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PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Earthquake Preparation / Bankruptcy Risks / FCC's Broadband Plan
1. Bankruptcy: Bankruptcies Decline, But Risks Remain
2. Building: New Program to Encourage Energy-Efficiency Improvements
3. Business: Preventive Action Can Avoid/Greatly Reduce Earthquake Damage
4. Careers: Picking the Right Job Candidate is Harder Than You May Think
5. Finance: What to Do if Your Lender is on the FDIC's Troubled Bank List
6. Finance: Default Rates Fall to 10-Month Low in February
7. Internet: Facebook Business Pages vs. Conventional Web Sites
8. Labor: Credit Checks Under Fire
9. Taxation: Thinking of Cheating on Your Taxes? Think Again
10. Technology: FCC's Upcoming National Broadband Plan
11. Technology: Patent-Slinging Expected as Apple Defends Against Google
1. BANKRUPTCY: BANKRUPTCIES DECLINE, BUT RISKS REMAIN. RHETT CAMPBELL, head of the bankruptcy section in the Houston office of Thompson & Knight: "In a possible sign of further economic recovery, just five public companies filed for Chapter 11 or Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection last month, down from a total of 19 filings in February 2009, continuing a consistent decline in such filings from the previous two months. While we're seeing this pattern, you have to view these statistics with caution. Some cash-starved companies are avoiding bankruptcy by raising capital through high-risk, high-yield sources and others are working with lenders to delay debt payments and change credit agreements. While the mega-corporations may have weathered the storm, many other publicly held companies with fewer tangible assets remain at risk in a volatile market." News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@androvett.com Phone: +1- 800-559-4534 (3/8/10)
2. BUILDING: NEW PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE ENERGY-EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS AT HOME. LARRY LASETER is the president of MASCO HOME SERVICES, a subsidiary of Fortune 500 home products company Masco Corporation and a leader in home performance. Laseter joined President Obama in Savannah, Ga., to discuss the Home Star program, which provides rebates and other financial incentives to encourage homeowners to weatherize their homes and make energy-efficiency improvements. He is also leading the national rollout of a new program offering certified home assessments and home efficiency improvements: "We applaud the efforts of the administration and urge Congress to approve this jobs creation program that is truly a win-win-win. The Home Star program will put our nation's construction force back to work, benefit homeowners and result in long-term energy-efficiency gains." News Contact: Jeremy Bakken, jbakken@lambert-edwards.com Phone: +1-616-233-0500 (3/3/10)
3. BUSINESS: PREVENTIVE ACTION CAN AVOID OR GREATLY REDUCE EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE. LOU GRITZO, Ph.D., vice president of research with FM GLOBAL, one of the world's largest business property insurers, oversees a team of world-renowned scientists who conduct research to understand property hazards and how to prevent the damage they cause: "Eight of the world's 10 largest cities are prone to earthquakes and the chance one will occur and cause significant damage somewhere along any global company's supply chain is considerably high. But if there is anything to be learned from recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and Taiwan, it's that preparations are key to minimizing -- and, indeed, preventing -- property damage from natural disasters." For 175 years, many of the world's largest organizations have turned to FM Global for insurance and engineering solutions derived from FM Global's scientific research on protecting business operations from fire, natural disasters and other types of property risk. Today, this includes recreating earthquakes and other natural disasters in its state-of-the-art, 72,000-square-foot natural disaster laboratory. The research leads to engineering solutions that help reduce damage from natural disasters and, in many cases, stop damage from happening in the first place. Gritzo is based in Johnston, R.I. News Contact: Christina Divigard, christina.divigard@ogilvypr.com Phone: +1-212-880-5237 Web site: http://www.fmglobal.com/ (3/8/10)
4. CAREERS: PICKING THE RIGHT JOB CANDIDATE IS HARDER THAN YOU MAY THINK. DEBRA BENTON, executive coach and author of several best-selling books on executive leadership, including "CEO Material: How to Be a Leader in Any Organization": "Picking the right job candidate is harder than you may think. For one thing, the candidate you like best may be the worst choice for the job. With high unemployment and the college recruiting season just around the corner, there's plenty of advice available for people looking for jobs, but not for the equally challenging task of conducting the interviews and selecting the right person for the important jobs you have to fill." Benton is located in Fort Collins, Colo. (3/8/10)
5. FINANCE: WHAT TO DO IF YOUR LENDER IS ON THE FDIC'S TROUBLED BANK LIST. JEFFREY SWEENEY, CEO and managing director at U.S. CAPITAL PARTNERS, a lender and financial services firm in San Francisco: "According to the FDIC, the list of troubled banks is still growing. If your bank is on the FDIC's list, you need to be proactive, not reactive, about protecting your small-business financing. As more businesses are finding it difficult to secure or hold onto their small-business loans, those who are in danger of losing their loans need to be prepared to seek financing outside the normal lending parameters. Alternative lenders can definitely be coordinated to successfully replace the loans your bank may be pulling or in the process of terminating, but it can be a difficult, frustrating and time-consuming process for any small-business CEO or CFO. If you need recapitalization, finding the right adviser or small- business investment banker is key if you want to continue to secure working capital for your business. Being proactive about your small-business financing means being prepared and getting smart advisory if you know you are at risk of having your bank loans pulled or not renewed." Editor's Note: Sweeney has a profile listed in the ProfNet Experts Database. To view the profile, go to http://www.profnet.com/ and, after logging in, click on "Search Expert." News Contact: Emilia Doerr, emilia@webmarketingtherapy.com Phone: +1-310-709-4620 Web site: http://www.uscapitalpartners.net/ (3/8/10)
6. FINANCE: DEFAULT RATES FALL TO 10-MONTH LOW IN FEBRUARY. MARK PIBL, managing director and head of high-yield and leveraged loans at NEWOAK CAPITAL, an asset management, advisory, and capital markets platform in Manhattan: "As we have been anticipating, S+P recently announced that the LTM default rate for February fell to 8.5 from 9.6 percent at the end of the year and over 10 percent last year. The real story, however, is what the market is anticipating for the forward default rate this year. The current consensus is a low 5 percent, while the imputed default rate of the LSTA index is 5.5 percent. While companies are still seeking bankruptcy every day, as witnessed by Regent Communications just recently, the largest wave of defaults is mostly behind us." News Contact: Marisa D'Vari, MDVari@newoakcapital.com (3/8/10)
7. INTERNET: FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGES VS. CONVENTIONAL WEB SITES: WHO WILL PREVAIL? HEATHER LOGRIPPO, CEO of EXPOSE YOURSELF PR, predicts that Facebook business pages will soon replace conventional Web sites: "More and more businesses are driving their customers to their Facebook page. Facebook has over 400 million active users, and pages have more than 5 billion fans. That's huge, and companies need to take advantage of that audience. It may take time to build your fans, but once you have them, you can market to them over and over again. Facebook also allows you to connect with your customers and this encourages brand loyalty. You can create a dynamic interface for your customers instead of a static Web site, and updated content keeps you top of mind. The next time you go on your company's Web site, ask yourself this question: 'Does my Web site have the potential to reach 400 million users?' If there's any hesitation, I highly recommend getting your business page created. The longer companies wait, the further behind the curve they will be." Logrippo is located in Boston. News Contact: Stacey@exposeyourselfpr.com Phone: +1-508-450-8405 (3/8/10)
8. LABOR: CREDIT CHECKS UNDER FIRE. TONY CAMPITI of THOMPSON & KNIGHT: "A growing number of companies are using pre-employment credit checks in hiring decisions, but some state lawmakers have introduced or passed legislation banning the practice. Employers should weigh carefully the benefits and risks of requesting credit histories, although federal laws don't specifically prohibit their use. However, using a credit report in hiring decisions can open the employer to a federal lawsuit if the report reveals a bankruptcy. Consumer advocates and public pressure are driving the passage of these laws at the state level, and now the EEOC is examining whether employers' use of credit and background checks is illegal discrimination. While employers must get written permission to run a credit check, many applicants may not feel they're in a position deny the request." News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@androvett.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534 (3/8/10)
9. TAXATION: THINKING OF CHEATING ON YOUR TAXES? THINK AGAIN. MICHAEL ROZBRUCH, CEO of TAX RESOLUTION SERVICES, and tax relief expert in Los Angeles: "The current economic downturn may encourage struggling taxpayers to cheat on their taxes, resulting in an even larger tax gap than in prior years. There is close to a $400 billion tax gap each year, which means that taxpayers are paying $400 billion less than they should in taxes. Meanwhile, the federal budget deficit for 2009 soared to an all-time high of $1.42 trillion, surpassing the previous record of $454.8 billion set in 2008. Collecting funds through more aggressive collection tactics by the IRS will be more politically appealing than raising taxes -- so taxpayers beware. Instead of risking the wrath of the IRS, taxpayers must learn about their options for settling their tax debt and avoid becoming the target of aggressive IRS collection efforts." Editor's Note: Rozbruch has a profile listed in the ProfNet Experts Database. To view the profile, go to http://www.profnet.com/ and, after logging in, click on "Search Expert." News Contact: Debbie Edwards, debbie@taxresolution.com Phone: +1-866-477-7762, ext. 326 Web site: http://www.taxresolution.com/ (3/8/10)
10. TECHNOLOGY: BIGGER, BETTER BROADBAND AND THE FCC'S UPCOMING NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN. MICHAEL MOYER, Scientific American editor, has long covered science/technology issues and has written several stories on broadband. He recently wrote "Better Broadband: New Regulatory Rules Could Change the Way Americans Get Online," a story on the long-term impact of an anticipated FCC broadband plan, which compares broadband access and cost in the U.S. to that in South Korea and France: "At the turn of the millennium, the U.S. had some of the best broadband access in the world. It reached more homes, and at a lower price, than most every other industrial country. Ten years later, the U.S. is a solid C-minus student, ranking slightly below average on nearly every metric." Moyer can also address net neutrality and openness of the Web. He is based in New York City. News Contact: Kelley McCormick, kmccormick@qorvis.com Phone: +1-202-669-6014 Web site: http://www.scientificamerican.com/ (3/8/10)
11. TECHNOLOGY: PATENT-SLINGING EXPECTED AS APPLE DEFENDS AGAINST GOOGLE. DEREK KERTON, wireless industry analyst at THE KERTON GROUP in Silicon Valley, follows intellectual property battles in the wireless space and is paying close attention to Apple right now and the effects their suit against HTC will have on stock prices and competition: "Apple has made an apparent about-face from the 'We (Apple) share our ideas with everyone' philosophy that they claimed when riding high on the Apple II computer. We also expect Microsoft to wage fights against Android-makers, and expect Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and Nokia are on the target lists for both Apple and Microsoft." (3/8/10)
PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit an Opportunity by e-mail: profnet@profnet.com To consult the ProfNet Experts Database: http://www.prnewswire.com/profnet To contact ProfNet by phone: +1-800-PROFNET, ext. 1 To share a thought on ProfNet Expert Alerts: profnetalerts@prnewswire.com
PRNewswire -- March 10
Source: ProfNet
NOTE TO EDITORS: The following experts have provided direct contact information: Debra Benton debra@debrabenton.com Phone: +1-970-482-1887; Derek Kerton, The Kerton Group info@kerton.com Phone: +1-408-935-8702
PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Earthquake Preparation / Bankruptcy Risks / FCC's Broadband Plan
1. Bankruptcy: Bankruptcies Decline, But Risks Remain
2. Building: New Program to Encourage Energy-Efficiency Improvements
3. Business: Preventive Action Can Avoid/Greatly Reduce Earthquake Damage
4. Careers: Picking the Right Job Candidate is Harder Than You May Think
5. Finance: What to Do if Your Lender is on the FDIC's Troubled Bank List
6. Finance: Default Rates Fall to 10-Month Low in February
7. Internet: Facebook Business Pages vs. Conventional Web Sites
8. Labor: Credit Checks Under Fire
9. Taxation: Thinking of Cheating on Your Taxes? Think Again
10. Technology: FCC's Upcoming National Broadband Plan
11. Technology: Patent-Slinging Expected as Apple Defends Against Google
1. BANKRUPTCY: BANKRUPTCIES DECLINE, BUT RISKS REMAIN. RHETT CAMPBELL, head of the bankruptcy section in the Houston office of Thompson & Knight: "In a possible sign of further economic recovery, just five public companies filed for Chapter 11 or Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection last month, down from a total of 19 filings in February 2009, continuing a consistent decline in such filings from the previous two months. While we're seeing this pattern, you have to view these statistics with caution. Some cash-starved companies are avoiding bankruptcy by raising capital through high-risk, high-yield sources and others are working with lenders to delay debt payments and change credit agreements. While the mega-corporations may have weathered the storm, many other publicly held companies with fewer tangible assets remain at risk in a volatile market." News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@androvett.com Phone: +1- 800-559-4534 (3/8/10)
2. BUILDING: NEW PROGRAM TO ENCOURAGE ENERGY-EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS AT HOME. LARRY LASETER is the president of MASCO HOME SERVICES, a subsidiary of Fortune 500 home products company Masco Corporation and a leader in home performance. Laseter joined President Obama in Savannah, Ga., to discuss the Home Star program, which provides rebates and other financial incentives to encourage homeowners to weatherize their homes and make energy-efficiency improvements. He is also leading the national rollout of a new program offering certified home assessments and home efficiency improvements: "We applaud the efforts of the administration and urge Congress to approve this jobs creation program that is truly a win-win-win. The Home Star program will put our nation's construction force back to work, benefit homeowners and result in long-term energy-efficiency gains." News Contact: Jeremy Bakken, jbakken@lambert-edwards.com Phone: +1-616-233-0500 (3/3/10)
3. BUSINESS: PREVENTIVE ACTION CAN AVOID OR GREATLY REDUCE EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE. LOU GRITZO, Ph.D., vice president of research with FM GLOBAL, one of the world's largest business property insurers, oversees a team of world-renowned scientists who conduct research to understand property hazards and how to prevent the damage they cause: "Eight of the world's 10 largest cities are prone to earthquakes and the chance one will occur and cause significant damage somewhere along any global company's supply chain is considerably high. But if there is anything to be learned from recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and Taiwan, it's that preparations are key to minimizing -- and, indeed, preventing -- property damage from natural disasters." For 175 years, many of the world's largest organizations have turned to FM Global for insurance and engineering solutions derived from FM Global's scientific research on protecting business operations from fire, natural disasters and other types of property risk. Today, this includes recreating earthquakes and other natural disasters in its state-of-the-art, 72,000-square-foot natural disaster laboratory. The research leads to engineering solutions that help reduce damage from natural disasters and, in many cases, stop damage from happening in the first place. Gritzo is based in Johnston, R.I. News Contact: Christina Divigard, christina.divigard@ogilvypr.com Phone: +1-212-880-5237 Web site: http://www.fmglobal.com/ (3/8/10)
4. CAREERS: PICKING THE RIGHT JOB CANDIDATE IS HARDER THAN YOU MAY THINK. DEBRA BENTON, executive coach and author of several best-selling books on executive leadership, including "CEO Material: How to Be a Leader in Any Organization": "Picking the right job candidate is harder than you may think. For one thing, the candidate you like best may be the worst choice for the job. With high unemployment and the college recruiting season just around the corner, there's plenty of advice available for people looking for jobs, but not for the equally challenging task of conducting the interviews and selecting the right person for the important jobs you have to fill." Benton is located in Fort Collins, Colo. (3/8/10)
5. FINANCE: WHAT TO DO IF YOUR LENDER IS ON THE FDIC'S TROUBLED BANK LIST. JEFFREY SWEENEY, CEO and managing director at U.S. CAPITAL PARTNERS, a lender and financial services firm in San Francisco: "According to the FDIC, the list of troubled banks is still growing. If your bank is on the FDIC's list, you need to be proactive, not reactive, about protecting your small-business financing. As more businesses are finding it difficult to secure or hold onto their small-business loans, those who are in danger of losing their loans need to be prepared to seek financing outside the normal lending parameters. Alternative lenders can definitely be coordinated to successfully replace the loans your bank may be pulling or in the process of terminating, but it can be a difficult, frustrating and time-consuming process for any small-business CEO or CFO. If you need recapitalization, finding the right adviser or small- business investment banker is key if you want to continue to secure working capital for your business. Being proactive about your small-business financing means being prepared and getting smart advisory if you know you are at risk of having your bank loans pulled or not renewed." Editor's Note: Sweeney has a profile listed in the ProfNet Experts Database. To view the profile, go to http://www.profnet.com/ and, after logging in, click on "Search Expert." News Contact: Emilia Doerr, emilia@webmarketingtherapy.com Phone: +1-310-709-4620 Web site: http://www.uscapitalpartners.net/ (3/8/10)
6. FINANCE: DEFAULT RATES FALL TO 10-MONTH LOW IN FEBRUARY. MARK PIBL, managing director and head of high-yield and leveraged loans at NEWOAK CAPITAL, an asset management, advisory, and capital markets platform in Manhattan: "As we have been anticipating, S+P recently announced that the LTM default rate for February fell to 8.5 from 9.6 percent at the end of the year and over 10 percent last year. The real story, however, is what the market is anticipating for the forward default rate this year. The current consensus is a low 5 percent, while the imputed default rate of the LSTA index is 5.5 percent. While companies are still seeking bankruptcy every day, as witnessed by Regent Communications just recently, the largest wave of defaults is mostly behind us." News Contact: Marisa D'Vari, MDVari@newoakcapital.com (3/8/10)
7. INTERNET: FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGES VS. CONVENTIONAL WEB SITES: WHO WILL PREVAIL? HEATHER LOGRIPPO, CEO of EXPOSE YOURSELF PR, predicts that Facebook business pages will soon replace conventional Web sites: "More and more businesses are driving their customers to their Facebook page. Facebook has over 400 million active users, and pages have more than 5 billion fans. That's huge, and companies need to take advantage of that audience. It may take time to build your fans, but once you have them, you can market to them over and over again. Facebook also allows you to connect with your customers and this encourages brand loyalty. You can create a dynamic interface for your customers instead of a static Web site, and updated content keeps you top of mind. The next time you go on your company's Web site, ask yourself this question: 'Does my Web site have the potential to reach 400 million users?' If there's any hesitation, I highly recommend getting your business page created. The longer companies wait, the further behind the curve they will be." Logrippo is located in Boston. News Contact: Stacey@exposeyourselfpr.com Phone: +1-508-450-8405 (3/8/10)
8. LABOR: CREDIT CHECKS UNDER FIRE. TONY CAMPITI of THOMPSON & KNIGHT: "A growing number of companies are using pre-employment credit checks in hiring decisions, but some state lawmakers have introduced or passed legislation banning the practice. Employers should weigh carefully the benefits and risks of requesting credit histories, although federal laws don't specifically prohibit their use. However, using a credit report in hiring decisions can open the employer to a federal lawsuit if the report reveals a bankruptcy. Consumer advocates and public pressure are driving the passage of these laws at the state level, and now the EEOC is examining whether employers' use of credit and background checks is illegal discrimination. While employers must get written permission to run a credit check, many applicants may not feel they're in a position deny the request." News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@androvett.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534 (3/8/10)
9. TAXATION: THINKING OF CHEATING ON YOUR TAXES? THINK AGAIN. MICHAEL ROZBRUCH, CEO of TAX RESOLUTION SERVICES, and tax relief expert in Los Angeles: "The current economic downturn may encourage struggling taxpayers to cheat on their taxes, resulting in an even larger tax gap than in prior years. There is close to a $400 billion tax gap each year, which means that taxpayers are paying $400 billion less than they should in taxes. Meanwhile, the federal budget deficit for 2009 soared to an all-time high of $1.42 trillion, surpassing the previous record of $454.8 billion set in 2008. Collecting funds through more aggressive collection tactics by the IRS will be more politically appealing than raising taxes -- so taxpayers beware. Instead of risking the wrath of the IRS, taxpayers must learn about their options for settling their tax debt and avoid becoming the target of aggressive IRS collection efforts." Editor's Note: Rozbruch has a profile listed in the ProfNet Experts Database. To view the profile, go to http://www.profnet.com/ and, after logging in, click on "Search Expert." News Contact: Debbie Edwards, debbie@taxresolution.com Phone: +1-866-477-7762, ext. 326 Web site: http://www.taxresolution.com/ (3/8/10)
10. TECHNOLOGY: BIGGER, BETTER BROADBAND AND THE FCC'S UPCOMING NATIONAL BROADBAND PLAN. MICHAEL MOYER, Scientific American editor, has long covered science/technology issues and has written several stories on broadband. He recently wrote "Better Broadband: New Regulatory Rules Could Change the Way Americans Get Online," a story on the long-term impact of an anticipated FCC broadband plan, which compares broadband access and cost in the U.S. to that in South Korea and France: "At the turn of the millennium, the U.S. had some of the best broadband access in the world. It reached more homes, and at a lower price, than most every other industrial country. Ten years later, the U.S. is a solid C-minus student, ranking slightly below average on nearly every metric." Moyer can also address net neutrality and openness of the Web. He is based in New York City. News Contact: Kelley McCormick, kmccormick@qorvis.com Phone: +1-202-669-6014 Web site: http://www.scientificamerican.com/ (3/8/10)
11. TECHNOLOGY: PATENT-SLINGING EXPECTED AS APPLE DEFENDS AGAINST GOOGLE. DEREK KERTON, wireless industry analyst at THE KERTON GROUP in Silicon Valley, follows intellectual property battles in the wireless space and is paying close attention to Apple right now and the effects their suit against HTC will have on stock prices and competition: "Apple has made an apparent about-face from the 'We (Apple) share our ideas with everyone' philosophy that they claimed when riding high on the Apple II computer. We also expect Microsoft to wage fights against Android-makers, and expect Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and Nokia are on the target lists for both Apple and Microsoft." (3/8/10)
PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit an Opportunity by e-mail: profnet@profnet.com To consult the ProfNet Experts Database: http://www.prnewswire.com/profnet To contact ProfNet by phone: +1-800-PROFNET, ext. 1 To share a thought on ProfNet Expert Alerts: profnetalerts@prnewswire.com
PRNewswire -- March 10
Source: ProfNet
NOTE TO EDITORS: The following experts have provided direct contact information: Debra Benton debra@debrabenton.com Phone: +1-970-482-1887; Derek Kerton, The Kerton Group info@kerton.com Phone: +1-408-935-8702