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Covington, La.-based Citizens Bank and Trust Co. blames economy for

New Orleans CityBusiness, Dec 9, 2009 by Greg LaRose

The management of Covington-based Citizens Bank and Trust Co. says economic pressures led to loan defaults that resulted in the cease-and-desist order it received from federal regulators in October.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. made public today its disciplinary actions that included a reprimand for Citizens for what it termed “unsafe or unsound banking practices and violations of laws and/or regulations.”

The order, dated Oct. 27, states that the bank operated with an “excessive level of adversely classified loans or assets” and engaged in “hazardous lending and/or lax collection practices.”

CEO and President Ed Braun called the language in the order “boilerplate,” in that it does not specify the particular findings the FDIC discovered when it inspected the bank in May.

The problem loans are tied to commercial real estate, some of which the bank has seized for nonpayment, Braun said. They include an office building in downtown Covington, vacant commercial property and residential lots and a subdivision, all within St. Tammany Parish.

The bank has been actively selling houses in the subdivision, which Braun did not identify citing ongoing litigation. Sales prices for those homes have been at, and in some cases above, appraised value, he said.

The bank has not been able to find a buyer for the office building at 422 E. Lockwood St.

“It’s fully leased and generating revenue, but the FDIC encourages banks not to hold on to property,” he said. “We’re surprised there hasn’t been a buyer yet.”

In addition to finding loans in default, the FDIC also downgraded some of Citizens’ other loans although they were being paid on time, Braun said.

Since the May inspection, Citizens bankers have been in touch with customers to inform them of the impending order. They have also worked with clients who have deposits in excess of the FDIC’s $250,000 coverage limit to separate those funds into insurable accounts.

“We’ve gone to customers and explained what’s taking place, and none of them have panicked. Most bank customers have become numb to this,” Braun said.

The order required Citizens to either charge off or collect on all of its bad loans by Nov. 6. It must also submit a plan to the FDIC for reducing it’s remaining substandard assets by mid-January.

The order did not include a demand that Citizens improve its liquidity or raise capital, a telltale sign of a bank that is in danger of failing.

As of Sept. 30, Citizens reported a Tier 1 risk ratio of 13.85 percent to the FDIC
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TC’s Allegrante Named Editor of Leading Public Health Journal

0 Comments | U.S. Newswire, Dec 3, 2009

To: NATIONAL EDITORS

Contact: Patricia Lamiell of the Teachers College, Columbia University, 1-212-678-3979, 1-973-313-0639, lamiell@tc.columbia.edu

NEW YORK, Dec. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — John Allegrante, Professor of Health Education and Deputy Provost of Teachers College, has been appointed editor-in-chief of Health Education & Behavior (HEB), the flagship peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE).

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091203/DC20888LOGO )

Beginning with Volume 38 in February of 2011, Allegrante will succeed Marc A. Zimmerman, of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, who has served as editor since 1998.

“We are delighted to have such a distinguished scholar assuming the leadership of Health Education & Behavior to continue the journal’s outstanding legacy,” said Diane Allensworth, SOPHE President and Associate Director of Education Partnerships in the Department of Partnerships and Strategic Alliances at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, in announcing Allegrante’s appointment. “Dr. Allegrante brings both breadth and depth of research experience in health education, public health, and medicine that promises to sustain and strengthen the journal’s premier position in behavioral science and health education.”

HEB is among the most highly cited peer-reviewed journals in the fields of public, environmental and occupational health. Allegrante, who holds a joint appointment in Department of Sociomedical Sciences at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, has had over two decades of continuous funding from the National Institutes of Health to pursue multidisciplinary behavioral research in disease self-management and health outcomes in people with chronic disease. He has produced an extensive bibliography of published papers in health education and health promotion and in clinical epidemiology and health services research.

Allegrante also is the principal editor of the anthology Derryberry’s Educating for Health: A Foundation for Contemporary Health Education Practice (Jossey-Bass, 2004), and co-author of Health (Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006), which he describes as an “action text book” on health aimed at teen-agers.

Allegrante has been a W. K. Kellogg Foundation National Fellow, a Pew Health Policy Fellow at the RAND/UCLA Center for Health Policy Study, a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Public/Global Health and a Fulbright Scholar. He has served as acting dean of the School of Public Health at Iceland’s University of Reykjavik. In 2009, he was named an International Scholar by the Open Society Institute and Soros Foundations Network. He also serves as co-chair of the Galway Consensus Conference on International Collaboration on Credentialing in Health Promotion and Health Education.

A past President and Distinguished Fellow of SOPHE, Allegrante received the Distinguished Career Award in Public Health Education and Health Promotion from the American Public Health Association in 2003. He is a Fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and member of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research and Society of Behavioral Medicine.

Founded in 1950, the Society for Public Health Education provides global leadership to the profession of health education and health promotion and promotes the health of society through advances in health education theory and research, excellence in professional preparation and practice, advocacy for public policies conducive to health, and the achievement of health equity for all
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‘Within a week I could see an improvement, it was incredible’ HEALTH WALES How a herbal remedy has helped Andrew to overcome his psoriasis

0 Comments | Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales), August 11, 2008

Byline: Greg Tindle

Just last month Andrew Panes, an engineer from Pontypridd in South Wales had excruciating psoriasis on up to 90% of his body and his latest course of treatment was making him desperately ill.

Three weeks on and his psoriasis has all but healed thanks to a little-known herbal remedy, leaving a “map mark” of where it used to be.

Andrew, 40, explains: “For the past eight years I’ve had psoriasis on up to 90% of my body; my face, arms, ears, back, chest – everywhere.

It is an incredibly uncomfortable condition and very painful.

Washing can be quite difficult and at night times the itch is simply unbearable.

“Although it’s never stopped me working I’ve been in constant discomfort which is in its worse form when I have a shower. This can be so painful it’s like the water droplets were a load of razor blades.

“At night sleeping was a problem with my constant itching and scratching.”

Andrew has no explanation why he was suddenly afflicted with the painful skin condition but has linked it to the time he got married to wife Sally-Anne in the year 2000.

“I had been perfectly healthy up to that point but the psoriasis started to flare up in the lead-up to my wedding. I can only put it down to the worry and stress of taking part in that happy day.

“Over the past eight years I’ve tried many different steroids and ointments, and UV light therapy, but nothing has worked long term. In fact my last course of treatment made me very ill. My dermatologist prescribed methotrexate, a drug ordinarily used in the treatment of cancer.

“It can help to slow the progression of psoriasis, but I suffered horrendous side-effects and came off it
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IBAM’s New Deal

Canadian Underwriter, Dec 2008 by Schioler, David

Manitoba’s insurance brokers showed their collective strength as negotiators in working out a new compensation deal with the province’s public auto insurer.

Manitoba’s 1,700 independent property and casualty insurance brokers and Manitoba Public Insurance entered into a historic accord for a new compensation model on Aug. 8, 2008. The new model is intended to support a more convenient renewal process and new product offerings for customers in the future.

MPI will introduce its Streamlined Renewal Process (SRP) in the fall of 2009. Technically, the SRP will require customers to visit a broker only once every five years. This is a marked departure from the traditional, annual visit to a broker. While some brokers felt it would be dangerous to lose the forced, annual contact with customers, others understood that performing 80% less in transactions could mean saving in the neighbourhood of 2530% in annual labour costs related to MPI work.

MPI president and CEO Marilyn McLaren contends that “the new compensation plan accommodates future business changes, while ensuring a strong and viable future for the 300-plus insurance brokers distributing products and services on MPI’s behalf.” So then, just what then was negotiated between MPI and the Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba (IBAM) ? And how and why was it done?

THE DEAL IN SUBSTANCE

The structure of the new arrangement essentially looks like this:

The Designated Broker

A “designated broker” will be established for each Manitoba registered vehicle at the first renewal upon implementation of the new SRR A broker will be assigned as the designated broker as of the last renewal prior to Nov. 1 , 2009 – i.e. a staggered introduction – carrying specific rules ensuring predictability, stability, broker competition and consumer choice. The designated broker in each case will receive annual compensation with respect to the policy’s basic, mandatory coverage over the five-year period.

The Compensation

* Implementation of a sliding scale to facilitate a transition to reduced commissions compensation received by brokers on basic, mandatory Autopac coverage – moving from the current 5% to 2.5% by 2012
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Flexible Technology Helps National Voluntary Benefits Company Streamline Its Recruiting System

Business Wire, Dec 10, 2009

Pangea for Insurance Provides Solution for Agent Onboarding Platform

CHAPIN, S.C. — Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company has implemented Pangea for
Insurance, the agent onboarding platform by General Information
Services, Inc. Colonial Life uses the system to streamline its online
agent recruiting process so new salespeople can get contracted with the
company quicker and start building their business.

The most impressive aspect of the Pangea system over the others we
reviewed was its flexibility, says Nancy Livingston, manager of sales
contracting and licensing at Colonial Life. This system gave us the
ability to configure it to meet our unique business needs. We also liked
its low cost for implementation and ongoing transactions, as well as the
fact that we didnt have to provide a lot of technical support. With the
Pangea system, weve streamlined the onboarding process tremendously for
prospective sales representatives and our contracting specialists.

Colonial Lifes selection of Pangea for Insurance validates that our
system is a flexible, low-cost solution for helping insurance companies
with the agent on-boarding process, says Kira Finn, director of Pangea
for Insurance
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Avnet Partners with Local Companies to Help Valley Military Families Reach Loved Ones Overseas

Business Wire, Dec 07, 2009

Avnet and Metro Studios Offer Free Five-Minute Video Messages to
Be Recorded for Military Friends and Families

PHOENIX — Valley military families missing their loved ones serving overseas have
an opportunity to give them a glimpse of home during the holidays,
thanks to two local companies.

For the sixth year in a row, Avnet, Inc., will collaborate with Metro
Studios to help military families record a free five-minute video
message for service men and women overseas. Videotaping will take place
on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Avnets Corporate
Headquarters in Phoenix. Time slots are open to the public but will be
scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Interested families
should email Dawn Hurrelbrink at dawn.hurrelbrink@avnet.com
to schedule a 15-minute videotaping session, which includes preparation
time as well as recording the message. Refreshments will also be served.

A five-minute video recording of a family sending a message to their
son, daughter, father, mother or whoever it may be during the holidays
can mean the world to that military service person overseas. We do this
because we want to help connect our troops with their families and to
show our appreciation for all the hard work they put in, said Al Maag,
chief communication officer for Avnet, Inc. These video recordings
create a world of joy for our troops and let them know that they are in
our thoughts every day.

Avnet is also working with the Phoenix-based charitable organization
Veteran Tickets Foundation (Vet
Tix), which gives tickets from local companies and teams to military
families to see concerts and sporting events. Vet Tix has been
supporting us this year to attract the families of our military
personnel so that we can reach as many people as possible to offer this
service, Maag added. The whole point is to provide a service to those
who are serving to protect our freedom.

Recorded in Avnets Corporate Headquarters, Metro Studios will provide a
professional video crew to ensure proper lighting and sound quality
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Express Scripts Completes Acquisition of WellPoint’s NextRx

0 Comments | U.S. Newswire, Dec 1, 2009

To: MEDICAL EDITORS

Contact: Investor Relations, Jeff Hall, Chief Financial Officer, or David Myers, Vice President, 1-314-810-3115, investor.relations@express-scripts.com, or Media, Maria Palumbo, Director, 1-314-684-6438, mpalumbo@express-scripts.com, all of Express Scripts; or Media, Cheryl Leamon, Director, 1-317-488- 6748, or Investor Relations, Michael Kleinman, Vice President, 1- 317-488-6713, both of WellPoint

ST. LOUIS and INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Express Scripts, Inc. (Nasdaq: ESRX), and WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP), announced today the closing of Express Scripts’ acquisition of WellPoint’s NextRx subsidiaries.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091201/CG18660LOGO)

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080827/ EXPRESSSCRIPTSLOGO)

The transaction includes a 10-year agreement under which Express Scripts, one of the largest pharmacy benefits management companies in North America, will provide pharmacy benefits management services, including home delivery and specialty pharmacy services, to members of the affiliated health plans of WellPoint, one of the nation’s largest health benefits companies. Express Scripts acquired the NextRx subsidiaries for $4.675 billion, which includes consideration for the value of a future tax benefit for Express Scripts based on the structure of the transaction.

“Two industry leaders have aligned in an unprecedented way to promote better health and value for millions of Americans,” said George Paz, chairman and CEO of Express Scripts. “At this pivotal moment in American healthcare, the strategic alliance opens new horizons for improving outcomes for members while driving down overall healthcare costs.”

The two companies will leverage integrated medical and pharmacy data for a more holistic view of members’ health and related behaviors. WellPoint will seek to improve the effectiveness of its unparalleled clinical competencies through the success of Consumerology(SM), Express Scripts’ powerful application of the behavioral sciences to help members make better healthcare decisions
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Squirrel spotters’ sur vey snapshot

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Dec 1, 2009

HUNDREDS of squirrel spotters have contributed to an up to date picture of the animal’s population.

The Great North Squirrel Quest, which took place during October, asked people around the region to send in their sightings to create a snapshot of where squirrels live.

A total of 450 red and grey squirrels were spotted during the 31 days, in places like gardens, woodlands and roadsides. Experts from the Save Our Squirrels (SoS) team compared the results of the 2009 survey with those from the first event in 2008 to find out how the mammals have fared over the last year.

SoS is the largest single species conservation project in the UK.

It aims to protect and conserve red squirrels in the North East by monitoring where they, and rival grey squirrels, are living.

Greys pose a major threat to the UK’s red squirrel population, which has declined sharply since greys were introduced from North America at the end of the 19th Century.

The grey squirrels are larger than reds and will compete for habitats and food. But they also carry squirrelpox, a disease deadly to reds. Because of this, numbers of red squirrels in the UK have fallen from a one time high of 3.5 million to a current estimated population of around 150,000.

General Environmental Management Announces Release of Quarterly Report

Business Wire, Dec 02, 2009

Management Provides Update on Closing of Santa Clara Waste Water and
Sale of Field Services Business as it Continues Operational Transition

POMONA, Calif. — General Environmental Management, Inc. (GEM) (OTCBB:GEVI)
announced that it has filed its 10Q Report for the quarter ended
September 30, 2009. The Form 10Q can be found at http://www.sec.gov.

Below is a brief update on the previously announced closing of the
acquisition by GEM of Santa Clara Waste Water Company, as well as the
progress made on the sale of GEM’s field services business.

According to Tim Koziol, GEM Chief Executive Officer, GEM has taken
major actions to eliminate debt, improve GEM’s balance sheet and free up
resources to focus on new, profitable markets. Those actions include: 1)
the sale of GEM Mobile Treatment Services, Inc.; 2) the acquisition of
Santa Clara Waste Water Company (SCWW), a profitable, 50-year-old
wastewater treatment business; and, most recently 3) the execution of a
definitive agreement to sell the field services business unit for $14
million in cash plus the assumption of $1.1 million of long-term lease
obligations. The net cash proceeds from the transaction will be used by
GEM to retire senior debt and to pursue its strategy in the water
treatment and waste-to-energy markets. Total reduction in indebtedness
to GEMs senior lender could amount to more than $9 million.

Taken together, these strategic moves have created a foundation for GEM
to take advantage of opportunities that we believe will lead to
profitability and positive cash flow in the coming year, said Koziol.
Our shareholders should look at the current quarterly report as a
reflection of a work in progress. Our intention is to continue to focus
on higher margin business opportunities in the water treatment and
waste-to-energy markets in order to maximize shareholder value of our
companys stock. We are very pleased with the progress and advancements
the company has made the past few months, especially when considering
the difficult economic environment.

Koziol added, In regards to the sale of our field services business, we
have reached an agreement with Luntz Acquisition (Delaware), LLC, a
subsidiary of PSC Environmental Services, LLC, to sell General
Environmental Management, Inc. (DE) and its subsidiaries, which include
five service centers, the TSDF of GEM Rancho Cordova LLC, and the Island
Environmental Services business. The final purchase price will be
subject to an adjustment based on the computation of net working capital
at closing. We have agreed upon a closing date on or prior to March 1,
2010, subject to the approval of GEMs shareholders. He further stated,
Concluding the sale of our field services business will result in a
dramatic improvement of our balance sheet, and will result in a lean
business that will put profitability and cash generation as the top
priorities. We firmly believe our hard work will pay off once weve
fully transitioned to the faster-growing water treatment and
waste-to-energy markets. After the foundation is laid, we will focus our
efforts on building a regional and then national presence.

General Environmental Management Inc. (OTCBB:GEVI)
also reminds the investment community that it will be hosting its
first-ever investor conference call TODAY, December 2, at 4:30
EST / 1:30 PST. After prepared remarks and presentation of the operating
results, the call will be open to questions and answers. During the
earnings call General Environmental Management, Inc
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Solicitor is latest new face

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), Dec 10, 2009

ROAD traffic accident specialist firm Winn Solicitors have appointed a new solicitor to their team.

Emily Sunderland has more than 10 years of legal experience and will be handling road traffic accident and accident-at-work claims.

Before joining the firm, she worked at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors in Newcastle.

Emily gained her law degree from Liverpool John Moores University and went on to complete her legal practice course at Northumbria University in 1999.

Emily qualified fully as a solicitor in 2001 after finishing her training at Browell Smith & Co.

She said: “After a number of years working in the legal sector specialising in personal injury law, I am delighted to have joined Winn Solicitors – a fast-moving, progressive law firm with an outstanding reputation for client care.”

Winn Solicitors have had a successful year after winning the award for Claims Management Company of the Year 2009 at The Personal Injury Awards and they have also been shortlisted for Service Provider of the Year by the Insurance Times Awards. The company has taken on more than 60 new employees this year and has plans in place to expand their extensive office to accommodate new staff next year.

CAPTION(S):

LEGAL EXPERT – Emily Sunderland has joined the expanding team at Winn Solicitors. She will be handling road traffic accident and accident-at-work claims.