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Finally, HL Leasing Scandal Coming to an End
And Investors May Get Money Back!
By Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal News Editor

Christmas may come a little late for the HL Leasing investors. It all comes from a Citation II jet seized by the FBI June, 2009 (1). This appears to be the only sizeable asset left by John Otto. His wife and estate wound up with very little, which will not be enough to distribute to the investors and will only pay attorney fees for the Class Action. But Otto’s plane may be the saving grace.

In re Kathleen Otto, 6:12-bk-21607-MJ (USBC Central District of California 2013)
In re 1993 Cessna 550 Fixed Wing Aircraft 13:00813 (USDC 2013)

The bad news is that the Class Action is probably dead in the water vis-à-vis collecting any money. The entire bankruptcy estate of Kathleen Otto was valued by the bankruptcy Court at $139,000, which won’t even pay the attorney fees. The good news is that the Federal Government has seized, and will sell, Otto’s private jet and the proceeds might be available to all victims of HL Leasing, not just the victims that opted into the class action suit. How that might occur is set forth below.

John Otto and HL Leasing’s Ponzi Scheme

By way of background, John Otto ran several leasing companies and participated in others, but HL Leasing was his baby, which he ran out of his house in Palm Desert. A class action case in Fresno, California (the legal address of Otto’s three leasing companies) found it was a long running Ponzi Scheme whereby investors would deposit money with Mr. Otto and would receive fractional interests in certain fake leases he either generated or purchased. The leases were non-existent; Otto used new investment monies to pay off old investors. It is believed that this scam netted Otto $114 million dollars. Otto committed suicide on May 13, 2009.

The Investors’ Blog

After the suicide of Otto, the “John Otto HL Leasing Blog” started and the posts noted both the class action suit and possible suit using Barton, Klugman & Oetting. I told anyone who would listen that only immediate action against the assets of Kathleen Otto would yield any money, and quite frankly tried to discourage people from hiring me, because I didn’t feel that they would ever collect anything. One of the investors stated, in a May 15, 2009 post, that: "John Otto owns Air Fred (sole managing member) and Air Fred owns a Citation worth $2.5 million. Gross income for this business is approximately $750k per year. If John Otto paid for that aircraft with funds obtained from the investors, I would think that asset could be liquidated to pay back investors. It's a small amount but it's a start." (1)

The Class Action

The Fresno firm of Dowling, Aaron & Keeler took on a class action against HL Leasing salesman, Dan Ramirez, and Otto’s widow, Kathleen Otto. That firm was joined by Ara Jabagchourian, principal, Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, Burlingame, California.

A judgment was entered against Kathleen, Ramirez and Fernandez for $114.5 million, plus $46.5 million against both Dan Ramirez and Andy Fernandez; $720,000 on top of that against Dan Ramirez. That Judgment was affirmed by the California Court of Appeal on October 29, 2013. Kathleen Otto was held personally liable because she did not open an estate for her husband.

Attorney Ara Jabagchourian said the victims received some measure of justice. But he expressed disappointment in the FBI, whose agents raided John Otto's businesses and Palm Desert home in 2009--- but the FBI never filed criminal charges against the perpetrators. He told Leasing News, "'I didn't do the case for the money. Fresno is my hometown. I didn't want these outsiders to get away with it."

Mr. Jabagchourian also filed a fraudulent transfer case against Dan Ramirez and his ex-wife, Pamela, alleging he gave her many of the properties in a divorce that occurred last year. But the likelihood of recovering a sizable portion of the $114 million from Ramirez is unlikely.

While Mr. Jabagchourian‘s representation is certainly admirable, it must be recognized that Class actions are notoriously slow, plodding affairs, and are simply not set up to quickly trace and seize a debtor’s assets. That is a job for an aggressive, skilled collections lawyer acting with velocity using writs of attachment.

Kathleen’s Bankruptcy

Kathleen Otto stopped the Class Action dead in the water when she filed for Chapter 11 protection long before that Judgment was entered. On February 4, 2013, the Class Judgment was designated as Class 3 to her bankruptcy and the victims were designated to share in a pro rata distribution of her assets, which consisted of some nominal equity in her residence and an Aston Martin automobile for a total of $139,000. On January 9, 2013, the Bankruptcy Court closed the estate. This appears to be sole recovery by the Class Action lawyers.

The Seizure and Forfeiture of Otto’s Jet

All is not lost for the HL Victims. As noted Otto’s jet was the only asset seized by the FBI, within weeks of Otto’s suicide. On May 30, 2013, the United States commenced a forfeiture action and Kathleen Otto’s interest, if any, was forfeited by default on December 30, 2014. Depending on condition and log books, the plane may be worth $800,000 at liquidation value. According to government policy, there is no requirement that the funds received from a sale of the plane will be made available to the class action plaintiffs. (2)

If the Department of Justice determines that the proceeds are suitable for distribution, the monies will be distributed either through a Petition for Remission or by a Trustee. For details of the forfeiture process, see the link below. (3) The first way is the Petition for Remission. Under this procedure, the DOJ will notify all potential victims of the opportunity to file a Petition for Remission. That Petition must contain the necessary facts and documents, and set forth the actual loss (with proof) by the victim. A claims administrator for the DOJ will make the determination of the victim’s loss and the net monies are distributed pro rata. The DOJ will deduct for the costs of seizure, storage and resale of the forfeited assets.

The second way, usually present in larger cases like the Madoff case, is the appointment of a Trustee. The Trustee takes custody of the monies, notifies the victims, and reviews their claims. Again, the net proceeds are distributed pro rata.

What are the lessons from these two cases?

First, I certainly don’t fault the class action lawyers for trying to collect monies from Mrs. Otto, Ramirez, and others involved. Indeed, I’m quite confident that they’ve incurred several hundred thousand of dollars in fees without compensation. I admire their ambition. But the Class Action as a vehicle for speedy collections is simply not the appropriate procedure.

Second, the only real asset was Otto’s plane, and since it was seized within a month of Otto’s suicide, there was little any of the lawyers could have done to realize obtaining that asset. Perhaps a quick acting lawyer could have gotten a writ of attachment, but that’s asking a lot.

Third, what surprised me was how quickly the FBI moved in to seize the airplane, within a few weeks of Otto’s suicide. Yet, their prosecution of the remaining perpetrators, Ramirez and Andy Fernandez, appears to be permanently stalled.

Fourth, I doubt a criminal case could be made against Kathleen Otto. The books, checks, and records of HL Leasing, to the extent that Otto actually retained them, were kept in the Otto’s residence. Their whereabouts remain a mystery. Her bankruptcy has discharged any liability she has to the victims of HL Leasing.

Fifth, although forfeiture proceeds may not end up in the hands of victims, the victims to the HL Leasing scam need to determine whether the DOJ will make a decision as to the disposition of the plane’s proceeds. We can hope that the DOJ will distribute the net proceeds to the investors. If they are distributed to the investors, I suspect that the DOJ will not use private class action counsel to distribute the monies (because it won’t go to all the victims), and would instead use a Trustee or the remission procedures.

The bottom line to these two cases is that the anger, excitement and fanfare of May, 2009 should have been tempered. I will be surprised if the victims of this fraud ever receive compensation, and after expenses, I imagine it will be pennies on the dollar.

(1) John Otto Blog---posted by unfortunate investor
http://johnottohlleasing.blogspot.com/2009/05/if-you-are-interested-in-what-has.html#comment-form

(2) No requirement to class action plaintiffs, but to all
http://www.justice.gov/jmd/afp/05participants/index.htm

(3) Details of Forfeiture Procedure
http://www.justice.gov/criminal/afmls/forms/pdf/victms-faqs.pdf

Kathleen Otto Motion for Final Order
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/KathleenOttoMotionFinalOrder_2014.pdf

Kathleen Otto Forfeiture Complaint
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/KathlleenOttoForfeitureComplaint_2014.pdf

Kathleen Otto Confirmed Plan Order
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/KathleenOttoConfirmedPlanOrder_2014.pdf

Kathleen Otto Plan
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/KathleenOttoPlan_2014.pdf

Kathleen Otto Declaration
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/KathleenOttoDeclaration_2014.pdf

Kathleen Otto Schedules
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/KathleenOttoSchedules_2014.pdf

Tom McCurnin is a partner at Barton, Klugman & Oetting in Los Angeles, California.

Tom McCurnin
Barton, Klugman & Oetting
350 South Grand Ave.
Suite 2200
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Direct Phone: (213) 617-6129
Cell (213) 268-8291
Email: tmccurnin@bkolaw.com
Visit our web site at www.bkolaw.com

Previous Tom McCurnin Articles:
http://www.leasingnews.org/Conscious-Top%20Stories/leasing_cases.html

John Kenny
Receivables Management

• End of Lease Negotiations & Enforcement

• Fraud Investigations
• Credit Investigations • Asset Searches
• Skip-tracing • Third-party Commercial Collections

john@jkrmdirect.com | ph 315-866-1167| www.jkrmdirect.com

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

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Largest 100 Banks in the World
By Maria Tor and Saad Sarfraz
A SNL Financial Exclusive

Banks in China, the United Kingdom, France and Japan comprise the five largest banks in the world, based on assets, but U.S. banks would be included in the mix if adjusted for the netting of derivatives that is not permitted under IFRS, SNL Financial data shows.

Next is the United States, which has 10 of the top 100, followed by Japan with nine banks. The countries in Europe, including Russia, have 47 of the top 100. Africa currently has no banks in the top 100.

Beijing-based Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. ranked as the largest bank in the world as of Sept. 30, followed by London-based HSBC Holdings Plc and Montrouge, France-based Crédit Agricole Group. The fourth largest bank is Paris-based BNP Paribas SA and the fifth largest is Tokyo-based Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc.

SNL ranked the banks based on the assets they report under their respective accounting regimes. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China had $3.062 trillion in assets under IFRS, converted into U.S. dollars, as of Sept. 30. New York-based JPMorgan Chase & Co., which reports under U.S. GAAP, had $2.463 trillion in assets as of Sept. 30, making it the sixth largest bank in the world. However, if JPMorgan followed IFRS accounting principles, it would most likely rank as the largest bank in the world, SNL finds. A major difference between IFRS and U.S. GAAP accounting treatments is that IFRS filers must include the gross amount of derivative assets on their balance sheets, while U.S. GAAP filers report the net amount of derivative assets on their balance sheets. SNL calculates that JPMorgan's third-quarter assets would increase by 49% to $3.677 trillion if the offsetting of derivative assets were removed. Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America Corp., currently ranked 12th in the world, would likewise move up to No. 2, and New York-based Citigroup Inc., currently ranked 14th in the world, would move up to No. 5. In all, the 10 U.S. banks that rank in the top 100 would add a combined $4.336 trillion in assets if they reported gross derivatives. Additionally, Zurich, Switzerland-based Credit Suisse Group AG and Tokyo-based Nomura Holdings Inc. also report in U.S. GAAP. They would add a combined $896.28 billion to their balance sheets if derivative netting were removed. SNL only made adjustments for banks that primarily report under U.S. GAAP.

The IASB and FASB had proposed in 2011 to remove the differences in offsetting requirements between IFRS and U.S. GAAP, but after receiving comments from the industry, decided to maintain the differing standards and instead require increased disclosures of gross and net positions.

To compile the rankings, SNL ranked the most recently reported consolidated assets of companies classified by SNL as "banks" or "savings banks/thrifts/mutuals," companies regulated in the United States as bank holding companies, or any financial holding company with significant banking subsidiaries. These rankings are not adjusted for subsequent pending or completed acquisitions or divestitures after period-end. Some companies classified by SNL as "banks" were not included in the rankings due to the nature of their business models. The excluded companies were: Frankfurt am Main, Germany-based KfW Bankengruppe, Beijing-based Agricultural Development Bank of China, Washington, D.C.-based International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Basel, Switzerland-based Bank for International Settlements, Munich, Germany-based FMS Wertmanagement AöR, Chiyoda, Japan-based Japan Finance Organization for Municipalities, Beijing-based Export-Import Bank of China and Seoul, South Korea-based Korea Finance Corp.

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Largest US bank Holding Companies’ 2013 Profits Soar
by Salman Aleem Khan, SNF Financial

The six largest bank holding companies in the U.S. by asset size reported the highest annual profits on an aggregate basis since 2006, during a year highlighted by high legal costs, reserve cuts and improving credit quality.

Net income for the group was $77.46 billion in 2013, up 27.43% from 2012 and 6.65% shy of the $82.98 billion all-time high reported in 2006. The aggregate return on average assets, or ROAA, also improved on a year-over-year basis to 0.81% in 2013, while still short of 1.25% ROAA reported in 2006.

Bank of America Corp., currently the U.S.'s second-largest bank by asset size after acquiring Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. in 2008, reported net income of $11.43 billion in 2013, up $7.24 billion from 2012. Its ROAA in 2013 was 0.53%, compared to 1.44% in 2006. The bank has not cracked the 1% ROAA barrier ever since.

During BofA's recent fourth-quarter earnings call, CFO Bruce Thompson said the bank is "looking to get to the point where we're returning 1% on assets" over the next three years, according to the transcript.

All six institutions, with the exception of JPMorgan Chase & Co., saw an increase in their return on average assets in 2013 compared to the prior year. JPMorgan has paid more than $9 billion in credit and mortgage-related settlements since 2010, according to SNL data.

Bolstering income at JPMorgan was the release of loan loss reserves. According to the transcripts of the third- and fourth-quarter earnings calls, the consumer segment saw a reserve release of $1.6 billion, and the real estate portfolio contributed $950 million to reserve releases.

Excluding Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley, with their investment banking focus, the other banks relied on the release of loan-loss reserves and noninterest income to boost their revenues, as loan growth was sluggish in 2013.

Wells Fargo & Co., which became a national presence after its acquisition of Wachovia Corp. in 2008, reported the highest profit for the year among all six. The quarter ending Dec. 31, 2013, was the bank’s 16th consecutive quarter of EPS growth. The bank is expecting further future loan loss reserve releases as credit quality improves, according to the fourth-quarter call transcript.

Morgan Stanley reported an almost $3 billion increase in its profits in 2013. CFO Ruth Porat said in the latest earnings call, according to the transcript: "The focus is an ROE-focus as opposed to a revenue-focus. … [W]e have a number of areas that are driving the overall ROE higher. First and foremost, we talked about commodities and the steps that we're taking in commodities. We are selling two physical oil businesses there."

Although the largest banks increased profitability in 2013, regulators are still wary of the steps being taken by these institutions to boost their bottom lines. During a banking conference, while making a comment about reserve releases in the industry, Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry noted that "for some banks, the ease with which the allowance could be repurposed as earnings has proved habit-forming."

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Leasing Industry Help Wanted

Equipment Asset Manager
Los Angeles, California

Experience in heavy equipment required, ideal Class 8 trucks. Salary commensurate, performance bonus.
Call Shervin Rashti direct: 213-599-7660 or
send resume shervin@maximcc.com

www.maximcc.com
Maxim Commercial Capital is a commercial finance company committed to fostering the growth of small and middle market companies by providing creative and flexible asset-backed financing solutions

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New Hires—Promotions

Joe Bannister promoted to program development manager, LEAF Commercial Capital. He joined the firm January, 2011 as manager, capital markets. Prior he was pricing analyst, LEAF Financial Corporation (June, 2007-December, 2010). Education: Randolph-Macon College (1999–2003).
www.linkedin.com/pub/joe-banister/4/512/595

John Buckley promoted to credit analyst at De Lage Landen, Wayne, Pennsylvania. He joined the firm May, 2006 as customer service representative and was promoted to sales support officer, March, 2007. Then he rose to senior support officer in August, 2011 and became a sales support supervisor, September, 2012, and in March, 2013, business support training lead. Education: Penn State University, Bachelor of Science (BS), Economics; Saint Joseph's University, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Business Administration and Management, General.
www.linkedin.com/pub/john-buckley/26/673/280

Brian Cascarano hired as business development manager, Marlin Business Services, Greater Chicago area. Previously he was sales, originations representative, Canon Financial Services (March, 2012-November, 2013), independent consultant, self-employed (October, 2009-March, 2012); vice president, vendor sales, IFC Credit Corporation, August, 1997, vice president, marketing, December, 1999; vice-president, business development (January, 2008-August, 2009); lease broker, consultant, Sirius Capital (January, 1996-August, 1997), v.p. of sales and marketing, Trans Leasing International (January, 1984-September, 1996).Education: Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Marketing (1975–1978); Kendall College (1974–1975).
www.linkedin.com/in/bcascarano

Jon Gerson promoted to president of Executive Solutions for Leasing and Finance, Inc. He also announces the retirement of Teri Gerson, who founded the company in 1990. Mr. Gerson joined the company May, 2004. He actually first worked at Executive Solutions while filing resumes after school as a teenager. Education: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey-New Brunswick, BA Magna Cum Laude, Political Science (2002–2007).
www.linkedin.com/in/jongersonexecutivesolutions

William Griesmyer named v.p. of national accounts, Crest Capital. Charlotte, North Carolina. Previously he was senior account executive, Premier Funding Services (November, 2009-January, 2014); president, Link Financial Solutions (2008-November, 2009); engineering project manager, Flextronics (2006-2008); product change manager, Cummins Engine Company (2003-2005); senior product engineer, Corning (2001-2002);product engineer, Solectron (1998-2001); advisory product engineer, product manager, Siemens (1989-1998); product manager, product engineer, IBM (ROLM) (1982-1989), senior engineer, Westinghouse (1991-1982); electronics engineer, EXXON/Reliance electric (1980-1981); member technical staff, Princeton University Plasma Physics Laboratory (1975-1980); member technical staff, Princeton Plasma Physics Lab (1975-1980). Courses: Southern Methodist University, Telecom Network Design, Data Communications, Digital Switching, Engineering Finance, Telecommunications Management and Regulation, Digital Telephony, Applications Programming, Intro to Telecommunications, Engineering Management, Economic Decision Analysis. Education: Southern Methodist University, MS, Telecommunications Management (1986–989)(Open)1 course; Clarkson University, Bachelor of Science, Master of Engineering, Electrical Engineering (1970–975); Research Assistant. Operated Clarkson University high voltage laboratory. Activities and Societies: Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, Eta Kappa Nu electrical engineering honor society, Tau Delta Kappa fraternity; Oneida Senior High, Regents, Science, Math, English, Latin (1967–1970),Activities and Societies: Football, Wrestling, Track, National Honor Society, Band.
www.linkedin.com/in/billgriesmyer

R.J. Grimshaw promoted to President and CEO of Ervin Equipment Finance, Ann Arbor, Michigan. He joined the firm August, 2013 as EVP, chief sales officer. Previously he was vice president, technology finance, EverBank (July, 2008-July, 2013); vice president, director of sales, technology finance business , Key Equipment Finance (January, 2001-May, 2008), district sales manager, technology finance group, Conseco Vendor Services (July 1999-January, 2001); district sales manager, Tammac Corporation (M&T Bank) (July, 1997-June, 1999); founder, principle, Scriba Town Inn (November, 1992-July, 1997) (Established and operated this high-volume bar and restaurant operation from inception.) Honors & Awards: EverBank - Sales Achievement Award 2012; Key Bank - Top TSL - Small Business Banking - 2005; Key Equipment Finance Million Dollar Club 2002, 2003, 2004; Key Equipment Golden Key recipient - 2003. Education: State University of New York Empire State College. Main Interest: Coaching Young Ice Hockey & Baseball.
www.linkedin.com/in/rjgrimshaw

Sean Habermas promoted to account executive at CSI Leasing, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania. He joined the firm December, 2012 as associate account executive. Previously he was senior sales executive, United Business Systems (February, 2011-December, 2011); major account executive, Ricoh Business Solutions (August, 2008-January, 2011); account executive, Citi Group (2006-2008); manager, Safilo USA (1996-2005). He has been a trainer for Montville Soccer (1999-2012). Education: County College of Morris, Business Administration (1995–1997); Montville; PTHS.
www.linkedin.com/pub/sean-habermas/27/13a/b29

Debbie Haeringer promoted to v.p. of content marketing, CIT. She joined the firm November, 2000 and rose to v.p., director of advertising. Promoted April, 2008 to v.p., director of marketing and communications, vendor finance. Previously she was account supervisor, Draftcb (1997-2000), account supervisor, Draft Worldwide (September, 1997-November, 2000); account executive, Farago Advertising (1991-1996). Education: Wagner College (1986–1991).
www.linkedin.com/in/debbiehaeringer

Gabriele (Gaby) Kamelak promoted to business development manager at CHG-Meridian USA, Baltimore, Maryland. She joined the firm October, 2009. Previously she was finance area manager, Sun Microsystems (November, 2005-Februay, 2008); financial area manager, Compaq Capital/HP Finance Services (August, 1997-November, 2005); financial area manager, AT&T Capital/NCR Credit (March, 1993-August, 1997); consultant, Learning International (June, 1990-February, 1993); financial sales representative, US Leasing (December, 1983-May, 1990). Member advisory board, Kodiak Finance (June, 2009-Present); board director, Greyhound Rescue (February, 2008-Present). Education: University of Maryland, College Park BS, Business Administration (1971–1976), Activities and Societies: Delta Gamma Sorority.
www.linkedin.com/pub/gabriele-gaby-kamelak/9/415/903

Louis (Lou) Manitzas now president, OneWorld Business Finance, Austin, Texas. He joined the leasing co-op, June, 2009. He also is vice-president, OneSource Financial Corp. (January, 1995-Present). Previously he was sales manager, Celtic Leasing (1991-1994); account executive, California First Leasing (June, 1988-August, 1991). Education: Texas A&M University - Mays Business School, Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Finance, General (1983–1988); LV Berkner High School (1980–1983).
www.linkedin.com/in/loumanitzas

Bryan Murphy, CLP, promoted to vice president, project manager, First American Equipment Finance, a City National Bank Company. He joined the firm June, 2008. Prior he was vice translations technician, One Communications (August, 2007-June,2008), human resource support specialist, Paychex (September, 2004-August, 2007). Education: State University of New York College at Oswego, BS, Business Administration (2000–2004). Activities and Societies: Student Advisory Council to the Dean of the School of Business, Phi Beta Lamda. www.linkedin.com/pub/bryan-murphy-clp/23/152/9a7

Robert “Bob” Rinaldi named chief executive, King Commercial Finance. Previously he was senior vice president, CSI Leasing (March, 2010-December, 2013); executive vice president, National City Commercial Capital (now part of PNC) (May, 2004-December, 2009); president, National City Commercial Capital Canada (October, 2004-July, 2009), svp, Provident Bank (1966-2004); evp and principal, Information Leasing Corp (1986-1986); equipment leasing sales, Finalco, Inc. (1985-1986); sales, Xerox. Education: Michigan State University, BS, Ag Biochem and Animal Science (1977–1981). He is chairman-elect, ELFA.
www.linkedin.com/in/bobrinaldi

Larry Roegner, CFA, promoted to senior credit officer, the CIT Group, Jacksonville, Florida. He joined the firm June, 2013. Education: University of Illinois at Chicago; University of South Carolina-Columbia, MBA, Finance,
www.linkedin.com/pub/larry-roegner-cfa/3/5/250

Michelle Singh promoted to director, leasing at Bank of America, Providence, Rhode Island. She joined the firm in 1987 as principal, pricing and portfolio analyst.
www.linkedin.com/pub/michelle-singh/9/812/563

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MicroFinancial Year-end Net Income $9.8 Million

MicroFinancial with their subsidiary TimePayment, announced fourth quarter and year-end 2013 results, increasing net income from the previous year to $9.8 million, total revenues up 5.4% to $62.5 million compared to $95.3 million, charge offs reduced 2.4% to $18.2 million.

The publically traded company specializes in small ticket leases ranging from $500 to $15,000, based in Burlington, Massachusetts with an office in Westgate Village, California.

According to the company press release "Headcount at December 31, 2013 was 155, which increased from 152 at the end of 2012. Cash received from customers was $130.8 million during 2013 as compared to $121.8 million for the prior year. The number of new contracts originated in 2013 increased by 7.6% to 19,051, however, due to our continued focus on micro-ticket transactions, the average funded amount declined from approximately $5,200 in 2012 to $4,800 in 2013. As a result of this decline, new contract originations for the year ended December 31, 2013 declined slightly to $90.6 million as compared to $91.7 million in the prior year."

"We are very pleased with our operating results for 2013,"Richard Latour, President and Chief Executive Officer said.

" We successfully launched our new E-Commerce initiative in the fourth quarter of 2013 which provides our dealer base with an additional method to increase their on-line sales efforts and allows lessees a quick and efficient method to finance their on-line shopping carts from our approved vendor base.

"Our continued investments in sales and marketing initiatives resulted in an 8% growth in dollars of applications over last year to $446 million and a 4% increase in approved applications to $237 million in 2013.

"In addition, we repurchased over 97,000 shares during 2013 at an average cost of approximately $7.28 per share and were able to increase the dividend payout rate to $0.25 per share for 2013 as compared to $0.24 in 2012."

MicroFinancial Year-end Fourth Quarter Press Release:
http://www.leasingnews.org/PDF/MicrofinancialPressRelease_2014.pdf

MicroFinancial: Every Investor Should Love
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1767392-microfinancial-a-subprime-lender-every-investor-should-love

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Meet

Leasing News Advisor
Ken Greene, Attorney

Ken was involved in the formation of Leasing News and represented it (pro bono) in the early days. Ken is currently based in Southern California. His equipment finance and litigation practice has been broadened to include entertainment law, based on his love for music as well his past life as a professional musician. He has also moved into production and is working with filmmakers, writers and other artists.

Ken Greene
Law Offices of Kenneth Charles Greene
345 Thousand Oaks Boulevard #6566
Westlake Village, California 91359
Tel: 415-858-9111
Skype: 424.235.1658
kenlaw100@gmail.com

Ken is president of Apollo SoundKitchen (a music management company,
general counsel and co-executive producer of Palm Beach Publishing
Company, and general counsel to Ancient Films.

Ken began his leasing career with BankAmerilease. He has been a partner in several law firms (including Ross & Ivanjack, one of the first law firms in the country devoted exclusively to the equipment finance industry). He served as corporate counsel to a leasing company before joining Hamrick & Evans, LLC, a full service law firm specializing in construction defect litigation, insurance coverage litigation, equipment finance law, and entertainment law, throughout California and Nevada. He has been associated with the American Bankruptcy Institute, California Bankruptcy Forum, Eastern Association of Equipment Lessors ("EAEL"), Equipment Leasing and Finance Association ("ELFA"--formerly the Equipment Leasing Association), and National Equipment Finance Association (NEFA) (formerly NAEL, UAEL, and, once upon a time, WAEL). He has served on the Board of Directors of that association and has been its Legal Committee Chairman, Legal Line Editor, Regional Committee Chair, and Conference Chairman.

Ken has also been involved in charitable organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County, The Mountain Play Association (Marin County), and worked last year with the United Nations to produce a concert to save the rainforests. He has also been active in musical theater at the school and community levels.

He received his B. A, at Brandeis University, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, graduating cum laude. He received his J.D. at Santa Clara University in 1980, also graduating cum laude.

Mr. Greene has been a frequent writer and lecturer on matters of leasing law and other related legal issues. He is an acknowledged contributor on bankruptcy issues to Miller & Starr, California Real Estate 2d (Bancroft Whitney). He has lectured on leasing law and documentation, litigation and collection matters, and has produced and presented seminars to leasing companies on enhancing the attorney-client relationship. He has also taught nationally for Euromoney Lease Training. Ken’s passions, besides music, include travel, yoga, cooking, hiking, camping, boxing, surfing, golf, the Yankees, and good books. He lives in Westlake Village with his wife Barbara, their son Alex, who graduated Cal Lutheran last year, and, on occasion, their beautiful daughter Gigi, who attends UC Irvine. Both Alex and Gigi are aspiring actors. Their two neurotic dogs Bailey and Roxie provide hours of amusement.

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1734- Birthday of Robert Morris, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. He was only one of two men who signed all three documents. He was the country’s first “Superintendent of Finance”. The Robert Morris Association, formed by the Bankers Association, honors him. He was born at Liverpool, England, and died May 7, 1806, at Philadelphia, PA.

http://www.robert-morris.com/

1752 -The procession ceremony for Sister St. Martha Turpin was held at Ursuline Convent in New Orleans, LA. She was the first American-born woman to become a nun in the Catholic Church. She was born in Illinois, and entered the Ursuline Convent in 1748. She began her novitiate on July 2, 1749, and made her profession of faith this day in 1752. She died on November 20, 1761, at the age of 30.

http://www.ursulineneworleans.org/history.htm

http://www.accesscom.net/ursuline/

http://new-orleans.travelape.com/attractions/old-ursuline-convent/index.html

1795-Wounded by the sharp criticism of his colleagues, Alexander Hamilton resigned his post as the Secretary of the Treasury. During his run as the first U.S. Treasury Secretary, Hamilton put his conservative stamp on the young nation’s finances, establishing a national bank and a tax-based system to fuel the repayment of national and foreign debts. Hamilton also pushed for the Federal government to assume full responsibility for debts incurred by the states during the Revolutionary War. However, Hamilton’s Federalist ardor was a frequent target for controversy. He also saw the brewing of the wars in Europe and growing interest in European powers’ interest in the Americas, which was not a popular view with a country that wanted to remain isolationist.

1848-John C. Fremont is court-martialed. An outstanding military leader and abolitionist, known for being ahead of his time, he sided with the wrong political group. He was later pardoned by President Polk, but he resigned his commission. The Gold Rush made him a multimillionaire, whereupon he moved to New York, became actively involved in politics and ran for president. He was defeated by Democrat James Buchanan because of his anti-slavery views. He was appointed a general by President Lincoln, but got into political trouble again by proclaiming freedom for all slaves in military

campaigns he was winning ( it was before the emancipation doctrine ). In 1864, he was again considered for the Republican presidential nomination. Popular but controversial, Frémont decided that his bid for the office would cause division within the party. He retired from public life and returned to the West. From 1878 to 1883, Frémont held public office again as appointed governor of the territory of Arizona. Just months before his death on July 13, 1890, Congress granted him a pension, acknowledging the importance of Frémont's early explorations of the West.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan31.html

1851-San Francisco Orphan's Asylum, first in California founded.

1863- The first Union regiment in the Civil War made up of African-American soldiers was the 1st Regiment, South Carolina Volunteers, organized in the summer of 1862 by Major General David Hunter. Since there was no authority at that time for its muster into federal service, it was disbanded then reorganized in October 1862 and mustered into federal service at Buford, SC, on January 31, 1863. Its designation was changed on February 8, 1864, to the 33rd U.S. Colored Infantry.

1865-The controversy of free slaves continued and it was not until this day the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery in the United States. It read, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude...shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” When the Civil War began, President Lincoln's professed goal was the restoration of the Union. But early in the war, the Union began keeping escaped slaves rather than returning them to their owners, so slavery essentially ended wherever the Union army was victorious. In September 1862, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in areas that were still in rebellion against the Union. This measure opened the issue of what to do about slavery in border states that had not seceded or in areas that had been captured by the Union before the proclamation. In 1864, an amendment abolishing slavery passed the Senate but died in the House as Democrats rallied in the name of states' rights. The election of 1864 brought Lincoln back to the White House and significant Republican majorities in both houses, so it appeared the amendment was headed for passage when the new Congress convened in March 1865. Lincoln preferred that the amendment receive bipartisan support--some Democrats indicated support for the measure, but many still resisted. The amendment passed 119 to 56, seven votes above the necessary two-thirds majority. Several Democrats abstained, but the 13th Amendment was sent to the states for ratification, which came in December 1865. With the passage of the amendment, the institution that had indelibly shaped American history and had started the Civil War was eradicated.

1871- Birds fly over the western part of San Francisco in such large numbers that they actually darken the sky.

1874 -Jesse James gang robs train at Gads Hill, MO.

http://www.rosecity.net/trains/picture4.html

1892 – Birthday of Eddie Cantor (Edward Israel Iskowitz) (‘banjo eyes’): actor, singer: “If You Knew Susie like I Know Susie”, “Alabamy Bound”, “Dinah”, “Ida”, “Makin’ Whoopee”, “Ma He’s Makin’ Eyes at Me”. Died Oct 10, 1964)

http://www.eddiecantor.com/

1872- Zane Grey (original name Pearl Grey), American dentist and prolific author of tales of the Old West, was born at Zanesville, OH. Grey eventually wrote more than 80 books that were translated into many languages and sold more than 10 million copies. The novel “Riders of the Purple Sage” (1912) was the most popular. In 1886, he graduated with a degree in dentistry and moved to New York to begin his practice. Grey's interest in dentistry was half-hearted at best, and he did not relish the idea of replicating his father's safe but unexciting career path. Searching for an alternative, Grey decided to try his hand at writing. His first attempt was an uninspiring historical novel about a family ancestries. At that point, Grey might well have been doomed to a life of dentistry, had he not met Colonel C. J. "Buffalo" Jones in 1908, who convinced Grey to write Jones' biography. More importantly, Jones took him out West to gather material for the book, and Grey became deeply fascinated with the people and landscape of the region. Grey's biography of Jones debuted in 1908 as “The Last of the Plainsmen” to little attention, but he was inspired to concentrate his efforts on writing historical romances of the West. In 1912, he published the novel that earned him lasting fame, “Riders of the Purple Sage”. Like the equally popular Owen Wister novel, “The Virginian” (1902), the basic theme of Riders revolves around the transformation of a weak and effeminate easterner into a man of character and strength through his exposure to the culture and land of the American West. Grey's protagonist, the Ohio-born Bern Venters, spends several weeks being tested by the rugged canyon country of southern Utah before finding his way back to civilization. Venters, Grey writes, "had gone away a boy-he had returned a man." Though “Riders of the Purple Sage” was Grey's most popular novel, he wrote 78 other books during his prolific career, most of them Westerns. He died in 1939, but Grey's work continued to be extraordinarily popular for decades to come, and by 1955, his books had sold more than 31 million copies around the world. With the possible exception of “Riders”, today Grey's books are little read, and most modern readers find them insufferably pompous, moralizing, and sentimental. Grey died Oct 23, 1939, at Altadena, CA.

1907-Birthday of trombonist Benny Morton, born New York City, New York.

http://www.centrohd.com/biogra/m1/benny_morton_b.htm

http://www.jazzprofessional.com/interviews/Benny%20Morton_1.htm

1905 -- American novelist/short story writer John O'Hara born, Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

http://www.ncteamericancollection.org/litmap/ohara_john_pa.htm

http://oharas.com/directory/johnohara.html

1911--Congress passes resolution naming San Francisco as the site of the celebration of the opening of the Panama Canal.

1911 - Tamarack, CA, was without snow the first eight days of the month, but by the end of January had been buried under 390 inches of snow, a record monthly total for the U.S.

1914- Jersey Joe Walcott, boxer, born Arnold Raymond Cream at Merchantville, NJ. Walcott lost a heavyweight title fight to Joe Louis in 1947 but then defeated Ezzard Charles to win the title in 1951 after losing to him twice before. At 37 years of age, he was the oldest man to win the heavyweight crown. Died at Camden, NJ., Feb 27, 1994.

1915—Trumpet player Bobby Hackett birthday, perhaps best known for his solo in “String of Pearls” with Glenn Miller. He later became much more known as a Dixieland coronet player in the Dixieland revival of the 1950’s. He died in 1976.

http://www.libertyhall.com/bobby.html

http://spaceagepop.com/hackett.htm

1915-American television host Garry Moore was born Thomas Garrison Morfit at Baltimore, MD. His best-known shows were "I've Got a Secret" (1952-67) and "To Tell the Truth" (1969-76). He gave Carol Burnett her break on TV when he made her a regular on "The Garry Moore Show." He died Nov 28, 1993, at Hilton Head Island, SC.

http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/mooregarry/mooregarry.htm

1919- Jackie Roosevelt Robinson, Baseball Hall of Fame infielder born at Cairo, GA. Robinson was a star athlete at UCLA and an officer in the US Army during World War II. In Oct, 1945, Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Robinson to a contract to play professional baseball, thereby breaking the sport’s unofficial, but firm, color line. Robinson proved to be an outstanding player who endured unimaginable racial taunts and still excelled. He won Rookie of the Year honors in 1947 and was the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1949. He led the Dodgers to six pennants between 1947-56, and a World Series championship in 1955. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1962. Died at Stamford, CT, Oct 24, 1972.

1921-Birthday of tenor Mario Lanza, billed as the successor to Enrico Caruso, born in Philadelphia, PA. There were predictions that he would become the greatest tenor of his time, perhaps even of the century. But his unreliability, destructive temper tantrums and a penchant for overeating, then going on frantic diets destroyed his career. Lanza died of a heart embolism in 1959 at age 38. Mario Lanza's 1951 film "The Great Caruso" is reported to have grossed more than five-million dollars. And two of his '50s recordings, "Be My Love" and "The Loveliest Night of the Year," sold more than a million copies each.

http://www.rense.com/excursions/lanza/

1923 – Birthday of Norman Mailer (Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist: “The Armies of the Night”; “Miami and the Siege of Chicago”, “The Executioner’s Song”, “The Naked and the Dead”, “An American Dream”) Born Long Branch, New Jersey

http://www.iol.ie/~kic/

http://www.americanlegends.com/authors/norman_mailer.html

http://www.wiredforbooks.org/normanmailer/

1923- Birthday of Carol Channing, Tony award winner. Best known for her portrayal of Lorelei Lee in “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend”, and Dolly Gallaher Levi in “Hello Dolly”. She is the darling of San Francisco.

1928- Scotch tape was developed by Richard Drew of the 3M Company.

1931 – Birthday of Ernie Banks, Baseball Hall of Famer who spent his entire career with the Chicago Cubs. All-star: 1955-1962, 1965, 1967, 1969. National League MVP: 1958, 1959; 512 home runs; over 40 in a single season five times; record five grand slams [1955]. His 47 home runs in 1958 is the most ever hit by a shortstop.

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/
hofer_bios/banks_ernie.htm

1936 - The radio show, "The Green Hornet" was introduced by its theme song, "The Flight of the Bumble Bee". The show was first heard on Detroit, Michigan's WXYZ radio, lasting for 16 years. "The Green Hornet" originated from the same station as the "The Lone Ranger". The title character in "The Green Hornet" was really named Britt Reid, who was supposed to be the great nephew of John Reid, the Lone Ranger. Both series were created by George Trendle and Fran Striker.

http://members.aol.com/meow103476/greenhornet.html

1936-Birthday of singer Marvin Junior of The Dells, Harrell, AR

http://www.themightydells.com/

http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/dells_bio.html

http://www.epinions.com/content_59435355780

1936-Birthday of trombonist Garnett Brown, Memphis, TN.

Composer, arranger, and trombonist, Garnett earned his B.S. in music at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and went on to study film scoring and electronic music at UCLA. His numerous performances and recordings include those with Herbie Hancock, Lionel Hampton, Manhattan Transfer, Quincy Jones, Billy Taylor, Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, and Dizzy Gillespie. He has coordinated, conducted, arranged, composed, and performed music for numerous feature films and television programs, including “Roots: Second Generation”, “A Soldier's Story”, and “Fat Man and Little Boy”. He has received numerous awards, including the first place trombone prize in the Downbeat Reader's Poll in 1967 and 1974. BMI has honored him twice, with the Jazz Pioneers Award in 1984 and the Contribution to American Music Recognition Award in 1990. In 1988 he played with the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra in an East Coast and European tour. Recently Brown was the orchestrator, arranger, and conductor of the score for the film “Harlem Nights”. He also worked as music coordinator on a feature film with Michel Legrand, and participated in a lecture, demonstration, and concert with Billy Taylor for the Washington, D.C. National Association of Jazz Educators. He presently teaches at UCLA in the Music Department, plus is a well-known studio musician.

1937-Birthday of American composer Philip Glass, Baltimore, MD.

http://www.philipglass.com/

1940- The first Social Security check was issued. Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, VT, received the first monthly retirement check in the amount of $22.54. Ms. Fuller had worked for three years under the Social Security program (which had been established by legislation in 1935). The accumulated taxes on her salary over those three years were $24.75. She lived to be 100 years and collected $22,888 in Social Security benefits.

1944-Birthday of blues harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite, born Kosciusko, Mississippi

http://www.charlie-musselwhite.com/memphis.htm

http://www.rosebudus.com/musselwhite/

1944--OLSON, TRUMAN O. Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 7th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Cisterna di Littoria, Italy, 30-31 January 1944. Entered service at: Cambridge, Wis. Birth: Christiana, Wis. G.O. No.: 6, 24 January 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Olson, a light machine gunner, elected to sacrifice his life to save his company from annihilation. On the night of 30 January 1944, after a 16-hour assault on entrenched enemy positions in the course of which over one-third of Company B became casualties, the survivors dug in behind a horseshoe elevation, placing Sgt. Olson and his crew, with the 1 available machinegun, forward of their lines and in an exposed position to bear the brunt of the expected German counterattack. Although he had been fighting without respite, Sgt. Olson stuck grimly to his post all night while his gun crew was cut down, 1 by 1, by accurate and overwhelming enemy fire. Weary from over 24 hours of continuous battle and suffering from an arm wound, received during the night engagement, Sgt. Olson manned his gun alone, meeting the full force of an all-out enemy assault by approximately 200 men supported by mortar and machinegun fire which the Germans launched at daybreak on the morning of 31 January. After 30 minutes of fighting, Sgt. Olson was mortally wounded, yet, knowing that only his weapons stood between his company and complete destruction, he refused evacuation. For an hour and a half after receiving his second and fatal wound he continued to fire his machinegun, killing at least 20 of the enemy, wounding many more, and forcing the assaulting German elements to withdraw.

1945 -- US: Army Private Eddie Slovik was shot for desertion, the first such execution since the Civil War. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, personally ordered the execution during the closing days of World War II to deter other potential deserters. The story of his execution was made into a motion picture with actor Martin Sheen in the role of Private Slovik.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Slovik.html

1947 –Birthday of (Lynn) Nolan Ryan, Hall of Fame pitcher with the NY Mets [World Series: 1969], California Angels [all-star: 1972, 1973, 1975,

1977, 1979], Houston Astros [all-star: 1981, 1985], Texas Rangers [all-star: 1989]. Holds many major pitching records including career strikeouts [5,714] and no-hitters.

1948 -- J. D. Salinger's short story "A Perfect Day for Banana Fish" appears in The New Yorker. It was the earliest mention of the “Glass” family,” which was to appear in many of the short stories to follow.

http://www.biblion.com/litweb/biogs/salinger_j_d.html

http://members.aol.com/jdsletters/index.html

1949- the first “Soap Opera” on daytime television was “These Are My Children,” by Irna Phillips, which was aired between 5 and 5:15pm every weekday from January 21 to February 25, 1949, by NBC from Chicago, IL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irna_Phillips

1949 - The temperature at San Antonio, TX, plunged to a record low of one degree below zero. Helena MT reached 42 degrees below zero.

1950- George Mikan, center for the Minneapolis Lakers, was chosen the greatest basketball player of the half-century by a national poll of sportswriters.

1951--DODD, CARL H. Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant (then 2d Lt.), U.S. Army, Company E, 5th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Subuk, Korea, 30 and 31 January 1951. Entered service at: Kenvir, Ky. Born: 21 April 1925, Evarts, Ky. G.O. No.: 37, 4 June 1951. Citation: 1st Lt. Dodd, Company E, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. First Lt. Dodd, given the responsibility of spearheading an attack to capture Hill 256, a key terrain feature defended by a well-armed, crafty foe who had withstood several previous assaults, led his platoon forward over hazardous terrain under hostile small-arms, mortar, and artillery fire from well-camouflaged enemy emplacements which reached such intensity that his men faltered. With utter disregard for his safety, 1st Lt. Dodd moved among his men, reorganized and encouraged them, and then single-handedly charged the first hostile machine gun nest, killing or wounding all its occupants. Inspired by his incredible courage, his platoon responded magnificently and, fixing bayonets and throwing grenades, closed on the enemy and wiped out every hostile position as it moved relentlessly onward to its initial objective. Securing the first series of enemy positions, 1st Lt. Dodd again reorganized his platoon and led them across a narrow ridge and onto Hill 256. Firing his rifle and throwing grenades, he advanced at the head of his platoon despite the intense concentrated hostile fire which was brought to bear on their narrow avenue of approach. When his platoon was still 200 yards from the objective he moved ahead and with his last grenade destroyed an enemy mortar killing the crew. Darkness then halted the advance but at daybreak 1st Lt. Dodd, again boldly advancing ahead of his unit, led the platoon through a dense fog against the remaining hostile positions. With bayonet and grenades he continued to set pace without regard for the danger to his life, until he and his troops had eliminated the last of the defenders and had secured the final objective. First Lt. Dodd's superb leadership and extraordinary heroism inspired his men to overcome this strong enemy defense reflecting the highest credit upon himself and upholding the esteemed traditions of the military service.

1951—Top Hits

My Heart Cries for You - Guy Mitchell

Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page

A Bushell and a Peck - Perry Como & Betty Hutton

The Shot Gun Boogie - Tennessee Ernie Ford

1951- Rock vocalist Phil Collins was born in London. He joined the art-rock group Genesis in 1970 as drummer, replacing John Mayhew. Collins became the lead vocalist for Genesis after the group's front man, Peter Gabriel, left in 1974. With Collins fronting the band, Genesis began to score hit singles, starting with "Follow You, Follow Me" in 1978. Collins, while remaining with Genesis, started a solo career in 1982. His first album, "Face Value," sold two-million copies. He's had numerous single hits as well, including such chart- toppers as "Against All Odds," "One More Night," "Sussudio" and "Separate Lives," a 1986 duet with Marilyn Martin.

1951 – Birthday of Harry Wayne Casey, Hialeah, Florida. Musician: keyboard, singer with KC and the Sunshine Band. http://discomuseum.com/KCSunshineBand.html

http://www.harrywaynecasey.com/

1952-Birthday of harmonica player Paul deLay, Portland, Oregon

http://www.cascadeblues.org/NWBlues/PauldeLay/PauldeLay.htm

http://www.pauldelay.com/about.ihtml

http://www.mnblues.com/review/delaylive.html

http://home.europa.com/~damray/welcome.html

1956- Elvis Presley signs with the William Morris Agency in order to make himself available to film studios.

1958 -"Jackpot Bowling" premieres on NBC with Leo Durocher as host

1958- The first successful US satellite. Although launched four months later than the Soviet Union's Sputnik, Explorer reached a higher altitude and detected a zone of intense radiation inside Earth's magnetic field. This was later named the Van Allen radiation belts. More than 65 subsequent Explorer satellites were launched through 1984.

1959-- Just three days before their death in a plane crash, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper play the Armory in Duluth, MN. In attendance: a seventeen-year-old Robert Zimmerman, who would be inspired to become a musician by this performance. We now know him as Bob Dylan.

1959—Top Hits

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters

Donna - Ritchie Valens

The All American Boy - Bill Parsons

Billy Bayou - Jim Reeves

1960-Jimmy Jones' "Handy Man" enters the R&B chart, soon to be #3. The song is written and produced by Otis Blackwell. James Taylor will make it a #4 pop hit in 1977.

1961- a test of Project Mercury spacecraft accomplished the first US recovery of a large animal from space. Ham, the chimpanzee, successfully performed simple tasks in space.

1961- the first Commander of a combat ship who was African-American was Lieutenant Commander Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr., of Richmond, VA. On January 31, 1961, he assumed command of the destroyer escort U.S.S. Falgout, one of the vessels of Escort Squadron 5 on duty with the barrier Pacific force. The ship had a crew of 150 and 13 officers.

1961- NBC airs the “Bobby Darin and Friends” television special, originally meant as a pilot for a weekly variety series.

1962-U.S. Admiral Samuel L. Gravely becomes the first Black person to achieve flag rank, rear admiral. In September 1976, Vice Admiral Gravely assumed command of the Third Fleet. During 1978-80, he was Director of the Defense Communications Agency. Vice Admiral Samuel L. Gravely, Jr., retired from the Navy on 1 August 1980.

http://www.raaheroes.com/military/navy/gravely.htm

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-g/s-gravly.htm

http://www.aaregistry.com/detail.php3?id=1250

1963 -- Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara declares:

"The war in Vietnam is going well and will succeed."

1963- A seventeen-year-old Neil Young makes his stage debut at a country club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

1965 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: “You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin” by The Righteous Brothers. The song is the first No. 1 song for the duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield.

1966 - A blizzard struck the northeastern U.S. When the storm came to an end, twenty inches of snow covered the ground at Washington D.C.

1967- While in Sevenoaks, Kent, England, John Lennon visits an antique shop and purchases a circus poster from 1843. It is this poster which inspires most of the lyrics to the Beatles' "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite."

1967—Top Hits

I’m a Believer - The Monkees

Tell It Like It Is - Aaron Neville

Georgy Girl - The Seekers

There Goes My Everything - Jack Greene

1968-As part of the Tet Offensive, Viet Cong soldiers attack the U.S. Embassy in Saigon. A 19-man suicide squad seized the U.S. Embassy and held it for six hours until an assault force of U.S. paratroopers landed by helicopter on the building's roof and routed them. The offensive was launched on January 30, when communist forces attacked Saigon, Hue, five of six autonomous cities, 36 of 44 provincial capitals, and 64 of 245 district capitals. The timing and magnitude of the attacks caught the South Vietnamese and American forces off guard, but eventually the Allied forces turned the tide. Militarily, the Tet Offensive was a disaster for the communists. By the end of March 1968, they had not achieved any of their objectives and had lost 32,000 soldiers and had 5,800 captured. U.S. forces suffered 3,895 dead; South Vietnamese losses were 4,954; non-U.S. allies lost 214. More than 14,300 South Vietnamese civilians died. While the offensive was a crushing military defeat for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese, the early reporting of a smashing communist victory went largely uncorrected in the media and this led to a great psychological victory for the communists. The heavy U.S. casualties incurred during the offensive coupled with the disillusionment over the earlier overly optimistic reports of progress in the war accelerated the growing disenchantment with President Johnson's conduct of the war. Johnson, frustrated with his inability to reach a solution in Vietnam announced on March 31, 1968, that he “would neither seek nor accept” the nomination of his party for re-election. As reported earlier, after leaving office he retired to his ranch in Texas and shortly died a broken man as his political influence and popularity was nil.

1968-John Fred and his Playboy Band's "Judy in Disguise" and the American Breed's "Bend Me, Shape Me" are certified gold. Neither group came even close to selling that many records with any other release

1968 -- A Seattle (Washington) City Council hearing concludes that there are no legal means to curb hippies in the U-District.

1970--CLAUSEN, RAYMOND M. Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263, Marine Aircraft Croup 16, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 31 January 1970. Entered service at: New Orleans, La. Born: 14 October 1947, New Orleans, La. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263 during operations against enemy forces. Participating in a helicopter rescue mission to extract elements of a platoon which had inadvertently entered a minefield while attacking enemy positions, Pfc. Clausen skillfully guided the helicopter pilot to a landing in an area cleared by 1 of several mine explosions. With 11 marines wounded, 1 dead, and the remaining 8 marines holding their positions for fear of detonating other mines, Pfc. Clausen quickly leaped from the helicopter and, in the face of enemy fire, moved across the extremely hazardous mine laden area to assist in carrying casualties to the waiting helicopter and in placing them aboard. Despite the ever-present threat of further mine explosions, he continued his valiant efforts, leaving the comparatively safe area of the helicopter on 6 separate occasions to carry out his rescue efforts. On 1 occasion while he was carrying 1 of the wounded, another mine detonated, killing a corpsman and wounding 3 other men. Only when he was certain that all marines were safely aboard did he signal the pilot to lift the helicopter. By the courageous, determined and inspiring efforts in the face of the utmost danger, Pfc. Clausen upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the U.S. Naval Service.

1970--Medal of Honor PENRY, RICHARD A.

Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company C, 4th Battalion, 12th Infantry, 199th Infantry Brigade. Place and date: Binh Tuy Province, Republic of Vietnam, 31 January 1970. Entered service at: Oakland, Calif. Born: 18 November 1948, Petaluma. Calif. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sgt. Penry, Company C, distinguished himself while serving as a rifleman during a night ambush mission. As the platoon was preparing the ambush position, it suddenly came under an intense enemy attack from mortar, rocket, and automatic weapons fire which seriously wounded the company commander and most of the platoon members, leaving small isolated groups of wounded men throughout the area. Sgt. Penry, seeing the extreme seriousness of the situation, worked his way through the deadly enemy fire to the company command post where he administered first aid to the wounded company commander and other personnel. He then moved the command post to a position which provided greater protection and visual communication and control of other platoon elements. Realizing the company radio was damaged and recognizing the urgent necessity to reestablish communications with the battalion headquarters, he ran outside the defensive perimeter through a fusillade of hostile fire to retrieve a radio. Finding it inoperable, Sgt. Penry returned through heavy fire to retrieve 2 more radios. Turning his attention to the defense of the area, he crawled to the edge of the perimeter, retrieved needed ammunition and weapons and resupplied the wounded men. During a determined assault by over 30 enemy soldiers, Sgt. Penry occupied the most vulnerable forward position placing heavy, accurate fire on the attacking enemy and exposing himself several times to throw hand grenades into the advancing enemy troops. He succeeded virtually single-handedly in stopping the attack. Learning that none of the radios were operable, Sgt. Penry again crawled outside the defensive perimeter, retrieved a fourth radio and established communications with higher headquarters. Sgt. Penry then continued to administer first aid to the wounded and repositioned them to better repel further enemy attacks. Despite continuous and deadly sniper fire, he again left the defensive perimeter, moved to within a few feet of enemy positions, located 5 isolated wounded soldiers, and led them to safety. When evacuation helicopters approached, Sgt. Penry voluntarily left the perimeter, set up a guiding beacon, established the priorities for evacuation and successively carried 18 wounded men to the extraction site. After all wounded personnel had been evacuated, Sgt. Penry joined another platoon and assisted in the pursuit of the enemy. Sgt. Penry's extraordinary heroism at the risk of his own life are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.

1970- In New Orleans, the Grateful Dead are arrested for possession of LSD and barbiturates, an incident which would inspire one of their most famous songs, "Truckin'." Apparently the band had fun afoul of mob interests in Texas, and the mob alerted the NOPD. This explains lines like "Houston, too close to New Orleans" and "Set up, like a bowling pin."

http://www.seattletimes.com/centennial/october/outrage.html

1971 -- The Winter Soldier Hearings begin in a Howard Johnson's motel in Detroit. Sponsored by the group Vietnam Veterans Against the War, the hearings are an attempt by soldiers who have served in Vietnam to publicize U.S. conduct in the war. The veterans testify that the My Lai massacre was not an isolated incident & that American troops have committed atrocities. More than 100 veterans, in fact, testify to brutal US acts. Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield will enter the Winter Soldier hearings into the Congressional Record but, otherwise, the proceedings capture little attention.

http://www.prairienet.org/vvaw/

1971- the first sport played on the moon was golf. Astronaut Alan Bartlett Sheppard, Jr. commander of Apollo 14, used a six-iron to hit a golf ball on the moon. In the lunar gravity, the ball kept going until it was far out of sight.

1972-Joan Baez claims a gold record for her album "Any Day Now," which was made up solely of songs by Bob Dylan. The LP went gold three years after its release.

1974 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``The Way We Were,'' Barbra Streisand. The title song to the Streisand-Robert Redford film wins a Grammy for songwriters Marvin Hamlisch and Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and an Academy Award for Best Song.

1975-- Barry Manilow's "Mandy" goes gold. Originally titled “Brandy,”

Manilow changed it at the recording studio to avoid confusion with another song of the same name by Looking Glass.

http://www.ionicom.com/songs/mandy.htm

http://www.barrynet.com/

http://www.barrynet.com/discography.html

1975—Top Hits

Mandy—Barry Manilow

Please Mr. Postman - Carpenters

Laughter in the Rain - Neil Sedaka

Fire - Ohio Players

(I’d Be) A Legend in My Time - Ronnie Milsap

1981-Female disco duo A Taste of Honey enter the soul chart with a disco remake of Kyu Sakamoto's 1963 hits Number One hit, "Sukiyaki." The latter peaks at Number One on the soul chart. It makes it to the pop chart in March and climbs to #3

1981--Birthday of Justin Timberlake, singer, actor, born Memphis, Tennessee.

1982-US male Figure Skating championship won by Scott Hamilton

http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/page/cbs/talent/hamilton.htm

1982 - A snowstorm struck Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. Twenty- five inches of snow at Greenville IL, located east of Saint Louis, paralyzed the community. The storm left 4000 motorists stranded for two days

1983—Top Hits

Down Under - Men at Work

Africa - Toto

Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye

Talk to Me - Mickey Gilley

1985 - John Fogerty, formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival, returned to A&M recording studios in Hollywood, California to perform his first ‘live’ performance in 14 years when he performed in a video called "Rock and Roll Girls".

http://www.johnfogerty.com/main.php

http://www.delafont.com/music_acts/John-Fogerty.htm

http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bio.asp?oid=1648&cf=1648

1984 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``Karma Chameleon,'' Culture Club. The song is the group's biggest hit in England and only No. 1 single in the U.S.

1985 - The last Jeep, the workhorse vehicle that enjoyed a successful home coming from World War II, rolled off the AMC assembly line at the plant in Toledo, Ohio. Army chief, George Marshall, said the Jeep was "America’s greatest contribution to warfare.” " Jeep is now trademarked to Chrysler Corporation.

http://www.armyjeepparts.com/

1986- Rock star John Cougar Mellencamp, was honored by the Indiana Senate in a resolution praising his music and loyalty to the state. Mellencamp is a native of Seymour, Indiana. http://www.mellencamp.com/

1987 - Madonna’s record, "Open Your Heart", took over the #2 spot on the pop charts, right behind "At This Moment" by Billy Vera and The Beaters. A week later, "Open Your Heart" would become Madonna’s fifth #1 hit since 1983. She had record 11 consecutive singles in the Top 10, the most for any female artist.

1988 - Thirty-one cities in the central and northeastern U.S. reported new record high temperatures for the date, with many occurring during the early morning hours. Temperatures in western New York State reached the 60s early in the day. Strong northerly winds in the north central U.S. produced wind chill readings as cold as 60 degrees below zero in North Dakota.

1988- Herb Alpert performs the national anthem at Super Bowl XXII in San Diego, CA. (Chubby Checker performs at the halftime show.)

1988 - Super Bowl XXII (at San Diego): Washington Redskins 42, Denver Broncos 10. The score at the end of the first quarter: Broncos 10, Redskins 0. The score one quarter later: Redskins 35, Broncos 10. In that 2nd quarter, Redskins’ QB Doug Williams [who was asked “how long have you been a black QB?”] tossed a 70-yard TD pass to WR Ricky Sanders and a 50-yard pass setting up another TD. He threw a 27-yard TD pass to WR Gary Clark, an 8-yard TD pass to TE Clint Didier and handed off to RB Timmy Smith, who ran 58 yards for another TD. Williams easily won the game’s MVP. That one quarter so inspired the Redskins, the Broncos never had another chance. Tickets: $100.00.

1988-- Ritchie Valens's brother and sister visited for the first time the place where Valens, Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper died in a plane crash on February 3rd, 1959. They also visited the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, where Valens made his last appearance hours before the tragedy.

1989 - The barometric pressure at Norway, AK, reached 31.85 inches (1078.4 mb.) establishing an all-time record for the North American Continent. The temperature at the time of the record was about 46 degrees below zero (The Weather Channel). Severe arctic cold began to invade the north central U.S. The temperature at Great Falls MT plunged 85 degrees in 36 hours. Valentine, NE plummeted from a record high of 70 degrees to zero in just nine hours. Northwest winds gusted to 86 mph at Lander, WY, and wind chill readings of 80 degrees below zero were reported in Montana. Sixty-four cities in the central U.S. reported record highs for the date as readings reached the 60s in Michigan and the 80s in Kansas.

1990- McDonald's Corporation opened its first fast-food restaurant in the Soviet Union.

1991 - Saudi Arabia claimed the border town of Khafji had been captured from invading Iraqi forces.

1991—Top Hits

The First Time - Surface

Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C & C Music

Factory featuring Freedom Williams

Sensitivity - Ralph Tresvant

Forever’s as Far as I’ll Go - Alabama

1992 - Trans World Airlines Inc., or TWA, filed for bankruptcy protection.

1993- Michael Jackson provided the half-time entertainment at the Super Bowl in Pasadena, California. He sang three of his hits - "Jam," "Billie Jean" and "Black or White" - paused to deliver a peace message, then performed "Heal the World." Garth Brooks sang the US national anthem to open the game.

1993- The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills, 52-17, to win Super Bowl XXVII. The Cowboys victory came three seasons after they won just one game and marked their return to elite status in the NFL under Coach Jimmy Johnson. The Bills become the first team to drop three in succession (they would lose again to Dallas, 30-13, the following year and remain the only team in NFL history to go to four successive Super Bowls).

1994 - German luxury car-maker BMW announced the purchase of Rover from British Aerospace, ending nearly a century of independent mass car production in Britain.

1996- Corel purchased WordPerfect Corporation from Novell on this day in 1996. Once the best-selling word processor, WordPerfect had steadily declined in popularity throughout the '90s, until the WordPerfect suite of office applications held less than twenty percent of the market. It relied more on the keyboard and typist considered it very fast. Novell had purchased WordPerfect in 1994, in an unsuccessful attempt to combat Microsoft's growing dominance in the consumer software field. Word was much easier to use, quick to learn, and as its product

developed, it become more stable and incorporated many features of Word Perfect. As Netscape had 80% of the browser market, and Word Perfect at one time, Microsoft by 1998 turned the percentages around.

1996- Center Dale Hawerchuk of the St. Louis Blues became the 23rd player in NHL history to score 500 regular-season goals. Hawerchuk tallied as the Blues beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-0. He retired in 1977 with 518 goals and 891 assists, good for 1409 points, 10th on the all-time list.

1997- David Bowie became the first musician to raise funds through a bond offering. Prudential Insurance bought $55-million of Bowie bonds, which were to be paid out of future earnings from his songs. The singer got his 55-million up front and Prudential received a 7.9 per cent annual return on its investment.

1997 -- Four "Critical Mass" protesters were arrested and five police officers "injured" when police attack a peaceful bicycle protest in downtown Seattle, Washington. Critical Mass, started in San Francisco in 1992, then spread to other cities since, and claims there no have no leaders.

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.

http://members.aol.com/MitsuAvaco/critmas2.htm

http://www.critical-mass.org/

1998-The "Come Together" benefit concert is held at a small New Jersey shore theatre. The show was a benefit for the family of Sgt. Patrick King, a Long Branch, NJ, police officer killed in the line of duty in the fall of 1997. The show was a 3 1/2 hour jam which featured Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny, Little Steven and a host of New Jersey musicians. It was a practical E Street Band reunion, with Max Weinberg, Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons joining in. The show featured tunes such as "Tenth Avenue Freezeout," "Backstreets," "Livin' On A Prayer," "Thunder Road," "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Born To Run."

1999 - Super Bowl XXXIII (at Miami): Denver Broncos 34, Atlanta Falcons 19. Broncos’ QB John Elway (MVP) completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards and one TD -- and ran three yards for another score. Play of the game: Elway to Rod Smith for a 90-yard touchdown. Tickets: $325.00.

1999-- Cher performs the national anthem at Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami, FL. (Stevie Wonder performs at the halftime show.)

2006-- Alan Greenspan [06 Mar 1926~], chairman of the US Federal Reserve Bank since 11 August 1987, resigns. He is succeeded by Ben Bernanke [13 Dec 1953~].He resigns 2014. Janet Yellen becomes first female Chair on February 3, 2014.

2013---Aaron Neville notched his first Top Ten album on the Billboard R&B chart when "My True Story" landed at #7. His first appearance on the list was in 1960 with "Over You".

Superbowl Champions This Date

1988 Washington Redskins (Washington 42, Denver 10)

1993 Dallas Cowboys (Dallas 52, Buffalo 17)

1999 Denver Bronco (Denver 34, Atlanta 19)

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