Category Archives: Business

Alternative investments ‘are becoming Mainstream’ – AAA

December 12, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

A recent report in Financial Adviser Magazine claims that alternative investments are fast-becoming a mainstream option for those who are looking to diversify their portfolios, in a claim welcomed by AAA.

Boston, MA, December 12, 2012 – A recent report in Financial Adviser Magazine claims that alternative investments are fast-becoming a mainstream option for those who are looking to diversify their portfolios, in a claim welcomed by Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA).

The alternative investment advocacy group underlined the claim from Rick Lake of Lake Partners in Connecticut, who told FA-Mag.com, “Because of the democratization of alternative investments, barriers are falling. Alternative mutual funds are the new and better mousetrap due to liquidity, transparency, lower costs and regulation.”

AAA added that a survey by Cogent Research backs this view. It found that three quarter of the financial advisers questioned said they use alternative asset classes, with the majority (78 per cent) opting for mutual funds. The next most popular alternative option for financial advisers was exchange traded funds (ETFs), which proved popular with 58 per cent.

FA-mag.com said that the recent increase in popularity of alternatives is largely to do with the risks involved in investing in stocks and shares. Despite the slow recovery of the US economy, the stock market is still extremely volatile and the same, of course, can be said for the European markets.

AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson, claims that people are less willing to risk their cash on the stock markets these days and many would often prefer to take something tangible in exchange for their cash. Something with real, intrinsic value, like commodities such as timber, gas and oil. “With demand for these commodities increasing all the time, especially in developing countries, the prices are staying high and it’s hard to imagine them plummeting like stock prices can,” stated Mr Johnson.

AAA supports a range of alternative investments, but is particularly keen to promote ethical and socially responsible projects, including sustainable forestry investment through firms like Greenwood Management, which operated plantations in Brazil.

Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

Business

Brazil Property development plots offer Good investment option claims AAA

December 12, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

With increasing amounts of foreign direct investment (FDI), coming into Brazil, now could be a great time to invest in property built on new plots of land in the South American country.

Boston, MA, December 11, 2012 – With increasing amounts of foreign direct investment (FDI), coming into Brazil, now could be a great time to invest in property built on new plots of land in the South American country, which are being made available to foreign real estate investors, Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) has claimed.

The alternative investment advocacy group has said that investors looking to make the most of the ongoing strong economic conditions in Brazil should invest in land there. “A number of plots of prime land are being opened up in Brazil to foreign property investors,” claimed AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson.

“With the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics coming to Brazil in the next four years, growth is likely to continue and investors could see some really great returns if they invest in real estate there.”

A recent report by Ernst & Young Terco stated that foreign direct investment into Brazilian real estate has reached as much as R$10 billion this year. The investment has been stimulated by the Accelerated Growth Program, which has received plenty of attention form investors looking for ways to diversify their portfolios. The project involves improving the country’s infrastructure to help prepare for these vents, as well as to help house the hundreds of thousands of people moving into urban areas for work.

Speaking to Property Wire, Knight Knox International’s property consultant Mike Sefton, said that the plots offer great locations, planning permission and very reasonable prices to those who are considering building homes in Brazil as an investment.

Real estate investment is becoming increasingly attractive, particularly in emerging economies like Brazil, China and India, where a growing number of homes are needed to house workers and their families in urban areas.

AAA supports alternative assets like real estate and is also behind foreign investment in Brazil in general. “Forestry is a major source of ethical investment opportunities in Brazil,” added Mr Johnson.

Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

Biotech, Business, Deals, Retail, Technology

Microtissues® Inc. and Sigma-Aldrich® Sign Worldwide Supply and Distribution Agreement for the 3D Petri Dish®

December 11, 2012 EPR Network Leave a comment

Microtissues® Inc. announced today the signing of a Supply and Distribution Agreement with Sigma-Aldrich® Corporation (Nasdaq: SIAL) for the worldwide sales and marketing of the 3D Petri Dish®, a new technology for the culture of living cells in three dimensions (3D). Invented at Brown University, the 3D Petri Dish® maximizes cell-to-cell interactions critical for replicating the function of natural tissues and organs. Shown in numerous peer reviewed papers to work with over fifty different cell types, including cell lines, primary cells and stem cells, the 3D Petri Dish® has applications in cancer research, drug discovery, toxicity testing and regenerative medicine.

“Researchers are rapidly recognizing the importance of 3D cell culture and its ability to reliably mimic in vivo function” said Brian Morgan, Director of Business Development, Microtissues® Inc. “The 3D Petri Dish® creates a natural 3D environment without artificial scaffolds and we’re excited that this distribution agreement will bring our unique and innovative line of products to the worldwide research community.”

Unlike the conventional plastic Petri dish where cells are grown as a thin layer on the surface of the dish, the 3D Petri Dish® forms 3D aggregates of cells. Spheroid size is controlled by the number of cells seeded and hundreds of uniform sized spheroids are formed in a single pipetting step. Spheroids are formed in a well ordered array in a stable platform suitable for long term culture. All spheroids are positioned on the same optical plane making them easy to image (phase contrast, fluorescent). Spheroid size is controlled by the number of cells seeded and a mixture of cells forms mixed spheroids, suitable for investigating tumor-stroma interactions. Spheroids can be grown from single cells, applicable to the study of cancer stem cells. For histology, Western blots and RT-PCR, spheroids are harvested by simply inverting the 3D Petri Dish®. No need to dissolve or digest the gel. The 3D Petri Dish® is a new fundamental tool for the world wide industry of life sciences research.

About Sigma-Aldrich®: Sigma-Aldrich® is a leading Life Science and High Technology company whose biochemical, organic chemical products, kits and services are used in scientific research, including genomic and proteomic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, the diagnosis of disease and as key components in pharmaceutical, diagnostics and high technology manufacturing. Sigma-Aldrich® customers include more than 1.3 million scientists and technologists in life science companies, university and government institutions, hospitals and industry. The Company operates in 38 countries and has nearly 9,000 employees whose objective is to provide excellent service worldwide. Sigma-Aldrich® is committed to accelerating customer success through innovation and leadership in Life Science and High Technology. For more information about Sigma-Aldrich®, please visit its website at www.sigma-aldrich.com.

About Microtissues® Inc: Microtissues® Inc. is a privately held company located in Providence, RI, advancing technologies and applications of 3D cell culture. Microtissues®, Inc.’s products are designed to serve the needs of researchers in a wide range of areas including cancer research, stem cell biology, toxicity testing, developmental biology, drug discovery, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Microtissues®, Inc. has an exclusive worldwide license from Brown University to US and international patent applications on the 3D Petri Dish®. For more information on Microtissues®, Inc., please visit www.microtissues.com.

Sigma-Aldrich and Sigma are trademarks of Sigma-Aldrich Co. LLC registered in the US and other countries. Microtissues and 3D Petri Dish are registered trademarks of Microtissues, Inc.

Contact Details: Microtissues, Inc.
PO Box 2762 Providence, RI 02906 United States
phone – (401) 400-1163
fax – (650) 471-7586
microtissues.com

Business

“Can’t miss” promotion— clients pay $100 and receive a $200 gift certificate from New York Laser & Aesthetics

December 11, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

New York Laser & Aesthetics Offers a One-of-a-Kind Holiday Special! What Better Time to Treat Yourself Or Loved One & Save Money While You’re At It!

Manhasset, NY, December 10, 2012 – Now with Thanksgiving as a recent memory and the holiday season officially in full swing, it’s important to be reminded to treat yourself, as you shop for family and friends. It is easy to forget about your own needs this time of year, as you are busy making lists, shopping for all your loved ones, cleaning, cooking, baking and hosting family and friends for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Eve. New York Laser & Aesthetics in Manhasset, NY would like to remind you to do something for yourself during the madness and stress of the winter holidays, such as having laser hair removal treatments or removing recurrent toenail fungus. New York Laser & Aesthetics currently has a “can’t miss” promotion—clients pay $100 and receive a $200 gift certificate, good for laser hair removal packages, sun/age spot laser removal, and chemical peels. In this holiday season filled with spending, rest assured that this is an unbeatable deal! In addition to the affordable pricing, clients can rest assured that the quality of their treatments and service are top-notch.

Conveniently located in the Americana Manhasset shopping center, New York Laser & Aesthetics is right in the middle of the premier shopping destination on Long Island. They are a quick drive from Port Washington, Great Neck, Syosset, Woodbury, Jericho, Garden City, and Plainview. Before or after your treatments, you can shop til you drop and get most of your holiday shopping lists crossed off! In addition, laser hair removal and many of their other services can be completed within a short time frame, such as a lunch break or a quick morning or afternoon break from a day of luxury shopping at the Americana. New York Laser & Aesthetics strives to offer convenient hours for their clients, and offers Saturday appointments as well as weekdays.

New York Laser & Aesthetics offers a variety of services that can be uniquely tailored to your individual needs. Laser hair removal treatments are popular with both men and women on many body parts, such as arms, legs, underarms, back, stomach, chest, bikini area, sideburns, chin, and upper lip. Chemical peels are another specialty at New York Laser & Aesthetics. Their experienced staff formulates your treatment customized to your skin type and skin condition to guarantee the best results possible. Chemical peels work by exfoliating dead skin cells on the surface of the skin to reveal new, healthy and glowing skin cells underneath. Other popular treatments are available to treat rosacea, uneven skin pigmentation, freckles, café au lait spots, acne, wrinkles and sagging skin, among many others. New York Laser & Aesthetics is also proud to offer toenail fungus (onycomycosis) removal treatments using advanced, groundbreaking technology, through an FDA-approved procedure called the Q-Clear Foot Laser.

Those who have unsuccessfully sought treatment before through different medications or procedures have found hope and confidence through this cutting-edge treatment. One of the most common prescription medications offered by doctors to those who suffer from this condition was found to cause liver and kidney toxicity and had serious side effects, on top of not being successful in treating the infection much of the time. The Q-Clear Foot Laser uses laser technology to attack the infection, and was a result of many years of scientific research. It has only recently been made available to the public. It is safe, painless and fast, and no adverse reactions or side effects have been reported. The laser will not cause your nails to discolor or fall off.

Say goodbye to thickened, yellow, hard to cut nails and treat yourself to the gift of healthy, shiny, smooth looking feet that you can show off to friends and family. Pedicures are in no way prohibited after the laser treatment—so you can look great for holiday gatherings! Feel free to wear trendy open-toe shoes to Christmas Eve dinner or family Hanukkah celebration, and sexy strappy heels for a New Year’s Eve bash!

The staff of New York Laser & Aesthetics offers unparalleled expertise and professionalism when treating toenail fungal infections. They are trained and experienced, ready to diagnose and treat your nail fungus with proper care, understanding, efficiency and effectiveness. The staff at New York Laser & Aesthetics understands how embarrassing and detrimental a fungal nail infection can be, and are happy to treat you in their discreet, welcoming clinic. Clients can put shoes on right after a treatment with the Q-Clear Foot Laser, can walk and resume normal activities immediately after—so you can continue shopping, return to work or attend to holiday errands.

The cost of treatment is LESS than what many have paid for prescription medications in the past to treat their toenail fungus. New York Laser & Aesthetics Group will be happy to speak with you about the Q-clear Foot Laser and your treatment options for other skin conditions, such as laser hair removal, acne, aging, or hyper pigmentation. All of the equipment at New York Laser Aesthetics’ office is FDA-approved and is the most advanced and tested technology available today.

Treat yourself or a loved one this holiday season to confidence and peace of mind. Trust New York Laser & Aesthetics to work with you, your relatives and/or friends to treat a multitude of skin conditions, whether it is laser hair removal, brown and age spot removal, chemical peels or toenail fungus removal. Their promotion of “pay $100 and receive a gift certificate worth $200” is going on today. Give yourself and others the gift of confidence and peace of mind this year!

Please call New York Laser & Aesthetics today to schedule a free consultation and to learn about any additional upcoming promotions. You may contact New York Laser & Aesthetics at 516-627-7777, through their website at www.nylaser1.com, or on their Facebook page. The staff of New York Laser & Aesthetics in Manhasset, NY wishes you and your family a very happy and healthy holiday season and a wonderful new year!

Contact:
Ofra Amy Grinbaum
New York Laser Aesthetics Americana at Manhasset
2110 Northern Blvd. (Suite. 202)
Manhasset, NY 11030
516-627-7777
info@nylaser1.com
http://www.nylaser1.com

Business

NanoMarkets Latest Report Forecasts the Bio-Plastics Market Through 2020

December 11, 2012 staronepr Leave a comment

NanoMarkets has published an in-depth analysis of worldwide markets for bio-plastics, covering all major bio-plastics including starch-based bio-plastics, bio-polyesters, cellulose-based bio-plastics and bio-polymers.

Glen Allen, Virginia – December 11, 2012 — Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets has published an in-depth analysis of worldwide markets for bio-plastics, covering all major bio-plastics including starch-based bio-plastics, bio-polyesters, cellulose-based bio-plastics and bio-polymers. The report titled “Bio-Plastics Markets – 2013,” claims that revenues from bio-plastics will reach $6.1 billion by 2018, with 8.6 million tons of bio-plastics shipped.

The report also discusses new feedstocks such as seaweed, and carbon dioxide. Applications analyzed include food and pharma packaging, waste bags, medical implants, diapers, mulch foils, electronics, and tires/automotive. Eight-year forecasts with breakouts by materials type, applications and region are included.

The report discusses the activities of many firms pioneering the use of bio-plastics including Arkema, Avantium, BASF, Braskem, Bridgestone, Cargill, Casda, Coca Cola, Cooper Tire, Danone, Dow Chemical, Faurecia, FKuR, Gevo, Green Dot, Heinz, Hisun Biomaterials, Innovia Films (UK), Invista, LanzaTech, M & G, Metabolix, Mitsubishi Chemical, Mitsui, Nike, Novamont, P&G, PTT, Purac, Showa Denko, Solvay, Teijin, Toray and Uhde Inventa-Fischer.

Additional details about the report are available at: http://nanomarkets.net/market_reports/report/bio_plastics_markets.

Bill Ringle Interviews Expert Business Strategist Adrian Ott on My Quest for Best

December 11, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

Bill Ringle, America’s Business Growth Strategist, talked with Adrian Ott, CEO of Exponential Edge Consulting, on My Quest for the Best about successful business strategy and knowing your customer.

Philadelphia, PA, December 10, 2012 – Business growth strategist Bill Ringle interviewed Adrian Ott, founder and CEO of Exponential Edge Consulting, for My Quest for the Best. In this interview series, Ringle speaks with successful industry experts and outstanding business leaders about their strategies for reaching and influencing significant target audiences, innovative business leadership, breakthrough moments in their career, and the important business and life lessons they’ve gained along the way.

Adrian Ott is the CEO and founder of Exponential Edge Consulting. She was named Silicon Valley Enterprising Woman of the Year 2011 by the National Association of Women Business Owners – Silicon Valley, and called “one of Silicon Valley’s most respected (if not the most respected) strategists” by Consulting Magazine. Ott works with some of the most innovative Fortune 500 and start-up companies in the world to help them gain a market edge in today’s exponential economy. In addition to assisting clients, she writes a popular column at FastCompany.com and Chairs the Strategy & Growth Roundtable for the Harvard Business School Association of Northern California, the largest HBS alumni club in the world. She is also the author of The 24-Hour Customer, a Library Journal “Best Business Book 2010”.

In Ott’s conversation with Bill Ringle on My Quest for the Best, she offered listeners sales and strategy advice from her varied corporate engagements. Their discussion centered around the five triggers that influence to what a customer will give his or her time and attention, information that’s invaluable in any business. Ott also shared tips on how companies of all sizes can capitalize on mistakes or disruptions of service made by their competition, and discussed what led her to write The 24-hour Customer.

“What you’ll learn from listening to this interview with Adrian Ott is a thinking style that allows you to capitalize on the unexpected,” says Ringle. “Adrian’s clear explanations and examples let every leader understand important ways to get deeper insights into what their customers want.”

Bill Ringle, America’s Business Growth Strategist, is founder of the Rapid Rise Business Growth SystemTM, the proven step-by-step system that shows you exactly how to connect and do business with your ideal customers in record time. He works with high performing entrepreneurs and CEOs who want to overcome the five big challenges to business growth so that they can run profitable and rewarding business rather than become stuck and overwhelmed in unfulfilling and draining roles. He has worked on four continents, is the author of four business books, and inspires and educates thousands of business leaders each year through his speaking, coaching, interactive programs, and products.

To listen to Bill Ringle’s interview with Adrian Ott, visit www.MyQuestForTheBest.com/MQ4B-interview-Adrian-Ott. To learn more about Adrian Ott, visit her website, www.ExponentialEdge.com.

Contact:
Meredith Hegg
LearnWell
491 Baltimore Pike, Suite 209
Springfield, PA 19064
610-626-0175
pr@learnwell.com
http://www.billringle.com/expert-interviews-with-bill-ringle/33-experts/344-interview-with-adrian-ott.html

Business

Will Personal Debt Push Consumers Over the Fiscal Cliff?

December 9, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

7 Tips to Surviving Financial Uncertainty

Phoenix, AZ, December 08, 2012 – Consumers continue to face a lot of financial uncertainty. While the balance of power in Washington looks similar to how it appeared before the election, the big battle over the country’s growing debt load—$16 trillion and continuing to swell—is still raging.

How will the government avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff”—the $600 billion of tax increases and spending cuts that are scheduled to take effect in 2013? And what does it all mean for consumers, especially those carrying heavy debt loads?

“Your best protection against the impending fiscal cliff is to begin eliminating debt now,” says financial literacy expert and founder of DebtFreeAcademy.com, Anthony Manganiello.

Since the looming fiscal cliff is expected to hit 90 percent of households by tacking on an average additional $3,500 in annual taxes, in addition to working now on becoming completely debt-free, Manganiello also offers the following advice on how families can avoid being pushed over the edge:

1. Know where you sit financially with your personal cash flow, NOT to be confused with a budget. Determine what smaller balances on debt you can pay off NOW, so you can free up monthly payments tied to those balances. You may need that cash flow in the not too distant future.

2. Focus on complete debt elimination. Concentrate all available funds towards eliminating as much debt—as quickly as possible—so your cash flow is in as good a shape as possible should the White House and Congress fail to take action.

3. Learn from the past. Look at your monthly cash flow and ask yourself, “What did I buy that resulted in all of these payments?” If you can’t answer that question with any degree of detail—meaning you’ve spent money on purchases you really didn’t need—let that reality sink in and avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

4. Realize that you’re a wealth generator, but not necessarily a wealth accumulator. Think about the past five or 10 years: How much income did you bring home and what do you have to show for it? Then, project what you will likely earn over the next five to 10 years and focus on accumulating as much of that wealth as possible.

5. Add up all your debt payments (mortgage, cars, credit cards, all of it) and ask yourself: If I was completely debt-free and didn’t have to make these payments, how much better off would me and my family be?” Let that be your motivator.

6. Determine how much of your gross annual salary is earmarked for debt payments. Depending on your income tax bracket, ascertain how much of gross income you have to generate in order to bring home enough to make your annual debt payments. Many households have more than 50 percent of their gross annual income earmarked towards servicing debt.

7. Even if the fiscal cliff is avoided, what have you learned? While the administration may be able to curtail the fiscal cliff, and avoid going over the edge, what should this mean to you? If the impending cliff had you in panic mode, then you need to reconsider your plan.

It’s possible that—fiscal cliff or not—your greatest vulnerability is your personal debt load. If that’s the case, then you need to do everything you can to change that reality into achieving a financial position that has you as well prepared as possible in the event economic calamity strikes.

Anthony Manganiello is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who has spent the last two decades in the research and development—including the investment of millions of dollars, and tens of thousands of interviews with consumers looking for help with their debt and credit problems. The end result was the creation of the Cash-Flow Analysis™, the Cash-Flow Dashboard™ the book, The Debt-FREE Millionaire: Winning Strategies to Creating Great Credit and Retiring Rich, and now the DebtFreeAcademy.com.

Contact:
Anthony Manganiello
Debt Free Academy
450 Phoenix, AZ 80516
608-306-0197
anthonym@debtfreeacademy.com
http://www.debtfreeacademy.com/

Biotech, Business, Healthcare, Technology

Is it a Moment or an Abuse: the Boom of iPSCs Research after 2012 Medicine Nobel Prize

December 8, 2012 EPR Network Leave a comment

On Creative Biomart website, we can read a report about the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine regarding the two winners. They bring hope for organ or tissue repair for human or even for rejuvenation, i.e. for long life through induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

Since the first appearance in 2006, iPSCs became the hit and focus. But there are still lots of unknowns waiting for us before achieving the ideal status. Thus, numerous scientists, researchers and businessmen are struggling and investing for that goal. Here are some examples:

On Dec. 5, 2012, Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) and the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) announced today the launch of StemBANCC, a new academic–industry partnership that unites ten pharmaceutical companies and 23 academic institutions. Initiated and coordinated by Roche and managed by Oxford University, StemBANCC aims to use human induced pluripotent stem cells as research tools for drug discovery with the goal of using this ground-breaking new technology to develop human disease models and enhance drug development.

On Oct. 29, 2012, on the PANS Journal there is an article about Cartilage tissue engineering using differentiated and purified induced pluripotent stem cells.

On Oct. 4, 2012, on Cell Stem Cell, there is a report with the title be Genome Sequencing of Mouse Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Reveals Retroelement Stability and Infrequent DNA Rearrangement during Reprogramming.

On Jan. 30, 2012, on the PANS Journal, there is a report about modeling hepatitis C virus infection using human induced pluripotent stem cells, which make the individual and tailor therapy further.

Above are only a small part of such studies. People still wonder does it is the moment or an abuse on the iPSCs research. When someone reviewed one of the winners, Shinya Yamanaka, about his opinion on the challenge of iPSCs research, he said, “I have two research directions, the first is to establish human iPSCs bank that comply with clinical application standards. The second is to study the cell mechanism of iPSCs regenerating. And I think the current threat is still to be the safety problem as good research respects both scientific and ethical standards.”

But no one deny the great potential of iPSCs.

About Creative Biomart
Creative Biomart has a long history in ELISA kits; its products are available in a range of formats including colorimetric, fluorescence, and chemiluminescence-based kits for various types of Analyte.

In addition, Creative biomart also provides protein expression, PEGylation service,custom cDNA clone and other services. It provides the largest number of cDNA clones in multiple sets of vector systems with various features, including more than two hundred thousand cNDA clones. In peer industry, Creative Biomart has good reputation with technical and price advantage. In 2010, its global sales reach 26 billion.

Right reserved by: www.creativebiomart.net

Contact Details: 45-16 Ramsey Road, Shirley, NY 11967, USA Websitehttp://www.creativebiomart.net mail: serenachang5236@gmail.com

Business, Consumer Services, Financial, Internet & Online, Society

Another £400m Into RBS’ PPI Compensation Fund, Says Missoldppiclaims.info

December 8, 2012 EPR Network Leave a comment

The Royal Bank of Scotland has earmarked an additional £400m to cover the cost of compensation and refunds relating to mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI), says leading PPI Claims Company Missoldppiclaims.info.

The nationalised bank has released figures for the last quarter showing a pre-tax loss of£1.26bn, a proportion of which is due to the allocation of a further £400m to its PPIcompensation fund. In a move echoed around the banking industry in recent months, RBS now has increased its total PPI allocation to now stand at £1.7bn. However, it is unlikely to be the end of the compensation claims for the beleaguered bank.

Its recent computer problems resulted in significant numbers of RBS, Natwest and Ulster Bank customers being locked out of their accounts for days, a mistake which has cost£175million so far with a further £50m of compensation put aside.

RBS is also part of an investigation by regulators in the UK, US and Asia – including the fraud division of the US justice department – over the part it played in the manipulation of the LIBOR inter-bank lending rate. With settlement negotiations imminent, the fines that could potentially be applied RBS believe could have a “material” impact on the company.

Despite the problems, RBS showed operating profits for the third quarter increased from£650m to £1bn, while bad debt fell by £159m and staff costs were 5% lower due to a 7% reduction in staff.

Stephen Hester, chief executive of RBS, said: “The extraordinary challenges which RBS faced following the financial crisis are being worked through successfully. The five year restructuring plan is now in its later stages with important work still to do, including an emphasis on dealing with reputational issues now that the bank’s safety and soundness has advanced so well.”

A spokesperson for leading PPI Claims Management Company, Missoldppiclaims.info said: “It’s good to see RBS recognising its responsibilities towards customers that were mis-sold PPI policies, in particular the responsibility to put customers first and treat them fairly. This can be seen in its decision to increase lending to its business customers even though there was a downturn in loan applications, but it would be good to see a similar helpful response to borrowing for its non-business customers with personal loans and residential mortgages.

The reputational issues Mr Hester refers to are likely to be industry criticisms that RBS customers play second fiddle to the short-term interests of shareholders and staff. As a result, RBS has relaxed its lending position towards its small and medium (SMEs)businesses, which has led to a an increase of new lending by 3% since the second quarter despite a 25% drop in SME loan applications due to the Olympics and doubts over the stability of the UK economy.

Analyst Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “There is no doubting the immensity of the task RBS has faced in executing its turnaround plan, nor indeed the progress made so far.”

Contact Details: Missoldppiclaims.info
11 Somerset Place
Glasgow
G3 7JT

Business

New Research into Impact investing endorsed by AAA

December 8, 2012 straightlinepr Leave a comment

AAA has welcomed news that pension funds in the UK are increasing their exposure to impact investments.

Boston, MA, December 08, 2012 – Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA) has welcomed news that pension funds in the UK are increasing their exposure to impact investments.

Research carried out by social investment intermediary Social Finance, found that 48 per cent of the 47 pension funds it surveyed were planning to invest in socially and environmentally sound asset classes, such as microfinance, green energy and social housing over the coming 1 to 2 years.

At the moment, only 23 per cent of the pension funds, with assets under management totalling some $230 billion, hold such investments. AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson spoke on behalf of the alternative investment advocacy group: “We welcome the news that pension funds in the UK are starting to realise the benefits of social investment.”

“Here in the US, institutional investors and individuals alike are all starting to increase their exposure to both alternative investments and impact investments and we wholeheartedly welcome this transition to a more responsible approach to investments.”

AAA also claims that alternative, ethical investments are a great way to diversify an investment portfolio against risk.

Social Finance’s David Hutchison, stated, “Impact investment is a visible asset with clear cash flow, stability and low correlation to other asset classes.”

AAA said it agreed with this, adding that other alternatives, such as forestry and timberland investment through firms like Greenwood Management, which operated sustainable plantation projects in countries like Brazil and Canada – also carry very low correlation with other economic trends. Mr Johnson said, “This means when other asset classes are losing value due to wider economic factors, these alternatives are staying strong.”

Mr Hutchison added that the next step in encouraging impact investing is setting up diversified, larger funds, to ensure people can get involved without putting up hundreds of thousands of dollars in initial investment. This will allow more individuals to get involved with this ethical side of investment.

Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596
info@alternativeassetanalysis.com
http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com