Leasing News

Independent, unbiased and fair news about the Leasing Industry
kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

Monday, March 26, 2012

Today's Equipment Leasing Headlines

Happy NEFA Conference Attendees
  Classified Ads---Sales
Confirmed Top Sales Team has Left
  Capital One Equipment Financing
   Placard---Team
    Classified Ads---Help Wanted
Career Crossroad—“Never Accept a Counter Offer”
   Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
    Vendor Needs ---Installment #3
   Bank Beat---Asian-American Bank Fails
   Another Bank in Georgia Fails
    Top Stories March 19--March 23
      H&R Block Manager Arrested Identity Theft
        Long Island, New York Adopt-a-Dog
       (Huntington, NY)
         Classified ads—Marketing
News Briefs---
Economists see higher taxes as way to cut
  A prince's call for 'good food'

Broker/Funder/Industry Lists | Features (collection)
Top Ten Stories Chosen by Readers | Top Stories last six months

IPad has truly evolved into alternative to laptop
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     SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer
      Sports Briefs---
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           This Day in American History
         SuDoku
           Daily Puzzle
             GasBuddy
               Weather, USA or specific area
                 Traffic Live----

######## surrounding the article denotes it is a “press release” and was not written by Leasing News nor information verified, but from the source noted. When an article is signed by the writer, it is considered a “by line.” It reflects the opinion and research of the writer. It is considered “bias” as it is the writer’s viewpoint.

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Happy NEFA Conference Attendees

Bob Teichman, CLP
Teichman Financial Training
botei@aol.com

Over this past weekend, almost 200 leasing professionals attended the National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA) Summit meeting at the aging Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa in San Diego, California. The meeting was lively, with almost 50 people enjoying their first NEFA conference and 17 new members in attendance. Given its Southern California location and the large contingent of leasing professionals in the area, it was no surprise that almost 50% of the attendees were from the West Coast. There were also more Canadians than usual, due to NEFA’ s president, Hugh Swandel of Winnipeg, Canada. He certainly has made a difference, perhaps one of the reasons why the conference was so well attended, as well as told to me by many of those in San Diego, business is getting better---much better.

The leasing industry has grayed in the past few year, so it was a pleasure to see many new faces in addition to the many gray (and bald) heads. At the Welcome Reception on Thursday evening, intense discussions between new and old friends accompanied the light hors d’oeuvres, and it appeared that business is, at long last, starting to pick up. There was a sense, at the meeting, that there is finally a shift in attitude, from the gloom prevalent during the past few years, to some real optimism.

In addition, there was a general feeling that money to fund leases was finally becoming available, mostly from non-bank sources. There were even rumors, not heard for some time that some funders have returned to some of the aggressive practices of the pre-meltdown days.

Educational sessions at the conference were well-attended, with some enjoying standing room only. The sessions were divided into two “tracks” with one for experienced lessors and the other for new and established brokers who wanted to move their companies to the next level. In addition, NEFA hosted an all-day Certified Leasing Professional Review Course.

Luncheon speakers on Friday and Saturday were entertaining and well-received. Friday’s speaker was Michael Stead, chief economist for the Bank of the West. His talk was informative, entertaining and insightful. He had the attention of 100% of the audience, some of whom even let their lunches go cold rather than missing any of his talk.

Saturday’s speaker was Mike Robbins, whose message that people respond well to appreciation, was appreciated by the audience.

In between the educational sessions, attendees visited and met with the many exhibitors, which included both funders and service providers. Exhibitors who were interviewed seemed pleased with the level of traffic at their booths.

The Summit conference also gave NEFA members a chance to congratulate CLP Foundation Executive Director, Cindy Spurdle, on her upcoming retirement. At the opening reception of the Summit, John Rosenlund, of Portfolio Financial Services Company, NEFA Vice President, and CLP Foundation Treasurer, presented Cindy Spurdle with a crystal plaque, on behalf of the NEFA membership, for all her support of NEFA.

All in all, everyone was happy. It seems business is getting better and deals are getting funded.

Bob Teichman, CLP
Teichman Financial Training
3030 Bridgeway, Suite 213
Sausalito, CA 94965
Tel: 415 331-6445
Fax: 415 331-6451|
e-mail: BoTei@aol.com

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Classified Ads---Sales

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

California
Aggressive, competitive self-starter with vendor/direct equipment
leasing and asset-based lending experience. Success in business banking sales and financial planning.
Email: dsp559@hotmail.com | Resume

Garfield, NJ
15 years experience small to large ticket sales exp. All types of equipment industries. Vendor & direct. Self motivated. Work with leasing company or broker.
Tony Lio tonylio@optonline.net

Montgomery, AL
Individual with 10 years advertising sales exp. & 7 years insurance sales exp. Wants independent contractor situation in Alabama.
Work with leasing company or broker. 334-590-5133
E-mail: billmcneal2003@yahoo.com

Orange County, CA
20+ yrs. leasing sales/sales mgmt
Established remote office w/Lessee/Vendor following
Request Salary + commission or partnership w/direct funding source.
shermbp@gmail.com

Pittsburgh , PA
Aggressive self starter looking for leasing position w/10 plus yrs sales exp., plus banking experience 814-227-4592
mwiser500@hotmail.com

San Francisco Bay Area:
15 year Vendor Program Agreement HUNTER. Currently employed at major IT manufacturer captive supporting direct and channel sales. Must have base, commission and benefit package.
E-mail: VdrPgmBizDev@aol.com

Texas/Oklahoma
15 year lease vet looking for plact to take business.great references. all major equipment types. open to compensation. please contact if interested.
E-mail: bankingdallas@yahoo.com

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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Confirmed Top Sales Team has Left
Capital One Equipment Financing

According to several very reliable sources, it has been confirmed that the top sales team has left Capital One Equipment Finance to go as a group in starting a new leasing company with funding from Signature Bank.

One of the insiders told Leasing News, "Thanks for keeping my name out of any report you issue…..I’m guessing there will be litigation by Capital One and I don’t want to be involved!"

For the new entity, it certainly is good news for the independent market place as a new funding source will emerge. Definitely a unique opportunity as the winner is Signature Bank with locations in Brooklyn, Bronx, Long Island, Staten Island with the nine Private Client Group Offices in Manhattan. A press release is forthcoming.

President and CEO Joseph DePaolo

“We’re a professional services firm that does banking,” said Joseph J. DePaolo, president and CEO.

" 'Its 25 locations are not branches, but private banking offices. Most are on upper floors, not street level. Its bankers are “group directors.' Customers are clients. And it does no advertising.

Signature Bank-Private Client Group Office
Long Island, New York

“' If you ask, no one ever changes a bank because of an ad,' DePaolo said. 'We believe it’s the relationship people have with the banker that causes them to change, not the institution.' And that relationship is the crux of Signature’s remarkable 10-year success that has taken it from an initial $43 million investment to $13.9 billion in assets, ranking it among the top 1 percent of all commercial banks in the U.S., according to the FDIC.

“'Everyone talks about relationship banking,' DePaolo said. 'What sets us apart is that we actually do it, not talk about it.'

“'If there’s anything banks may have learned from the credit crisis it’s that relationship banking matters.' "
(1)

FDIC December 31, 2011 filing shows 720 full-time employees, bank equity $1.4 billion, net income of $149.5 million, noncurrent loans and leases $52.5 million, with net charge offs of $33.1 million ($25.3 commercial and industrial loans, $4.2 nonfarm nonresidential loans, $1.4 loans to individuals,$1.0 "other loans" with $616,000 construction and land development, $349,000 1-4 family residential properties).

Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio a very healthy 17.08%.

(1) http://leasingnews.org/PDF/SignatureBank.pdf

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Advance Restaurant Finance

* Fast Approvals
* No Need to Change Credit Card Processors

Looking for sales reps to call on small to medium
sized retail merchants nationwide.
Experience preferred in this industry, but open
to ambitious "make sales" self-motivators.
Base salary, commissions,full benefits available.
Email with resume to: slohmann@arfcash.com

www.arfcash.com

For information on placing a help wanted ad, please click here:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Hwanted/Hwanted-post.htm

Please see our Job Wanted section for possible new employees.

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Career Crossroad—“Never Accept a Counter Offer”

Question: I am expecting a counter offer from my current employer; I am not planning on accepting it, how should I handle

Answer: Good, as a Candidate should not be exploring opportunities unless they are serious in making a move. Before exploring opportunities, the question should be asked: why am I exploring …is it because of

compensation
limited growth
lack of recognition
unattainable goals
etc…. there may be many reasons and some are just unchangeable such as a company’s culture, layoffs, etc…

Address these questions / concerns with your current employer … if there not an opportunity for a change to meet your current or long-term goals, THEN explore opportunities.

I assume you already have received the offer and accepted. When you approach your current employer of your departure (notice) is when a counter-offer may arise.

Never accept a counter-offer

A counteroffer is an inducement from your current employer to get you to stay after you’ve announced your intentions to accept another job elsewhere. Moreover, in recent years, counteroffers have practically become the norm.

If you are considering a counteroffer, remain focused on your primary objectives. Why were you looking for another job to begin with? If an employee is happy with their current job, employer and/or salary, they are usually not paving the road with resumes. So, often times a counteroffer that promises more money never really remedies the real reasons for wanting to move on in the first place.

Apart from a short-term bandage on the problem, nothing will change within the company and when the dust settles you can find yourself back in the same old rut. Recruiters report that more than 80% of those who accept counteroffers leave, begin looking for another job, or are “let go” within six to twelve months after announcing their intentions.

Counteroffers are certainly flattering and make an employee question their initial decision to leave. However, often times they are merely stall tactics used by bosses and companies to alleviate an upheaval a departing employee can cause. High turnover also brings a boss’s management skills into question. His / Her reaction is to do what’s necessary until he/she is better prepared to replace you.

Emily Fitzpatrick
Sr. Recruiter
Recruiters International, Inc.
Phone: 954-885-9241
Cell: 954-612-0567
emily@riirecruit.com
www.riirecruit.com

Previous Career Crossroad columns:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/crossroad.html

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Leasing 102
by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP

Vendor Needs

Installment #3

First, the leasing company’s approach is the vendor’s sales staff will introduce the customer to leasing as a method of acquiring the equipment, and they are not interested in, or required to, learn leasing. They leave that up to the leasing consultant.

In this approach it is best to have three or four standard programs available. The standard rate sheet has numbers for a $1 purchase option, a fixed purchase option (most often a 10% PUT guaranteed purchase-purchase upon terms) or a “fair market value” tied to the reasonably predictable fair market value of the leased equipment.

One of my favorite vendor programs is the rate chart that contains a payment factor for every month up to the limit of term that the Lessor will allow. Say from 24 months continuous to 63 months. This chart has two good uses. Most customers have a budget amount and if you divide the requested payment by the equipments cost you can find the percentage it represents. Then use the rate chart to find the monthly factor closest to the requested payment amount. This will then decide the term. Customers are like consumers purchasing cars, they will buy faster if the payments meet their expectations. If you only have a rate chart that has 36,48,or 60 months on it, then one term has to high a payment and the next is too low. This causes a dilemma and the sale is put off until some decisions can be made. Equipment leasing is not lending so trying to squeeze it into lending terms is inappropriate.

Additional programs can be created that reflect the use, the term, or the interest of that particular industry. These are effective in person, especially when visiting an applicant with an equipment salesman who pretends he knows leasing and wants to keep going back to the “rate.”

Seasonal Payments

As presented before, leasing is used by many lessee’s as a method to have the lease terminate in the correct month in the future to coincide with their end of use. This will not be even year terms so it requires a rate chart that can handle the correct number of months so that the lease will terminate at the correct time. Most vendors prefer this because it allows them to know, in advance, when the customer will need to replace the equipment. Traditional finance terms of 36, 48, or 60 do not correspond to use and therefore are only functional when the customer prefers to keep the equipment until it drops.

Floating Skip

The next good program is a floating skip. This requires a term of equal years like 36.48, or 60. Let’s use 60 as an example. First you need a lease accounting system that can handle monthly extensions. Then you price the deal as if the lessee were going to skip the first payment each year. An example would be a standard 60 month deal at 12% on $100,000 for a payment of $2,224.44; then changing it to reflect a one month skip at the beginning of each lease year would create a payment of $2,418.45. The payment is higher because there are only 55 payments. Then you tell the Lessee that they have one skip to use every year, at their discretion. You book the deal as a 55 month transaction and then when the Lessee returns a monthly invoice requesting that years skip the lease will have to have a one month extension. Also it is common to allow each year’s skip to be carried over to be used in the future if the equipment comes off line for repairs or untimely maintenance. The program is sold like an insurance policy against unforeseen cash crunches that would normally require the Lessee to use a line of credit to meet cash shortfall needs. Many Lessees’ never take a skip and the yield for the Lessor improves nicely. The rental payment is a little higher because of the 55 months instead of the 60 months but the lessee’s like it because it takes care of the what if’s.

Step Up Plan or Step Down Plan

Many customers are attracted to leasing because of the ability to control costs and off set them with proper lease payment plans. Such as a rental that mirrors the maintenance costs by having a larger payment in the beginning when there is no maintenance and lower payments in the later years when maintenance picks up. Then when combining the two expenses in appears level over the term of the equipments use. This allows for a better control of manufacturing costs to allow a good control on actual mark up or margin analysis. This can also be done on a seasonal basis for the same effect.

30-60-90 Deferral Plan

With this program, one or two months security deposit is collected at the signing of the lease, and the lessee pays $25.00 for each of the first 3 months followed by the normal term of 36, 48, or 60 months.

Waive Payment Voucher

The lessee may tailor their own payment plans with an option to remit up to three (3) vouchers a year, and six (6) vouchers total during the term of their lease, instead of making a full lease payment.

Requirements include:
1. Available on 36, 48, 60 month term only.
2. Lessee may utilize up to three vouchers per year, but not more than three consecutive payments.
3. Lessee pays $25.00 plus use tax with each voucher instead of a full lease payment.
4. Lessee must be current.

Prepaid Purchase Option

A Lease program that is really a loan is the prepaid purchase lease. Clearly if you request the Lessee to pay the purchase option at the beginning, you have failed all the rules because the intent to sell is intentional. However, because you have the purchase option up front it lowers the amount of your own cash that you have to use to acquire the equipment. For instance if the prepaid purchase option was 10% then you would only have to use 90% to purchase the equipment. This makes the payment lower and the impression of a lower rate when viewed as a percentage of total equipment cost. Example 100% financing would have 60 payments of $2,110 for a rate of 10% whereas a prepaid purchase option of 10% would have 60 payments of $1,900 reflecting a rate of 5.47% when looked at as a rate on the $100,000 equipment cost. Many customers prefer to show on their financials that they borrow at 5.47% instead of 10%.

The prepaid purchase option may also make a transaction more attractive financing 100% and holding the 10% as a “reserve” against lost in case of a default.

If you are visiting a challenged credit, and the vendr tells you this company has been turned down, but they consider them a very good customer, you can make a:

Vendor Discount

The residual up-front can be used also when vendors want to use lower financing/leasing rates to encourage the sale of their equipment instead of lowering the equipment cost to the public. They discount the purchase price to the Lessor or financing source without the customer’s knowledge so the lease/finance rate appears to be lower when reflected against the equipments advertised price. Once in a while a customer obtains his own financing and the vendor gets the full price, something that would not have happened if the price had been lowered.

Vendor Recourse

This can range for setting up a loss reserve of 2% (or more, depending on the equipment, credit of vendor and lessee) to a program of re-selling repossessed equipment, finding another lessee to assume the lease, or with participation in commission to full recourse on the transaction.

Vendor Partnerships

Leasing and finance programs can be created to make the vendor a captive lessor with either a participation as a partner, a back office, or granting a warehouse line of credit, or establishing a “private label” program with recourse or non-recourse. This is a popular vendor approach for large manufacturers and distributors, but also can be applied to all size of manufacturers, distributors, and dealers.

Vendor/Manufacturer/Distributor Lease Sales --Installment One
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_13.htm#part_one

Vendor Programs Installment #2
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_19.htm#part_2

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, has been a teacher, consultant, expert witness for the leasing industry for thirty-five years and can be reached at leaseconsulting@msn.com or 502-649-0448

He invites your questions and queries.

Previous #102 Columns:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Leasing_102/Index.htm

Don’t Miss This Opportunity---

Mr. Terry Winders, CLP
Anaheim, California

April 5 & 6

Two Day Seminar
sponsored by
Equipment Leasing Department
4040 MacArthur blvd, Suite 100
Newport Beach, CA 92660

The seminar will contain information on how to approach leasing in 2012 with the following subjects:

New lease language
Proposed new accounting rules for lessee's
Structuring and pricing for competition
Income tax rules, Article 2A vs. Article 9
New reasons to lease
Questions to ask lessee
Vendor needs
Credit enhancements
Documentation issues
and a take home assignment to see how to propose a lease.

Cost $450 per person

Registration and Outline of Course: PDF

For questions, please contact Mr. Terry Winders, CLP, at leaseconsulting@msn.com or call 502-649-0448.

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Bank Beat---Asian-American Bank Fails
Another Bank in Georgia Fails

The two branches of Premier Bank, Wilmette, Illinois, were closed with International Bank of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois to assume all deposits.

Like Premier Bank, International Bank is Asian-American-owned. October 18, 2011 International also acquired All American Bank, Des Plaines, Illinois. International is owned by IBC Bancorp, Inc., which has received money through the TARP program

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $64.1 million.

International Bank of Chicago Mission:

"Our objective is to be a primary contributing member of the diverse communities of Uptown, Chinatown, Bellwood, Stone Park and their neighboring communities. Our goal is to serve their consumer, commercial and retail needs while serving all racial and ethnic backgrounds. By offering a varied staff of officers and employees we strive to provide services in related languages in a friendly, efficient and personal manner. Soundness, service and integrity are paramount."
http://inbk.com/

Premier Bank was founded February 14, 2000 by Dr. Zulfikar Esmail and his friends. The bank had 21 full time employees as of December 31, 2011 at their two offices, Chicago and Wilmette. They had a high of 31 full time employees year-end 2007.

Reportedly the major stockholder Dr. Zulfikar Esmail is described on the internet as a family doctor with 37 years experience, is affiliated with St James Hospital & Health Center-Olympia Fields, and graduated in 1967 from King’s College Medical School, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He is the former Chairman of the Aga Khan Foundation (philanthropy in the Ismaili Muslim community under the leadership of the Aga Khan), plus Chairman of the Leader's International Forum.

As a side note, according to Chicago newspapers, George Dernis, who owns Michael's Fresh Market grocery stores, owes $22 million in total to Premier Bank and on March 14 filed a $20 million lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against the bank, alleging fraud and misrepresentation. Now in bankruptcy because Premier was his prime line credit. The lawsuit alleges that Dr. Esmail pressured Mr. Dernis to give Dr. Esmail a 25 percent equity stake in one of his stores and Dr. Esmail's three children a 50 percent equity stake in another of the stores as a condition of obtaining credit.
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120323/NEWS01/120329862

Dr. Esmail and his board of directors were served with two Consent and Desist orders, one August 31, 2010 and one April 18, 2011. As seen below the losses started in 2009, and went to $12.7 million in 2010 and $9.1 million in 2011.

The Charge Offs tell most of the story:

(in millions, unless otherwise noted)

(Construction and Land, 1-4 family multiple residential, Multiple Family Residential, Non-Farm Non-Residential loans.)

2006 $170,000 ($167,000 commercial/industrial loans, $3,000 lease financing receivables)
2007 $886,000 ($430,000 commercial/ind., $262,000 nonfarm nonres., $194,000 1-4 family res.)
2008 $1.8 ($700,000 nonfarm-nonres., $641,000 commmercial/ind., $300,000 construct./land,
$170,000 multifamily residential)
2009 $6.1 ($4.7 construction/land, $908,000 commercial/ind., $197,000 consumer, $131,000 nonfarm.)
2010 $10.8 ($5.5 1-4 family res., $2.3 nonfarm nonres., 1.2 commercial/industrial, $75,000 other)
2011 $104,000 ($550, 000 nonfarm nonres., $243,000 1-4 family, -$619,000 construction/land, -$70,000 commercial/industrial loans)

Note: Non-Current Loans end of 2011: $52.6 million.

(in millions, unless otherwise)

Net Equity

2006 $15.4
2007 $18.7
2008 $17.8
2009 $23.1
2010 $11.4
2011 $5.5

Profit

2006 $2.4
2007 $2.6
2008 $1.8
2009 -$1.7
2010 -$12.7
2011 -$9.1

Non-Current Loans

2006 $2.1
2007 $1.4
2008 $6.5
2009 $4.5
2010 $21.0
2011 $52.6

As of December 31, 2011, Premier Bank had approximately $268.7 million in total assets and $199.0 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, International Bank of Chicago agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2012/pr12033.html

The two branches of Covenant Bank & Trust, Rock Spring, Georgia, were closed with Stearns Bank, National Association, St. Cloud, Minnesota to assume all deposits. Founded June 12, 2006, the bank had 21 full time employees at their two offices, Dalton and Rock Spring.

"$100 minimum to open account
No minimum balance
No monthly service charge
Unlimited check writing
Free online banking
Free debit card
Free first order of Covenant Bank & Trust standard checks
$5.00 discount on first order of other style checks
24-hour telephone banking
Real-time deposits (deposits received by 5 p.m. on business day will be credited same day)"
(Bank Web site)

Despite coming from Georgia, a state with 77 failures since 2008, Atlanta-based State Bank Financial was found to be the "Best Performing Community Bank between $500 million and $5 billion in assets for 2011 by SNL Financial. (1) Nevertheless, the number of troubled banks in Georgia jumped by more than 20 percent to 78 in the first quarter of this year. It appears the state has many more banks have troubles with loans to real estate developers, home builders, and others being affected by the real estate bust. Georgia continues to lead the nation in terms of total banks with high Texas ratios, possibly pointing to more problems ahead.

Covenant’s Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio 1.91%.

Note the growth of non-current loans and charge offs, including the bank lack of profit for the last six years:

(in millions, unless otherwise)

Net Equity

2006 $8
2007 $7.6
2008 $9.6
2009 $7.8
2010 $4.1
2011 $1.9

Profit

2006 -$1.1
2007 -$775,000
2008 -$602,000
2009 -$2.3
2010 -$3.7
2011 -$2.4

Non-Current Loans

2006 0
2007 0
2008 $3.7
2009 $7.1
2010 $6.8
2011 $8.8

Charge Offs

(Construction and Land, 1-4 family multiple residential, Multiple Family Residential, Non-Farm Non-Residential loans.)

2006 0
2007 0
2008 $22,000 ($13,000 construction and land, $9,000 commercial and industrial)
2009 $2.2 ($1.4 construction/land, $527,000 1-4 family, $197,000 commercial and industrial)
2010 $2.7 ($1.2 construction/land, $1.37 loan to depository institution, $97,000 nonfarm nonres.)
2011 $3.9 ($2.5 construction/land, $613,000 nonfarm nonres, $566,000 1-4 family, $242,000 commercial and industrial)

(Construction and Land, 1-4 family multiple residential, Multiple Family Residential, Non-Farm Non-Residential loans.)

As of December 31, 2011, Covenant Bank & Trust had approximately $95.7 million in total assets and $90.6 million in total deposits. In addition to assuming all of the deposits of the failed bank, Stearns Bank, National Association agreed to purchase essentially all of the assets.

The FDIC and Stearns Bank, National Association entered into a loss-share transaction on $71.6 million of Covenant Bank & Trust's assets.

The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will be $31.5 million.

(1) 100 Top Community Banks $500M to $5B Assets
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_19.htm#bank_beat

http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2012/pr12032.html

List of Bank Failures:
http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/banklist.html

Bank Beat:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Bank_Beat.htm

((Please Click on Bulletin Board to learn more information))
(Leasing News provides this ad “gratis” as a means
to help support the growth of Lease Police)

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Top Stories March 19--March 23

Here are the top ten sorties opened by readers:

(1) Capital One Equipment Financing---Looking!
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_23.htm#cap_one

(2) Co-Founder Trinity Leasing James Halow Passes Away
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_21.htm#halow

(3) Lease Fleece Adam S. Zuckerman Sentenced
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_21.htm#sentenced

(4) Leasing 102 by Mr. Terry Winders, CLP Vendor Programs Installment #2
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_19.htm#part_2

(5) Chesswood Declares Year-End Net Income $6.5 Million Pawnee Leasing is the Star
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_21.htm#chesswood

(6) Investors' Conference a Major Success By Bruce Kropschot, The Alta Group
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_19.htm#conference

(7) Convicted $736 Million Tax Fraud Involving 1,000 people
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_19.htm#fraud

(8) Attorney Jokes
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_19.htm#jokes

(9) Kiss those low mortgage rates goodbye
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_23.htm#rates

(Tie) (10) Archives--March 23, 2006
Shieman Out as Head of the Matsco Companies
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_23.htm#archives

(Tie) (10) New Hires---Promotions
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012/3_23.htm#hires

(Tie) (10) Where Millionaires Live in America
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Mar2012

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)

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

National Tax Preparation Chain Manager Arrested Identity Theft

On February 12, 2012, shortly before midnight, Damon Charless Dubose, 38, North Hills, San Fernando Valley, California, was seen by a patrolman in La Canada loitering near the ATMs of three banks. Dubose was wearing pantyhose over his face as well as beanies and a scarf. Inside Dubose’s vehicle, the officer found six envelopes with a name and partial social security number handwritten on the outside, and an H&R Block Emerald Card on the inside. The Emerald Cards allow H&R block customers to access their tax refunds electronically like a debit card.

Dubose’s vehicle also contained approximately $2,960 in cash and a printout of dates of birth and social security numbers that matched the handwritten information on the envelopes. Dubose claimed that the information was for his tax clients and he was authorized to make withdrawals on their behalf.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department obtained a search warrant for Dubose’s girlfriend’s house which resulted in the recovery of $6,900 in cash, six H&R block Emerald Cards, and the personal identifying information of more individuals.

Three taxpayers whose identifying information Dubose possessed were contacted by law enforcement. All of them indicated that Dubose was not authorized to make withdrawals on their behalf or possess their personal identifying information.

According to the complaint, Dubose allegedly transmitted by way of wire communication the electronically filed fraudulent tax returns from Van Nuys, California to Tennessee and West Virginia. Working as a manager for H&R Block in Van Nuys, he allegedly obtained personal identifying information of past customers, prepared bogus tax returns in their names designed to obtain tax refunds and credits, and then used H&R Block Emerald Cards to withdraw the fraudulently obtained refunds from automated teller machines

He appeared in United States District court on charges of wire fraud related to a scheme in which he used the identities of former tax preparation clients to file false returns.

His next court appearance is scheduled for April 30, 2012.

A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

The investigation in this case is being conducted by the IRS-Criminal Investigation.

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

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Long Island, New York-- Adopt-a-Dog
(Huntington, NY)

Charlie #92375
German Shepherd/Mix |
Male | 8Mths 1Wks
Adoption Fee: $75.00
Color: Brown Brindle / White
Neutered: Yes

“I'm available for adoption but patiently waiting for an open spot in the adoption gallery. To meet me, please contact customer service at 619-299-7012

“Why I'd make a great companion: With lots of fun-loving energy and charisma, I absolutely love to play! Whether we snuggle on the couch or enjoy a day at the park, I'm at home as long as I'm with you. I have lots of energy and will enjoy regular exercise and long walks. I'm known to make a lasting impression on everyone I meet.

“Other things you should know about me: My adoption fee includes my spay / neuter, current vaccinations, permanent microchip identification, a certificate for a free veterinary exam, and a license if residing in Oceanside or Vista!”

I'm currently located at
Sherman Street
550 Gaines St. San Diego, CA 9211
(619) 299-7012

To meet me, please contact customer service at 619-299-7012
http://www.sdhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home_page

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/

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Classified ads—Marketing

Marketing services creative boutique: ads, flyers, premiums, trade show support and much more. Over 15 years experience working with CIT and ORIX. Currently seeking new relationships:
http://www.tollinadvertising.com/

SAWBUX: a different kind of marketing firm. Built by deal guys for deal guys, we drive sales and create winning brands. Contact:wedontwannasuck@sawbuxmarketing.com

All "Outsourcing" Classified ads (advertisers are both requested and responsible to keep their free ads up to date:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing.htm

How to Post a free "Outsourcing" classified ad:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Classified/Outsourcing/Outsourcing-post.htm

Comprehensive personal property tax outsourcing services
We accept file exports and integrate personal property tax information with all lease management or accounting software. No other firm offers the combination of individual attention, software capabilities expertise, "full disclosure" and web port accessibility to information more than we do.

Click here to learn what our clients say about our service
Gary DiLillo, President 440.871.0555 or gary@avptc.com

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News Briefs----

Economists see higher taxes as way to cut
http://www.ajc.com/business/economists-see-higher-taxes-1398254.html

A prince's call for 'good food'
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Consumer-Corner/2012/03/25/Consumer-Corner-A-princes-call-for-good-food/UPI-29891332667920/

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You May Have Missed---

IPad has truly evolved into alternative to laptop
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/24/BUAG1NPGPJ.DTL

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SparkPeople--Live Healthier and Longer

Don't Forget to Eat Your Fruits, Veggies ... and Popcorn?
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/health_news_detail.asp?health_day=662855

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Sports Briefs----

Heavyweight Final Four field set after Kansas, Kentucky win
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-the-dagger/heavyweight-final-four-field-set-kansas-kentucky-win-231851154.html

Tiger Woods wins 1st PGA Tour event since 2009
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-400_162-57404200/tiger-woods-wins-1st-pga-tour-event-since-2009/

Manning saved millions in taxes by opting for Denver over SF
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/03/manning-saved-millions-in-taxes-by-opting-for-denver-over-sf.html

Peyton Manning may not pay off big as a Denver Bronco
http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2012-03-24/cnbc-peyton-manning-denver/53734732/1

QB guru tutored 49ers backups Kaepernick, Johnson
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/25/SP6M1NPSC6.DTL

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Spring Poem

The March wind roars
Like a lion in the sky,
And makes us shiver
As he passes by.

When winds are soft,
And the days are warm and clear,
Just like a gentle lamb,
Then spring is here.

- Author Unknown

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California Nuts Briefs---

Tomato King Salyer Pleads Guilty National Price Fixing
http://blogs.sacbee.com/crime/archives/2012/03/tomato-king-salyer-pleads-guilty-in-federal-conspiracy-case.html

SF Bay Area adds 15,000 Jobs/Employment Surge
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_20242869/bay-area-

Marin's jobless rate remains lowest in state, but 9,100 still seek work
http://www.marinij.com/business/ci_20242179/marins-jobless-rate-remains-lowest-state-but-9

Strong majority backs Jerry Brown's tax-hike initiative
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-state-poll-20120326,0,7626225.story

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“Gimme that Wine”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJnQoi8DSE8

California wine blankets America as shipments explode
http://westernfarmpress.com/grapes/california-wine-blankets-america-shipments-explode

Drew Barrymore Goes P.G. for New Adult Beverage
http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/46546

The Rise of Sake
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/03/the-rise-of-sake/254830/

Thomas Keller leads lineup of star chefs at Pebble Beach festival
http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-pebble-beach-food-wine-20120321,0,1430322.story

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

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This Day in History

    1602—Cape Cod named
http://www.capeone.com/history/
http://capecodhistory.us/
    1701 - The English Board of Trade advises the king to create royal colonies of all of the American charter colonies.
    1760-Birthday of famous African-American Richard Allen, AME Church Bishophttp://www.triadntr.net/~rdavis/allen.htm
    1847-Capt. John L. Folsom arrived as quartermaster of Stevenson's regiment in San Francisco. Folsom St. was later named for him.
    1858-Jane Arminda Delano, dedicated American nurse and teacher, superintendent of the US Army Nurse Corps, chairman of the American Red Cross Nursing Service and recipient (posthumously) of the Distinguished Service Medal of the US, was born near Townsend, NY. While on an official visit to review Red Cross activities, she died Apr 15, 1919, in an army hospital at Savenay, France. Her last words: "What about my work? I must get back to my work." Buried at Loire, France, her remains were reinterred at Arlington Cemetery in 1920.
    1859---Birthday of poet A.E. Houseman, poet (A Shropshire Lad).
    1872- African-American Thomas J Martin awarded patent for the “modern” fire extinguisher.. The fire extinguisher was patented by Alanson Crane in 1863. In the 1850’s, baking soda and chemicals were used. It was not uncommon in textile mills to have pipes with many holes in the ceiling to spurt
water in case of a fire. Dr. Percy Julian, another prominent African-American, invented the aero-foam extinguisher (for use against gas and oil fires) during World War II.
    1874-birthday of Robert Frost, American poet who tried his hand at farming, teaching, shoemaking and editing before winning acclaim as a poet. Pulitzer Prize winner. Born at San Francisco, CA, he died at Boston, MA, Jan 29, 1963
http://www.ketzle.com/frost/
http://www.robertfrost.org/body.html
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

"I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. "
~ Robert Frost, from 'The Road Not Taken', (1916)
    1874- Publisher Conde Nast born New York City, died 1942, setting the world of fashion alive
and building a publishing empire.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar26.html
http://www.condenast.com/
    1882--Young Oscar Wilde arrives by train in San Francisco. He had been the center of a maelstrom of scandalous incident and publicity from the moment of his arrival in early January 1882. There was a sudden exaggerated vogue of sunflowers, lilies, and Japanese parasols–all of which were said to evoke Wilde's enthusiasm. Newspaper reporters outdid themselves in ridiculing the twenty-eight-year-old "lecturer"; cartoonists pounced upon him with a fervor less brutal than gleeful; women draped themselves about the new "lion"; and the few men who found something sensible and telling in Wilde's advice and pronouncements on art and decoration were unheard for the most part in the paen of masculine denunciation. The costume adopted by young Wilde, which included short breeches, long silk stockings, and a shoulder-length haircut, was hailed with horror and amazed contempt by young dandies educated to long tight trousers, high stiff collars, and full mustaches.
    1885- Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company of Rochester, NY, began manufacturing of movie film. The company was also the first to produce, manufacture, and market films in continuous strips on reels, thus making motion picture films possible.
    1892-Walt Whitman passes on in Camden,NJ
Here is Allen Ginsberg’s “A Supermarket in California” tribute to Walt Whitman:
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/supermarket.html
    1911- Tennessee Williams was born at Columbus, MS. He was one of America's most prolific playwrights, producing such works as The Glass Menagerie; A Streetcar Named Desire, which won a Pulitzer Prize; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which won a second Pulitzer; Night of the Iguana, Summer and Smoke, The Rose Tattoo and Sweet Bird of Youth, among others. Williams died at New York, NY, Feb 25, 1983.
    1913 -the Miami river in Ohio reached a record flood crest after 10 inches of rain deluged a wide area of the Ohio River Basin. Severe flooding killed 467 people drown and total damage was 147 million dollars. This flood was the second most deadly of record for the nation.
    1916 -- Birdman of Alcatraz receives solitary, for giving a guard the bird.
http://www.alcatrazhistory.com/stroud.htm
    1920 -- F. Scott Fitzgerald's first book, This Side of Paradise published; it sells 20,000 copies in a week. At 23 he is the youngest novelist ever published by Scribner's.
http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/chronology.html
    1920 -- American poet & leading member of the Beats, Gregory Corso, lives New York. Convicted of theft at 17, he discovers literature in prison & later meets Allen Ginsberg & publish his first book, The Vestal Lady on Brattle in 1955.
http://www.charm.net/~brooklyn/People/GregoryCorso.html
conditions in Russia.
1921 Jimmy Blanton Birthday
http://www.jazzhall.org/jazz.cgi?@BLANTONJIM
    1923 -- Bob Elliot (of Bob & Ray) born, one of the great radio personalities, especially
in broadcast journalism.
http://www.bobandray.com/
    1945 - Generals Eisenhower, Bradley, and Patton attack at Remagen on the Rhine.
    1945 - The US 7th Army begins to send units of US 15th and US 6th Corps across the Rhine River between Worms and Mannheim. To the north all the Allied armies continue to advance.
    1945 - On Iwo Jima, the few hundred Japanese troops remaining on the island mount a final suicide attack. They are wiped out by elements of the 5th Marine Division, which have been assigned the task of reducing the last pockets of resistance. About 200 of the Japanese garrison of 20,700 remain alive as prisoners of the marines of US 5th Amphibious Corps. American casualties have been almost 6,000 dead and 17,200 wounded.
    1930--- Sandra Day O'Connor birthday, the first woman to be appointed an associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court was an Arizona lawyer and judge. She served in the state Senate from 1969 until 1974, becoming majority leader - the first woman to hold such a position. She was elected an Arizona Superior Court judge 1974, and appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals 1979.
President Ronald Reagan, under great pressure from women's groups as well as his own party, appointed O'Connor and she was sworn in 09-25-81. Expected to be a strict Republican right-winger and seen as the deciding anti-choice vote, she amazed everyone by being the deciding vote to uphold a woman's right to choose and confirm that an embryo or fetus is not a child.
    1930 -19.2 inches of snow fell at Chicago, Illinois in 2 days. This is greatest modern snowfall on the record books at Chicago.
    1931- Dr. Spock of “Star Trek” and noted actor/writer Leonard Nimoy born Boston, MA.
    1931-guitarist Jerry Silverman born, New York City, NY
http://music.netstoreusa.com/003/HL00312144.shtml
    1937-the first monument to a comic-strip character was the Popeye statue in Popeye Park, Crystal, Texas, unveiled during the Second Annual Spinach Festival. It was six feet tall, made of concrete, and colored to represent Elzie Crisler Segar's cartoon character, "Popeye." If anyone knows that the statue still exists, please let me know.
    1937- William Hastie, first Black federal judge, appointedhttp://www.tnstate.edu/library/digital/hastie.htm
    1937 - Joe DiMaggio said he’d take Ty Cobb’s advice and use a 36 or 37-ounce baseball bat instead of a 40-ounce stick during that season. The result? ‘Joltin’ Joe’ hit .346 during the season with 46 home runs -- the most he ever hit in a single year. In the words of Yankee broadcaster Mel Allen, “How about that!” During his 13-year career with the Yankees, DiMaggio connected for 2,214 hits, 361 homers, batted a .325 average, played in 1,736 total games and came to the plate to bat 6,821 times.
    1941 - Jimmie Lunceford and his orchestra recorded the tune, "Battle Axe", for Decca Records. Lunceford began with the Chickasaw Syncopaters, a 10-piece band, in the late 1920s.
    1943 - Battle of Komandorski Islands, prevents Japanese reinforcements from reaching Attu. An American squadron of 2 cruisers and 4 destroyers (under the command of Admiral McMorris) meets a Japanese squadron of 4 cruisers and 5 destroyers (under the command of Admiral Hosogaya) off the Komandorski Islands. A traditional gun engagement begins and a cruiser on each side is badly damaged. Hosogaya decides to break off at this point although he has a clear superiority which is beginning to tell.
    1943—Birthday of journalist Bob Woodward (All the President’s Men with Carl Bernstein),
born Geneva, IL.
    1944-birthday of singer Diana Ross, Detroit, MI She came to prominence in the 1960's as lead singer of the Supremes, Motown Records' most popular act. Ross left the group in 1969, and the following year had a hit with her first solo single, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)." Her next release, a remake of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's hit, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," shot to the top of both the pop and rhythm and blues charts. Ross's other number-one hits during the 1970's included "Last Time I Saw Him," "Do You Know Where You're Going To?" and "Love Hangover." In 1981, Diana Ross duet with Lionel Richie on the number-one theme from the film "Endless Love." It was the year's most popular song, selling more than two-million copies. She is fighting drug rehabilitation after being picked up for drunk driving. She stayed only five days in a rehabilitation home, and also has been violating her parole requirements.
http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/ross/
    1945-MARTIN, HARRY LINN Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 4 January 1911, Bucyrus, Ohio. Appointed from. Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as platoon leader attached to Company C, 5th Pioneer Battalion, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 26 March 1945. With his sector of the 5th Pioneer Battalion bivouac area penetrated by a concentrated enemy attack launched a few minutes before dawn, 1st Lt. Martin instantly organized a firing line with the marines nearest his foxhole and succeeded in checking momentarily the headlong rush of the Japanese. Determined to rescue several of his men trapped in positions overrun by the enemy, he defied intense hostile fire to work his way through the Japanese to the surrounded marines. Although sustaining 2 severe wounds, he blasted the Japanese who attempted to intercept him, located his beleaguered men and directed them to their own lines. When 4 of the infiltrating enemy took possession of an abandoned machinegun pit and subjected his sector to a barrage of hand grenades, 1st Lt. Martin, alone and armed only with a pistol, boldly charged the hostile position and killed all of its occupants. Realizing that his few remaining comrades could not repulse another organized attack, he called to his men to follow and then charged into the midst of the strong enemy force, firing his weapon and scattering them until he fell, mortally wounded by a grenade. By his outstanding valor, indomitable fighting spirit and tenacious determination in the face of overwhelming odds, 1st Lt. Martin permanently disrupted a coordinated Japanese attack and prevented a greater loss of life in his own and adjacent platoons. His inspiring leadership and unswerving devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon himself and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.
    1945-During World War II, the last few hundred Japanese defenders of Iwo Jima are killed in a final suicide attack against the US forces who invaded the strategic island five weeks before. On February 19, 1945, after three days of heavy naval and aerial bombardment, the first wave of US Marines storm Iwo Jima, a tiny Pacific island located in bomber-range of the Japanese home islands. The Japanese garrison on the island numbered only 22,000 men, but their commander, General Tadamichi Kuribayashi, who had been expecting an Allied invasion for eight months, had used the time to construct an intricate and deadly system of underground tunnels, fortifications, and artillery that withstood the initial Allied bombardment. By the evening of the first day, the 30'000 US Marines commanded by General Holland Smith had managed to establish a beachhead. Over the next few days, the Marines advanced inch by inch under heavy fire from entrenched Japanese artillery and suffered suicidal charges from the Japanese infantry. While the Japanese kamikaze flyers slammed into the Allied naval fleet around Iwo Jima, the Marines on the island continued their bloody northern advance across the island, responding to Kuribayashi’s lethal defenses with remarkable endurance.
On February 23, 1945, the Twenty-Eighth Marine Division took the crest of Mount Suribachi, the island’s only peak and most strategic position. The image of the soldiers raising the American flag on this peak, taken by photographer Joseph Rosenthal, is one of the most famous photographs of World War II. By March 3, US forces controlled all three airfields on the island, and, by March 26, the last Japanese defenders on Iwo Jima had been wiped out. Six thousand Americans died taking Iwo Jima and 17,200 were wounded. Almost all of the 22'000 Japanese defenders perished.
    1945 - US naval forces (TF58 and TF52) continue air strikes on Okinawa. US Task Force 54 (Admiral Deyo), with 10 battleships, 10 cruisers and 33 destroyers, begin the main bombardment of Okinawa. The US 77th Infantry Division (General Bruce) lands on Kerama Retto and overruns the small Japanese garrison. The British Pacific Fleet (Admiral Rawlings) also designated Task Force 57, with 4 fleet carriers, 2 battleships, 5 cruisers and 11 destroyers, attacks airfields and other targets on Sakashima Gunto. Japanese submarines make unsuccessful attacks on the Allied ships. Coast Guardsmen participated in the landings at Geruma Shima, Hokaji Shima, and Takashiki in the Ryukyu Islands.
    1948 - Aerosmith's Steven Tyler (Steven Tallarico) is born in New York City.
    1949—Top Hits
Cruising Down the River - The Blue Barron Orchestra (vocal: ensemble)
Far Away Places - Margaret Whiting
Powder Your Face with Sunshine - Evelyn Knight
Tennessee Saturday Night - Red Foley
    1950-Birthday of Comedian and perform Martin Short, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
If you get a chance to see his one man show, it is hilarious.
    1950 - Singer Teddy Pendergrass is born in Philadelphia. An auto accident in 1982 leaves him partially paralyzed. He tops the R&B chart with the songs ``Joy'' and ``Close the Door.''
    1951 - The U.S. Air Force flag was approved on this day. The flag included the coat of arms, 13 white stars and the Air Force seal on a blue background.
    1951-During a spring exhibition game against the University outfielder Southern California at Bovard Field, Mickey Mantle hits a home run which is estimated to travel 650 feet. The rookie's performance, which includes a single, triple and another homer, is one of the highlights of the Yankees' first ever west coast trip.
    1953 - Dr. Jonas Salk announced a new vaccine -- to prevent poliomyelitis.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bmsalk.html
    1953 -- Eisenhower offers increased aid to the French fighting in Indochina.
    1954 - The temperature at Allaket AK plunged to 69 degrees below zero.
    1954 - The U.S. set off the second H-bomb blast in four weeks in the Marshall Islands at Bikini Island. The 15-megaton device was 750 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The blast contaminated the neighboring island of Rongelap and nearly 100 people on the island and other downwind atolls.
    1955-- Bill Hayes' "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" hits #1
    1956 - Red Buttons made his debut as a television actor in a presentation of "Studio One" on CBS television.
    1956-After Bob Neal's management contract with Elvis Presley expired on March 15th, Colonel Tom Parker takes over. His position of personal representative and manager will pay him 25 percent of Presley's earnings.
    1957-Ricky Nelson records his first tunes for the Verve label, "A Teenager's Romance", which will climb to #2 on the Billboard chart and "I'm Walkin'", which will reach #4. Over his fifteen year recording career, Rick will place 36 songs on the chart.
    1957—Top Hits
Young Love - Tab Hunter
Little Darlin’ - The Diamonds
Party Doll - Buddy Knox
There You Go - Johnny Cash
    1957- Yankee manager Casey Stengel is arrested and is released on $50 bail after he allegedly curses at and kicks a newspaper photographer during an exhibition game in St. Petersburg.
    1958 - The RKO Pantages Theater, Los Angeles, was the scene of 30th Annual Academy Awards celebration. The show was hosted by Rosalind Russell, James Stewart, David Niven, Jack Lemmon, Bob Hope and Donald Duck (on film). There were several memorable films produced in 1957, but two blockbusters shot it out this night, "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Sayonara". "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (Sam Spiegel, producer) took Oscars for Best Picture; Best Actor (Alec Guinness); Cinematography (Jack Hildyard); Director (David Lean); Film Editing (Peter Taylor); Scoring (Malcolm Arnold); and writing (Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman, Michael Wilson). Meanwhile, "Sayonara" (William Goetz, producer) won for Best Supporting Actor (Red Buttons); Supporting Actress (Miyoshi Umeki); Art Direction (Ted Haworth); Set Decoration (Robert Priestley); and Sound Recording (George Groves). And, lest we forget, Joanne Woodward won the Best Actress Oscar for "The Three Faces of Eve". The prize for Best Music/Song went to James Van Heusen (music), Sammy Cahn (lyrics) for "All the Way" (the classic Sinatra song)from "The Joker Is Wild".
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0148736.html
    1958-Eddie Cochran records his only US Top Ten hit, "Summertime Blues", which will rise to #8 in the US next Fall.
    1960 - The University of Southern California (USC) captured the NCAA swimming title, becoming the first Pacific Coast school to do so.
    1960-birthday of former football player and now TV commentator Marcus Allen, San Diego, CA. Kansas City Chiefs running back; LA Raiders: Super Bowl XVIII; Heisman Trophy Winner [1981]: holds record for number of games rushed 200 yards+ [5] for USC]) [5] for USC])
    1961-Gene McDaniels' "One Hundred Pounds of Clay," his first and biggest hit, enters the pop chart. It peaks at #3.
    1961-Elvis Presley sets a British chart first: Number One with three straight releases: "It's now or never," "Are You Lonesome Tonight" and "Wooden Heart."
    1963-- Funny Girl, a musical about Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice, opens on Broadway, starring Barbra Streisand. It features the hits "Don't Rain on My Parade" and the song that would become her trademark, "People."
    1964 - Edward Clark set the fastest speed record by an American swimmer. He was timed at 4.89 miles-per-hour at the Yale University pool.
    1964 - Barbra Streisand opens on Broadway in ``Funny Girl.'' She wins a Best Actress Oscar for her role in the film version. (She ties for the award with Katharine Hepburn)
   1964-Former Beatles drummer Pete Best appears on US TV I’ve Got a Secret. It only took a handful of questions before the panel guessed his former occupation and when host Gary Moore asked him why he left the group, he said "I thought I'd like to start of group of my own and I thought at that time they weren't going to go as big as they are now."
    1965—Top Hits
Eight Days a Week - The Beatles
Stop! In the Name of Love - The Supremes
The Birds and the Bees - Jewel Akens
I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail - Buck Owens
    1967--DICKEY, DOUGLAS E. Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company C, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade, 3d Marine Division (Rein). Place and dale: Republic of Vietnam, 26 March 1967. Entered service at: Cincinnati, Ohio. Born: 24 December 1946, Greenville, Darke, Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. While participating in Operation Beacon Hill 1, the 2d Platoon was engaged in a fierce battle with the Viet Cong at close range in dense jungle foliage. Pfc. Dickey had come forward to replace a radio operator who had been wounded in this intense action and was being treated by a medical corpsman. Suddenly an enemy grenade landed in the midst of a group of marines, which included the wounded radio operator who was immobilized. Fully realizing the inevitable result of his actions, Pfc. Dickey, in a final valiant act, quickly and unhesitatingly threw himself upon the deadly grenade, absorbing with his body the full and complete force of the explosion. Pfc. Dickey's personal heroism, extraordinary valor and selfless courage saved a number of his comrades from certain injury and possible death at the cost of his life. His actions reflected great credit upon himself, the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
    1969 - "Marcus Welby", a TV movie, was seen on AB. Ratings showed the program to be so popular that it was turned into a long-running series starring Robert Young.
    1969 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin their ``Bed-in'' at the Amsterdam Hilton.
    1971 - William Conrad starred as "Cannon" on CBS-TV. This also was a one-time TV event that became a popular series that year.
http://timstvshowcase.com/cannon.html
http://www.bellenet.com/conrad.html
    1972 - The Los Angeles Lakers broke a National Basketball Association record by winning 69 of 82 games
    1973-"The Young and the Restless" premiered on television . Tom Selleck, David Hasselhorf, were among the actors who started here. The show expanded to one hour in 1980. Its theme music is now well known as "Nadia's Theme," as it was played during Nadia Comaneci's routine at the 1976 Olympics.
http://www.abelspiano.com/fnadia.htm
    1973---Top Hits
Love Train - O’Jays
Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) - Deodato
Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & The Pips
Teddy Bear Song - Barbara Fairchild
    1974-Dionne Warwick and The Spinners record "Then Came You". Although Warwick doesn't have much faith in the song, it will become her first hit in nearly four years when it tops the Billboard chart next October.
    1974 The Red Sox release veterans Orlando Cepeda and Luis Aparicio as well as pitcher Bobby Bolin.
    1974- David Essex's "Rock On" is certified gold.
    1975 - The city of Hue, in northernmost South Vietnam, falls to the North Vietnamese. Hue was the most recent major city in South Vietnam to fall to the communists during their new offensive. The offensive had started in December 1974, when the North Vietnamese had launched a major attack against the lightly defended province of Phuoc Long, located north of Saigon along the Cambodian border. The communists overran the provincial capital of Phuoc Binh on January 6, 1975. President Richard Nixon had repeatedly promised South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu that the United States would come to the aid of South Vietnam if North Vietnam committed a major violation of the Peace Accords. However, by the time the communists had taken Phuoc Long, Nixon had already resigned from office and his successor, Gerald Ford, was unable to convince a hostile Congress to make good on Nixon's promises to Saigon. This situation emboldened the North Vietnamese, who launched a campaign in March 1975 to take the provincial capital of Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands. The South Vietnamese defenders there fought very poorly and were overwhelmed by the North Vietnamese attackers. Once again, the United States did nothing. President Thieu ordered his forces in the Highlands to withdraw to more defensible positions to the south. What started out as a reasonably orderly withdrawal degenerated into a panic that spread throughout the South Vietnamese armed forces. They abandoned Pleiku and Kontum in the Highlands with very little fighting and the North Vietnamese pressed the attack from the west and north. In quick succession, Quang Tri and Hue fell. The communists then seized Da Nang, the second largest city in South Vietnam. Many South Vietnamese, both military and civilian, died in the general chaos while attempting to escape from the airport, docks, and beaches. By this time, the South Vietnamese forces were in flight all over the northern half of South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese continued to attack south along the coast, overrunning city after city, methodically defeating the South Vietnamese forces. By April 27, the North Vietnamese had completely encircled Saigon and began to maneuver for their final assault, which became known as the "Ho Chi Minh Campaign." By the morning of April 30, it was all over. As the North Vietnamese tanks broke through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon, the Vietnam War came to an end.
    1975 - "Tommy", the film based on the rock opera by the group, The Who, premiered in London.
    1976--- Riding near the scene of a multi-car pileup in Memphis, Elvis Presley jumps out of his limo, displays his honorary police captain's badge from the city, and attempts to help the victims before police and rescue teams arrive.
    1977--- Daryl Hall and John Oates' "Rich Girl" hits #1
    1977 After thirteen years in Boston, infielder Rico Petrocelli is released by the Red Sox.
    1979-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed the Camp David peace treaty, ending 30 years of war between their two countries. The agreement was fostered by President Jimmy Carter.
    1979 - Michigan State and Indiana State met in the all-time highest rated basketball telecast. The NBC coverage earned a 24.1 rating. Indiana State’s unprecedented 33 consecutive-win streak came to an end as the Spartans of Michigan State won 76-34. A pair of future NBA Hall of Famers played against each other that night: Larry Bird, later of the Boston Celtics, scored 19 points while Magic Johnson, even later, of the Los Angeles Lakers, scored 24 points.
    1979 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``Tragedy,'' Bee Gees. The song is the fifth No. 1 single in a row for the Bee Gees.
    1980-- Pink Floyd's landmark 1973 LP Dark Side of the Moon surpasses Carole King's Tapestry as the album with the longest consecutive
    1981---Top Hits
Keep on Loving You - REO Speedwagon
Woman - John Lennon
The Best of Times - Styx
Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground - Willie Nelson
    1983 -a heavy snowstorm struck from eastern Nebraska to southwestern Minnesota. A general 10 to 20 inches of snow fell. Lyons, Nebraska recorded 24 inches. The 13.3 inches that fell at Omaha, Nebraska set a new record for the heaviest spring snowfall on record.
    1985-Radio stations in South Africa banned all of Stevie Wonder's records after he dedicated the Oscar he had won the night before at The Academy Awards to Nelson Mandela.
    1988 -20 cities in the southwest reported record high temperatures for the date. Afternoon highs of 73 degrees at Flagstaff, Arizona, 90 degrees at Sacramento, California, 95 at Santa Maria, California, 95 degrees at Los Angeles, California, 99 at Tucson, Arizona, and 100 at Phoenix, Arizona were records for March.
    1988-Michael Jackson squeezed a fourth, US number one single out of his album "Bad" with "Man in the Mirror".
    1989 - The "Easter Bunny" brought record warm temperatures to the central U.S. while such records were still welcome. A dozen cities reported record warm readings, including Dodge City KS with an afternoon high of 88 degrees. Strong southerly winds gusted to 51 mph at Dodge City, and reached 55 mph at Salina KS.
    1989---Top Hits
The Living Years - Mike & The Mechanics
Eternal Flame - Bangles
Girl You Know It’s True - Milli Vanilli
New Fool at an Old Game - Reba McEntire
    1990 - Host Billy Crystal kept us smiling for the 62nd Annual Academy Awards, staged at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) members voted "Driving Miss Daisy" the Best Picture of 1989 (Richard D. Zanuck, Lili Fini Zanuck, producers). The Best Director Oscar was won by Oliver Stone for "Born on the Fourth of July". Best Actor was Daniel Day-Lewis for "My Left Foot" and Best Actress was Jessica Tandy in "Driving Miss Daisy" (the 80-year-old actress was a favorite to win). Oscars for Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role went to Denzel Washington ("Glory") and Brenda Fricker ("My Left Foot"), respectively. Best Music/Song winners were Alan Menken (music), Howard Ashman (lyrics) for "Under the Sea" from "The Little Mermaid". You’re probably still humming this tune from that full-length animated film from Walt Disney Studios. Other popular 1989 films that were honored as nominees or winners include: "Field of Dreams"; "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"; "Back to the Future Part II"; "Lethal Weapon II"; "Batman"; "Dead Poets Society"; "When Harry Met Sally"; and "Sex, Lies, and Videotape".
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0149769.html
    1993- Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., was officially named chairman and chief executive of IBM, effective April 1. Gerstner, former president of American Express and chairman of R.J.R. Nabisco, was the first chairman to come from outside IBM.
    1996 - The 68th Annual Academy Awards show was held at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. Actress/comedienne Whoopi Goldberg was the hostess. The Best Picture (of 1995) was "Braveheart" (Mel Gibson, Alan Ladd Jr., Bruce Davey, producers). Mel Gibson also won the Oscar for Best Director ("Braveheart"). The Best Actor was Nicolas Cage for "Leaving Las Vegas". The Best Actress award went to Susan Sarandon for "Dead Man Walking". Best Supporting Actor was Kevin Spacey for "The Usual Suspects" and Best Supporting Actress was Mira Sorvino for "Mighty Aphrodite". The cartoon "Pocahontas" was a winner in the tunes categories: Best Music/ Original Musical or Comedy Score to Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz and Best Music/Song: Alan Menken (music), Stephen Schwartz (lyrics) for "Colors of the Wind" from the animated film.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0195023.html
    1996 - The International Monetary Fund approved a $10.2 billion loan for Russia to help the country further transform its economy.
    1996- A day after CompuServe's WOW service for families started, H&R Block announces its plans to sell off a large stake of CompuServe in a public offering. The IPO in April sold off about 17 percent of the company. Block's plans to rid itself completely of CompuServe, however, would be stymied by the failure of the WOW service and the increasing struggles of proprietary online services to hold onto their membership despite the growing appeal of the World Wide Web. In February 1998, H&R Block sold the company to WorldCom, which then sold most of CompuServe's Internet businesses to America Online.
    1997 - The bodies of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult were found in Rancho Santa Fe, California, after killing themselves in a mass suicide; they said they hoped they would join aliens following the Hale Bopp comet.
    2000 – 72nd Annual Academy Awards, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. "American Beauty", captured Best Picture (producers: Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks) at the 72nd Annual Academy Awards presentation, hosted by comedian Billy Crystal. The picture, nominated in eight categories, received four more Oscars: Best Director (Sam Mendes), Best Actor (Kevin Spacey), Best Original Screen Play (Alan Ball), Best Cinematography (Conrad L. Hall). Although Hilary Swank received the award for Best Actress in "Boys Don’t Cry", Annette Bening, nominated for her performance in "American Beauty", gave birth to her fourth child, a girl, sixteen days after this Oscar ceremony, congratulated her husband, Warren Beatty, who was presented with the Irving Thalberg Award for his career as a movie-maker. Angelina Jolie, received the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in "Girl, Interrupted". Michael Caine gave the most beautiful acceptance speech of the night (Best Supporting Actor: "The Cider House Rules"). The film, a seven-time nominee, also won for Best Screenplay Adaptation (John Irving). "The Matrix" was also a big winner (Best Film Editing: Zach Staenberg, Best Sound: David E. Campbell, David Lee III, John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff; Best Sound Effects Editing: Dane A. Davis; Best Visual Effects: Steve Courtley, John Gaeta, Janek Sirrs, Jon Thum). Costumes (Lindy Hemming) and makeup (Christine Blundell) in "Topsy-Turvy" earned the film two Oscars, while the statuette for Best Art Direction was presented to Rick Heinrichs and Peter Young for "Sleepy Hollow".Phil Collins captured the Oscar for Best Original Song: "You’ll Be in My Heart" ("Tarzan") http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0801237.html
    2000-- In 17.6 seconds the Kingdome is demolished into a mound of rubble over 65 feet high thanks to 21.6 miles of detonation cord and 5,800 holes filled with gelatin dynamite.

NCAA Basketball Championshis This Date

    1946 Oklahoma A&M
    1949 Kentucky
    1952 Kansas
    1973 UCLA
    1979 Michigan State

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