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Pictures from the Past
Bank of the West Indirect Leasing 1999 Leaders

(left to Right)
Steve Crane, CLFP, now EVP/Sales Manager, BSB Leasing
Jerry Newell, Retired *
Phil Green, now Vice President, Bank of the West, San Francisco
Doug Hatch, now Risk Manager, Equipment Financing Division,
Bank of the West

* The House that Jerry Built
by Christopher Menkin, Publisher
http://leasingnews.org/archives/Feb2013/2_01.htm#house

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December, 2017 - The List
"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"

LEAF Commercial Capital, Philadelphia, PA (12/17) Chairman and CEO LEAF Commercial Capital House up for Sale in Pennsylvania http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2017/12_28.htm#chairman

Chesswood Group Limited, Toronto, Canada (12/17) (Parent of Pawnee Leasing) Chesswood Announces Renewal of Bank Credit Facility/ To Redeem $20M Outstanding 6.5% Convertible Debentures http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2017/12_15.htm#chesswood

Northern Leasing, New York, NY (12/17) Finally! New York Attorney General’s Office Goes After
Northern Leasing http://leasingnews.org/archives/Dec2017/12_11.htm#finally

GE, Boston, Massachusetts (12/17) G.E. to Cut 12,000 Jobs in Power Division Save $1 Billion--to cut Dividend Second Time
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/07/business/general-electric-power-jobs.html?mtrref=news.url.google.com

Lending Club, New York, NY (12/17) LendingClub shares take a hit from disappointing forecast
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lendingclub-hot/lendingclub-shares-take-a-hit-from-disappointing-forecast-idUSKBN1E12PF?il=0

BoeFly, New York, NY (12/17) BoeFly Tops $6.0 Billion of Volume
on Its Online Small Business Lending Marketplace
https://przen.com/pr/boefly-tops-6-0-billion-of-volume-on-its-online-small-business-lending-przen-33227123

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New Hires/Promotions in the Leasing Business
and Related Industries

Richard Bandekow was promoted to Vice President, CFO/Head of Business Administration, Project Structured Americas and Asset Finance, Siemens Financial Services, Industry & Healthcare Finance, Iselin, New Jersey. He began his career at Siemens October, 2009, as Trader/Risk Manager; promoted March, 2012, Director, Funding and Risk Management; promoted Vice President, Pricing, Funding & Risk Management, February, 2014. Prior, he was Head Equity Trader, FIMCO (February, 2001 - April, 2006); Equity Trader/Market Maker, Freimark Blair (April, 2000 - January, 2001); Institutional Sales Trader, Refco (January, 1998 - April, 2000). Education: Rutgers Business School, MBA, Finance (2002 - 2005). Rutgers University, Newark. BS, Management, with Honors (1994 -1997). https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-bandekow-aba9b61/

Rachel Donaghy was hired as Vice President, Gerber Finance, Inc., New York City, New York. She is based in Carlsbad, California. Previously, she wa Sales Manager at eCapital LLC, starting December, 2007' promoted September, 2016, Sales Manager. Prior, she was Office Manager, Metal Etch Services (2006 - December, 2007); Account Executive, NetVersant (2006). She began her career as Sales Specialist, Safeway, 2003; promoted 2004 as Safeway Starbucks Manager. Education: Palomar College (2004 - 2006). https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-donaghy-1773b377/

Paul Hansen was hired as Head of Sales and Marketing, Franchise Finance Limited, Stokenchurch, United Kingdom. Previously, he was Head of Channel Sales, Syscap (July, 2016 - December, 2017); Head of Business Development, Asset Finance, Aldermore Bank PLC (July, 2015 - July, 2016); Business Development Manager, Shawbrook Asset Finance, Healthcare, Shawbrook Bank (April, 2014 - June, 2015); Sales Manager, Key Equipment Finance (2003 - 2014); Associated Director, Key Finance Group Limited (1999 - 2003); Internal Sales, Hartwell Motor Contracts (1993 - 1995). Education: Aylesbury Grammar School. https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-hansen-1047991/

Mike Jones was promoted to President, Business Capital unit, CIT Group, New York, New York. He is located in Jacksonville, Florida. He joined CIT September, 2016, as Managing Director, CIT Equipment Finance. Previously, he was SVP and Managing Director of the Vendor Equipment Finance Group (February, 2004 - July, 2016); Executive Director, Office Products Group, U.S. Bank (1996 - 2004); Vice President of Operations, Owner/Operator, JBA (1994 - 1996); District Manager, Sunoco (1990 - 1994); Executive Officer, Platoon Leader (Ranger), US Army (1983 - 1990). Education: Widener University, Bachelor of Science (BS), Accounting and Finance (1982 - 1986). US Army, Ranger. Upon graduating from the top of my class at Basic Training in 1983. I was offered the opportunity to complete my college education for a five- year active duty commitment. From 1983 through 1986, I completed my undergraduate degree while completing numerous military courses at locations across the country. I was selected for Ranger School in 1987, upon graduation reported to a Rapid Deployment Force responsible for activity in Central and South America. From 1987 – 1990, my unit deployed numerous times, once to a hostile territory and once in combat.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-jones-4574882b/

Michael Lefkowitz was promoted to AVP, Mid-Ticket Credit Leader, Marlin Business Services Corp., Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. He joined the firm June, 2013 as Senior Credit Analyst; promoted May, 2016, Credit Manager. He joined TD, July, 2008, as Small Business Underwriter I & II, Assistant Vice President; promoted July, 2012, Small Business Underwriter Lead I, Assistant Vice President. Prior, he was a Junior Credit Analyst, Marlin Business Services (September, 2006 - July, 2008); Marketing Intern, MetLife Financial Services (May, 2005 - August, 2005). Education: Rutgers University, Livingston College, B.A., Economics (2002 - 2006). https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-lefkowitz-clfp-49741a55/

Jeffrey Lytle was promoted to President, CIT Rail Business, Greater Chicago Area, effective April 1, 2018. "(He)...joined CIT in 2005. Currently, he is the senior vice president in charge of leasing for CIT’s tank, plastic hopper and boxcar railcar portfolios, and will be president of the Rail business on April 1, 2018. Prior to joining CIT, Lytle was senior vice president of Sales for GE Rail for nine years. He also held several management positions at Ashland Chemical."
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-lytle-47a05b1b/

Cecilia Hyunkyung Park was hired as Senior Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager, Lease Finance, City National Bank, Beverly Hills, California. She is based in the Greater New York City area. Previously, she was Investor and Consultant, Hellsnyc (June, 2016 - November, 2017); Investment Strategist, Amur Capital Management (January, 2016 - December, 2015); President, AXIS Capital, Inc (June, 2012 - December, 2015); Founder & Managing Partner, Amur Capital Management (May, 2008 - May, 2012); Managing Director, UBS Investment Bank (June, 2005 - May, 2008); Executive Director, Morgan Stanley (May, 1999 - May, 2005); Associate, Lehman Brothers (1997 - 1999). https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilia-park-b930b59/

Richard "Rick" Petrucci was hired as Senior Vice President & Group Credit Manager, CG Commercial Finance, Irvine, California. He is located in CG's new Walnut Creek, California office. "(He will be) collaborating with Michael Gay to grow the Company’s new business unit delivering asset financing solutions to large corporates, private equity sponsors, and major third-party and affiliate relationships. Mr. Petrucci will also be a member of CG’s credit committee to consider all balance sheet investments in asset financing transactions." Previously, he was Director, Senior Credit Manager, NXT Capital (March, 2013 - December, 2017); Technology Credit Officer, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions (February, 2011 - December, 2017); VP, Credit Manager, Royal Bank of Scotland, April, 2002 - December, 2009); AVP Credit Manager, Heller Financial (November, 1996 - March, 2002); Credit Manager, Mellon Leasing (1995 - 1996); VP, American Savings of Florida, FSB (1988 - 1995). Education: Rollins College, Crummer Graduate School of Business (MBA, Finance.
(1986 - 1998). https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-petrucci-8675613/

Amanda Ray was hired as Regional Sales Manager, Commercial Credit Group, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina. She is located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Previously, she was Senior Business Development Manager, Marlin Equipment Finance (2015 - 2017); Regional Sales Manager, Southeast, LEAF Commercial Capital, Inc. (2012 - 2015); Major Account Executive, Toshiba Business Solutions (2005 - 2012); Public Relations Internship, Pacers Sports & Entertainment (August, 2003 - May, 2004). Education: Indiana University, Bachelor of Arts. https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-ray-2837ab3/

Lance Rios was hired as Lending Officer NMLS#1703485, Loan Depot, Orange County. Previously, he was National Account Manager, LEAF Commercial Capital, Inc. (February, 2016 - December, 2017); Commercial Finance Manager, Alliance Funding Group (August, 2014 - February, 2016); Jr. Loan Officer, Land Home Financial Services (January, 2012 - August, 2014). Education: West Coast EMT. EMT Certification, Emergency Medical Technology Technician (EMT).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/-business-development-hb-ca/

Connie Schmidt was hired as Vice President of Originations, Alliance Funding Group, Orange, California. She is based out of Dunedin, Florida. Previously, she was Managing Director of Capital Markets, Wood Forest National Bank (September, 2015 - December, 2017); Senior Account Executive, Talmer Bank and Trust (November, 2013 - September, 2015); National Sales Director, Vendor Finance, PNC (May, 2011 - November, 2013); Regional Vice President of Sales, Banc of America Leasing (May, 2004 - February, 2009); Vendor Direct Relationship Manager, Banc of America Leasing (June, 2003 - March, 2004); Asset Management Manager, Fleet Capital Leasing (January, 1995 - June, 2000); Asset Recovery Paralegal, Sanwa Leasing (1995 - 1997). Community Service: Volunteer: Cuddle Program, Hurley Medical Center (January, 2017 - Present).
https://www.linkedin.com/in/connielschmidt/

Richard Shanahan was hired as Manager, Government & External Relations, Hitachi, Ltd., Washington, D.C. Previously, he was Director Government Relations, Equipment Leasing & Finance Association (May, 2011 - January, 2016); Associate, Legislative & PAC Affairs, Deere & Company (February, 2005 - May, 2011); Mailroom/ Constituent Assistant, Office of Senator (June, 2003 - February, 2005). Education: The George Washington University, MPP, Public Policy (2006 - 2009). Fort Hays State University, BS, Elementary Education (1998 - 2003). Activities and Societies: Sigma Alpha Epsilon; Kappa Delta Pi; Student Government Association; National Education Association; Interfraternity Council; Order of Omega; Knights of Columbus. https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardshanahan/

Brad Shapiro was hired as VP and Managing Director, Americas, HPE Financial Services, Inc. (Hewitt Packard Financial Services), Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Previously, he was Vice President, Sales, HP Financial Services (August, 2012 - December, 2017). Education: Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business. Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.). (1992 - 1994). https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-shapiro-b9055255/

Tara (Kuzma) Skewes returned to D&D Leasing, Burlingame, Ontario, Canada, as Head of Operations. She is located in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada. Previously, she was Director of Sales Canada, DLC Leasing (April, 2015 - December, 2017); Documentation, HarbourEdge (February, 2017 - January, 2018); Manager, Broker Relations, D&D Leasing (August, 2007 - April, 2015); Sales Support, De Lage Landen (April, 2001 - April, 2007); CSR/Collections/Sales Support, CIT (January, 1997 - April, 2001). Sheridan College, Certificate of Arts, Journalism/Human Resources (1994 - 1997). Activities and Societies: Publisher/Editor. Mohawk College, Certificate, Business Studies. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-skewes-801b993b/detail/photo/

Stephen Tange hired as Vice President of Sales at Ascentium Capital, Kingwood, Texas. He is based in the San Francisco Area. Previously he was Sr. Account Executive, Lease Corporation of America (March, 2013 - December, 2017); Office Products Sales Manager, CIT Vendor Finance (2007 - January, 2013); District Manager, Citi Group (CitiCapital) (2004 - 2007); District Sales Manager, Wells Fargo Financial Leasing (1992 -2004); District Manager, American National Leasing (1988 - 1992). Education: California Lutheran University, Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Social Psychology. Activities and Societies: Basketball, Music, Drama. San Diego State University, M.A. (Candidate), Sociology. United States Navy, Honorable Discharge.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-tange-25318017/

Leasing News Advisor
Shawn Halladay

Shawn Halladay
352 Denver Street, Suite 224
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
801/322-4499
shawn@amembalandhalladay.com
www.amembalandhalladay.com

Shawn is a Managing Director of The Alta Group, the leading consulting firm serving the equipment leasing industry. He has authored or co-authored eight books on equipment leasing, including "A Guide to Equipment Leasing,", "A Guide to Accounting for Leases" and "The Handbook of Equipment Leasing." He has also been a contributing writer to Leasing News, reporting on Leasing and Finance Conferences, as well as other events. He also contributes The Alta Group Blog.

His professional expertise stretches across all leasing sectors and around the globe. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, he has served lessors throughout North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, providing training in all aspects of equipment leasing. His consulting services include implementing best practices, benchmarking studies, strategic planning, leasing system selection and implementation, litigation support, accounting, and quantitative analyses.

He likes to travel as an excuse to attend soccer games, one of his passions.

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Leasing Schools/Franchisors
Business Loans/SBA/Mortgages, Too

(For our "Financial and Sales Training" list, please click here)

Commercial Capital Training Group

Global Leasing

Wheeler Leasing School

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Story Credit Lessors – Lenders’ List
"C" & "D" Lessees, Business Loans, Working Capital

These companies specialize in "C" and "D" credits, often new businesses, or businesses where the principal(s) have Beacon scores around or below 600 or have had previous difficulties; meaning to become comfortable with the credit and financial statements. That means you need to learn the "story" to make a positive decision, often requiring further security, shorter term, or additional guarantors. Many of these companies may also have programs for “A” and “B” rated companies, but their specialty is not being a “cookie cutter” and often require full financial statements and tax returns as well as a “story about the company, its history, goals, circumstances” to fully understand the full financial picture.

Many of these companies also offer business loans and working capital loans, as well as doing "subprime leases."

Also listed below the dollar amounts are companies that who are known for accepting "subprime leasing."

All accept qualified third party originations and pay a commission.

To qualify for this list, the company must be a funder (as qualified by Leasing News and on the “Funder List” and not a "Broker/Lessor” along with an acceptable Better Business Bureau Rating and no history of complaints at Leasing News, as well as notifying lessees in advance when the lease will end and what the residual will be, specifically not automating extra lease payments, as we as insisting their discounter follow the same policy. We reserve the right to not list a company who does not meet these qualifications.

Alphabetical list - click on company name to view more details

American Leasefund, Inc.
Bankers Capital
Black Rock Capital Investment, LLC
BSB Leasing, Inc
Calfund, LLC
Cobra Capital LLC
Dakota Financial

Financial Pacific Leasing
Forum Financial Services, Inc.
Gonor Funding
Maxim Commercial Capital, LLC
Mesa Leasing
Northwest Leasing Company, Inc.

Pawnee Leasing Corporation
P&L Capital Corporation
Standard Professional Services, LLC
Summit Leasing, Inc.
TEAM Funding Solutions

Funder List “A”
http://www.leasingnews.org/Funders_Only/Funders.htm
We encourage companies who are listed to contact us for any change or addition they would like to make. Adding further information as an "attachment" or clarification of what they have to offer would be helpful to readers is also very much encouraged.
kitmenkin@leasingnews.org

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Preference Primer

By Tom McCurnin
Leasing News Legal Editor

What the Equipment Lessor Needs to Know When the Trustee
Sues to Recover a Preference

Bankruptcy Code § 547.

In unofficial terms, a preference is a transfer of the debtor’s property on the eve of bankruptcy to satisfy an old debt. Everyone would probably agree that recovery of these “on the eve of bankruptcy” payments make sense.

But there are two complications to this over-simplistic definition. First, the devil is in the details, so parties tend to litigate what a transfer is, whether the creditor was fully secured, whether the debt is old, or whether the debtor, through past conduct, acquiesced to the terms of the transfer. Second, regardless of the creditor’s defenses, most trustees using preference mill law firms, working on a contingency, use these actions as legal extortion to increase the trustee’s piggy bank at the expense of the creditors.

In today’s article, we’ll discuss what a preference is, what the defenses to these claims are, how to prevent such claims through proper documentation, and what strategies to employ when faced with these sometimes improper lawsuits.

What is a Preference?

A preference is a creature of statute and is found in Bankruptcy Code 547. The trustee has to plead and prove the following elements:

(1) The transfer was made to or for the benefit of a creditor. This includes payments made by debtor to the creditor or by a third party, such as a guarantor, for the benefit of the creditor.

(2) The transfer was made on account of an antecedent debt owed by the debtor before such transfer was made. This means the debt existed before the transfer was made, e.g., not a contemporaneous exchange.

(3) The transfer was made while the debtor was insolvent. The court usually uses a balance sheet test, e.g., liabilities exceed assets.

(4) The transfer was made within 90 days before the date of the filing of the petition. Insiders have a one year lookback period.

(5) The transfer enables such creditor to receive more than such creditor would receive if the case were a case under chapter 7.

Putting aside the legal mumbo jumbo, the typical textbook example of a preference is a party which sells goods on thirty day terms. The creditor ships the merchandise and the borrower doesn’t pay within thirty days and instead pays 60 days after delivery. Ninety days after the payment, the borrower files a bankruptcy proceeding.

Based on this definition, virtually every payment on a past due account made by a debtor in the 90 days preceding the bankruptcy is a preference. However, there are a number of defenses.

Defenses to a Preference Action

Contemporaneous Exchange. The purpose of the contemporaneous exchange exception, is to encourage creditors to continue to deal with troubled debtors without fear that they will have to disgorge payments received for value given.

Payments in the Ordinary Course of Business. These are recurring, customary credit transactions that are incurred and paid in the ordinary course of business of the debtor. This is the most litigated area in preference law. The controlling factor is whether the transactions between the debtor and the creditor both before and during the 90-day period were consistent. Using our example, while the debtor’s payment of a 30 day invoice on the 60th day would normally be a preference, if the parties had a history of making and accepting payments on 60 day terms, it would subject to this defense and would not be a preference. There is no distinction between long term and short term debt.

New Value, Purchase Money Security Interests. This involves the transfer of a security interest that enables the debtor to acquire the property that serves as the creditor’s collateral. This is very similar to the contemporaneous exchange defense.

Ordinary Course of Business Defense. Payments to a creditor which would otherwise be construed as a payment on a past due account, are not a preference, if the historical actions of the parties, demonstrates that the payment is really not past due. The typical example is that invoice for goods with terms for 30 days, which is paid on the 60th day. Where the conduct of the parties (or the industry standard) suggests that the creditor accepted payments on a 60 day basis, this is not a preference.

Creditor is Over Secured. This is fairly intuitive, because given that the creditor would have recourse to equipment or other assets establishes that the creditor did not receive more than it would have, if the case was a Chapter 7 liquidation.

Claim is Coupled With Fraudulent Conveyance Claim. Many trustees join a bankruptcy preference claim (which clearly belongs in bankruptcy) with a fraudulent conveyance claim (which does not belong in bankruptcy unless the parties consent). When faced with this double barrel suit, the creditor should assert that the fraudulent conveyance claims do not belong in bankruptcy, citing a famous Anna Nicole Smith case that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court, called Stern v Marshall.

Strategies for Avoiding Preference Claims
Anytime the creditor takes a past due payment within 90 days of the bankruptcy filing, the creditor is at risk. However, the creditor can make the loan secured by collateral, or establish that the payment is within ordinary industry or the parties’ customary expectations. Short of taking collateral, there are few options to document a past due payment to make it non-preferential.

Strategies for Defending Preference Claims
Every preference claim I’ve ever seen filed was done on a contingency basis, because the trustee’s attorney cannot afford to pay high hourly rates to good counsel. Therefore, there a well-known group of preference contingency lawyers which handle these for the trustee on a percentage basis. These lawyers don’t analyze the facts and defenses, they just file suit.

If the creditor gets caught up with one of these preference mills, then the first thing to do is to analyze the defenses and determine if the cost of defense (usually $20-50,000) is more or less than the claim. If the creditor is subject to one of these suits, most preference mills will offer generous terms of 30 cents on the dollar for an early bird settlement. Even late comers can usually settle for 50 cents, assuming the creditor can put up an arguable defense. While an in detailed settlement letter might be appropriate, I usually call up the preference mill law firm, get referred to a lowly paralegal, and cut a deal with the paralegal.

If the trustee doesn’t bite to the creditor’s settlement offer, then a series of narrow requests for admission will identify what issues are in play (ordinary course or secured status for example). Follow up with interrogatories which ask the trustee to state all facts relative to the trustee’s contention that these defenses are not applicable and why. I’ve never seen the necessity of deposing the trustee, but that might yield better information than paper discovery and would be super-annoying for the trustee.

As previously stated, consider filing a motion to dismiss if the trustee includes a fraudulent conveyance claim.

What are takeaways here?

• First, Try to Make the Loan 100% Secured. Since this is a defense, have appraisals or valuations in the file. Preference actions are often filed months or years after the transfer so having up to date valuations may save the day, especially since the burden of proving that the creditor is unsecured (and received more that the creditor would have under a Chapter 7) is on the trustee.

• Second, Establish the Ordinary Course Defense by Prior History or Industry Standard. This can be done after the trustee files.

• Third, Engage in Meaningful Settlement Discussions Early. Most trustees love to settle these cases cheap. It may be cheaper to settle than try a run at a summary judgment. Yes, I know it may appear to be judicial extortion, but close your eyes, hold your nose, and try to settle the case.

The bottom line to preference actions is that they are nasty forms of judicial extortion, but the creditor can avoid the claims if it is secured and establishes the ordinary course defense. All that said, most preference mill law firms won’t care about your defenses—they only about your settlement check.

Preference Statute http://leasingnews.org/PDF/PreferenceStatute2018.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

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

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

December New Business Volume Up 6 Percent Year-over-year
71 Percent Month-to-month, and 5 Percent at Year-end

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Washington, DC, —The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25), which reports economic activity from 25 companies representing a cross section of the $1 trillion equipment finance sector, showed their overall new business volume for December was $12.8 billion, up 6 percent year-over-year from new business volume in December 2016. Volume was up 71 percent month-to-month from $7.5 billion in November in a typical end-of-year spike. Cumulative new business volume for 2017 was up 5 percent from 2016.

Receivables over 30 days were 1.50 percent, unchanged from the previous month and up from 1.40 percent the same period in 2016. Charge-offs were 0.48 percent, up from 0.42 percent the previous month, and up from 0.42 percent in the year-earlier period.

Credit approvals totaled 77.6 percent in December, up from 73.6 percent in November. Total headcount for equipment finance companies was up 15.1 percent year over year, largely attributable to continued acquisition activity at an MLFI reporting company.

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Separately, the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation’s Monthly Confidence Index (MCI-EFI) in January is at an all-time high of 75.3, up from 69.4 in December.

ELFA President and CEO Ralph Petta said, “December new business volume registered the typical end-of-quarter, end-of-year spike as member companies scrambled to close out the year. While 2017 was a good year, overall, for the equipment finance industry, most industry observers look for even stronger business activity in 2018. The reasons for this optimistic outlook? A continued healthy and growing economy, an abundance of liquidity, strong capex demand buoyed by recent tax law changes, and a sense of confidence by the business community not seen since just after the 2016 election. Absent a wild card event or external shock of some sort, we are bullish about 2018.”

Thomas M. Jaschik, President, BB&T Equipment Finance, said, “The equipment finance industry finished 2017 with a strong uptick in new business volume. This was due in large part to renewed optimism for future economic performance as well as improving industry conditions in key capital-intensive industries such as energy and transportation. Industry participants are very bullish on the prospects for 2018 as evidenced by the record high in the Monthly Confidence Index. With lower corporate taxes and favorable interest rates and credit environment, as well as an economy poised to breakout from its pattern of modest growth, I believe these dynamics will create the perfect storm to accelerate growth in the equipment finance industry in 2018.”

About ELFA’s MLFI-25
The MLFI-25 is the only index that reflects capex, or the volume of commercial equipment financed in the U.S. The MLFI-25 is released globally at 8 a.m. Eastern time from Washington, D.C., each month on the day before the U.S. Department of Commerce releases the durable goods report. The MLFI-25 is a financial indicator that complements the durable goods report and other economic indexes, including the Institute for Supply Management Index, which reports economic activity in the manufacturing sector. Together with the MLFI-25 these reports provide a complete view of the status of productive assets in the U.S. economy: equipment produced, acquired and financed.

The MLFI-25 is a time series that reflects two years of business activity for the 25 companies currently participating in the survey. The latest MLFI-25, including methodology and participants, is available at www.elfaonline.org/Data/MLFI/

MLFI-25 Methodology
ELFA produces the MLFI-25 survey to help member organizations achieve competitive advantage by providing them with leading-edge research and benchmarking information to support strategic business decision making.

The MLFI-25 is a barometer of the trends in U.S. capital equipment investment. Five components are included in the survey: new business volume (originations), aging of receivables, charge-offs, credit approval ratios, (approved vs. submitted) and headcount for the equipment finance business.
The MLFI-25 measures monthly commercial equipment lease and loan activity as reported by participating ELFA member equipment finance companies representing a cross section of the equipment finance sector, including small ticket, middle-market, large ticket, bank, captive and independent leasing and finance companies. Based on hard survey data, the responses mirror the economic activity of the broader equipment finance sector and current business conditions nationally.

About ELFA
The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) is the trade association that represents companies in the $1 trillion equipment finance sector, which includes financial services companies and manufacturers engaged in financing capital goods. ELFA members are the driving force behind the growth in the commercial equipment finance market and contribute to capital formation in the U.S. and abroad. Its 575 members include independent and captive leasing and finance companies, banks, financial services corporations, broker/packagers and investment banks, as well as manufacturers and service providers. For more information, please visit www.elfaonline.org.

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This Day in History

     1654 - Jews flee to the New World: approximately 150 Jewish families of Portuguese background fled the city of Recife, in Pernambuco, Brazil. By September, a number of these refugees had established the first community of Jews in the future United States.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan26.html
    1695 - Considered the first Workers’ Compensation agreement, Captain William Kidd of New York City, commander of the “Adventure Galley” of 787 tons burden, promised to distribute to the crew one-fourth of all booty captured on privateering expeditions. According to the agreement, “If any man should Lose a Leg or Arm in the said service, he should have six hundred pieces of Eight, or six able slaves; if any man should lose a joynt on the said service, he should have a hundred pieces of eight.”
    1700 – According to Japanese records, a magnitude 9 Cascadia Earthquake took place off the west coast of the North America.
    1776 - The first Catholic US Army chaplain was the Reverend Louis Eustace Lotbiniere, appointed by General Benedict Arnold to act as chaplain to the regiment of Colonel James Livingston in the Continental Army.
    1784 - In a letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin expressed his unhappiness over the choice of the eagle as the symbol of America. He wrote the bald eagle was "a Bird of bad moral character" who lived "by Sharping and Robbing," expressed regret it had been selected to be the U.S. national symbol. Franklin's choice: the turkey, "a much more respectable Bird and withal a true original Native of America."
    1788 - A shipload of convicts arrived briefly at Botany Bay, Australia, (which proved to be unsuitable) and then at Port Jackson (later the site of the city of Sydney). Establishment of an Australian prison colony was to relieve crowding of British prisons. A fleet of 11 ships lands in Port Jackson after sailing with the continent's first 1,030 English settlers, including 736 convicts. All told, England ships carried more than 160,000 men, women, & children in bondage to Australia in the largest forced exile of citizens by a European government in pre-modern history. Exiles landing today become known as the First Fleet. They are so unfit for survival in the new land that they live near starvation amid what is natural abundance to Aborigines. Most of the First Fleet convicts have never traveled more than 10 miles from their birth places. They saw the sea for the first time when they were clapped in irons and thrust onto the ships. All the convicts were transported for crimes against property. They include 70-year-old Elizabeth Beckford, who was exiled for stealing 12 pounds of Gloucester cheese. West-Indian Thomas Chaddick was sent to Australia after hunger drove him to steal cucumbers from a kitchen garden. Australia Day, formerly known as Foundation Day or Anniversary Day, has been observed since about 1817 and has been a public holiday since 1838. Observed Jan 26 if a Monday, otherwise on the first Monday thereafter.
    1802 - Congress passes an act calling for a US Capitol library that would become known as The Library of Congress.
    1831 - Mary Mapes Dodge (d. 1905) was born in NYC. She was an American writer and edited ‘St. Nicholas Magazine,’ one of the first periodicals for children. She is best known for her classic novel “Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates” (1865).
http://wwwa.search.eb.com/women/articles/Dodge_Mary_Elizabeth_Mapes.html
    1837 - Michigan became the 26th state. Named Michigan after the American Indian word, Michigama, meaning great or large lake, Michigan borders four of the Great Lakes, and is divided into two peninsulas by the Straits of Mackinac that connect Lakes Michigan and Huron. The two peninsulas are recognized in the state motto: Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice. Michigan is nicknamed the Wolverine State and/or the Great Lake State. The state bird is the robin; the state flower: apple blossom; state tree: white pine; state fish: trout; state gem: Isle Royal Greenstone aka Chlorastrolite. This gemstone is the Petoskey stone. The state flag, which is blue, charged with the arms of the state, waves over the state capital of Lansing.
(Lower portion of: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan26.html )
    1838 - The first alcohol prohibition law enacted by a state was passed by Tennessee. The bill, an “act to repeal all laws licensing tippling houses,” provided that “all person convicted of the offense of retailing spirituous liquors shall be fined at the discretion of the court” and that the fines and forfeitures be used for the support of common good.” It appears the law did not apply to wine or beer.
    1855 - The Point No Point Treaty was signed on the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. Under the terms of the treaty, the original inhabitants of northern Kitsap Peninsula and Olympic Peninsula, the S’Klallam, Chimakum and Skokomish tribes, were to cede ownership of their land in exchange for small reservations along Hood Canal and a payment of $60,000 from the federal government. The treaty required the natives to trade only with the United States, to free all their slaves, and it abjured them not to acquire any new slaves.
    1856 - Leschi, chief of the Nisqually and Yakama Indians, leads 1,000 warriors in an attack on the town of Seattle. The attack is repulsed by naval forces in the Puget Sound. Marines from the USS Decatur drove off the attackers after all day battle with settlers.
http://www.historylink.org/output.CFM?file_ID=1960
    1861 - Louisiana becomes the sixth state to succeed from the union. One of the growing reasons for the secession was the admittance of Kansas to the Union, officially on January 29, 1861, which entered as a “free state.” On February 4th, the Confederate States of America was formed at Montgomery, Alabama with Jefferson Davis of Mississippi as President and Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia as Vice President. Both were chosen on February 9th. The Confederate constitution specifically stated the reason for succession was to continue slavery, and on February 9th, the Confederate Provisional Congress asserted that all laws under the U.S. Constitution that were not inconsistent with the constitution of the Confederate states would not be recognized. The main issue was the Confederate government wanted to continue the ownership of human beings (Blacks were not the only race that were slaves or owned by others---in fact, during this period, there were many free Blacks who owned large plantations of both Creole and Black slaves. In Mississippi itself, there were many wealthy Black plantation owners.
    1863 – The 54th Regiment (Black) infantry was formed after Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew received permission from the Secretary of War to raise a militia organization for men of African descent.
http://extlab1.entnem.ufl.edu/olustee/54th_MS_inf.html
http://www.afroammuseum.org/site1.htm
http://www.state.ma.us/statehouse/articles/54th_men.htm
http://www.54thmass.org/54hist.html
    1863 - General Joseph Hooker replaces Gen. Ambrose Burnside as head of Army of Potomac after the disaster at Fredericksburg.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/hookbio.htm
    1871 - US income tax repealed…dream on!!
    1875 - George F. Green, of Kalamazoo, MI, received a patent for “electro-magnetic dental tools” used for sawing, filing, dressing and polishing teeth. The patent was assigned to Samuel S. White of Philadelphia, PA. In practice, the engines were too heavy and the batteries too expensive for general use.
    1880 - Douglas MacArthur (d. 1964), General and Supreme Commander of Allied forces in Southwest Pacific during World War II, was born at Little Rock, AR. He served as commander of the Rainbow Division's 84th Infantry Brigade in World War I, leading it in the St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne and Sedan offensives. Remembered for his "I shall return" prediction when forced out of the Philippines by the Japanese during World War II, a promise he fulfilled. He later became involved in politics, and had set up a committee to run for president. He was relieved of Far Eastern command by President Harry Truman on Apr 11, 1951, during the Korean War, after an incident regarding the landing of air craft and respect for the commander-in-chief.   This was the final act of insubordination tolerated by President Truman of MacArthur, who openly defied other Truman orders previously.
    1893 - Bessie Coleman (d. 1926) was born at Atlanta, Texas. She was America's first celebrated Black female pilot. Because of her race and gender, she was denied admission to aviation school programs in the US. In Paris, she received an international pilot's license in 1921. Upon return, "Queen Bess" took part in numerous acrobatic air exhibitions where her daring stunt-flying won her many admirers. She perished in a plane crash during a practice session at Jacksonville, Florida, April 30, 1926. Foul play was suspected due to both her race and gender.
    1907 - Congress passed a prohibition on corporations from contributing to candidates’ campaign funds in presidential and congressional races. An act passed on March 4, 1909 further prohibited national banks and corporations from making financial contributions to campaign funds in connection with any election to any political office.
    1893 - Birthday of violinist/Cajun music player Dennis McGee (d. 1989), Bayou Marron, LA.
http://www.cajunculture.com/People/mcgeedennis.htm
http://www.cajunfrenchmusic.org/biographies/mcgee-d.htm
http://www.yazoorecords.com/2012.htm
    1905 – Maria von Trapp (d. 1987) was born in Vienna, Austria. She was stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers. Her story served as the inspiration for a 1956 German film that in turn inspired the Broadway musical “The Sound of Music” (1959) and the 1965 film of the same name that starred Julie Andrews.
    1908 - Jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli (d. 1997) was born Paris, France.
http://www.artistdirect.com/music/artist/bio/0,,437799,00.html?artist=Stephane+Grappelli
http://www.cyberbites.com/marleys_ghost/grappelliobit.html
    1911 - Glenn Curtiss piloted the first successful seaplane in San Diego Harbor.
    1913 – Jimmy Van Heusen (d. 1990) was born Edward Chester Babcock at Syracuse, NY. He was a composer of many popular songs with his lyricist partners Johnny Burke and Sammy Cahn. One of his 76 songs that Frank Sinatra recorded was "My Kind of Town." Van Heusen won four Academy Awards for songs in movies such as “Going My Way” (1944). He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame when it was founded in 1971.
http://www.jimmyvanheusen.com/
    1913 - Jim Thorpe wrote the chairman of the Amateur Athletic Union revealing he had played professional baseball in 1909 and 1910. He voluntarily returned the two gold medals for the decathlon and pentathlon he won in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Sixty years later, twenty years after his death, the AAU restored Thorpe’s amateur standing and the Olympic medals.
    1915 - Rocky Mountain National Park was established. Under President Woodrow Wilson, the area covering more than 1,000 square miles in Colorado became a national park.
    1915 – Actor William Hopper was born DeWolf Hopper, Jr. (d. 1970) in NYC and was the only child of gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. Hopper is best remembered for playing private detective Paul Drake in more than 250 episodes of television's “Perry Mason” and for his role as the father of the Natalie Wood character in “Rebel Without a Cause.”
    1917 - Louis Silvie "Louie" Zamperini (d. 2014) was born in Olean, NY. He was a POW survivor in World War II, a Christian inspirational speaker, and an Olympic distance runner. Zamperini is the subject of two biographies and the 2014 film “Unbroken.” A 1936 Olympian, he is still the youngest American qualifier ever in the 5,000 meters. A POW for two-and-a half years, he was beaten and tortured with fellow prisoners at several POW camps held by the Japanese in the Pacific.
    1918 - Birthday of science fiction writer Philip Jose Farmer (d. 2009) in Peoria, IL.
http://www.pjfarmer.com/
    1920 - Former Ford Motor Co. executive Henry Leland launched the Lincoln Motor Company which he later sold to his former employer.
    1924 - Birthday of Calvin Ross (Cal) Abrams (d. 1997), baseball player, at Philadelphia, PA. Abrams played eight years in the Major and hit .269. He is most famous for this incident that I remember from when I was eight years old, for being thrown out at the plate by Richie Ashburn of the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning of the final game of the 1950 season, thereby depriving his team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, of a shot at the pennant.
    1925 - Birthday of Paul Newman (d. 2008) of “Newman’s Own,” in Shaker Heights, OH. Actor: (Oscar for “The Color of Money,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Hud,” “The Long, Hot Summer,” Exodus,” “Hustler,” “Slapshot,” “The Verdict,” “The Sting”); Director: (“Rachel, Rachel,” “The Glass Menagerie”).
http://www.newmansown.com/
    1926 – The first public demonstration of television was conducted by John Logie Baird in his laboratory in London.
    1929 - Jules Feiffer, cartoonist, writer, was born in The Bronx. Feiffer's strips ran for 42 years in “The Village Voice,” first under the title “Sick Sick Sick,” briefly as “Feiffer's Fables” and finally as simply “Feiffer.” After Mike Nichols adapted Feiffer's unproduced play “Carnal Knowledge” as a 1971 film, Feiffer scripted Robert Altman’s “Popeye,” Alain Resnais’ “I Want to Go Home,” and the film adaptation of “Little Murders.”
    1930 - Cleveland's 52 stories Terminal Tower opened.
    1931 - The Boston Braves released veteran pitcher Johnny Cooney. He had held out in 1930, insisting he could bat well enough to stay. After several years in the minors, Cooney returned to the National League as a Braves outfielder and finished 1940 as runner-up to batting champion Pete Reiser. In the words of the eloquent Dizzy dean, “It ain’t braggin’ if’n you do it!”
    1934 - The famous Apollo theatre in New York City's Harlem district opened as a showcase for black artists. The theatre had begun as an all-white music hall and burlesque house, and in the 1920's and early '30s, was famous as Hurtig and Seamon's Burlesque. The Apollo's opening-night show featured Harlem showman Ralph Cooper, Aida Ward, Benny Carter and his orchestra and 16 dancers billed as "Gorgeous Hot-Steppers." For more than 50 years, the Apollo has been a launching pad for some of the century's greatest talent, including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick. The Apollo Theatre was declared a cultural landmark in 1983, and two years later reopened as the Apollo Theatre Television Centre. There are still live shows, but the primary purpose of the center is to produce these shows for TV.
    1934 - Jimmy Lunceford Band records, “WhiteHeat.”
    1934 - '50's rock 'n' roller Huey (Piano) Smith was born in New Orleans. His playing incorporated the earlier boogie style of such pianists as Albert Ammons and Pete Johnson with the New Orleans rhythm-and-blues of Fats Domino. He and his band, the Clowns, had two million-sellers in 1957 - "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" and "Don't You Just Know It." His sound is generally regarded as influential in the development of rock and roll.
    1935 – Birthday of former Major League catcher and Milwaukee Brewers announcer, since 1971, Bob Uecker, in Milwaukee. Uecker also portrayed Harry Doyle, the broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians, in the “Major League” film trilogy (…Juuuuusst a bit outside…), as well as starring in the TV series, “Mr. Belvedere” and those Miller Lite commercials.
    1939 - Producer David O. Selznick began filming “Gone With the Wind.” Numerous problems with the script, several directors, and a soaring budget plagued the project. After he turned down the role of Rhett Butler, Gary Cooper remarked, "Gone With the Wind” is going to be the biggest flop in the history of Hollywood. I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling flat on his face and not Gary Cooper." The film is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time; it has placed in the top ten of the American Film Institute's list of top 100 American films since the list's inception in 1988, and in 1989, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.
    1940 - Frank Sinatra made his first public appearance with the Tommy Dorsey Band at the Coronado Theater, Rockford, IL.
    1942 - The first American expeditionary force to land in Europe in World War II arrived in Ireland and was greeted by Sir Archibald Sinclair, the British Air Minister. The first officer to land was Major General Russell Peter Hartle. The first enlisted man to land was Private Milburn Henke of Hutchinson, MN.
    1942 - West Coast Hearst newspapers engage in a vilifying attack on Japanese-Americans and begin the public outcry for mass exclusion.
    1944 – At Liberty Field, Camp Stewart, the Women of the Air Service Pilots (WASPS) who flew military aircraft during World War II, were ordered out on ground maneuvers with the regular male Army troops. Although the women were not military (without military benefits such as insurance, housing, free meals, health care, or uniforms, etc.), they were often ordered by misogynistic C.O.'s to perform as if they were military personnel. Out in the field without military equipment (the women often didn't even get shoe rations!) the men were busily showing the women up when the officers rang an alarm. The WASPs had no idea what the alarm meant until GI's whipped out gas masks and put them on. Not the WASPs. They had no gas masks! As the acrid smoke drifts over everyone, the women gag and cough while the men laughed and the officers smirked.
From Byrd Howell Granger's “On Final Approach, The Women Air Force Service Pilots of W.W.II.” Scottsdale, AZ.: Falconer Publishing Company, 1991. ISBN: 0-9626267-0-8.
    1944 - Esquire All-Stars (Armstrong, Eldridge, Teagarden, Hawkins) cut “Basin St. Blues,” “Mop Mop” for V-Disc.
    1944 – Activist Angela Davis was born in Birmingham, AL. She was a prominent counterculture activist and radical in the 1960s as a leader of the Communist Party USA, and had close relations with the Black Panther Party through her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, although she was never a party member. She is a retired professor at UC, Santa Cruz and a former director of the university's Feminist Studies department.
    1944 – Birthday of former Penn State football coach and convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky in Washington, PA. On June 22, 2012, Sandusky was found guilty on 45 of the 48 remaining charges. Sandusky was sentenced on October 9, 2012 to 30 to 60 years in prison.
    1945 - MURPHY, AUDIE L., Medal of Honor
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 1 5th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, 26 January 1945. Entered service at: Dallas, Tex. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Tex. G.O. No.. 65, 9 August 1945. Citation 2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by 6 tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in the woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, 1 of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machinegun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from 3 sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective. He later went on to become a major movie star.
    1945 - Soviet forces reached the Auschwitz concentration camp.
    1946 - Birthday of jazz author/researcher Lee Hildebrand, Williamsport, PA
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567996930/inktomi-bkasin-20/
ref%3Dnosim/104-4344982-0045565
http://www.villagevoice.com/specials/pazznjop/critic.php3?criticid=215
    1946 – Gene Siskel (d. 1999), American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune was born in Chicago. With colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of popular review shows on television from 1975 to 1999 when he died.
    1947 - On ABC radio, "The Greatest Story Ever Told" was first heard, making it the first radio series to portray Jesus Christ's voice.
    1948 - President Truman decides to end segregation in the armed forces and the civil service through administrative action (executive order) rather than through legislation. He signs on July 26, 1948 Executive Order 9981 to end segregation in US Armed Forces.
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/9981.htm
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/deseg1.htm
    1949 - The first tape-recording machine for mass production of tapes was announced by the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M), St. Paul, MN. The machine tape 48 hours of recorded music in one hour.
    1949 - The Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory sees the first light under the direction of Edwin Hubble, becoming the largest aperture optical telescope until BTA-6 is built in 1976.
    1951 - The first female Rabbi in the Reform movement was Paula Ackerman of Meridian, MS, who was appointed to serve in the place of her late husband as rabbi of Temple Beth Israel.
    1951 - Elizabeth Taylor divorced her first husband, Nicky Hilton, on the grounds of mental cruelty. It was less than a year after their highly publicized wedding.
    1951 – The Baseball Hall of Fame elected sluggers Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx. Ott hit .304 with 511 home runs and 1860 RBI. Ott held the National League career record for HRs until it was broken by Willie Mays in 1966; he managed the New York Giants from 1942-8. Foxx was a .325 hitter with 534 home runs and 1922 RBI. Foxx became the second player in MLB history to hit 500 HRs, after Babe Ruth. Attaining that plateau at age 32 years 336 days, he held the record for youngest to reach 500 for sixty-eight years, until 2007. His three career MVP awards are tied for second all-time.
    1953 - Film actress, dancer, and sex symbol Rita Hayworth divorced Prince Aly Khan in Reno, Nevada. Hayworth once said, "Every man I knew had fallen in love with Gilda and wakened with me," referring to her most successful film role in “Gilda” and her less-than-successful track record in marriage.
    1954 - Top Hits
“Stranger in Paradise” - Tony Bennett
“Oh! My Pa-Pa” - Eddie Fisher
“At the Darktown Strutters’ Ball” - Lou Monte
“Bimbo” - Jim Reeves
    1955 - Bill Haley's "Dim, Dim the Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere)" enters the R&B charts
    1956 - Martin Luther King, Jr. arrested for the first time for driving 30 mph in a 25 mph zone; his home will be bombed on January 30th.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/mlk/man/MLKtimeline.html
http://www.holidays.net/mlk/rosa.htm
    1956 - Buddy Holly had his first of three recording sessions in 1956 for Decca Records in Nashville, Tennessee with Owen Bradley as producer. Nothing much came out of those sessions. "Blue Days, Black Nights" was recorded and became his debut single. He formed the group, The Three Tunes (changed later to The Crickets), and went on to find fame and fortune when he hooked up with producer Norman Petty in New Mexico. Holly died in a plane crash near Clear Lake, IA, February 3, 1959 (“the day the music died”). He was 22. Holly was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
    1957 - Birthday of Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen) in The Netherlands.
    1957 - Buddy Holly and the Crickets make their second appearance on CBS' Ed Sullivan Show. Before the show Sullivan, who considered Holly's hit "Oh, Boy!" too "raunchy," forbids him from singing it on tonight's show. Holly refuses, causing Sullivan to limit Buddy to one song instead of two, sabotage him with bad lighting and sound, and mispronounce his name. Holly is visibly upset on the stage.
    1958 - Ellen DeGeneres, comedienne, actress ("Ellen"), born Metairie, LA.
    1958 – Singer Anita Baker was born in Toledo.
    1959 - "Alcoa Presents" was first seen on ABC-TV. Later, the show was renamed "One Step Beyond". It was based on "true events that are strange, frightening and unexplainable in terms of normal human experience."
    1960 - Burnsville, West Virginia beat Widen, West Virginia in basketball, 173-43. Danny Heater starred by getting in 135 points.
    1960 - Pete Rozelle was elected commissioner of the National Football League, a position he would hold for over 25 years.
    1960 – “Dih Raydizz,” Oakland’s professional football team, joined the American Football League. The Raiders, originally scheduled to play in Minnesota, was the last team of eight in the new league to select players, thus relegated to the remaining talent available. They were outscored 99-0 in their first two games costing Coach Eddie Erdelatz his job. Shortly thereafter, Al Davis took over and transformed them into an NFL champion powerhouse for over thirty years. In 2017, the Raiders filed papers with the NFL to relocate to Las Vegas.
    1961 - President John F. Kennedy chose Dr. Janet G. Travell to be the first woman to hold the position of ‘personal physician to the President’.
    1961 - Wayne Gretzy, NHL Hockey Hall of Famer, was born Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
    1961 - "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by Elvis peaks to #1.
    1962 - Top Hits
“The Twist” - Chubby Checker
“Peppermint Twist” - Joey Dee & The Starliters
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” - Elvis Presley
“Walk on By” - Leroy Van Dyke
    1962 - Bishop Burke of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, declared Chubby Checker's "Twist" is impure and bans it from all Catholic schools.
    1963 - The Rooftop Singers' "Walk Right In" hits #1
    1963 - Major League Rules Committee votes to expand strike zone. The traditional strike zone had been the knees to the armpits of a batter in his normal stance. This was changed to the shoulders to the bottom of the knee.
    1964 - The Four Seasons' "Walk Like a Man" enters the pop charts.
    1969 - California is declared a disaster area after two days of flooding and mud slides.
    1970 - NFL Commissioner, Pete Rozelle, and the three major television networks, NBC, CBS and ABC, agreed to a contract whereby the networks would pay a total of $124,000,000 over four years to broadcast National Football League games. CBS carried the NFC games and NBC the AFC. ABC had the idea to broadcast, "Monday Night Football." Currently, in addition to “Monday Night Football,” there is “Thursday Night Football” and “Sunday Night Football in America.”
    1970 - Top Hits
Raindrop Keep Fallin’ on My Head - B.J. Thomas
Venus - The Shocking Blue
I Want You Back - The Jackson 5
Baby, Baby (I Know You’re a Lady) - David Houston
    1972 - Elvis Presley begins wearing one-piece jumpsuits during his gigs at the International Hotel, Las Vegas.
    1974 - Ringo Starr's "You're Sixteen" hits #1
    1977 - After removing the diamond from his famous "TCB" ring, Elvis Presley has it placed in an engagement ring for girlfriend Ginger Alden. Elvis proposes to her in the bathroom at Graceland.
    1977 - Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac's first lead guitar player, was committed to a mental hospital in England. He had fired a pistol in the general direction of a delivery boy. Green left the band in May of 1970.
    1978 - Top Hits
“Baby Come Back” - Player
“Here You Come Again” - Dolly Parton
“You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)” - Rod Stewart
“What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life” - Ronnie Milsap
    1978 - A paralyzing blizzard struck the Midwest. One to three feet of snow fell in Michigan, and 20 to 40 inches was reported across Indiana. Winds reached 70 mph in Michigan, and gusted above 100 mph in Ohio. The high winds produced snow drifts twenty feet high in Michigan and Indiana stranding thousands on the interstate highways. Temperatures in Ohio dropped from the 40s to near zero during the storm. It was the lowest non-tropical atmospheric pressure ever recorded in the US until October, 2010.
    1979 - The guitar synthesizer was first demonstrated.
    1979 - “The Dukes of Hazzard” premiered on TV. This comedy/action show ran for seven seasons and featured car chases. Brothers Bo Duke (John Schneider) and Luke Duke (Tom Wopat) were the good guys, fighting crooked law enforcement in their rural southern community. Other characters included Daisy Duke (Catherine Bach), Uncle Jesse Duke (Denver Pyle), Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane (James Best), Deputy Enos Strate (Sonny Shroyer) and Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke). Daisy’s Dukes also became a fashion item.
    1980 - Mary Decker became the first woman to run a mile in under 4½ minutes
    1984 - "Mike Hammer" re-appeared on TV. Mike Hammer was a gritty, urban detective created by writer Mickey Spillane, very popular in both hard back and pocket book as a “hard-boiled dick” writer, considered still a classic, definitely ahead of his time. Originally a TV series in the 50s with Darren McGavin, CBS revived the series with Stacy Keach as Hammer. Production was stopped while Keach was briefly imprisoned for a drug charge in 1984 but the series returned in 1986. Darrin McGavin, who most likely is best remembered as "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," was the originally Mike Hammer on television and one of my favorite shows. As a teenager, I never missed it and consequently read all Spillane's books, along with Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Kenneth Millar aka Ross McDonald. Spillane is one of America's greatest authors and his works should be studied in colleges and universities as there are many levels and messages in his observations of good versus evil.
    1985 - With a 66-65 win, St. John’s University ended Georgetown’s 29-game winning streak. Chris Mullin, later an NBA star and Hall of Famer, and the current coach of St. John’s, scored 20 points for St. John’s. Patrick Ewing, also an NBA star and current Hoyas coach, led Georgetown with 9 points, in this Big East Conference basketball game.
    1986 - Chicago Wins Super Bowl XX: In their first Super Bowl outing, the Chicago Bears romped over the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XX, 46-10. Chicago spotted the Patriots a 3-0 lead but then scored the next 44 points while holding New England to seven yards rushing. The game’s MVP was Bears’ DE Richard Dent, one of the few defensive players to ever win the award. This Bears defense is generally regarding as the best defense in NFL history. They were ranked first in the league and only allowed 198 total points (an average of 12.4 points per game). In the playoffs and Super Bowl, they allowed only 10 points, having shut out the Giants and Rams in the first two games.
    1986 - Top Hits
“That’s What Friends Are For” - Dionne Warwick & Friends
“Burning Heart” - Survivor
“Talk to Me” - Stevie Nicks
“Never Be You” - Rosanne Cash
    1986 - Corey Hart's "Boy in the Box" album reached the million mark in sales in Canada. Hart was the second Canadian artist to reach the figure, which qualified him for a diamond award. The first Canadian artist to sell a million copies of an album was Bryan Adams, whose "Reckless" album reached that mark in December 1985.
    1987 - Coca-Cola was officially named the #1 soft drink in the United States. Pepsi- Cola was at #2.
    1988 - The incoming hit musical from London, Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “The Phantom of The Opera,” the longest-running show in Broadway history, set a Broadway record in advance sales of over $12 million before its grand opening on Broadway on this date. “Phantom” took in a record-setting amount of $920,272 in seventeen hours when tickets went on sale the previous November.
    1988 - A snowstorm in the northeastern U.S. produced 19 inches at Austerlitz, NY and Stillwater, NY. A storm in the Great Lakes Region left 16.5 inches at Marquette, MI, for a total of 43 inches in six days.
    1990 – The Boston Red Sox hired Elaine Weddington as Asst. GM, making her the highest-ranking African American female in a major-league front office.
    1991 – The Kansas City Chiefs’ Jan Stenerud became the first placekicker to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
    1992 - Super Bowl XXVI (at Minneapolis): Washington Redskins 37, Buffalo Bills 24. Washington led 37-10 before Buffalo scored a pair of TDs in the final six minutes. Bills’ QB Jim Kelly threw the football a record 58 times (with 4 interceptions) in the losing effort. MVP: Redskins’ QB Mark Rypien. Tickets: $150.00. This was Coach Joe Gibbs’, now a Pro Football Hall of Famer, third Super Bowl victory, each with a different QB. (Joe Theisman and Doug Williams preceded Rypien.)
http://images.nfl.com/history/images/0126.jpg
    1994 - Top Hits
“All For Love” - Bryan Adams/Rod Stewart/Sting
“Hero” - Mariah Carey
“Breathe Again” - Toni Braxton
“The Power Of Love” - Celine Dion
    1995 - For a price-tag of $1.7 billion, Cadbury Schweppes, whose arsenal of products already included A&W Root Beer, Canada Dry, and Crush and Sunkist fruit colas, bought the United States' third-biggest soft drink concern, the Dr. Pepper / Seven-Up Company. The acquisition left Cadbury Schweppes with 17% of America's $49 billion soda market, putting it just behind Coca-Cola and Pepsico in the field.
    1997 - Super Bowl XXXI (at New Orleans): ZZ Top, James Brown, and the "Blues Brothers" perform at the Super Bowl XXXI halftime show. Green Bay 35, New England 21. A classic team effort: QB Brett Favre passed for two TDs and Desmond Howard (MVP) returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score as the Packers won their 12th NFL championship and the first since Super Bowl II in 1968. Tickets: $275.00.
    1998 - Compaq Computer Corp. and Digital Equipment Corp. announced plans to merge. In the largest computer biz acquisition to that time, the deal was worth $9.6 billion. On March 20, 2002, the stock holders approved the company’s merger with Hewlett-Packard.
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/newsroom/pr/2002/pr2002032001.html
    1998 – President Bill Clinton in an evening press conference to the American public: "I want to say one thing to the American people; I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."
    1999 - The National Transportation Safety Board determines the cause of John Denver's fatal 1997 airplane crash: Denver neglected to fill his main tank with enough fuel, and in the process of switching over to his backup tank inadvertently put the plane into a deadly roll.
    1999 - Saddam Hussein vowed revenge against the US in response to air-strikes that reportedly killed civilians. The strikes were US planes defending themselves against anti-aircraft fire.
    2003 – Billy Joel was hospitalized for several hours after crashing his car into a tree in Sag Harbor, NY. He was released early the next morning.
    2003 – In Super Bowl XXXVII, Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders, 48-21. The game is sometimes referred to as the "Gruden Bowl" because the primary storyline surrounding the game revolved around Jon Gruden. Gruden was the Raiders' head coach from 1998-2001, and then became the Buccaneers coach in 2002. Instead of paying a high salary for Gruden, Davis opted to trade the rights for Gruden to the Buccaneers in exchange for four draft picks. The Buccaneers ended up giving two first-round picks, two second-round picks and $8 million to the Raiders to get Gruden. Tampa Bay, Gruden's new team, made their only Super Bowl appearance in team history. In 2017, the Raiders signed Gruden to a 10-year, $100 million contract as their new head coach.
    2005 - Condoleezza Rice is sworn in as U.S. Secretary of State, becoming the first African American woman to hold the post.
    2006 - Western Union discontinued its telegram service.
    2010 - James Cameron's movie "Avatar" became the highest-grossing film worldwide.

Super Bowl Champions:
    1986 - Chicago Bears
    1992 - Washington Redskins
    1997 - Green Bay Packers
    2003 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. What could be simpler?

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