Headlines---

"Selling Leasing in a Tough Economy" by Jeffrey Taylor

Nassau Unveils Online Equipment Tracking Service

Microsoft Financing Program/ Small, Midmarket & Large Businesses

SBA Lifts Loan Cap from $500,000 to $2 Million---Immediately

U.S. Bancorp Makes $500,000 Commitment to SMART

Ethan Allen Economic Comments

News Briefs---

Sports Briefs---

### Denotes Press Release

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Classified Ads---Jobs Wanted

Finance: Atlanta, GA

Twenty five plus years experience in middle market lease/ asset based/cash flow transactions. Heavy banking and credit background, with particular expertise in structure and negotiation. Email:brown235@bellsouth.net

Finance: Orange County, CA

CFO/Controller/IT Director - 15 years experience in leasing and ABL. Experienced in: Accounting, Finance, Systems, Tax, Operations, Securitizations, etc.MBA, ELA member. Many accomplishments. Email:gosween@cox.net

Finance: Lyndhurst, NJ

CFO w/20+ years leasing/financing. Respected by lenders/rating agencies full & fair financial reporting. Outstanding record restructuring debt. Adept at investor relations and mentoring people. Email:joemcdev@aol.com

Legal: Los Angeles, CA

Experienced in-house corporate and financial services attorney seeks position as managing or transactional counsel. Willing to re-locate. email:sandidq@msn.com

Operations: Wayne, NJ

20+ heavily experienced collection/recovery VP looking to improve someone's bottom line. Proven, verifiable track record. Knowledge of all types of portfolio. Will relocate Email:cmate@nac.net

Operations: Experienced Credit, Collections, lease and Finance operations. Manager w/ expertise in improving bottom line performance, excellent trainer, manager, motivator. Get result/ keep the customer coming back. Email:rgmorrill@comcast.net

Receptionist: San Diego, CA.

An outgoing, people loving person. Can handle several tasks at once. 35 wpm, some receptionist exp.in high school office, &some comp.knowledge. email:dvynangel69@msn.com

Full List of Jobs Wanted: http://65.209.205.32/LeasingNews/JobPostings.htm

[Headlines]

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Venserve/SalesStream “Out of Service?”

Reports that Venserve/Salesstream, with former Preferred Leasing co-founder

Dave Murray, on the block. Accordingly an investor group in Houston, Texas

is attempting to buy the assets ( only.)

Telephone numbers do not answer ( ones called say, “Out of service.”)

Looking to substantiate status of Venserve, one of the original “Plastic Card

Marketing” companies.

http://two.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202002/12-30-02.htm#venserv

http://two.leasingnews.org/archives/December%202002/12-24-02.html#ven

March 29,2001 Press Release

VenServ Gets Additional Funding >From Warburg

VenServ, a premier provider of innovative, web-based product financing solutions, announced the recent completion of a $6.2 million second tranche of equity capital from Warburg Pincus.

The funding demonstrates Warburg Pincus' continued commitment to VenServ's vendor-driven, underwriter-focused business model and confidence in the company's management team, led by Robert D. Parker, president and CEO. VenServ's management team has recently been bolstered by new additions including John D. Jackson, executive vice president, R. Jeff Macartney, CFO, Richard Orozco, senior vice president - sales, and Jeff Chasin, senior vice president - operations. Michael J. Rehling continues in his role as senior vice president - technology and consumer finance. Proceeds will be used primarily to fund the accelerating growth of VenServ's three primary lines of business - vendor finance, direct sales and consumer finance.

According to Kewsong Lee, managing director of Warburg Pincus, "We believe VenServ's business model represents a unique approach to the market and the company's results to date are excellent. In addition, Parker has assembled a very capable management team combining industry experience, management capability, resolve and energy. This second funding demonstrates our strong belief in the ability of VenServ's management team to execute."

"Our investor's commitment and support is critical to executing VenServ's business plan," said Parker. "Warburg Pincus is much more than a financial partner, contributing expertise, essential management development resources and access to other Warburg Pincus portfolio companies."

[Headlines]

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Equipment Leasing Book Review

“Selling Leasing in a Tough Economy” by Jeffrey Taylor

A "must read" for anyone who wants to get into the

equipment leasing business---or as important--- "stay"--- in the equipment leasing business---be they sales, administration, operations, collection, or accounting.

Page 31---“Our industry is in trouble. We may be down, but we are not out. We are just going through another phase of leasing evolution. Good times are always followed by bad times, which are followed by good times. The question is, how long do the bad times last? History indicates 7-10 years.”

Page 11---“Let me give you some advice. I’ve been consulting to the leasing industry for more than twenty years. I’ve seen the good years and I’ve seen the bad. Believe me, things are going to get worse before they get better. Why? Because there are thousands of lessors chasing too few deals and not enough good credits to go around. Some lessors will eventually give up, shut their doors and sell their existing dealers for cash to pay off their creditors.

“How do I know that this is the future? Let me go back to 1961.”

The reader certainly gets more than their money's worth in this 151-page book.

It is a jewel. The material is both pithy and profound. You understand it the first time, and when you re-read, in context with the chapter, you learn even more. I particularly enjoyed the autobiographical approach.

Page 45—“ I believe there is one core skill which will define the most successful individuals. It’s the ability and propensity to engage in self-directed learning.

The only sustainable effective response to a rapidly changing world is cultivating the ability to positively transform ourselves and our organizations. And that’s the definition of self-directed learning.

“The individuals who become disciplined, systematic self-directed learners will be the success stories of this new era. Likewise, those organizations that become learning organizations have the best chance of surviving and prospering.

“In a nutshell, the only competitive advantage the leasing company of the future will have is its manager’s ability to learn faster than their competitor. In fact, I would argue that the rate at which individuals and organizations learn may become the only sustainable competitive advantage.”

Page 49---

“In summary, your learning goals should incorporate the following challenges:

--Increase your emotional intelligence

--Live with and enjoy a world of constant change

--Avoid activities which disrupt learning

--Destroy all achievement blockers

“It is not enough to just want to learn. One has to prioritize it and incorporate it into daily life.”

Who is Jeff Taylor? A man who has failed and appears proud of it, as it has made

him tougher, smarter, and wiser. In addition to being “street smart,” he is a brain. He earned his MBA in Operations from the University of Chicago, and his BA in Finance from Washington University. He studied music and composition in France at the University of Strasbourg and the University of Grenoble in France. He is a licensed CPA in Utah, California and New York and is currently a member of many finance and leasing associations, plus publishes a semi-monthly newsletter called Lease Accounting, Tax and Politics, which is read by more than 13,000 readers in 110 countries.

Page 13 (1981)---“At the time I was living in San Francisco (I got transferred there by Citibank to work for their foreign exchange operations---I quit when they tried to send me back to New York) and working for Peat Marwick’s consulting group. There was a bank in Seattle, called SeaFirst Bank, who had a leasing division that could not get a clean audit from Arthur Andersen. SeaFirst hated AA and wanted another CPA firm to come in and help them clean up their operations. Their accounting systems were in disarray and no one could prove the numbers. The only problem---no one on the auditing side knew COBOL. And I did.

“Over the years, I combined my COBOL and CPA skills to fix systems for all Peat’s major leasing clients---GE, Barclays, GATX, New England Merchant Leasing Security Pacific, BankAmerica and First Union, to name a few. I lived on the road and learned everything I could about how all leasing departments worked.

“While I learned the business and began to see how all of the pieces fit together, I got to meet some of the industry’s best sales people. I listened to every word of advice that I was fortunate to receive and started to keep journals of ideas, methods, and tricks of the trade.

“I developed a reputation for getting the job done and on time, I was treated well and started to make a lot of money...One day, in 1984, I browsed the local newsstand and fixated on a magazine called “Entrepreneur.” It was their first edition and I threw my entire accounting career away to develop my first PC-based training business ( The Leasing Coach.) I mortgaged the house with a 2^nd, made a lot of money for a couple of years, misread the market in 1987, and lost all of my material assets and marriage in the process.”

Page 15---“As it would pass, I got to meet Sudhir Amembal, the founder of the lease training industry. Sudhir told me that he is expanding his business and that he thinks I would be great as a full-time classroom instructor...I worked for Sudhir, Shawn Hallady and John Deane for five years. In return for writing material for senior management and other instructors, developing new courses, running leasing conferences and creating PC-based software models, they agreed to teach me the leasing training business.”

Page 17---“the primary purpose for me sharing with you these travails is simple.

I want to:

--Share with you my own experiences

--Show you that it is possible to succeed with impossible odds

--Guide you to be the best person you can be

--Help you improve your own selling capabilities.

Page 69—Chapter 7 “ Twenty Ways to Stand Out in a Crowd.”

“Selling is an art not a science. Great salespeople create relationships and breathe life into them. They deliver unique services that create value that cannot be achieved anywhere else in the world. They communicate potential benefits to others without making them feel that they have to give up something to get something. In any words, great salespeople deliver win-win solutions.”

Chapter 7 is worth the price of the book alone.

The theme of “Selling Leasing in a Tough Economy” is one of the items mentioned in Chapter 12. Here is a quote:

Page 125---“Know every aspect of leasing.

“As I mentioned throughout the book, you need to read as much as you can. Find some time every week to read at least one leasing journal, one leasing newsletter, check out one leasing website and one major newspaper.

“In addition, learn as much as you can about the other operations in your company. Acquire as much detail as you can. It is the details that you will

prevent, or at a minimum, minimize mistakes from destroying your relationships.”

“Selling Leasing in a Tough Economy”

Chapter 1—Welcome to the Equipment Leasing Industry

Chapter 2---Will Leasing Survive?

Chapter 3—Where are the Leaders?

Chapter 4---Are you Ready to Learn?

Chapter 5---Why Companies Lease?

Chapter 6---The Lifecycle of a Lease

Chapter 7---Twenty Ways to Stand Out in a Crowd

Chapter 8---Identify Marketing Opportunities

Chapter 9-Eighteen Ways to Win More Business

Chapter 10---Work the Network

Chapter 11—When you Feel Like Quitting

Chapter 12---Advanced Marketing Concepts

Chapter 13---Quit Complaining

Chapter 14---Thank God

Chapter 15---Success Comes in Many Packages

Let me add, the cover of the book is also very attractive. It looks like something

you would want to put on the coffee table in your den or office. You can carry it with you on the plane or put on your bedroom nightstand.

Jeff dedicated the book to his wife Toby:

To buy the book:

http://two.leasingnews.org/Books_Direct.htm#selling

My suggestion is to send Mr. Taylor an e-mail --and ask him to

autograph the book to you. This is a classic you will want to keep:

JTaylor@executivecaliber.ws

$65 plus shipping

Christopher Menkin

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Please use the “Send to a Friend” button upper left side to

send to a colleague and ask them to subscribe. We are trying

to build our readership. This is also an excellent book to recommend.

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Nassau Unveils Online Equipment Tracking Service

Corporate Turnarounds and Liquidations are Fueling Need, Expert Says

ROSYLN HEIGHTS, NY, --Amid a record number of U.S. business

failures and growing number of plant liquidations, Nassau Asset Management,

a well-known service provider in the equipment leasing and finance

industry, is setting the standard in online asset tracking. Its newly

enhanced system, called NASTRAC, keeps customers informed about the status

of repossessions, bids, and sales of equipment placements in real time.

This newly refined online asset-tracking system, accessed with a password

at Nassau's Web site, already has some 2,100 accounts, serving such

commercial lenders as banks, leasing companies, credit unions and

bankruptcy trustees.

Nearly 100 rollups and bankruptcies occurred in the equipment leasing

industry within the past two years, according to the 2002 Industry Future

Council Report published by the Equipment Leasing Association (ELA). Ed

Castagna, senior executive vice president of Nassau Asset Management,

estimates that the number of troubled companies has risen by 40 percent,

boosting demand for Nassau's asset recovery, collections, remarketing, and

appraisal services and tools.

The firm has responded by beefing up staff and fine-tuning its internal

online tracking system to make it seamlessly available to customers 24x7.

"It is a natural extension of our business," says Castagna, "and while it

allows for self-service, it does not replace the personal service Nassau

provides to its customers. We have access to more buyers than our clients

would ever have on their own or in general auctions, and the system simply

demonstrates this," he says.

Castagna is quick to point out that Nassau personnel are available by phone

and very actively working offline as well to ensure that creditors get the

greatest value from their assets through Nassau's highly skilled sales

staff, robust web traffic, and global connections.

"In many instances our customers come out of liquidations with equipment

returns above fair market value and in record time," Castagna says. "What

used to take weeks is reduced to just a few days."

"My clients are very happy with NASTRAC because it is so easy to use that

they can enjoy the functionality immediately. They like being able to

monitor the progress of all of their accounts, and more importantly the

ability to quickly zero in on what needs attention. They don't have to wait

for a report from me since they can pull an accurate report as often as

they need one," says Castagna.

"This has truly made us a global company and has enabled us to attract and

retain some of the largest and most prestigious lending institutions, such

as American Express and Banc One Leasing Corporation.

About Nassau

Nassau Asset Management of Roslyn Heights, NY, has been providing

full-service asset management, including asset recovery, collections,

remarketing, full plant liquidations, and appraisals for more than 25 years

to the equipment leasing and finance industry. For more information, please

visit www.nasset.com.

Media Contacts:

Susan Carol, APR

PR Agent for Nassau

540-659-4038

sca@scapr.com

Edward Castagna

Senior Executive VP

516-484-5959, Ext. 301

ECast@nasset.com

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Microsoft Announces Details of Financing Program for Small, Midmarket And Corporate Businesses

http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/Microsoft.htm

De Lage Landen Financial Services Selected to Provide Lease Contract Management Services for Microsoft Capital Financing Program for Microsoft Business Solutions Customers

REDMOND, Wash.,-- Microsoft Capital Corporation today announced details of an innovative new venture to enhance its financing program for small, midmarket and corporate customers. Total Solutions Financing from Microsoft Capital allows these businesses to finance a total solution purchased from a Microsoft® Certified Business Solutions Partner -- including the software, reseller partner services, ISV solutions and hardware -- at competitive rates and convenient terms.

Microsoft Capital Corporation, the customer financing arm of Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - News), will continue to provide business financing to customers, while De Lage Landen Financial Services Inc. of Wayne, Pa., will provide lease contract management services supporting the program.

De Lage Landen Financial Services is the North American subsidiary of De Lage Landen International BV of Eindhoven, Netherlands, and a leading international provider of high-quality asset- based financing products and services. De Lage Landen International is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dutch Rabobank Group. Credit ratings of the major international ratings agencies show that Rabobank is the world's most creditworthy privately held bank.

"We chose De Lage Landen to manage the lease contract management aspects of this program because of its expertise in domestic and international leasing and financing and well respected within the industry," said David Kaminski, general manager of worldwide financial services with Microsoft Capital Corporation. "With more than 30 years of experience, De Lage Landen has the in- depth knowledge of financing products and markets to expand our Total Solutions Financing program from Microsoft Capital and provide best-in-class lease contract management services. This is a strong example of the work Microsoft Capital is doing to create innovative programs that make it easier for our customers to fully realize their potential."

Ronald Slaats, chairman of De Lage Landen Financial Services, said, "We look forward to supporting Microsoft Capital and applying our extensive experience, both in the United States and internationally, to serving the customers of Microsoft Business Solutions. We have full-service capabilities in 20 countries around the world. Lease contract management is the type of creative business solution provided by our Outsourcing & Servicing Group, headed up by Vice President and General Manager Carlo van Kemenade, and just one of the ways we are able to add value for our customers."

The Total Solutions Financing program from Microsoft Capital is available now through authorized Microsoft Business Solutions reselling partners in the United States. International availability is expected to be rolled out country by country later in 2003.

About De Lage Landen

De Lage Landen Financial Services is part of De Lage Landen International B.V., an international provider of high-quality asset-based financing products. The company, headquartered in Eindhoven (the Netherlands), is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Dutch Rabobank Group. Credit ratings of the major international ratings agencies show that Rabobank is the most creditworthy privately held bank in the world.

With offices and joint ventures in 20 countries throughout Europe, the Americas, Australia and New Zealand, De Lage Landen specializes in asset financing and vendor finance programs internationally, with a focus on the following industries: Agriculture and Food, Healthcare, IT, Materials Handling and Construction Equipment, Office Equipment, Telecom and Bank Outsourcing. Domestically, the company concentrates on a broad range of leasing and trade finance products.

In 2002 De Lage Landen grew its net profit to US $94.1 million and its balance sheet to US $12.9 billion in assets. For more information, visit our website at http://www.delagelanden.com/ .

About Microsoft Business Solutions

Microsoft Business Solutions, a division of Microsoft, offers a wide range of business applications designed to help small, midmarket and corporate businesses become more connected with customers, employees, partners and suppliers. Microsoft Business Solutions' applications automate end-to-end business processes across financials, distribution, project accounting, electronic commerce, human resources and payroll, manufacturing, supply chain management, business intelligence, sales and marketing management, and customer service and support. More information about Microsoft Business Solutions can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/businesssolutions/ .

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SBA Lifts Loan Cap from $500,000 to $2 Million---Immediately

(CIT Financial, a major SBA lender, and banks jump in)

Administrator Hector V. Barreto of the U.S. Small Business Administration lifted a 5-month cap on SBA-backed loans and invited participating lenders to resume submitting applications for guaranteed loans up to the $2 million statutory limit.

The decision was made possible by President Bush's signing of recently adopted legislation that allows the agency to implement its revised econometric subsidy model, which more accurately forecasts the actual costs of the 7(a) loan program. The model will be applied retroactively to the beginning of the current fiscal year.

The econometric model, in combination with appropriation levels provided in the FY 2003 budget, will allow the agency to approve more the $9.4 billon 7(a) loans during the current year, plus $1.8 billon in STAR loans that have already been made.

"We are happy to be able to help small businesses looking for access to capital, and we are proud to do our part helping them to create new jobs for Americans," said Administrator Barreto. "The $500,000 cap on our maximum loan size was a management tool we had to adopt to address the funding limitations placed on the agency in October while maintaining continued service to the maximum number of small businesses.

"We pledged a year ago to solve this problem in time for FY 2004, and we've done it," Barreto continued. "The model we've created ahead of schedule employs the best practices of the business world and the federal government. By passing this legislation, Congress has affirmed our work, and allowed us to apply this model to the current fiscal year, which will greatly increase our capacity to provide financing for credit-hungry small businesses."

The decision to lift the loan cap is effective immediately.

For more information about all of the SBA's programs for small businesses visit the SBA's extensive website at http://www.sba.gov.

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U.S. Bancorp Makes $500,000 Commitment to SMART -- Start Making a Reader Today

PORTLAND, Ore.----U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB), in the second year of a $500,000 U.S. Bancorp Foundation commitment to SMART(R) (Start Making A Reader Today), is helping kick the literacy program into high gear with events throughout Oregon aimed at attracting donors and volunteers.

The fundraisers began in Medford, Ore. on February 13 and end in Klamath Falls, Ore. on April 29. In between, U.S. Bank volunteers and executives are joining SMART leaders for events in Portland, Eugene, McMinnville, Newberg, Astoria, Bend, Coos Bay, Roseburg, Tillamook, Corvallis and Pendleton, in that order.

SMART is a nonprofit, volunteer-based program that works in partnership with Oregon public schools. Since 1992, SMART has served more than 55,000 children, donated more than 1 million books and coordinated more than 1.5 million volunteer hours. This year, more than 9,000 adult volunteers are reading with nearly 12,000 children across the state.

"With the fiscal crisis facing the state and public schools it was obvious that U.S. Bancorp could make a tremendous impact by making literacy our top funding priority and nurturing good reading habits among Oregon's future leaders," said Linda Wright, community relations manager for U.S. Bank in Oregon.

Independent research made possible by U.S. Bancorp has shown that students who participate in SMART develop key reading skills significantly faster than their peers and maintain these gains after leaving the program. Fifth graders who participated in SMART are 60 percent more likely to reach the state reading benchmark than similar students who did not have SMART.

"Good readers make good students. Good students graduate. Graduates become good employees. Employees contribute to the economy. Supporting SMART goes a long way in ensuring the economic vitality of our communities, our state and the Northwest region," said Amy Brown, development director for the Oregon Children's Foundation, which oversees SMART.

Tax season is a good time to think about SMART. Line 61 of Individual Income Tax Form 40 (line 32 of Form 40S) offers taxpayers an option to contribute to SMART by entering CODE 5 and noting the portion of the refund that should be donated to SMART.

U.S. Bancorp, with assets in excess of $180 billion, is the 8th largest financial services holding company in the United States. The company operates 2,142 banking offices and 4,604 ATMs, and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. U.S. Bancorp is home of the Five Star Service Guarantee which assures customers of certain key banking benefits and services or customers will be paid for their inconvenience. U.S. Bancorp is the parent company of U.S. Bank. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at usbank.com.

CONTACT: U.S. Bancorp

Steve Dale, 612/303-0784

SMART

Linda Wright, 503/275-5776

[Headlines]

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Ethan Allen Economic Comments at Raymond James 24th Annual Institutional Investors Conference

DANBURY, Conn.----Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (NYSE:ETH) announced today that they will be participating in Raymond James' 24th Annual Institutional Investors Conference being held today

and tomorrow at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Fla.

Farooq Kathwari, Chairman and CEO, and Edward Teplitz, Chief Financial Officer, are scheduled to give a presentation today which will be broadcast live beginning at approximately 2:40 p.m. eastern time. This live web cast will be available to all investors on the Company's web site at www.ethanallen.com linking through to the "About Us" page, and then selecting the Raymond James icon.

Farooq Kathwari, commenting on the topics to be discussed at the Conference stated, "We are going to discuss the Company's short term business outlook and the longer term positioning of our brand and the retail network. As we have stated previously, in the short term we are being impacted by the recent bad weather on the East Coast and consumers' ongoing concerns regarding the possibility of war and terrorism. These factors will, in all likelihood, adversely impact our third and fourth quarter results. We remain very positive, however, about our longer term prospects. We continue to strengthen our business both in our ability to grow and efficiently service our customers. We are on schedule to introduce new products to the consumer, including our Tuscany collection in the spring and the Ethan Allen Kids collection in the summer. The Ethan Allen Kids collection is a "store within a store" concept. As many of our stores currently have limited space, we are in the process of opening, as a test case, several stand-alone Ethan Allen Kids stores in strategic locations."

Ethan Allen Inc., a leading manufacturer and retailer of quality home furnishings, sells a full range of products through an exclusive network of more than 300 stores. Stores are located in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and there are 19 overseas. Vertically integrated, the company has manufacturing facilities and sawmills throughout the United States. For more information, visit www.ethanallen.com or call 888-EAHELP1.

CONTACT: Ethan Allen Interiors Inc.

Media:

Kelly Maicon

203/743-8575

Investor:

Peg Lupton

203/743-8234

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News Briefs---

Homes Prices at 5-Year Low In Fourth Quarter

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36962-2003Mar3.html