biz plans for 2 highly successful Bank-owned small ticket leasing subsidiaries.
email: mccarthy2020@comcast.net

Salt Lake City, UT
GM in Sales, Marketing & Operations for Several technology captives. Seeking new adventure in Western States. Consultant of full time.
Email: stevegbdh@hotmail.com

San Francisco, CA
25 years experience w/global leasing company, sales,marketing,business dev., P&L responsibility, asset mgmt, brokering and re-marketing. Interested in joining an est. firm with a future.
Email: rcsteyer@yahoo.com

Sausalito, CA
Sr. Corp. officer, presently serving as consultant, fin. service background, M&A, fund raising, great workout expertise, references
Email: nywb@aol.com

Syracuse, NY
Int. equip. leasing exec. 25 yrs global P&L sr. mngt., including corporate turnarounds, strategic planning, new biz dev., structure finance, contract neg., vendor leasing specialist.
Email: jimh356094@aol.com

Wilmington, DE
Over 15 years experience managing Credit, Risk Management and Fraud operations for large Financial Institution. Proven Results. Anywhere between NYC and DC for right opportunity.
Email: cklous@comcast.net

To place a free “job wanted” ad here, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm

For a full listing of all “job wanted” ads, please go to:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

[headlines]

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Marlin Leasing announces new President

Sanjaya Malakar, Marlin Leasing new President

(He reports directly to CEO Dan Dyer. They have lunch often.)

[headlines]

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Nassau Reports "Repo Trends"

Nassau’s latest NQI compares the company’s internal repossession and orderly liquidation activity in 2006 with 2005. The company tracks equipment trends as part of its business providing collections, repossessions and remarketing services to the nation’s leasing and finance industry.

Construction Repos Flat-Lined – Repossessions and liquidations of construction equipment dropped insignificantly in 2006 (-2%). Castagna believes the market for used construction equipment will remain strong due to the weakened dollar, which attracts international buyers, and because of steady demand from global mining, roadwork and infrastructure projects. He says Nassau is keeping a close watch on slowdowns in certain sectors of the construction industry, such as new housing, as well as the fallout from sub prime rate mortgages; both situations have the potential to affect repossessions not only in the construction industry, but also for forestry, sawmills, truss manufacturing, excavating, transportation and other industries serving builders.

Machine Tool Repos Rose Moderately – Repossessions and liquidations of machine tools rose more than 8% in 2006. This reflects the increasing number of machine tools in the marketplace as the industry recovers from lows earlier this decade. The market grew an estimated 27% in 2006, experiencing its best year since 2000, according to the Association for Manufacturing Technology.

Medical Repos Dropped -- Repossessions and liquidations nose dived in 2006 for medical devices (-33%). Nassau believes the numbers reflect the strength and stability of the medical equipment market in recent years, resulting in fewer repossessions for that sector. The market for new medical devices is growing 8%-10% annually, according to a report by Accellent Inc., a manufacturing services provider to the medical device industry, and market demand for innovative products should continue as the population ages.

Printing Repos Plunged -- Repossessions and liquidations of printing equipment also decreased (-35%). To date, Nassau has found little industry data to pinpoint reasons for the drop, but is continuing to study the situation. Castagna also notes that his colleagues are reporting a possible pick-up in printing repossessions activity so far in 2007.

Repossessions and liquidations of tractor-trailer trucks rose nearly 8% in 2006 compared with 2005.

An increase in repossessions is not always negative, says Nassau President Edward Castagna. It can simply reflect an overall increase in financed equipment saturating the marketplace or consolidation as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Edward Castagna, President, Nassau Asset Management

“Truck repossessions and liquidations have been on an upward trend for seven of the past eight quarters, and current conditions indicate this trend will continue,” Castagna explains. “Fuel prices are lower than during the spikes in 2005, but still highly unstable. The drop in new home construction is hurting portions of the transportation sector. And there are general economic factors to consider. Problems with the sub-prime mortgage industry, for example, are making it harder for struggling businesses everywhere to squeeze equity from their real estate.”

Fortunately for companies that finance trucks, there is a silver lining: the current demand for used tractor-trailer vehicles.

“Right now there is a steady market for used trucks,” Castagna says. “It is difficult to predict the future, but we feel the market should remain strong this year and possibly into 2008.”

One reason is that the 2007 trucks meeting new EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) diesel engine regulations are just starting to roll off the line. Their engines are unproven, cost more to maintain, and are being avoided by buyers for as long as possible. Even though today’s buyers can opt for new 2006 models that are still being sold, Castagna believes concerns over the 2007 models may also fuel used truck sales.

Nassau Asset Management of Westbury, NY, has been providing nationwide full-service asset management, including equipment remarketing, fleet and plant liquidations, collections, and appraisals for more than 25 years to the equipment finance industry. For more information, please visit www.nasset.com or call 1-800-4.NASSAU.

Edward Castagna
1-800.4.NASSAU, ext. 301
ecast@nasset.com, cc: dcastagna@nasset.com
(It should be noted that Mr. Castagna is a member of the Leasing News Advisory Board)

[headlines]

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Learn vehicle leasing-add to sales tool box

[headlines]

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Account Executive

Account Executives Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, SF Bay Area Top position to work with CFOs, CIOs, CEOs and other high-level executives. 7+ years equipment leasing exp. Resume/indicating you saw ad in Leasing News to: US_DFS_Staffing@dell.com About the Company: We're the exclusive provider of leasing and finance services for Dell technology systems worldwide. At Dell Financial Services our mission is to deliver financing solutions that enable and enrich the Dell Customer experience.

www.dell.com

Finance Consultant

Finance Consultants Orange County, California The Cambridge Difference More Approvals. Quicker Fundings. Career Center

www.thecambridgecapitalgroup.com

Regional Sales Managers

Regional Sales Managers To establish small ticket vendor programs in major metro areas. Excellent compensation/ benefit package. View job description. Send resumes to Zully.Fernandez@IrwinCF.com Company Description: Irwin Commercial Finance (NYSE: IFC) is a true direct lender and in the ever changing leasing environment, we bring stability, creativity and consistent customer service levels to our business.

www.IrwinCFequipment.com

Sales Director

Sales Director Vendor Relationship Development Office equipment experience a must. Territory covers FL, GA, SC, NC, AL, MS, LA. Must be able to sell value. To apply online click here. About the company: GreatAmerica offers office equipment financing to businesses across the U.S., and is the largest independent leasing company in the small ticket equipment financing market.

www.greatamerica.com

[headlines]

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Report from the ELFA Financial Institutions Conference in Dallas:
Outlook and Opportunities for Rail - Growing, Growing

Dallas Fed Reserve President Speech makes the News

ELFA eNews Daily

An aging fleet, increasing demands for products normally moved by rail, and major improvements in railcar efficiency are combining to create a bright outlook in the rail industry for the next 10 years, according to experts from two segments of the rail industry who spoke yesterday morning at the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s
(ELFA) Financial Institutions Conference in Dallas.

Linda Hurt, treasurer of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, said that shipment of coal now composes 20% of the company's revenues. This number is expected to grow significantly as more coal-fired plants convert to cheaper, cleaner-burning coal mined from Wyoming's Powder River Basin. Rail transportation of corn contributes 28% of BNSF's revenues, Hurt added, and said corn shipments, most of them destined for use in ethanol production, have risen more than 30% in the last 12 months.

Stephen Menzies, president of Trinity Industries Leasing Co., said that the average age of the American railcar fleet is 19.5 years, with more than 60,000 cars in service for more than 25 years. This significant replacement opportunity led parent company Trinity Industries to manufacture nearly 75,000 new railcars in 2006, and to project a plateau "at historically high levels," Menzies said, for the next several years. What's more, the price of rail cars is rising dramatically in light of demands for the special type of steel used in their construction.

To fund manufacturing expansion and continuing efficiencies in larger cars, loading and unloading, and better protection and security for hazardous-waste cars, Menzies said the rail industry desperately needs capital to invest to meet this demand. And an investment tax credit is likely on the way, he noted, via legislation introduced in Congress last fall and expected to be reintroduced imminently.

This was the first time a sitting Fed President addressed ELFA members at a conference. Another first - this speech was covered in person by reporters from all of the major financial news media:

Fisher: U.S. budget deficits could hurt global economy

Bloomberg News

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher said growth in U.S. entitlement programs may create a "severe" challenge as budget deficits grow, slowing the global economy, adding the issue wasn't one the central bank could solve.

Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President and CEO Richard W. Fisher

"If we fail to get our fiscal house in order, we could bequeath our descendants unconscionable debt and slow the global economy to boot," Fisher said in the text of remarks to the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association's Financial Institutions Conference Monday in Irving. "The Fed is not the answer to our fiscal woes," he said.

While current deficits may be manageable, growth in Social Security and Medicare costs will create larger deficits as aging baby boomers reach retirement age, Fisher said. The budget deficit for the first five months of the 2007 financial year narrowed 26 percent to $162.2 billion from $217.7 billion in 2006, the Treasury Department said in Washington March 12.

Fisher didn't comment on the current U.S. economic outlook or monetary policy in the text of his speech. The FOMC held the benchmark overnight lending rate between banks at 5.25 percent last month and indicated in its minutes that higher interest rates could still "prove necessary."

The Dallas Fed official said the rising costs of social programs for the U.S. are "not a pretty picture. And as bad as the situation currently is, the necessary response becomes even more drastic the longer we wait."

While budget policy is made by Congress and the president, "the Fed cannot be an indifferent bystander to the overall thrust of fiscal policy," Fisher said. "The reason is straightforward: Bad fiscal policy creates pressure for bad monetary policy."

Fisher said the U.S. dollar is supported by investors' confidence in the government and if there were a loss of faith, "the dollar would be debased."

[headlines]

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Barry A. Dubin, Esq.

"Not in favor of signed lease check list"

Terry Winders, CLP, article on Monday, "The Ignorance Plea" is about getting the lessee to acknowledge they understand the contract:

"Many times we place the documents in front of the Lessee and say sign here, here, and here. We may even put an “x” where they are to sign. Then we grab them back and head for the door. Then later on, when everything goes sour, the Lessee stands in front of a judge and pleads Ignorance. The usual statement is; that they were not given time to read the documents, and even if they did, they did not understand its content. If you are dealing with a small company be prepared for this argument."

Terry in the column goes on to explain why this important, and suggests a check list:
"Here is a list of the proper comments and it would not be a bad idea to have a Lessee sign the list after every comment has been checked off."

Knowing that Barry S. Dubin, Cooper-White-Cooper is not in favor of having separate documents to supplant the leasing contract, Leasing News asked him for his thoughts and comments on a "check list" as proposed by Terry Winders, CLP.

You are correct in your recollection of my views in this area. While I am a great fan and respect Terry Winders’ knowledge in leasing matters, I do have some comments that should be considered by those who are thinking of using a separate list to be signed by the lessee:

    1. Although I agree that there is always the risk that the lessee will claim that he didn't see or understand a particular lease provision, there is good case law in California and maybe elsewhere that a person is bound by what he has signed if he was not prevented from reading it (subject of course to a claim that any particular provision is unconscionable). I think the key is to always allow time and the opportunity to read and review the lease documents and not create a situation where there is a credible argument to be made that the lessee did not have this opportunity, e.g. handing over only the signature page.

    2. I think the suggestion to have the lessee initial certain lease provisions as evidence that they have been reviewed or to sign a separate document confirming the "key" lease provisions has the potential to create more problems than it may solve.

    3. With respect to possibly initialing certain lease provisions, does that mean that the non-initialed provisions are not important or not part of the contract? Although we know where most lease disputes arise, primarily relating to the performance of the equipment and the warranty disclaimer, it is always possible that a dispute may arise over some other non-initialed provision, i.e. the indemnity obligation. The only section of a lease that might be considered for separate initialing is the warranty disclaimer since there is the statutory requirement that it be conspicuous but I think on balance it is best to go with the well accepted larger type and possibly different color to satisfy that conspicuous requirement. One of my concerns is that if there is a section that is to be initialed and it is not, where does that leave the lessor? Is there an argument to be made that this provision is not part of the lease?

    4. With respect to the possibility of a separate document confirming in some way some of the "key" lease provisions, I have the same concern as to what is included and what is not. Also, most leases have an integration clause that states that the lease agreement is the entire agreement between the parties and I am very hesitant to open that up by having the lessor rely upon another document since the lessee may then try to use some outside document that they claim reflects some side deal such as a cap on a FMV purchase option.

Barry A. Dubin, Esq.
Cooper, White & Cooper LLP
201 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 433-1900 ---Phone
(415) 433-5530----Fax

Barry A. Dubin, a partner of Cooper, White & Cooper LLP, focuses his practice in the commercial finance services industry, specializing in equipment leasing and asset-based lending. He has negotiated and drafted a variety of leveraged and single investor leases covering a wide range of equipment. Mr. Dubin also prepares standard equipment lease documents for clients engaged in the small ticket and middle market leasing of equipment.

In addition to his work in the equipment leasing field, Mr. Dubin has extensive experience in other areas of asset-based lending, and he has negotiated and documented a wide variety of commercial loan transactions and portfolio acquisitions.

His practice also includes substantial creditor representation in bankruptcy proceedings as well as commercial litigation involving the enforcement of creditors' rights and remedies and lender liability defense.

Mr. Dubin frequently lectures at equipment leasing seminars; and he is the author of several articles. He is a contributing author to The Executive's Guide to Lease Documentation and Executive's Guide to Remedies published by the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association of America (ELFA). Mr. Dubin has written the chapter entitled "Default, Remedies and Litigation” for the three-volume treatise Equipment Leasing published by Matthew Bender and is currently the editor of that publication. He is also the co-editor of the Commercial Loan Documentation Guide and Commercial Finance Guide published by Matthew Bender.

Mr. Dubin is a member of the San Francisco Bar Association, the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association of America (ELFA), and is co-chair of the Uniform Commercial Code Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of California. He has served as chairman of the Western Association of Equipment Leasing (now United Association of Equipment Leasing) legal committee, as a member of the board of directors, and as a member of the ELFA legal committee.

Mr. Dubin is a 1968 graduate of Yale University and a 1973 graduate of Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.

The most thorough "book" on Leasing
http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/March%202007/03-26-07.htm#book

Terry Winders, CLP, “
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Leasing_102/Index.htm

[headlines]

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Meetings for Members/Non-Members/networking

[headlines]

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Melissa Data acquires Peoplesmith Software

Greg Brown, Director of Marketing for Melissa Data calls the purchase of Peoplesoft software the completion of their full suite of products for direct mailing.

"We have been re-sellers of these products for 15 years, but now we can add them to a full suite, not just stand alone products, " he said. "This adds to the script programs, the direct mail platforms, unlimited technical support, the ability to verify all addresses, and provide the full process, complete."

Brown believes that direct mail remains more effective than the internet with its spam programs, incorrect e-mail addresses, blocking, and to reach business customers, they know have the best system at the lowest cost.

Ray Melissa, president, said, "Direct marketers are calling for integrated software solutions that enable them to verify, correct and standardize contact data to help better target and streamline their marketing and mailing operations."

The notable Peoplesmith Software purchase includes "Double Take," "Right Fielder," Personator, and "StyleList."

•     StyleList is a field formatting product that customizes fields to enhance appearance and provide correct punctuation and proper spelling for names and addresses. StyleList 5 will also control upper and lower cases for companies that have all caps such as IBM or BUY.COM. The SyleList 5 product is a suite of integrated utilities that make merging, sorting and “deduplicating” easier for volume mailers. Download the StyleList demo here for free:
http://w5.melissadata.com/cgi-bin/search.asp?pnf=products/stylelist

•     Personator, another popular Peoplesmith solution, is a program that takes the pain out of parsing and “genderizing” the names in your database. This tool increases response rates by adding a personal touch to form communications and can also add salutations using a database of the 8,500 most common first names in the US and Canada. A free demo of Personator is available here. http://www.melissadata.com/personator.htm

•     DoubleTake III is a tool that saves time and does it “right the first time.” By merging and purging files at the same time, marketers can reduce costs associated with duplicate records and increase response rates. This software can merge and/or purge files in different software formats (Xbase, ASCII, Paradox) with different names, addresses, and city/state/ZIP structures. A free demo of Double Take is available here.
http://www.melissadata.com/products/double.html

•     RightFielder 3 which gives users the control and flexibility to transform jumbled text data into correctly fielded information that can be used with any database program. When field data is not formatted uniformly, it cannot be purged of duplicates, presorted or ZIP + 4® coded – all of the processes that save on postage and printing fees. A free trial of RightFielder is available here. http://www.melissadata.com/products/rightfld.html

About Melissa Data
Melissa Data, based in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. provides data quality solutions with emphasis on address and phone verification, postal encoding, and data enhancements. The company is a leading provider of easy-to-use and cost-effective solutions for achieving the highest level of data quality for lifetime value. A powerful line of software, databases, components and services afford our customers the flexibility to achieve quality U.S., Canadian and international contact information using almost any language, platform, and media for point-of-entry or batch applications. Free trial software is available by visiting www.MelissaData.com or by calling1-800-800-6245.

[headlines]

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### Press Release ###########################

Affiliated Investment Group, Inc. Announces Warehouse Line Renewal and Increase

Jim Lahti, President states “we are excited to continually expand our funding capacity and ability to fund transactions that require flexibility for the broker community. 2006 was a great year, especially with our move from Dallas to Austin and we look forward to an even better 2007”.

Justin Vogel, Regional Commercial Credit Manager states that "PFF Bank & Trust is pleased to announce the renewal and increase of Affiliated Investment Group's warehouse line of credit. The Bank is excited about providing this increased facility to assist the Company as it continues to grow, and to help forage a long and prosperous relationship between Affiliated, and its principals, and PFF."

Affiliated Investment Group, Inc. is the proud continuation of over 20 years of serving the broker community. We are a balance sheet, cash flow, credit lender. The primary question on every transaction is "what is the likelihood of being paid back". Our motto is "any equipment, for any Lessee, anywhere in the country". Also known as "The Flexible Funding Source" as we look at a deal with the philosophy of "what's right" about it and "how can we make it work".

James R. Lahti, CLP
Affiliated Investment Group, Inc.
930 South Bell Blvd., Suite 104
Cedar Park, TX 78613
(512) 336-7335, Fax: 512-336-7336
Email: jrl@affiliatedinvestment.com

[headlines]

### Press Release ###########################

The Alta Group continues its growth with the appointment of Olivier Delière in France

London – – In a move recognising the importance and influence that the French leasing market is having across Europe, The Alta Group announced the appointment of their second Paris based member. Olivier Delière joins as an Associate to focus on the French equipment finance market, alongside existing Paris based Alta Principal Patrick Gouin.

Olivier is a vendor finance specialist with 20 years experience in senior management roles with major international firms across the French and European equipment leasing markets. During his career, he has been closely involved in developing strategic plans and building the sales finance businesses and captives of some of the best-known names in the information technology world. As a result of working closely for many years with the in-house sales and marketing functions he has developed an in depth feel for the keys to success in driving the growth of business. He has also built strong relationships with major vendor finance institutions across Europe.

His equipment finance career started in 1988 with Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) as the Business Finance Manager responsible for providing support to DEC’s vendor activities. His career progressed upwards and when DEC created their first joint venture captive, DEClease France SA, in 1995 Olivier became a Director.

The successful growth of the business, led to De Lage Landen Technology Finance acquiring it in 1998. Olivier’s responsibilities as a Director of the enlarged company extended to the development of the “Channels”. Under his leadership new vendor's programs were developed in France with EMC² and Oracle. His responsibilities expanded to cover Europe, where the Sun Microsystems program was a key achievement.

In 2001 he joined EMC Global Financial Services as Director South Europe to develop their leasing business in that region, before moving on to Computacenter to create their sales financing arm from scratch. In early 2005 Olivier joined Silicon Graphics as Director of South EMEA for SGI Solutions Finance with a focus on large complex deals requiring a structured finance approach.
Olivier is enthusiastic about the opportunities joining Alta will offer, commenting: “Vendors continually have to adapt their leasing offering to match their customer's changing needs. “Capacity On Demand” type of models, an ever increasing component of value added services and significant development of small business, have changed the rules of the game. I enjoy the challenge of assisting vendors grow their business.”
Patrick Gouin added: “We are delighted that Olivier has agreed to join us and add his contribution to the growth of Alta’s consultancy activities in France. His long experience “in the field” working so intimately with manufacturers and vendors will, in particular, further strengthen our skills in both sales and operational consultancy”

ABOUT THE ALTA GROUP
The Alta Group, established in 1992, provides a broad array of strategic consulting and advisory services, education and training programmes, merger and acquisition and dispute resolution services for companies in the global equipment leasing and asset finance industries. Its clients include manufacturers, banks, independent lessors of various sizes and others in the industry. The Alta team is made up of more than 35 international professionals committed to the asset finance business, including former CEOs, company founders and industry thought leaders who are active in their areas of expertise. Proven success and in depth industry knowledge are the basic ingredients for entry into the Firm. They collaborate and share their in-depth knowledge and insights with today's business leaders who face a range of challenges, both old and new. The firm has built a reputation on creative thinking, trust and professionalism. The Alta Group supports clients in North America, Latin America, Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia. For more information, visit www.thealtagroup.eu.com

[headlines]

### Press Release ###########################
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News Briefs----

Bank divided as deputy tells Wolfowitz to go
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18214592/

Google Makes $1 Billion 1st-Quarter Profit
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/19/AR2007041902659.html

Popular, Inc. Reports Financial Results for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2007
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070419/nyth048.html?.v=96

American Express first-quarter profit rises 21 percent to a record $1.06 billion
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20070419-1344-earns-americanexpress.html

BlackBerry outage exposes RIM's 'soft underbelly'
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2007-04-18-blackberry-outage-snarls-system_N.htm

[headlines]

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You May have Missed---

India Times newspaper: Sanjaya Malakar out of American Idol
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sanjaya_Malakar_out_of__American_Idol_/
articleshow/1922985.cms

[headlines]

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“Gimme that Wine”

25th Annual Paso Robles Wine Festival is a Celebration of Growth
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&
newsId=20070419006184&newsLang=en

New wine from historic Mount Veeder vineyard
http://www.sthelenastar.com/articles/2007/04/19/features/food_and_wine/
doc4626e0d19f24f019579115.txt

Wine Prices by vintage
http://www.winezap.com
http://www.wine-searcher.com/
US/International Wine Events
http://www.localwineevents.com/
Winery Atlas
http://www.carterhouse.com/atlas
Leasing News Wine & Spirits Page
http://two.leasingnews.org/Recommendations/wnensprts.htm
The London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-ex) is an electronic exchange for fine wine.
http://www.liv-ex.com/

[headlines]

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Calendar Events This Day

Taurus, the Bull
April 20-May 20. In the astronomical/astrological zodiac that divides the sun’s apparent orbit into 12 segments, the period April 20-May 20 is identified as the sun sign of Taurus, the Bull. The ruling planet is Venus.
http://www.cafeastrology.com/zodiactaurus.html

Lima Bean Respect Day
http://www.emerils.com/cooking/archives/001815.html

Look Alike Day
http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/April/lookalikeday.htm

National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day
http://homeschooling.about.com/library/blapr20a.htm

Saint Feast Days

• St. Marian
• St. Agnes of Montepulciano
• St. Victor
• St. Theodore Trichinas
• St. Theotimus
• St. Francis Page
• St. Hugh of Anzy le Duc
• Bl. John Finch
• St. Marcian of Auxerre
• Bl. Robert Watkinson

http://www.catholic.org/saints/f_day/apr.php

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The "high five" was introduced by a professional baseball player in 1977.

(Strange, but historically true, and between Dusty Baker, who became the manager of the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs, and Glenn Burke, who also became the first baseball player to openly state he was a homosexual; he died of aids. After high-fiving Dusty Baker way back in '77, Burke stepped up to the plate and also hit a homer.
The pitcher? J.R. Richard. editor)
http://www.outsports.com/baseball/2003/0617glennburke.htm

[headlines]

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Today's Top Event in History

1959 - CBS-TV's "Desilu Playhouse" presented a two-part show titled, "The Untouchables" starring Robert Stack. When the program became a weekly show in 1959, Stack became a star.

[headlines]
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This Day in American History

    1534 - French explorer Jacques Cartier set sail from St. Malo to explore the North American coastline.
    1657-Asser Levy of New Amsterdam (later New York City) was admitted as a town citizen. Jews were denied the privilege of standing guard and keeping watch, compulsory for all citizens, Asser Levy and Jacob Barsimson objected to the discrimination, after being denied, Levy appealed. He became a prosperous trader, the first Jew to own land in America, and the first to serve on a jury (in 1671, after the colony had been taken over by the English.
    1718- Birth of David Brainerd, colonial American missionary to the Indians of New England. Following his premature death from tuberculosis at 29, Brainerd's journal (published in 1649 by the Jonathan Edwards) influenced hundreds to become missionaries after him.
    1799-- Napoleon issues a decree calling for establishing Jerusalem for Jews
    1832 - Hot Springs National Park, the first national park in the United States, was established by an act of Congress. It had been a reservation prior to becoming a national park.
    1836 - Wisconsin Territory is established. Wisconsin, formerly governed as part of the territories of Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, was established as a separate US territory, with Madison, located midway between Milwaukee and the western centers of population, to be founded as the territorial capital. In 1634, French explorer Jean Nicolet landed at Green Bay, becoming the first European to visit the lake-heavy northern region that would later become Wisconsin. In 1763, at the conclusion of the French and Indian Wars, Wisconsin, a major center of the American fur trade, passed into British control. Two decades later, at the end of the American Revolution, the region came under US rule, and was governed as part of the Northwest Territory. However, British fur traders continued to dominate Wisconsin from across the Canadian border, and it was not until the end of the War of 1812 that the region fell firmly under American control. In the first decades of the nineteenth century, settlers began arriving via the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes to exploit Wisconsin's agricultural potential, and in 1832, the Black Hawk War ended Native-American resistance to white settlement. In 1836, after several decades of governance as part of other territories, Wisconsin was made a separate entity. By 1840, population in Wisconsin had risen above 130'000, but the people voted against statehood four times, fearing the higher taxes that would come with a stronger central government.
Finally, in 1848, Wisconsin citizens, envious of the prosperity that federal programs brought to neighboring Midwestern states, voted to approve statehood. On 29 April 1848, Wisconsin entered the Union as the thirtieth state.
    1841 - "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," Edgar Allen Poe's first detective story, was published. The story featured C. Auguste Dupin, the first-ever fictional detective. Poe considered his work an example of ratiocination - the process of logical and methodical reasoning.
    1850-birth of American sculptor of Daniel Chester French at Exeter, NH. One of the most important artists of the 19th and early 20th centuries as a sculptor of public monuments, French is best known for his 1875 “Minute Man” statue at Concord, MA, and his 1922 statue of the seated Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial at Washington, DC
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/apr20.html
    1853-Harriet Tubman starts Underground Railroad.
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/tubman
http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/life.htm
    1854-Capt. Creesy sets a world record by sailing from New York to San Francisco in 88 days.
    1865 - Safety matches advertised for the first time.
    1871-- Ku Klux Klan Act passed by US Congress. With passage of the Third Force Act, popularly known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, Congress authorized President Ulysses S. Grants to use military force against the Ku Klux Klan. Founded in 1865 by a group of Confederate veterans, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) rapidly grew from a secret social fraternity to a paramilitary force bent on reversing the federal government's progressive Reconstruction Era-activities in the South, especially in regard to the region's African-American population. The name of the Ku Klux Klan was derived from the Greek word kuklos, meaning circle, and clann, a Scottish Gaelic word for the traditional tribal units of Scotland that reflected the Scottish ancestry of many of the KKK's founding members.
Under a platform of philosophized white racial superiority, the group employed violence as a means of pushing back the radical reforms underway in the post-Civil War South. Thriving in counties where the two political parties or races were relatively balanced, the KKK engaged in terrorist raids against African Americans and white Southern Republicans at night, employing intimidation, destruction of property, assault, and murder to achieve its aims and influence upcoming elections.
    1880 - Sacramento, California had its heaviest 24 hour rainfall when 7.24 inches fell.
    1893—Harold Lloyd, a comic genius of early American film, Harold Lloyd began acting at 20 years of age, and his career took off when he teamed with producer Hal Roach in the comic “Lonesome Luke” shorts (1916-1917). Lloyd then created the “glasses” character: the boy-next-door whose distinguishing feature was his round horn spectacles. This character thrilled audiences in “daredevil” comedy featuring dangerous stunts. (Lloyd never used a double). Lloyd’s hits included Safety Last (1923), where he dangled from a building’s clock face. The Freshman (1925) and Speedy (1928), the biggest box-office star of the 1930s. Lloyd survived with lesser success in the talkie 1930s. He was given an honorary Oscar in 1953 for being a “master comedian and good citizen.” Born at Burchard, NE. Lloyd died on March 8, 1971 in Hollywood, Ca.
    1908 – Vibraharp/Bank Leader Lionel Hampton birthday. The jazz great was born at Louisville, KY. Hampton started out on piano and rums, but Louis Armstrong urged him to take up the vibraphone in 1930. Hampton went on to make that his signature instrument. He recorded and played with Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Carter, and other legends, before becoming a bandleader himself. He played almost up until his death on August 31, 2002, at New York, NY.
    1901 - A spring snowstorm dumped very heavy snow over northeastern Ohio. Warren was buried under 35.5 inches in 36 hours and 28 inches fell at Green Hill. Akron established April snowfall records with 15.6 inches in 24 hours and 26.6 inches for the month.
1912 After two days of rain, the first game ever is finally played at Fenway Park with a comeback eleven-inning Red Sox win over the New York Highlanders, 7-6.
    1916--In Chicago, the Cubs play their first game at Weeghman Park beating the Reds in 11 innings, 7-6. The ballpark will be renamed Wrigley Field in 1926.
    1920 - Tornadoes in Mississippi and Alabama killed 219 persons.
    1923-Birthday of Tito Puente, The King of the Mambo—or “El Rey” ---was born Ernesto Antonia Puente, Jr. at Spanish Harlem, New York City, to Puerto Rican parents The legendary Puente had a career that spanned more than six decades, starting in 1937. He popularized the timbale, but played many percussion instruments and was also a composer, arranger and bandleader. His album Dance Mania (1948) was an international bestseller, and he released more than 100 albums. His song “Oye Corno Va” was covered by Carlos Santana and has become a classic. Puente won five Grammies, was inducted into the Jazz and Hispanic halls of fame and received a Smithsonian Lifetime achievement Award. President Jimmy Carter pronounced him “The Goodwill Ambassador of Latin American Music. “ Puente died on May 31, 2000, at New York, NY.
    1931 - On Okeh Records, Louis Armstrong recorded, "When It’s Sleepy Time Down South", which would be his theme song for decades. The song was recorded in Chicago, Illinois.
    1934 - Child actress Shirley Temple's first major movie, Stand Up and Cheer, was released to New York theaters on this date. It was the beginning of the most-successful child actor's career in the history of Hollywood.
    1939-Ted Williams made his major league debut for the Boston Red Sox, getting one double in four at-bats, as the Sox lost to the New York Yankees, 2-0.
    1939—Billie Holiday records Strange Fruit.
    1939--- New York World's Fair opens
    1939-country-pop singer Johnny Tillotson was born in Jacksonville, Florida. Between 1958 and 1965, he had more than 25 records on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart, including "Poetry in Motion," "Without You" and "Talk Back Trembling Lips."
    1939-Birthday of Katherine V. Forrest - U.S. novelist and editor whose erotic lesbian novel Curious Wine has sold more copies than any lesbian-centered novel since Well of Loneliness. She crossed over to mainstream novels using some lesbian characters, especially a mystery series that features a Los Angeles detective. The detective series is strong on technical police work.
    1945 --Soviet troops enter Berlin.
    1945 ---US 7th Army & allies forces capture Nuremberg & Stuttgart in Germany.
    1945- Allied bombers cut off German retreat in Italy as Hitler celebrates his birthday. Allied bombers in Italy begin Operation Corncob, a three-day attack on the bridges over the rivers Adige and Brenta to cut off German lines of retreat on the peninsula.
Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler, who has only 10 more days to live, celebrates his 56th birthday as a Gestapo reign of terror results in the hanging of 20 Russian prisoners of war and 20 Jewish children: Of these, at least nine are under the age of 12. All of the victims had been taken from Auschwitz to Neuengamme, the place of execution, for the purpose of medical experimentation.
    1948 -- Labor leader Walter Reuther is shot and seriously wounded by would-be assassins. Reuther was previously victim of an attempted abduction in April 1938. His brother Victor was shot & nearly at his home by police in 1949. In 1949 the UAW’s headquarters in Detroit was bombed .He later died in a plane crash in 1970 (of the media reports apparently only one paper addressed the possibility that he may have been murdered; In October 1968, both Walter and his brother Victor were almost killed in a small private plane near Dulles Airport).
http://www.is.wayne.edu/mnissani/media/reuther.htm
    1950---Top Hits
If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake - Eileen Barton
Music, Music, Music - Teresa Brewer
Peter Cottontail - Gene Autry
Long Gone Lonesome Blues - Hank Williams
    1951 - Luther Vandross is born in New York City. His biggest pop hit is ``Power of Love/Love Power,'' which hits No. 4 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1991. The album ``Power of Love'' reaches No. 1 on both Billboard's pop and R&B album charts.
    1957-- Westinghouse first to use FORTRAN computer language. The Westinghouse-Bettis nuclear power plant became the first commercial users of FORTRAN, soon to be the dominant computer language for scientific applications. FORTRAN, or Formula Translator, was the first widely used high-level computer language. Developed by IBM researcher John Backus, FORTRAN greatly simplified programming by translating simple English instructions into machine language, saving the programmer hundreds of steps.
    1958---Top Hits
He’s Got the Whole World (In His Hands) - Laurie London
Book of Love - The Monotones
Don’t You Just Know It - Huey (Piano) Smith & The Clowns
Oh Lonesome Me - Don Gibson
    1959 - CBS-TV's "Desilu Playhouse" presented a two-part show titled, "The Untouchables" starring Robert Stack. When the program became a weekly show in 1959, Stack became a star.
    1959- 13-year-old Dolly Parton released her first single, "Puppy Love."
    1960 -- Elvis Presley's return to Hollywood to film "G.I. Blues" is greeted by tremendous fanfare. Of course, it's the top story on the nightly news & even makes page one of the local newspapers.
    1961 - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved FM stereo broadcasting, but it would be another five or six years before FM stations went ‘underground’ to attract listeners tired of poor audio quality on AM stations. Until then, FM stations broadcast in monaural sound.
    1961 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``Runaway,'' Del Shannon. Shannon is the first artist to take a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney onto the U.S. pop charts. His version of ``From Me to You'' hits the Hot 100 on June 29, 1963, before the release of the Beatles debut American single, ``I Want to Hold Your Hand.''
    1963 - The movie soundtrack album of West Side Story hit Number 1 on the pop LP chart and stayed there for 2 weeks.
    1964 - The Elvis Presley movie ``Viva Las Vegas'' premieres.
    1966---Top Hits
The Ballad of the Green Berets - SSgt Barry Sadler
(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration - The Righteous Brothers
Daydream - The Lovin’ Spoonful
I Want to Go with You - Eddy Arnold
    1968-- Pierre Elliott Trudeau sworn-in as Canada's PM
    1969 - Ken Harrelson almost quit major-league baseball when he found out he was being traded from the Boston Red Sox, an American League contender, to the Cleveland Indians, a perennial American League non-contender. He stayed for money, and played for Cleveland after all.
    1969-On the site of a parking lot owned by the University of California, Berkeley a diverse group of people came together, each freely contributing their skills and resources to create People’s Park. This is to be the site of a student revolution.
    1971- The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools.
    1971-- Barbra Streisand records "We've Only Just Begun"
    1974---Top Hits
TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) - MFSB featuring The Three Degrees
Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me - Gladys Knight & The Pips
The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk
A Very Special Love Song - Charlie Rich
    1979 - It was reported Johnny Carson was leaving "The Tonight Show". Newspapers in the United States offered ideas why the comedian and late-night host was unhappy after 17 years on the show. More money, more vacation time and a four-day week (he got Mondays off) was just what ‘The Great Carsoni’ need to stay at NBC for another 12 years.
    1982---Top Hits
I Love Rock ’N Roll - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
We Got the Beat - Go-Go’s
Chariots of Fire - Titles - Vangelis
The Clown - Conway Twitty
    1982-- With a 4-2 win over the Reds, the Braves record their 12th consecutive victory to establish a major-league record for the most victories from the beginning of the season. The previous mark had been set a year earlier by the Oakland A's.
    1983 --President Ronald Reagan signs a $165 billion bail-out for Social Security
    1984 --a temperature of 106 degrees in Del Rio, Texas set a new record high for April.
    1986 - Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls scored a record 63 points in the NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics. This NBA Playoffs record included two overtime periods.
    1986 - Pianist Vladimir Horowitz gave his first concert in the Soviet Union for 61 years. He had emigrated in 1925.
    1987 - "Starlight Express", the roller-skating musical, posted the largest week’s gross in the history of Broadway, earning $606,081 at the box office. The revival of "The King and I" starring Yul Brynner was the old record holder in 1985.
    1987- In Columbus, OH, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) was organized, making it the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S. It represented the merger of three smaller Lutheran bodies, and was officially born on Jan 1, 1988.
    1988--Helen Thayer, New Zealand-born American reaches the North Pole on foot and on skis with no mechanical assists. Using a rope attached to her belt, she pulled a sled which held her tent and all her food (and her dog's food). Her sole companion was a husky who would warn her when polar bears were approaching. (The big bears are absolutely silent when they attack.) Temperatures in storms dropped to minus 100 degrees. The 345-mile, 27-day journey marked the first time a woman had reached the North Pole alone. Thayer, a mountain climber and U.S. Luge Champion in 1975, was 50 years old at the time. In 1990 she would serve as the leader of the first International U.S./Soviet Arctic Women's expedition.
The website at
http://www.goals.com/thayer/expfrm.htm
that explains the arctic trip in detail.
    1988-- Claudell Washington hits the 10,000th home run in Yankee history.
    1988 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``Where Do Broken Hearts Go,'' Whitney Houston.
    1989 - Hot weather spread from the southwestern U.S. into the Great Plains Region. Twenty-three cities reported new record high temperatures for the date. The afternoon high of 104 degrees at Tucson AZ was an April record, and highs of 87 at Provo UT, 90 at Pueblo CO, and 85 at Salt Lake City UT, equaled April records.
    1990---Top Hits
I’ll Be Your Everything - Tommy Page
Don’t Wanna Fall in Love - Jane Child
Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O’Connor
Five Minutes - Lorrie Morgan
    1992-- 100th episode of "Murphy Brown" airs
    1996- In a case that sparked an uproar reminiscent of the Rodney King case in Los Angeles, two Riverside County, Calif., sheriff's deputies were videotaped repeatedly clubbing a Mexican man and woman after a 70-mile highway chase involving a pickup truck suspected of sneaking across the border.
    1997 - Mark McGwire becomes the fourth major leaguer to hit a home run over the left field roof at Tiger Stadium. The A's first baseman joins Harmon Killebrew (1962), Frank Howard (1968), and Cecil Fielder (1990) as the only players to accomplish the feat.
    1998-- Digital TV and Internet over copper wires. US West announced it would deliver digital TV programming and high-speed Internet access using traditional copper telephone wires. The company said it would first offer the service, called VDSL (Variable Digital Subscriber Lines), in Phoenix, providing some 120 television channels, forty digital music channels, Internet access, and telephone services through television sets.
    1999- At Columbine High School, Littleton, CO, students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 other students, a teacher and then themselves. 24 were seriously wounded.
    1999-Billy Joel performs what he says is his last public pop music concert at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. He plans on devoting his efforts to classical music.
    2006 ---Appearing as a pinch hitter at PETCO Park, Julio Franco becomes the oldest major leaguer to hit a home run. The 47-year, 240 days old’s eighth inning blast, which put the Mets ahead in their 7-2 victory over the Padres, surpasses Jack Quinn who accomplish the feat as a pitcher for the Philadelphia A’s at the age of 46 years, 357 days.
    2006-- As the Nationals beat the Phillies, 10-4, Frank Robinson becomes the 53rd manager to win 1000 big league games. The first black skipper, who has also been the dugout leader for the Indians, Giants, Orioles, and Expo, has compiled a 1,000-1,095 in 16 seasons.

Stanley Cup Champions This Date

    1958 Montréal Canadiens

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