Bulletin Board Complaint--Up-date
Business Leasing Northwest, Seattle, Washington

The original complaint was printed February 24, 2011 regarding Business Leasing Northwest and/or Business Leasing Northwest, Inc. dba Cypress Leasing

There were several complaints, some dating back to November, and Leasing News was first informed on December 15, 2010 when the founder Michael Palmer said he would take care of the leases and debts. This stretched on to two more postponements until the complaint was made public February 24.

During this time, all those who made the complaint state no payments have been received to date, and it appears they have all retained attorneys. Leasing News also received emails from others.

Mike Palmer was sent a copy of this up-date for a comment, but none was received.

BLNW Bulletin Complaint
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2011/2_24.htm#bbc_bln

Classified Ads---Operations

(These ads are “free” to those seeking employment
or looking to improve their position)

SF Bay Area Contract Administrator. Formerly Documentation /Compliance , Pentech; American National Leasing, VP-Operations. 30 years Experience. Available now. Resume gbflinn@gmail.com

Acton, MA Strong experience in lease accounting, operations, & systems.   Implemented lease plus, Great Plains, networks. Excellent financial reporting and analysis skills. Looking for new opportunity. LinkedIn alexanderzlenz@gmail.com| Resume

Nampa, Idaho 30 years equipment leasing, credit, collections experience. I want to work for a funding source with the broker/lessor community. Email - Resume

Credit and Collections Manager Seasoned Ops, Broker Development, Credit, Legal, Strategy, P & L Management detail oriented team player seeks position with Small ticket direct lender. Wgriffith61@yahoo.com | Resume

Willing to Relocate Experienced Operations Manager, Broker Development – credit & documentation small ticket specialist – team leader with strong analytical, organizational & management skills – willing to relocate f.macdonald@comcast.net

Free Posting for those seeking employment in Leasing:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted-post.htm

All “free” categories “job wanted” ads:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Jwanted/Jwanted.htm

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Despite Marketplace Losses, Pawnee Year-End $12.4MM Profit

Chesswood Group Limited, Toronto, Canada, 75% is Pawnee Leasing, Fort Collins, Colorado reported "The Fund's income before taxes and unrealized foreign exchange or swap amounts totaled $13.4 million in 2010, compared to $5.2 million in 2009, an increase of more than 150%. For the fourth quarter, income before taxes and unrealized exchange and swap amounts was $3.9 million, compared to $1.8 million for the fourth quarter of the prior year."

Barry Shafran, Chesswood President/CEO

"The Fund had an outstanding, record year of earnings and an excellent fourth quarter" Barry Shafran, the Company's President and CEO, said in a press release, also reporting, "Pawnee Leasing, our largest operating business, renewed an enhanced credit facility that added a strong new banking partner and increased capacity for the business. We saw four successive quarters of downward movement in Pawnee's main portfolio marker of accounts over 31 days past due, and we increased our monthly distribution three times during 2010."

The small ticket leasing company had raised its maximum to $50,000 and made other changes. The Canada "SEDAR" September 30, 2010 filing (Year-end has not been posted yet by "SEDAR") stated, "Our performance this quarter was driven by continued lower delinquencies and significantly reduced net charge-offs at Pawnee. The lower charge-off levels resulted in the lowering of our allowance for bad debts, further enhancing earnings for the quarter."

“At Pawnee, the allowance for doubtful accounts of U S $8.8 million represents 11.93% of the net investment in lease receivables less security deposits on hand at September 30, 2010 compared to U. S. $11.7 million or 16.34% at December 31, 2009. Pawnee has a policy of maintaining an allowance for doubtful accounts, as a percentage of net investment in leases, that is equal to the last twelve-month rolling net charge-off percentage level. Pawnee ceases to accrue interest income on leases after they become 94 days contractually past due, unless information indicates earlier cessation is warranted, and charges-off leases when they become 154 days contractually past due, unless information indicates that an earlier charge-off is warranted.”
   pages 19 & 20

(click chart to view larger)
   Page 6

These are highlights from the September 30, 2010 report:

• No state represented more than 9 7% of the number of Pawnee's total active leases, with the exception of California which represented 11.6%;

• As of September 30, 2010, Pawnee employed approximately 40 full-time equivalent employees, over one-third of whom are dedicated to collection and default remediation

• its lessees operated in over 85 different industry segments, with no industry concentration accounting for more than 15.1% of its number of active leases;

• Pawnee financed over 70 equipment categories, with its five largest categories by volume, being restaurant, auto repair, titled trucks and trailers, beauty salon and fitness equipment, which combined accounted for 52.5% of the number of active leases;

• its largest source of lease originations accounted for 20.2% of its leases in the nine-months ended September 30, 2010, and its ten largest origination sources accounted for 43.4% of its leases.
      From "Sedar" filing

“Pawnee added a new product offering to a limited number of its broker network in late 2008. This additional "B" market product, now offered to most of Pawnee's brokers, referred to as "B+" complements Pawnee's long standing core "B" product, by offering funding to lessees that have stronger credit profiles than Pawnee has considered in the past.

“Assessed as lower risk business than Pawnee's traditional "B" business, "B+" lessees receive funding based on rates that typically range from 14-26%. At September 30, 2010, less than 18% of Pawnee's lease receivables consisted of the "B+" product. Pawnee expects its "B+" product to continue to gain market share.

As the U.S. economy continues to be weak, fewer individuals are starting new businesses and many existing businesses are hesitant to acquire new equipment and thus require less funding. Pawnee has, as a result, been experiencing weak demand for its core leasing product in 2010. Pawnee's lease originations for the newer "B+" product as a percentage of total lease originations have been increasing over the last year.

“The start-up and "B" credit segments of the micro and small-ticket leasing market have historically been, and continue to be, more sensitive to monthly lease payment amounts than to the effective rates of interest charged to lessees.”
   page 2

“The majority of the $10.0 million in customer security deposits relates to security deposits held by Pawnee. Pawnee's primary lease contract requires that the lessee provide two payments as security deposit (not advance payments), which are held for the full term of the lease and then returned or applied to the purchase option of the equipment at the lessee's request, unless the lessee has previously defaulted (in which case the deposit is applied against the lease receivable). Historically, a very high percentage of lessees' deposits are either applied to the purchase option of the leased equipment at the end of the lease term or used to offset charge-offs. The approximate $247,000 increase in the security deposit balance from December 31, 2009 is due to a $51,000 increase in security deposits at Pawnee..."
   pages 21 & 22

Canadian Dollar
Tuesday Close: 7.900
Open: 7.970
High: 7.980
Low: 7.770
52 Week Low: 3.95
52 Week High: 8.2

March 22, 2011--Chesswood Group Limited (TSX:CHW) announced a cash dividend of $0.05 per share for the month of March. The dividend will be payable to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 31, 2011 and will be paid on April 15, 2011.

It should be noted Chesswood Income Fund is now Chesswood Group Limited. The "group" converted from an income trust to a corporation on Jan 1, 2011. Traded on TSX (www.tsx.com) under ticker CHW. Leasing News refers to Pawnee now as "Pawnee Leasing" vs. "Pawnee Corp."

"Chesswood Group Limited, publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, is a financial services company operating primarily in the specialty finance industry. Chesswood’s approach to creating long-term value for its shareholders is to acquire financial services businesses that have proven management teams with market positions poised for growth, and to enhance these strengths through the provision of strategic, operating and financial support.

"Pawnee Leasing Corporation, located in Fort Collins, Colorado, is Chesswood’s largest operating company. In business since 1982, Pawnee is an industry leader in commercial micro-ticket leasing to small businesses across the lower forty-eight states of the U.S. Pawnee’s assets comprise approximately 75% of Chesswood’s consolidated assets.

"Chesswood’s genesis was in the automotive industry as a vehicle lessor and operator of new car dealerships. Today, Chesswood retains ownership of one of the larger Acura dealers in Canada, Acura Sherway, in addition to Canada’s only eDealer, cars4U.com."
   From Gary Souverein, President, Pawnee Leasing Corporation.

Chesswood September Filing (72 pages):
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/Chesswood_Financial.pdf

Gary DiLillo, President 216-658-5618 or gary@avptc.com Comprehensive personal property tax outsourcing services. Click here to see what our clients say about us.

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Asset Management Associates joins “Site Inspection List”

Company Name Year Founded Contact Website Associations	Full-time Employees	Part-Time Employees or Ind. Contractors	Additional Services	Major Clients
Asset Management Associates, LLC 1985 Michelle Vervaeke 206-909-8119 michelle@amaweb.com www.amaweb.com NEFA	1	5	Appraisals, Inspections, Recovery, Remarketing Allegiant Partners, Bank of the West, Orion First, Pinnacle Capital, Summit Leasing

Site Inspection List:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Site_Insp/Default.htm

Letters? We get eMail

(mostly chronological)

"This is what Leaf, Philadelphia is sending out to former customers of Leaf Specialty (1). Please leave my name out of it. This company has mafia overtones in it. I tried to scan the ELFA code of ethics because I am sure that the chairman-elect of ELFA would not think of doing anything underhanded. Don’t you agree?"

name with held (well-known industry leader)

(Attached is a solicitation email being sent to LEAF Specialty lessees. Leasing News asked Dwight Galloway, who ran the operation for a comment:)

"The LEAF Specialty Finance portfolio was transferred to LEAF headquarters prior to closing the SC office last June. I have not been involved with the business management since then. With the former business development officer gone, I am not sure who is in charge of marketing now. "
   dg29210@gmail.com

(Leasing News asked Crit DeMent, head of LEAF Financial and LEAF Commercial Credit for a comment, but received none.

(As for agreeing about "underhanded," this practice has been so common in the history of leasing can go back to the original companies going out of business and see almost all that purchased a company eventually started calling on the lessees and vendors, including companies who ceased broker origination, such as Marlin. The formal and informal of not calling on "customers" is no longer valid when the first company no longer exists, or in cases that exist, have never seen.

(In the Marlin Leasing, I have heard from brokers who said they would never do business with them, but when Marlin temporarily opened up to a limited few, there were a few who told me they would never do business with Marlin were now claiming they were too late to sign up again, and complained about it. They told me they missed the fast approvals and quick handling their lease submissions.

(The reality is, in my opinion, if someone can "steal" your customer, he was never "your" customer. You need to stay in touch with your clients, perform for them, or lose them to anyone who appears can do better for them.

(Is it "underhanded?" Yes, I think it is. I know that if Dwight was to start another company, he would not be calling on past broker submitted transactions. He is a gentleman. Editor)

(1) LEAF email:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/LEAFSolicitation.pdf

Gerry and Jamie Egan, Grand Teton Mountains, 1996

Jamie Egan and their traveling office, 1996

"[You may feel free to use this in Leasing News if you feel it's appropriate to do so.]

"Hi, Kit. Jamie and I are finally back from the NEFA Summit in Scottsdale. We arrived home at 3:am this morning and have a lot of things to catch up on!

"I want to thank you for participating in the Summit, both as a panelist and for having Bob Robichaud of Commerce Commercial Bank cover the event as a correspondent for Leasing News. As you know, it was my first conference as Executive Director of NEFA and I was very pleased by both the turnout and the positive energy at the meeting.

"I had many people comment to me that they hadn't seen you at a conference in quite a while so I appreciate you choosing my first NEFA conference to come to. I hope you got to see a bunch of old friends and meet some new ones.

"With the Summit over, I'm going to begin work immediately on some new educational offerings from NEFA and we're already at work planning the program for our Funding Symposium to be held in Minneapolis, September 15-17 of this year.

"Onward and upward!

Gerry E.

Gerry Egan
Executive Director
National Equipment Finance Association
PO Box 69
Northbrook, IL 60065
Phone: 847-380-5050 ext: 103
Fax: 847-380-5055
E-Mail: mailto:GEgan@NEFAssociation.org
Internet: www.NEFAssociation.org

State of the Leasing Industry
  by Christopher Menkin, editor/publisher

"Thanks for the reprint of the comments you made at the recent NEFA convention. Without a doubt your presentation was my favorite. I commend you and your staff for the excellent continued dedicated coverage in this industry. I look forward to reading each edition. Keep up the good work."

Regards,
Gary McBride
Continental Bank
Senior Vice President
Salt Lake City, Utah

Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
Warning About New Accounting Proposal

 

Paul Weiss

Former President of Icon Capital, at one time the largest public equity lease fund in North America, past members of the Leasing News Advisory board, now part of Panthera Leasing, involved in million plus transactions primarily for the rental industry, Paul Weiss takes issue with"

"I think Leasing News is blessed to have Terry Winders as a contributor, so I was reluctant to comment on today's editorial in which he states that, due to the shifting accounting landscape, the future looks dark to him. In fact, the future looks very bright to me.

"I returned to the industry after a four year hiatus during which, to my bemusement, our Equipment Leasing Association became the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association. In my mind's eye, this understandable broadening of the Association's constituency brought together two factions that long reluctantly co-existed in the industry. These are, to wit:

"A) Financiers. They could be operating under any moniker and be using a range of structures, but the idea was: they will lend money at a rate greater than their cost of it. From time to time, they would also hold their nose and take residual risk to get tax benefits, but their organization was geared toward not being exposed to residuals. They were lenders in their DNA.

"B) Lessors. Because the customers wanted it, they could offer lower payments to customers and keep the residual opportunity gleefully. Life was geared toward having tough return conditions, lots of equipment specific experience, and savvy remarketers. Money was made, sometimes a lot. This was true leasing equity being deployed, firms took real risk and earned above average returns for the most part.

"I joined the industry in 1987 and wished I was here pre-1986. Wow! All of us veterans who were here pre-1995 have terrific stories to tell, and there are very few examples of residual players who were consistently wrong. Many more stories about fortunes made.

"In my years I never worked for a "Financier". Perhaps no job was ever offered, perhaps I liked the risk of return of equipment ownership too much to be taken seriously as a candidate. No financier was every quoted as wishing they could hire me!

"For years (including in these pages) I have forecast an earnest return to Equipment Leasing vs. Financing. In sum, companies can borrow, lease long term, lease short term, and rent. Our industry in the past decade has done a good job with respect to offering finance products and long term leases (in this case I use long term relative to the useful life of the property), but has shied away from short term leasing and has never done much rental. An exception is commercial aircraft, a deep broad and varied market from which we all can learn lessons that are positive and negative. Hold that thought for now.

"Dearest Terry, the future is bright. Our industry's ability to distinguish itself STILL rests upon offering products that are separate and distinct from loans. Those are, ta-da, leases, which reportedly go back to Babylonian days. To enter into a real "true" lease, a former financier will need to be at risk and either invest their own equity or find some. This can be frightening at first and really hard to arrange. Some will sputter and die trying. The rewards (if successful) are enormous. I could tell you some stories... but alas that is for another day.

"The accounting change is a catalyst, the reaction will be that our industry will in part move back to needing and wanting equity. It is not a coincidence that my new company was formed this month with considerable equity to fill this void and profit accordingly, hoping to partner with or acquire leasing companies and financiers that need equity. Private equity players have hovered over the industry, looking for the quick hit that private equity feeds on... this won't prove to be a fertile place for them to feed. But long term players that can command equity will have a spectacular run in the decade ahead.

"By the way, did you know there is an American Rental Association? My firm is a member. Ever thought much about what those members do? Talk about the “dark ages”, these guys makes money one month of rental at a time. They don't fret about accounting rules, they know they fill a need for their customers by offering a service at a fair price. They are heavily invested in every backhoe. Terry might say this is a nightmare, they all love it and profit from it most of the time.

"As our own new company kicks off (and is a bit overwhelmed by the early response) I see a new cycle finally beginning, and fine opportunities for the hard working, clever, capable, and aware structuring folks. This has been what has made our industry great since it really got going in the early 1970s, and many of us are extremely energized by the gift of new accounting rules.

"It is true... salesman might need some teaching too, concepts like points in... present value of irregular cash flows on a 12c, FMV purchase option language... it makes me tingly! Let's get on with this, it is going to be fun."

Thanks and regards
Paul Weiss
Panthera Leasing
Paul@pantheraleasing.com

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, response:
"I believe he has some points; however, if he had been out talking to the cross section of lessors that I have interviewed lately he would see what I have seen..... but it is very hopeful to see someone with a positive attitude  and I appreciate it... Terry"

(Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, column was the most read in Leasing New’s Monday edition. The only response received was from Mr. Weiss. Editor)

"Brendan Messenheimer of AMC Funding Group goes before the judge on May 25th in North Carolina (1). I will be at the courthouse for his arrival. I am unable to prove that he has done this to other people. Hopefully, someone will step forward if they had the same problem with Brendan.

According to warrants, Messenheimer is accused of writing a $10,587.88 check to Kendal Nuclear Medicine, even though he knew he didn’t have sufficient funds to cover it. Bond was set at $5,000."

SteveES88@aol.com

(1) http://www1.aoc.state.nc.us/www/calendars.Offense.do?submit=
submit&case=0002011050591&court=CR

Fourth Alert----AMC Funding Still at It
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2011/2_22.htm#fourth_amc

“Who, do you believe, we should be speaking with for financing ISO marine containers?

"Arctic Leasing is sourcing financing for containers. We are servicing top 50 Shipping lines of the world.

"5-12y with buyout options, 100% financing @ Libor plus 2-4% depending credit.

"And of cause, I will ask you if you are looking for equipment to finance or lease back arrangement?

Or sell, for that matter?

"We have commitment from European Banks, that would like to finance the first 2-3 deals each with our Company, but because the amounts run from usd 10-150 m. I believe, we need to find alternative sources?

"My background is 17 years in a family company manufacturing Marine Refrigeration Equipment,

"10 years as VP Europe for Carlisle Leasing (today SeaCube) focusing only on refrigerated containers,

"2 years with Beacon Intermodal (BTMU) doing mainly Dry and some Reefers

"And now Arctic Leasing, which I am the owner of.

Kindest regards,

Søren Klinge
ARCTIC LEASING HOLDING ApS
Sophus Bauditz Vej 2
2800 Kongens Lyngby
Denmark
+45 39 90 17 70
Mobile +45 40 30 17 70
Skype: KlingeArctic
Email: Soren@sKlinge.dk
Klinge@ArcticLeasing.com
www.arcticleasing.com

About Artic Leasing:
http://leasingnews.org/PDF/ArcticLeasingSummery2011.pdf

Leasing Gypsies Strike Again in Southern California
Bulletin Board Complaint
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2011/3_07.htm#gypsies_again

“While reading your Leasing Gypsies story, and its predecessor of a year ago, I came upon Ed Castanga’s analysis of trucking repos. It took me back to my days as GM of Western Star Finance while at Newcourt, in ’99. At that time, we were approaching the dot com bubble, but there was a driver shortage, and fuel was less than $1.00/gal. I remember driving to Ft. Wayne and gassing up at $0.63/gal!!!

“In any event, Class 8 orders were backlogged but declining, then the millennium changed and all hell broke loose. As I researched the matter, and have followed it since, truck orders are a leading indicator. The decline foretold the bust that followed, and the subsequent recovery after 9/11 was previewed with ascending orders month-to-month in early-mid 2001. I am encouraged that this indicator has been rising since 4Q2010. Hopefully, it won’t be squeezed by oil prices, and represents good things to come on the jobs front over the coming months.

Ralph
Ralph Mango Project Management Coordinator | comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ:SCOR)
o +1 (703) 234-8623 | rmango@comscore.com
Introducing Video Metrix 2.0

The industry's first tool for understanding online video monetization
www.videometrix2.com

The State of Municipal Finance
(And how we can take advantage of it!)
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2011/3_04.htm#muni_finance

“I have followed your news brief for years and really appreciate the effort it must take to put it into publication on a daily basis. It was a nice surprise to see my article this morning that was published by the CLP Foundation. I do hope your posting drives a few more leasing people to their Foundation site as it is such a positive influence for our industry.”

Thanks Again!

Thomas L. Cadle, CLP
Leasource Financial Services, Inc.
1000 River Rock Dr., Suite 218
Folsom, CA 95630
800-991-0099 Voice
800-988-3931 Fax
www.leasource.com
tcadle@leasource.com

From retired founder of ATEL Capital

"Attached is a small article on my investment strategies TDameritrade.

"Things are going extremely well. I look forward every day in making things happen."

"What are you up to these days?"

Best regards, aj

A. J. Batt
President & CEO
ROMEL Investment Corporation
Direct: 650-581-1180 x 201 Direct
FAX: 650-581-1160
ajbatt@romel.biz

“DON'T WAIT FOR THE MARKET TO COME TO YOU

“The right kind of investor can potentially use options as a portfolio management tool.

“While he was working, AJ, a California retiree, left the investment decisions up to his stockbroker, who regularly used covered calls to help generate additional returns in AJ's portfolio. When AJ sold his business in 2001, he decided that with his background in mathematics and plenty of time to learn about how the markets worked, he could probably do a good job managing his investments himself. That's when he moved his portfolio to TD Ameritrade, taking advantage of its powerful trading platform and educational activities.

" ‘I love the power of this new venue, with its real-time market activity,’ he says. More than just monitoring his stocks, he has the tools to search out new investment opportunities.

“AJ started trading options five years ago. ‘Options are a good fit with my DNA: Since I was a businessman and in finance, everything revolves around numbers': he says.’ By selling a put or buying a call, the options market allows me to set a price on what I am willing to pay for a stock, especially if there is a catalyst that could move the stock.’

“Using TD Ameritrade's online charts, third-party analyst reports, stock screeners and more, he can analyze a company based on its fundamental values, such as revenue and income, and then consider a variety of other factors that may influence its stock price, such as the economy. With this information, he can tailor-make an option trade based on what he thinks the stock is worth and what he is willing to pay for a stock."
   PDF

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Marketing Genius Riverside, California Create, Design, Coordinate convention/trade shows marketing calls, remarketing assets/website Send resume: Dreynolds@a-zresources.com www.a-zresources.com A-Z Resources captive affiliate to a major business distributor founded in 1975, join our staff, generating over $120 million in combined sales.

Documentation Administrator Los Angeles, CA Mininum two years experience, competitive salary, plus benefits, click here for more information www.julesandassociates.com Jules and Associates, Inc. has been in business for over 20 years.

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

2011 Full Year Leasing Conference Up-Date

Leasing Association 2011 Conferences

April 3-April 5

Equipment Leasing and Finance
2011 Equipment Management Conference
Renaissance Vinoy
St. Petersburg, Florida

Brochure:
http://www.elfaonline.org/cvweb_elfa/cgi-bin/documentdll.dll/view?DOCUMENTNUM=240

ELFA Member	$1,095
each additional member	$985
Non-Member	$2,190
Spouse/Companion	$250
Golf	$195
Committee Member of Speaker Fee if attending enitre conference, attending day of conference is free)	$550

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April 7-April 9, 2010
Annual Conference
National Association of Equipment Leasing Brokers
Hilton Austin
500 East 4th Street
Austin, TX 78701

President's Message from Sonia v.M.Stoddard, BPB
(NAELB Best Practices Broker)
PDF

Registration Brochure
PDF

Registration Form
PDF

Hotel Reservations
http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/AUSCVHH-ELB-20110407/index.jhtml

Broker-member	$575
Broker-non-member	$675
Add. mem. broker	$525
Add. NonMem. brk	$625
Funder/Assoc. Mem.	$725
Funder/Assoc. NMem.	$825
Add. Fund. Mem.	$875
Add. Fun. nMem.	$775
Spouse/Guest-mem	$300
Spouse/Gu.Non-M.	$325
Open Recep only	$100
Closing Recep. only	$75

Exhibitors to Date (as of March 11):
360 Equipment Finance
ACC Contract Finance
Affiliated Investment Group
Allegiant Partners Incorporated
AmeriMerchant
Amerisource Funding, Inc.
Axis Capital, Inc.
Bankers Capital
Baystone Financial Group
CFC Investment Company
Collateral Specialists, Inc.
Corelogic Credco (at the NAELB Member Benefits booth)
Dakota Financial, LLC
Diversified Lenders Inc
Equipment Lessors Protection Association
Financial Pacific Leasing, LLC
GRP Funding, LLC
HSW Financial Recovery, LLC
Inspection Services
instaCOVER
LeaseInspection.com
Marquette Equipment Finance
Maxim Commercial Capital LLC
Mesa Leasing, Inc.
MicroBilt Corporation
Pawnee Leasing Corporation
Preferred Business Solutions
Quail Capital Corp.
Quiktrak, Inc.
TEAM Funding Solutions
Tetra Financial Group
TimePayment Corporation
Varilease Finance

---

April 12--April 14
Equipment Leasing and Finance Association
23rd Annual National Funding Conference
Fairmont Hotel
Chicago, Illinois

Event Schedule and Exhibit Information:
http://www.elfaonline.org/pub/events/2011/NFE/NFE11_ExhibBrochure.pdf

 

---

May 4-6, 2001
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Buckhead
Atlanta, Georgia

Contact:
Everett H. Walker, Chairman
1449 Green Hill Road
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
everetthwalker@gmail.com
(828) 295-4377

"The National Funding Association is the premier financial networking organization in the country. Founded in 1991, the NFA has been networking financials professionals across America, and with nine chapters serving twelve metropolitan areas, the NFA continues to grow and expand! Our members include asset based lenders, factors, investment bankers, attorneys, CPA's, bankers, consultants, brokers, and other financial professionals."

"The NFA conference kicks off on Wednesday, May 4 with a Golf Tournament at a noted Atlanta area course. An opening reception starts the evening’s festivities from 6:00 to 8:00 PM! Following his presentation are attendee sponsored receptions and hospitality rooms."

"On Thursday, May 5, the conference formally begins with an opening session at 8:30 AM, with a welcome by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, followed by a day long line-up of prominent speakers, including a luncheon, a networking exhibit hall, evening reception, and a banquet with an entertaining dinner speaker."

Our presenters include:
Dennis Lockhart, President, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Hon. Nathan Deal, Governor of the State of Georgia
Richard Hastings, Global Hunter Securities, Speaker, Author, Retail Economic Expert
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed
Kenneth Marks, High Rock Partners
Rob Slee, Robertson & Foley Investment Bankers
Charles Green, Speaker and Author
Nancy Halwig, UPS Capital, leading a panel discussion on the State of the Lending Industry

Member after February 15	$375.00
Non-Member After February 15	$475.00
Member After April 15	$450.00
Non-Member After April 15	$550.00

---

Keynote Speaker will be Beth Ann Bovino
Senior Economist at Standard & Poor’s.

Members register here:
http://secure.aglf.org/core/events/events.aspx

---

May 11-May 13
National Vehicle Leasing Association
The Allerton Hotel on Magnificent Mile
Chicago, Illinois

Members (before March 16) $495
each additional $395
Non-Members (before March 16 $625
(each additional $595)

After March 16th-Members $595
After March 16th-Non-Members $895

More Information:
http://www.nvla.org/Events/AnnualConference.aspx

---

September 15-17
Minneapolis, Minnesota

---

September 16-17
Atlanta, Georgia

---

October 23-25
Equipment Leasing and Financial Association
50th Annual Convention
JW Marriott Hill Country
San Antonio, Texas

---

November 11-12
Costa Mesa, California

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To view Leasing Association Events-Meetings Open to All, please click here.

Sending a Press Release

(When I attend the National Equipment Leasing Association conference in Scottsdale "Meet the News Media, " I prepared responses to questions I thought I would be asked. Here is one that was asked. Kit Menkin)

Press Release

• Always send in Microsoft "Word"... attach logo and photo's in jpeg or gif (never PDF or Zip they are a pain in the butt, and don't care if there is a logo or other information. Often they are difficult to "copy and paste" and also lose their resolution for internet purposes. Send separately if you want them to be used with the press release.

• If it is a size problem, it is too long. Keep as short as possible.

• Give a telephone number and email to call back for questions.

• Send the evening before the day you want posted. When I was at both KGO-TV News and ABC-TV News, we got many “Please hold until” Gave us time to schedule a news crewand plan the news show. Same whether print, radio, or internet.

• Monday--the best day, as business news is slow over the week, so send Sunday evening. Will get the best play and in the most media, especially print. Have them "Hold for Monday."

• Wednesday---the best day to be read, most readers at Leasing News.

• Second most read day is Monday or Tuesday, followed by Thursday.

• Friday---many readers take off early or are wrapping up something, as lowest readership---although Leasing News has Saturday and Sunday readers. I would skip it. Forget Friday press releases.

Now that this has been said, you never know when a "slow news day" will occur, and that is the best day to get your release published, whether on the internet or elsewhere. And send to everyone, from your local paper, business journal, and major papers plus the various free public relations services (Google will give you a list.) Send to everyone as you never know who will utilize it as it fits another story that is running or is of interest to the editor he makes the decision. You also might hit a slow news day.

Kit Menkin, Leasing News Editor

[headlines]
--------------------------------------------------------------

(click to view larger)

March 30, Wednesday --Lunch New Brunswick, NJ

Linda Kester, author of “366 Marketing Tips for Equipment Leasing”,
is the guest speaker.
The subject "Using content marketing, social media, and lead nurturing."

Noon to 3:00pm
The Frog and The Peach Restaurant
29 Dennis Street at Hiram Square
New Brunswick, N.J. 08901
(732) 846-3216
www.frogandpeach.com

If you are near New Brunswick, you won’t want to miss this presentation.

Further Information:
Steve Geller, CLP
sgeller@leasingsolutionsllc.com
(845)362-6101

"366 Marketing Tips for Equipment Leasing” by Linda Kester Kindle edition at Amazon for $9.95 or $29.95 paperback

Spotting the Signs of a Troubled Company
By Barry J. Elms

(reprinted from CreditToday.net with permission)

Barry Elms, President, Strategic Negotiations International

There is a saying that if you owe the bank $5,000, you have a problem. But if you owe the bank $5 million, they have a problem.

I guess, based on that principle, right now everybody has a problem, because the banks are not lending money and credit is tight. Many of your customers may be suffering financial difficulties because of the credit crunch and the lingering recession, causing them to become past due and even, in some cases, file for bankruptcy, creating a vicious circle of debt that delays the recovery of our struggling economy.

Now, I don't want to sound like an agent of doom and misery, because some businesses are already beginning to recover from the recession, and even Ford Motor Company, despite the woes of the auto industry, has begun posting profits. But despite the positive signs of some industries here is a sobering statistic: nearly 60,000 companies filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and 2010, an increase of more than 40 percent over 2008. Put another way, that means that one company fails every 2 minutes of the working day! They may not be your customers, but they could be your customers' customers, which ultimately will affect your cash flow.

To compound the problem there is no easy categorization of companies that fail. All industries are involved and companies of all ages from new start ups to long-standing businesses are failing in equal numbers. With that across-the-board statistic, there is no easy way to determine which of your customers will survive and which will fail, but there are ways to spot the signs of a company in trouble before they file for bankruptcy, and by doing so, you will not be left with a bad debt when they fail, which directly impacts your bottom line.

Three Levels to Observe

In my experience, any company in financial difficulty will demonstrate behavior patterns that can be observed by credit professionals on three different levels. They are:

1) How they treat you
2) How they treat other companies
3) How they treat themselves

By gathering data on all three levels of activity you can spot the signs of a company in trouble before it is too late and take remedial action to avoid getting caught with a bad debt some months in the future.

What you need to do is create a checklist of red flags in each of the three categories, so that if you have any reason to be concerned about the financial ability of any customer you can then run them through the check list to see how many of the red flags they have.

Level One: How They Treat You
Under the heading of "How they treat you" there are several red flags that should cause you concern. Here are a few typical characteristics of a troubled company that you could identify with a quick review of their account:

Not returning calls

• Change in buying habits with you

• Short payments

• Deteriorating payment trends

• Surly attitude of employees

• Increased excuses

You will notice that I did not include NSF checks or mail returned on my list, because if that is happening it may already be too late, and our goal is to get ahead of the problem not behind it.

Level Two: How They Treat Other Companies
However, it is not sufficient to simply analyze how they treat us. To get a full picture we need to take into account "How they treat other companies." This second checklist would possibly include the following items that can be found in a credit report:

• Increased credit inquiries

• Reduced credit rating

• Accounts out for collection

• Recent liens

• Poor financial ratios

Level Three: How They Treat Themselves
If your customer gets checks on any of the items on your second checklist you will need to move to the third area of analysis: "How they treat themselves". Here are a number of patterns that would give me pause in this category:

• Lack of activity

• Poor state of premises

• Half empty offices

• No one in management available to speak with you

If you run your customer through these three check lists and they display several of the symptoms mentioned, then the chances are they are only a heartbeat away from going out of business, and action should be taken on your part to protect your own company's interest. In the most dramatic circumstances that may include suspending product or service. At very least, it should mean keeping a close eye on the customer from that point on and not allowing the situation to get any worse. As the saying goes,” an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

One final disclaimer here. My list is meant to be an example of possible signs of a company in trouble and is not to be considered a definitive list. To be sure that your analysis is accurate you should consider the specific aspects of your industry and your customer base and create a checklist in each of the three categories that best reflects your business.

I hope I have given you food for thought, and perhaps in some small way helped you preserve that most precious of commodities, your company's profits.

Barry J. Elms is president of Strategic Negotiations International. Mr. Elms is a frequent speaker at NACM events nationwide. A full list of his seminars can be found on his web site at: www.barryelmsseminars.com.

He can be reached at 617-899-7746 or barryelms@comcast.net.

To Subscribe to Credit Today:
https://www.credittoday.net/public/5.cfm

(This ad is a “trade” for the writing of this column. Opinions
contained in the column are those of Mr. Terry Winders, CLP)

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

IRS Tackles Return Preparer Fraud

In the greater Southern California area, IRS-Criminal Investigation special agents are actively investigating those involved in alleged criminal violations of the Internal Revenue Laws and related Federal Offenses. United States District Court records reveal the following recent legal actions pertaining to return preparer fraud:

Tax Preparer Serving Life Sentence Gets 37 Months

- After receiving a life sentence for his involvement in attempting to overthrow the Cambodian government, Yasith Chhun was sentenced yesterday afternoon in federal court to 37 months imprisonment, to be served concurrently, for tax fraud charges.

On November 13, 2008, Chhun pleaded guilty to charges that he conspired to defraud the United States and that he aided and assisted in the preparation of false tax returns.

Chhun was the owner of CCC Professional Accounting Services in Long Beach, California, a tax preparation business. Chhun prepared federal income tax returns for members of the Cambodian community who were often on welfare or another form of government assistance. Chhun assisted in the preparation of federal income tax returns for clients that falsely stated the clients earned between $8,000 and $10,000 as income for sewing work - and requested an Earned Income Credit (EIC) of between $2,000 and $3,000 per return – when, in fact, the clients did not earn such income and were not entitled to the requested EIC. In total, the improperly claimed credit from the numerous fraudulent federal income tax returns was more than $400,000.

San Bernardino Preparer Sentenced to Serve
5 ½ Years in Federal Prison

– Robert Dean Larsen, a tax return preparer who operated a return preparation business in Apple Valley, was sentenced on February 7, 2011 to spend 66 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges that he conspired to defraud the United States and that he aided and assisted in the preparation of false tax returns.

Larsen, who operated Larsen’s Tax Pros at various locations in San Bernardino County and operated Laza’s Tax Service in Apple Valley, admitted in his plea agreement that, from 2002 to 2006, tax return preparers at his businesses filed at least 1,162 tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service that were false claiming refunds totaling over $3.6 million.

El Segundo Tax Return Preparer Sentenced to
24 Months in Federal Prison

- Gene S. Wong, who operated a tax return preparation and bookkeeping business known variously as “TaxLAX”, “Tax 4 Less”, and “GW Accounting & Bookkeeping Center” was sentenced on August 9, 2010 to spend 24 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to charges that he willfully failed to file his personal income tax return for 2005 and that he filed false claims for tax refunds on behalf of his clients. Wong was further ordered by United States District Judge Christina A. Snyder to pay restitution totaling $255,236 to the Internal Revenue Service.

According to his plea agreement, Wong filed at least 92 false claims for tax refunds with the Internal Revenue Service on behalf of third parties claiming false refunds totaling over $255,000.

The false claims for refunds filed by Wong claimed fraudulent tax credits including general business tax credits, fuel tax credits, and alternative vehicle tax credits. In his plea agreement, Wong admitted that there was no basis for the tax credits claimed on the false returns he prepared.

West Covina Man Pleads Guilty to Preparing
a False Tax Return Filed with the IRS

- Nestor Bermudez pleaded guilty on January 24, 2011 to preparing and submitting a false tax return in the name of another individual to the Internal Revenue Service.

In his plea agreement, Bermudez admitted that he agreed to prepare false and fraudulent tax returns in exchange for a fee of up to $500 per tax return. Thereafter, another individual provided Bermudez with the names, dates of birth and social security numbers for 127 persons in whose names Bermudez prepared tax returns. The returns were false in that they falsely reported filing status, income, and number of dependants and falsely claimed tax refunds based upon the earned income tax credit, child care credit and/or recovery rebate credit. The information reported on the tax returns, including filing status, amount of income, and number of dependants was necessary to determine whether any tax was due.

When sentenced on June 20th, Bermudez faces a statutory maximum three years in federal prison and fines totaling $250,000.

Placentia Tax Preparer Sentenced for Tax Evasion
27 Months in Federal Prison

On June 23, 2010, Joseph Usunubu Aluya pleaded guilty to four counts of tax evasion and one count of possessing stolen government money. According to the plea agreement, Aluya devised a scheme that defrauded his clients by preparing two sets of federal income tax returns for each client. On the tax return Aluya provided to his client, Aluya usually inflated the amount of tax making the refund amount lower than it should be. Aluya would then file a correct tax return with the IRS reporting a higher refund amount. Aluya received the higher refund amount from the IRS, paid the lower refund amount to his client, and kept the difference in the refund amounts for himself. Aluya carried out his scheme without the clients’ knowledge and consent. The plea agreement states that Aluya agrees to pay full restitution to victims estimated at $380,705.39.

Former IRS Revenue Officer Sentenced
to Spend 41 Months in Federal Prison

• Anthony Pendleton, a former IRS Revenue Officer, was sentenced on July 7, 2010 to spend 41 months in federal prison after being convicted at trial of conspiracy to defraud the United States by filing tax returns that fraudulently sought tax refunds. In addition, Pendleton was ordered by Judge Otis D. Wright II to pay restitution totaling $179,037 to the Internal Revenue Service.

• According to court papers, Pendleton, along with co-conspirators Christopher Edwards and Asha Lenard, conspired to file false claims for tax refunds with the IRS. The three, while working at Pendleton’s tax preparation business, Payless Tax Services in Inglewood, California, submitted tax returns for individuals claiming refunds for which they were not entitled to receive. The claims for refunds included, among other things, falsified employment income and dependents.

Edwards and Lenard previously pleaded guilty to the same charge. Edwards was sentenced to serve a term of one year and one day in federal prison. Lenard must serve three years of supervised release, including four months of home detention with electronic monitoring.

Fountain Valley Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty
to Filing a False Tax Return with IRS

– Mac Huy Nguyen, the operator of MacTax, a tax preparation and bookkeeping business located in Fountain Valley, pleaded guilty on February 23, 2011 to one count of subscribing to a false tax return.

According to Nguyen’s plea agreement, Nguyen received substantially greater gross receipts from MacTax during 2003, 2004 and 2005 than what he had reported on his personal income tax returns for those years. Nguyen’s false statements as to his gross receipts on the 2003, 2004, and 2005 tax returns caused a total tax loss of approximately $86,628.

When sentenced, Nguyen faces a statutory maximum three years in federal prison and fines totaling $250,000. Nguyen is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Cormac J. Carney on July 18, 2011.

Moreno Valley Tax Preparer Convicted of Filing False Tax Return, Wire Fraud, and Identity Theft

- On July 7, 2010, Willena Stargell, 39, of Moreno Valley, was convicted by a federal jury on federal charges, including aggravated identity theft, for the preparation of false returns. The evidence at trial revealed that Stargell filed fraudulent tax returns claiming nearly $600,000 in illegitimate tax refunds.

According to court documents, Stargell, who was preparing tax returns when she was affiliated with Liberty Tax Service and Liberty Bell Tax Service, engaged in rampant tax fraud designed to generate tax refunds. She prepared and filed numerous tax returns containing material misstatements of fact, including false wages, withholding amounts, education expenses, child credits, and dependents. Stargell also engaged in identity theft by stealing the identities of others, including some of her former taxpayer clients, in an effort to obtain tax returns that she kept entirely for her own use. Finally, Stargell generated and deposited counterfeit bank checks in connection with her tax fraud.

As a result of the conviction, Stargell faces a statutory maximum sentence of 176 years in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison when she is sentenced on June 20th, 2011.

Santa Paula Tax Return Preparer Pleads Guilty
to Tax and Wire Fraud Charges

– Benjamin Aparicio, the owner of B.A. Income Tax located in Santa Paula, pleaded guilty on October 25, 2010 to charges that he aided and assisted in the preparation of false tax returns and committed wire fraud with respect to mortgage loans.

Specifically, Aparicio aided and assisted in the preparation of a false partnership tax return and a false individual income tax return for the tax year 2003. Furthermore, Aparicio falsely verified by telephone the contents of a tax reference letter used to secure a residential home loan for an unidentified individual, knowing that the tax reference letter contained false information and causing the home loan to be funded.

When sentenced on March 28th, Aparicio faces a statutory maximum 26 years in federal prison and fines totaling $750,000.

Agency cautions taxpayers to be careful of return preparer fraud and other scams and schemes

As the tax filing season is in full swing, it’s important for taxpayers to find honest, qualified tax professionals if they need tax preparation assistance. Taxpayers are legally responsible for what’s on their own tax returns even if prepared by someone else. Choosing a dishonest tax preparer can be costly as dishonest tax professionals may, for example, place fictitious information or false deductions on their client’s tax returns resulting in an inflated refund.

The IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/index.html provides various tips in what to look for - and what to look out for - when choosing a tax professional. Tax professionals must now have a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) number. Use of the PTIN is required on all federal returns prepared by paid tax return preparers starting on January 1, 2011.

“Return Preparer fraud is a priority for IRS Criminal Investigation and we have committed many resources to investigating and prosecuting these types of cases,” said Leslie P. DeMarco, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigation-Los Angeles Field Office. “Taxpayers should be very careful when choosing a return preparer. You should be as careful as you would in choosing a doctor or lawyer. It is important to know that even if someone else preparers your return, you are ultimately responsible for all the information on the tax return.”

In addition to being on the alert for abusive return preparers, the IRS encourages taxpayers to visit the IRS website for the latest updates on tax schemes and scams and what to avoid. Some of these scams include fictitious emails supposedly from the IRS. The IRS does not send out unsolicited e-mails or ask for detailed personal and financial information via email. Taxpayers should also be careful of employment tax schemes where an employer wrongfully classifies the employee to eliminate the withholding and payment of employment taxes. This scheme can affect the employee directly who may see future benefits such as social security, unemployment compensation and Medicare greatly reduced or eliminated.10:30 AM 3/22/2011

Where Do You Report Suspected Tax Fraud Activity? – If you suspect tax fraud or know of an abusive return preparer, you can report the subject directly to IRS – Criminal Investigation in person at one our local offices or over the phone. In the Los Angeles area, you can call (213) 576-3232 and in San Diego (619) 615-9079 to report suspected tax fraud.

Additionally, you can report suspected tax fraud online using IRS Form 3949-A, Information Referral. You can download Form 3949-A from the Web site at http://www.irs.gov/index.html or call 1-800-829-3676 to order the form by mail. Send the completed form, or a letter detailing the alleged fraudulent activity, to Internal Revenue Service, Fresno, CA 93888. Please include specific information about who you are reporting, the activity you are reporting and how you became aware of it, when the alleged violation took place, the amount of money involved and any other information that might be helpful to an investigation. Although you are not required to identify yourself, it is helpful to do so. Your identity can be kept confidential. You may also be entitled to a reward.

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

John Kenny Receivables Management www.jrkrmdirect.com • End of Lease Negotiations & Enforcement • Fraud Investigation • Credit Investigations • Asset Searches • Skip-tracing • Third-party Commercial Collections The Solution to Your Credit & Accounts Receivable Needs John Kenny 315-866-1167 |  John@jkrmdirect.com

(Leasing News provides this ad as a trade for investigations
and background information provided by John Kenny)

Fort Collins, Colorado -- Adopt-a-Dog

BRENNA - ID#A350974

"I am a spayed female, blonde Anatolian Shepherd mix.
"The shelter staff thinks I am about 3 years old
"I have been at the shelter since Mar 19, 2011.”

For more information about this animal, call:
Larimer Humane Society at (970) 226-3647
Ask for information about animal ID number A350974

Monday through Friday -11 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday - 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location:
6317 Kyle Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80525

Mailing/Administrative Address
5137 South College Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80525

http://www.larimerhumane.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/

Adopt-a-Pet by Leasing Co. State/City
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Adopt_Pet.htm

Adopt a Pet
http://www.adoptapet.com/

(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)

News Briefs----

Exclusive: Business borrowing up in February: ELFA
(Leasing News will give you the facts not PR on Wednesday)

Wells Fargo cuts 68 call center jobs

Geithner: Financing tough for small firms

BlackBerry PlayBook starts at $499, same as iPad 2

In Florida: A tale of two housing markets

Google plan to digitize books dealt blow by judge

Pinetop Perkins Passes Away at 97 (have all his records)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJnqcQmPAMo&feature=related

 

 

Sports Briefs----

The Huddle
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/index

25 Best Strikeout Pitchers in Baseball
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/634995-mlb-power-rankings-tim-lincecum-and-the-25-best-strikeout-pitchers-in-baseball#page/1

California Nuts Briefs---

California on slow economic rebound says Beacons Economics
http://www.marinij.com/business/ci_17673774

Jerry Brown considering ballot initiative on taxes
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2011/03/jerry-brown-considering-ballot.html

Concern raised over deteriorating state of California bridges
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2011/mar/22/concern-raised-over-deteriorating-state-california/

 

“Gimme that Wine”

Livermore Winegrowers opened their doors for a great Barrel Tasting Weekend
http://www.examiner.com/wine-in-san-jose/livermore-winegrowers-opened-their-doors-for-a-great-barrel-tasting-weekend

Walla Walla's L'Ecole Winery Grows Up With A New Label
http://kuow.org/northwestnews.php?storyID=134747593

Free Mobile Wine Program
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2010/2_26.htm#mobile

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

 

    1775- Anniversary of Patrick Henry’s speech for arming the Virginia militia at St. Johns Church, Richmond, Virginia. He was addressing the second Virginia convention, and delivered his immortal speech against arbitrary British rule, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” Ironically, history has made this the best known, but from a contemporary journal, his most famous remark at the time, the one most repeated, occurred when he uttered:
“ Caeasar had his Brutus; Charles the first his Cromwell; and George the Third may profit by their example.” He was then interrupted and accused of treason, where he responded, “ If this is treason, make the most of it.” The speech caused a sensation, being bolder than any speech given that year.
    1839-“O.K.” First Appearance in Print. “The Boston Morning Post” printed the first known “ok.k”. It derived from a misspelling of “all correct”—“all korrect.” Etymologist Allen Read doggedly tracked down the word’s origin in the 1960’s. “O.K” is now used in most languages.
    1842 -- Congressman Joshua R. Giddings of Ohio is censured by the House of Representatives for introducing resolutions opposing slavery and the coastal slave trade. (The "Gag Rule," first adopted by a South- dominated Congress in 1836, and renewed at the beginning of each session thereafter, pledges every member not to mention the slavery issue on the floor of the House.)
    1857-Fannie Farmer Cookbook standardizes measurements in cooking.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar23.html
    1858- Eleazer A. Gardner of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania obtained a patent on an “improvement in tracks for city railways.” The cable was housed in an underground tunnel with a series of pulleys inside. It was not until 1873 that the cable car began operation on the Clay Street Hill in San Francisco. It was the first cable car put into service anywhere in the world, on an improvement and new patent by Andrew Smith Hallidie for an “endless-wire rope way.”
http://www.sfcablecar.com/history.html
    1862-As General George McClellan began the Peninsular campaign to move on the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson engaged a larger force of Union troops at Kernstown in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Although he ultimately was forced to retreat, the Battle of Kernstown provided a diversion central to the South’s military strategy. Fearing an attack on Washington, DC, northern troops were kept around Washington as part of its defense, leaving fewer troops available for the Peninsular campaign.
    1864- George J. Dyke, the co-founder of Vancouver's first music school, was born in St. Blazey, England. In the 1890's, Dyke helped found a violin academy, which was a forerunner of the Vancouver Conservatory. Dyke died in Victoria in 1940.
    1867-The second Reconstruction Act was passed over President Johnson’s veto. It provided for the registration of all qualified votes, who were subsequently to decide on readmittance to the Union.
    1868- University of California founded (Oakland CA)
http://www.berkeley.edu/about/history/
    1872-"Emperor" Joshua A. Norton is often credited with the idea of bridging the bay between San Francisco and Oakland. His most famous decree­ March 23, 1872­which ordered construction of a bridge between Oakland Point and Goat Island, was apparently based upon concepts outlined in several newspaper articles during the early 1870s. Charles Crocker of the Central Pacific Railroad had earlier proposed a railroad bridge from Oakland to San Francisco via Goat Island.
    1877- Mormon zealot John Doyle Lee was executed by a firing squad for masterminding the Mountain Meadows Massacre. In 1857, a wagon train of 127 Arkansas Methodist emigrants, bound for California, were killed by a party of Mormon settlers and Paiute Indians at Mountain Meadows (near Cedar ity), Utah.
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/i_r/lee.htm
http://www.usu.edu/usupress/individl/johnlee.htm
http://www.lib.utah.edu/spc/mss/accn186/186.html
http://www.onlineutah.com/historylee.shtml
    1889-President Harrison opens Oklahoma for colonization, creating the great Oklahoma land rush, which was fully out of control as
there was no local authority or representative of the federal government in charge. The date set was for April 22 and for white settlers only.
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/chronicles/v020/v020p218.html
http://www.multied.com/Bio/presidents/b_harrison.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11230c.htm
http://marti.rootsweb.com/land/oklands.html
    1911-National Urban League founded.
http://www.britannica.com/blackhistory/micro/417/36.html
http://www.nul.org/about/mission.htm
    1904-Birthday of actress Joan Crawford, born Lucille fay LaSueur at San Antoinio, TX. Crawford became a Hollywood star with her performance in Our Chancing Daughters. She won an Oscar in 1945 for her role in Mildred Pierce. Events of Crawford’s life are chronicled in Mommie Dearest. Other films included The Women, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Twelve miles out. I am confused about the actual dates, but I believe it was in 1947, my father Lawrence Menkin was brought to Hollywood to work on the "Possessed" movie. He had a number of photographs of Joan Crawford and he ( she also looked a lot like my mother.) He never said anything about her that I can remember, but he hated the Hollywood scene, the doctoring of the script, and after finishing whatever he was brought in for, was offered another film to work on, but wanted to go back to New York where he was much better known, and had an offer from Dr. Dumont to work on television shows with Bill Cadigan(sp?) for the new Dumont television channel, which he said was more exciting. He was born and raised in New York City. I can tell you he did not learn to drive until the early 1950's, so being in California without an ability to drive would certainly also be a deterrent, plus his family stayed in New York while he was working in Hollywood. By the way, Joan Crawford was nominated for an Oscar, but lost it to Loretta Young for "The Farmer's Daughter." She died at New York, NY, May 10, 1977.
http://www.famoustexans.com/joancrawford.htm
http://www.reelclassics.com/Actresses/Crawford/crawford.htm

    1907 - San Francisco Mayor Eugene Schmitz reportedly is considering resigning as chief executive of the city on the condition that he is granted immunity from further prosecution and indictment by the grand jury. Scmitz is being kept in his house at Pierce and Vallejo streets and is constantly watched by details or detectives.
    1912-Residents of Kansas City, Missouri began to dig out from a storm that dumped 25 inches for snow in 24 hours. This snowfall total was nearly twice that of any other storm of modern record in Kansas City before or since that time. A record 40 inches of snow fell during the month of March that year and the total of 67 inches for the winter season was also a record. Olathe, Kansas received 37 inches of snow in the storm establishing a single storm record for the state.
    1913 - A vicious tornado hit the city of Omaha, NE. The tornado struck during the late afternoon on Easter Sunday, and in just twelve minutes cut a swath of total destruction five miles long and two blocks wide across the city killing 94 persons and causing 3.5 million dollars property damage.
    1917--Pianist Johnny Guarnieri birthday
http://jagmusic-1.com/Bio.htm
http://entertainment.msn.com/artist/?artist=113789
http://soley.zodchiy.ru/J/Johnny_Guarnieri.html
    1925-The trial of a teacher for violating a state ban on teaching the theory of evolution took place in July, 1925. John Thomas Scopes, a high school science teach in Dayton, TN, was convicted of breaking a law passed by the Tennessee legislature and signed this day in 1925 by Governor Austin Peay. It provided that “ it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any of the universities, normal, and all other public schools of the state which are supported in whole or in party by the public school funds, of the state to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.” Scopes was prosecuted by William Jennings Bryan and defended by Clarence Darrow. He was fined $100. The conviction was later overturned on technical grounds.
    1926--Birthday of Martha Wright, singer who sang one part 1,080 times for the longest run ever recorded on the Broadway stage, but few remember her name because she succeeded Mary Martin as Nellie Forbisch in South Pacific.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Wright_(actress)
    1932-Birthday of guitarist/harmonica player Louisiana Red (Iverson Minter,)
born Vicksburg, MS
http://www.eharmonica.net/iverson%20minter.htm
http://www.oldies.com/artist/biography.cfm/id_339.html
    1938-Birthday of vibes player Dave Pike Detroit MI
http://www.ubiquityrecords.com/dave_pike.html
http://www.fantasyjazz.com/catalog/pike_d_cat.html
http://www.hipwax.com/music/patch/vibes_dp.html
    1944-Woody Herman waxes homogenized protest “Milkman Keep Those Bottles Quiet.”This day in 1987 he makes his last appearance with the Herd, Grand Meadow, Minnesota.
    1945--CARTER, EDWARD A., JR. Medal of Honor
Rank: Staff Sergeant. Citation: For extraordinary heroism in action on 23 March 1945, near Speyer, Germany. When the tank on which he was riding received heavy bazooka and small arms fire, Sergeant Carter voluntarily attempted to lead a three-man group across an open field. Within a short time, two of his men were killed and the third seriously wounded. Continuing on alone, he was wounded five times and finally forced to take cover. As eight enemy riflemen attempted to capture him, Sergeant Carter killed six of them and captured the remaining two. He then crossed the field using as a shield his two prisoners from which he obtained valuable information concerning the disposition of enemy troops. Staff Sergeant Carter's extraordinary heroism was an inspiration to the officers and men of the Seventh Army Infantry Company Number 1 (Provisional) and exemplifies the highest traditions of the Armed Forces.
    1946---Top Hits
Oh, What It Seemed to Be - The Frankie Carle Orchestra (vocal: Marjorie Hughes)
Personality - Johnny Mercer
Day by Day - Frank Sinatra
Guitar Polka - Al Dexter
    1950- “Beat the Clock” premiered on television. On this game show from the team of Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, couples performed stunts within a specified time period (usually under 60 seconds) with the winners being given a chance to try a special stunt to win a great prize. Special stunts were very difficult, and the same one was attempted every week until a couple got it right. In 1952, James Dean got his first TV job testing stunts and warming up the audience. Bud Collier was the host, assisted by Roxanne (real name Dolores Rosedale). A 1969 syndicated version hosted by Jack Narz and then by Gene Wood had celebrities to help the contestants. A 1979 revival was hosted by Monty Hall.
    1952-Bill Mosienko of the Chicago Blackhawks set an NHL record by scoring three goals in 21 seconds in a game against the New York Rangers. Mosienko scored at 6:09, 6:30 and 6:30 of the third period against goalie Lorne Anderson. Chicago Won 7-6.
    1954—Top Hits
Make Love to Me! - Jo Stafford
Cross Over the Bridge - Patti Page
Wanted - Perry Como
Slowly - Webb Pierce
   1959-Ray Peterson recorded the original version of "The Wonder Of You", which will climb to #25 on the Billboard chart. Elvis Presley would take the same song to #9 in 1970.
   1959-The Skyliners, a five member group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, entered the Billboard Pop chart for the first time with the now classic doo-wop hit, "Since I Don't Have You". The song will be their biggest success, reaching #12. Joe Rock would later say that he was upset about a girl who had just left him and wrote most of the lyrics while sitting in his car between stoplights.
    1962---Top Hits
Hey! Baby - Bruce Channel
Midnight in Moscow - Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen
Don’t Break the Heart that Loves You - Connie Francis
That’s My Pa - Sheb Wooley
    1963- the Beatles' first LP, "Please, Please Me," was released in Britain. The album included the title song, which had topped the British chart a month earlier. The LP, with the exception of the title song, was recorded in one 13-hour session on February 11th. Other hits included in the Beatles' first album included "Love Me Do," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Do You Want To Know a Secret?" and "Twist and Shout."
    1963- The Beach Boys release "Surfin U.S.A."
1964 IBM vastly underestimates System/360 demand. IBM told reporters that the company expected to install 5000 units of its new computer line, System/360, in the next five years. The company vastly overshot its goals, installing 25,000 by 1969. During the first two years of the new product line's production, the company could fill only about half of the nine thousand orders it received. The System/360 line was the first series of compatible computers: Previous computers were custom-built for each customer and required individual programming. The product line, which cost $5 billion to develop, fostered IBM's dominant position in the computer industry.
    1964--Elvis Presley received his final discharge from the US Army Reserve. He had left active duty in February, 1960.
    1965 - Astronaut John Young became the first person to eat a corned beef sandwich in space. Young snuck the sandwich on board to supplement his meals of dehydrated foods, including powdered fruit juice.
    1970---Top Hits
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel
The Rapper - The Jaggerz
Give Me Just a Little More Time - Chairmen of the Board
The Fightin’ Side of Me - Merle Haggard
    1971--FITZMAURICE, MICHAEL JOHN Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Troop D, 2d Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: Khe Sanh, Republic of Vietnam, 23 March 1971. Entered service at: Jamestown, N. Dak. Born: 9 March 1950, Jamestown, N. Dak . Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sp4c. Fitzmaurice, 3d Platoon, Troop D, distinguished himself at Khe Sanh. Sp4c. Fitzmaurice and 3 fellow soldiers were occupying a bunker when a company of North Vietnamese sappers infiltrated the area. At the onset of the attack Sp4c. Fitzmaurice observed 3 explosive charges which had been thrown into the bunker by the enemy. Realizing the imminent danger to his comrades, and with complete disregard for his personal safety, he hurled 2 of the charges out of the bunker. He then threw his flak vest and himself over the remaining charge. By this courageous act he absorbed the blast and shielded his fellow-soldiers. Although suffering from serious multiple wounds and partial loss of sight, he charged out of the bunker, and engaged the enemy until his rifle was damaged by the blast of an enemy hand grenade. While in search of another weapon, Sp4c. Fitzmaurice encountered and overcame an enemy sapper in hand-to-hand combat. Having obtained another weapon, he returned to his original fighting position and inflicted additional casualties on the attacking enemy. Although seriously wounded, Sp4c. Fitzmaurice refused to be medically evacuated, preferring to remain at his post. Sp4c. Fitzmaurice's extraordinary heroism in action at the risk of his life contributed significantly to the successful defense of the position and resulted in saving the lives of a number of his fellow soldiers. These acts of heroism go above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service, and reflect great credit on Sp4c. Fitzmaurice and the U.S. Army.
    1973 - "Concentration", the longest-running game show in television, starring Hugh Downs, came to an end after 15 years on NBC. A syndicated version without Downs aired, but did not last long.
    1973-Jason Kidd, basketball player, born San Francisco, CA.
    1973--"Derek and the Dominos in Concert," the two record set released well over a year after the short-lived group's break-up, goes gold.
    1974 - Cher hit the top of the music charts when "Dark Lady" reached the #1 for a one-week stay. Other artists sharing the spotlight during that time included: Terry Jacks, John Denver, Blue Swede, Elton John and MFSB.
    1974-Cher enjoys her third, solo, US number one hit with "Dark Lady".
    1975- San Francisco's Kezar Stadium is the site for a Bill Graham-run benefit show called SNACK (Students Need Athletics, Culture and Kicks). The Show features the Tower of Power, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship, Joan Baez, Graham Central Station, Neil Young and special guest Bob Dylan. It's to raise money for the San Francisco school system which recently canceled most sports and after-hour activities because of a $3-million budget deficit. Almost $200,00 is raised, but it's really not needed because the day before the event, an announcement is made that through a financial adjustment $2.1 million has been "found."
    1977 - No. 1 Billboard hit: ``Rich Girl,'' Daryl Hall & John Oates. Hall and Oates met in 1969 in a service elevator while trying to escape a fight between rival gangs at a record hop in Philadelphia's Adelphi Ballroom.
    1978---Top Hits
Night Fever - Bee Gees
Stayin’ Alive - Bee Gees
Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys - Waylon & Willie
    1981 - No. 1 Billboard hit: ``Rapture,'' Blondie. The song is the first rap song to reach No. 1.
    1983- Barney Clark died after living almost 112 days with an artificial heart. The heart, made of polyurethane plastic and aluminum, was implanted in Clark at the University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Dec 2, 1982. Clark was the first person ever to receive a permanent artificial heart. Born at Provo, UT, Jan 21, 1921, Clark was 62 when he died.
    1983 - No. 1 Billboard hit: ``Billie Jean,'' Michael Jackson. The song is the first No. 1 single from ``Thriller,'' the best-selling album of all time.
    1983--In his "Star Wars" speech, Pres. Ronald Reagan proposes a space-based system to blast incoming missiles out of the sky -- just like the 1940 film "Murder in the Air," whose hero, Secret Service Agent Brass Bancroft (played by Ronald Reagan!), gets involved with the "Inertia Projector," a death ray that can zap planes.
   1985-John Lennon's son Julian gave his first concert in San Antonio, Texas. Over the next two years he would place four songs on the Hot 100, including "Valotte" (#9) and "Too Late For Goodbyes" (#5).
   1985-Former Creedence Clearwater Revival front man John Fogerty went to #1 on the US album chart with "Centerfield".
   1985-Former Earth Wind And Fire vocalist Philip Bailey teamed up with Phil Collins to top the UK chart with "Easy Lover", which had reached #2 in the US in February.
   1985-Billy Joel marries Christy Brinkley on a boat moored alongside the Statue Of Liberty.
   1985-Former Credence Clearwater Revival front man John Fogerty went to #1 on the US album chart with "Centerfield".
   1985 - Musician, Billy Joel married model, Christie Brinkley in a private ceremony held in New York City. They announced in April 1994 that they had separated.
   1986---Top Hits
These Dreams - Heart
Secret Lovers - Atlantic Starr
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
What’s a Memory like You (Doing in a Love like This) - John Schneider
    1987- A 3 day snowstorm commenced over the central Plains. It left amounts exceeding one foot in a south to north band from the Texas Panhandle to South Dakota. Blizzard conditions prevailed with winds gusting to 78 mph at Dodge City, Kansas and Altus, Oklahoma. Pampa, Texas was buried under 20 inches of snow, the worst in the area in at least 70 years. 24 inches of snow was recorded at Neligh, Nebraska.
    1987-“The Bold and the Beautiful” premiered on TV. A continuing daytime serial created by William Bell and Lee Phillip Bell to be "young and hip." It is set in the fashion industry of Los Angeles with two central families, the Logans and the Forresters. The cast has included, as the Forresters: John McCook, Susan Flannery, Clayton Norcross, Jeff Trachta, Ronn Moss, Teri Ann Linn, Colleen Dion and as the Logans: Robert Pine, Judith Baldwin, Nancy Burnett, Nancy Sloan, Carrie Mitchum (granddaughter of Robert), Ethan Wayne (son of John), Brian Patrick Clarke, Katherine Kelly Lang and Lesley Woods. Other cast members include Jeff Conaway, Tippi Hedren and Hunter Tylo.
    1989-After 33 years, 59 year-old Dick Clark retired from hosting the television program, “American Bandstand.”
    1990 - An upper level storm system produced heavy snow in the Lower Missouri Valley. Snowfall totals ranged up to nine inches at Kansas City MO, with eight inches reported at Falls City NE, Columbia MO and Saint Louis MO. Thunderstorms produced heavy snow in the Kansas City area during the evening rush hour.
    1991-Elton John joins George Michael onstage at London's Wembley Arena for a duet on the 1974 hit "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me". The 'live' version will be released as a single and top the charts on both sides of the Atlantic next December. Michael will donate $500,000 from the royalties to various charities.
    1991- WLAF Makes its Debut: The World League of American Football, part of a marketing attempt by the National Football League to extend the game’s popularity in Europe, made its début as the London Monarchs defeated the Frankfurt Galaxy 24-11.
    1993- during a surprise concert in Red Bank, New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen ripped off his shirt and offered a version of Billy Ray Cyrus's "Achy Breaky Heart." Springsteen told his audience that it was a "damn good" tune. The surprise show, which benefited a local theatre and a food bank, was a warm-up for a European tour.
    1985-Billy Joel marries Christy Brinkley in New York. They would divorce in 1994.
He would brag about the marriage in every concert I attended, until the divorce, of course. He did wrote some pretty good songs for her, but evidently it was not enough.
    1998 - The movie, "Titanic", won a record-tying 11 Oscars at the 70th Annual Academy Awards (tying the number of awards won by "Ben-Hur" in 1959). Comedian/actor Billy Crystal kept the crowd at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, and the millions watching on TV, in stitches as "Titanic" (James Cameron, Jon Landau, producers) won Best Picture; Best Director (James Cameron); Best Cinematography (Russell Carpenter); Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Peter Lamont [art director], Michael Ford [set decorator]); Best Costume Design (Deborah Lynn Scott); Best Sound (Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson, Gary Summers, Mark Ulano); Best Film Editing (Conrad Buff IV, James Cameron, Richard A. Harris); Best Effects/Sound Effects Editing (Tom Bellfort, Christopher Boyes); Best Effects/Visual Effects (Robert Legato, Mark A. Lasoff, Thomas L. Fisher, Michael Kanfer); Best Music/Original Dramatic Score (James Horner); and Best Music/Song (James Horner [music] and Will Jennings [lyrics] for "My Heart Will Go On", performed by Céline Dion). Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt took top acting honors as the misanthropic writer and the waitress who softens his heart in "As Good as it Gets". The Best Supporting Actor Oscar went to Robin Williams for "Good Will Hunting" and Best Supporting Actress was Kim Basinger for her "L.A. Confidential" part (Lynn Bracken: “Merry Christmas to you, officer.”)
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    1998-The National Football League awarded an expansion franchise to the City of Cleveland. The team, to be called the Browns, as was Cleveland’s former team, now the Baltimore Ravens.
    2004 - An album Paul Simon recorded in 1965 that has never saw the light of day in America gets its first official release there. "The Paul Simon Songbook," previously only available as an import and long out-of-print even in that form, is released via Columbia/Legacy. The original 12-track album was recorded in the wake of the lukewarm response afforded Simon & Garfunkel's 1964 debut, "Wednesday Morning 3 A.M."

NCAA Basketball Champions This Date

    1948 Kentucky
    1957 North Carolina
    1963 Loyola (L.)
    1968 UCLA