Kit Menkin’s Leasing News

www.leasingnews.org   Friday,  October 4, 2002

Accurate, fair and unbiased news for the equipment Leasing Industry

Thursday’s Leasing News posted www.leasingnews.org  at 9:33am PDT

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                           Please Return to old Format---

 

  Kit: No big deal, but I really like it better with the Headlines at the very top.

 

 Barry S. Marks,Esq.

  bmarks@blik.com

 

 (Thank you for your advice, Barry. Will do. Monday—Headlines back to the top of the page. I always listen to you, and Joe Bonanno, upon who’s advise

we print our policy in every edition. Editor)

 

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Leasing News—Presents ---Two Workshops at UAEL Conference, San Diego

Tomorrow, October 5,2002 (Walk In Day Registrations Accepted)

    

      Kit Menkin along with Bob Rodi, CLP----

      moderator                sergeant-at-arms

 

                       

          Top Gun "Sales Managers"

 

Richard Baccaro

Brad Kissler 

Mark McQuitty

 

          Top Gun "Sales Men"

 

Jim Raeder

Ignacio Sanchez 

Richard Shapiro

Tony Sherwin

Eric Sidebotham

 

Moderator: Christopher “Kit”  Menkin, editor/publisher, Leasing News

 

Sergeant-at-Arms: Robert “Bob” Rodi, CLP, President, LeaseNow, Leasing News Advisory Director,.Internet  Guru, Software Inventor, Semi-Professional Wrestler

(ex-Baltimore cop---tough guy Supreme---also learned a thing or two as

president of UAEL and being in the leasing business for 25 years.)

 

 

Full UAEL Conference Brochure

http://www.uael.org/events/fall/UAEL_FallConfBro_2002.pdf

 

Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina  

 1380 Harbor Island Drive San Diego, California 92101 United States

Phone (619) 291-2900 Fax (619) 692-2337

 

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Headlines----

 

          Picture from the Past—Jim Swander, CLP

           Classified Ads—Help Wanted

                Microsoft Enters Leasing Fray    by Christopher Menkin

                       Kuwait Leasing Club NOT a joke

                           Mortgage Rates edge higher this week

   Sorry Virginia! Santa Claus got held up by the West Coast ports

    History of West Coast Port Strikes---from Seattle History Link

      Former millionaire (leasing executive) could be deported over tax conviction

            Equipment Leasing Association Newsletter Highlights

              Conseco's Troubles Outlast Reign of a Would-Be Savior

                Majority of PayPal shareholders approve eBay merger

                         Latest Economic Wrap-Up

                            Fans should give credit to Mariucci?          

 

 

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please send to a friend, as we are trying to build our readership.

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Pictures from the Past

1990

Jim Swander, CLP

Hathaway Capital, Mokteo,Washington

Formerly with Duane Russell at RS Leasing,

Santa Clara, California, and then it became

RSN Leasing, eventually owned by Stan Nathanson when

both Russell and Swander sold their shares to him..

“No longer with Hathaway.  This has been a crazy year, but still reading your updates.  I'm selling equipment now, but that's slow as the economy in the NW is still slower than the rest of the country.”

Jim


  

 

Classified Ads---Help Wanted

 

Contract Administrator: Fort Lauderdale, FL        "EAEL"

Contract/Document Administrator with leasing/ financing experience, small ticket credit helpful,able to work well with sales people, for growing fast paced company. Email:dstewart@performance-capital.com

 

 

Sales: Detroit   UAEL

In search for experienced Small Ticket sales reps in MI.

Base + commission.  Contact us for further information and for candidate

email: emilyfitzpatrick@bellsouth.net

services offered.

 

Sales: Minneapolis, MN       "NAELB"

Establishing nationwide regional territories. Vendor/end user experience required. Mini- ticket, small-ticket & lower, middle market programs. Negotiable pay plan. Email:summitfunding@msn.com

 

 

  for full list, please go here:

 

http://65.209.205.32/LeasingNews/JobPostingsWanted.htm

 

 

Microsoft Enters Leasing Fray

 

Rumor  Has It : May use CapitalStream for Processing Applications

 

By Christopher Menkin

 

Bouyed by the success of HP Financial, Microsoft Capital promises low interest loans

and leases, incluing offering up to $150,000 at 0% interest for 24 months on certain purchases. Another program - originally a $25,000 credit line for computer builders - was expanded to $150,000.

 

Due to the dollar amount of its software, Microsoft has not entertaining financing

until recently, seeing a better rate of return on their "cash" and increased sales

to their parent corporation.

 

In September, Micosoft began promoting a vendor financing plan, aimed at small businesses with a interest-free for 90 days to purchase Microsoft software, as well as related computer hardware, technical services and non- Microsoft software.

 

The promotion targeted customers of Microsoft's Business Solutions division, which sells the recently acquired Great Plains and Navision products. The minimum loan is $10,000 and there's no maximum.

 

"If the customer is creditworthy we will do the deal. We've gotten applications over $1 million, but the average is about $100,000," says Jeff Edwards, director of product management at the Business Solutions division.

 

Many leasing companies and Banks are often hesitant to finance software purchases or technical services because, training or other "soft costs."  Often the limit is ten percent of the sale.  There are leasing companies who do software leasing but at a premium rate and others who do 100% software but require top credit and a vendor profile to insure maintenance and service.

 

By balancing the margins Microsoft makes on its software with the cost of the financing offer, Edwards says Microsoft can manage its risks and cover the cost of its capital even with zero-interest offers. "It's a major new strategy for us," he says.

 

Microsoft has recently introduced other financing programs. This week it began extending credit lines up to $150,000 to small U.S. companies that build and sell computers with Microsoft software. It is a similar program to HP Financial ( which merged with Compaq Financial when the parents merged. ) The program, introduced in April 2001 as Microsoft prepared for the launch of Windows XP, lets computer builders borrow money to purchase Microsoft software, which they would install on computers sold to customers.

 

 

The entrance into the equipment/software leasing market appears will definitely boost software sales at a time when PC shipments are weak and spending on new technology remains depressed, analysts say. They also come at a time when Microsoft has made a concerted push into the small- business market, where financing deals are more common.

 

These tailored programs account for a fraction of Microsoft's current business. "It's not like they are going to finance PCs for the world," says Rick Sherlund, software analyst at Goldman Sachs. He recommends purchase of Microsoft shares and doesn't own the stock. "This is an effort to facilitate the purchase of Microsoft software for the small- and mid-sized company market."

 

The push into the financing business is also an effort by the software giant to find a use for its more than $50 billion in cash and equivalents, something investors and analysts have called upon the company to do.

 

Despite potential bad debt risks, a financing program is a profitable way for Microsoft to deploy some of its cash, analysts say. More importantly, vendor financing could help Microsoft compete with the likes of International Business Machines Corp., which has used financing extensively to sell a broad range of products and services, as well as Hewett-Packard, Dell, and Gateway,

to name a few.

 

"Financing has proved an important tool for IBM," wrote George Gilbert, software analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston, in an August research report. Gilbert rates Microsoft stock at outperform and doesn't own the shares. "With financing (Microsoft) could offer end-to-end solutions through its partners and pioneer a new channel for small and medium enterprises."

 

Microsoft is entering the financing business at a time when others are exiting it or have had to take large charges for bad debt expenses. Xerox, a big provider of equipment financing, is outsourcing its financing program to lighten its debt load and reduce risk.  Tyco International divested itself of the CIT Group and  even

the giant GE has come under scrutiny because of their complex financing arms.

 

While Microsoft has an enviable balance sheet, it is assuming risks by lending out its money. It has taken steps to mitigate potential liabilities. It has hired a handful of former bankers to run Microsoft Capital under the direction of Chief Financial Officer John Connors, one analyst said. Microsoft will focus on financing software purchases and avoid unrelated markets. It has partnered with Household International Inc. (HI), a large provider of consumer loans and credit cards, to screen applicants, make credit decisions and handle customer billing. It is rumor

an announcement with CapitalStream, located in its home state and with a proven track record, will be made shortly.  Recently this company was rated very highly

by Deloitte and Touche in Washington State Technology Fast 50 winners.

 

http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/Sept2002/9-30-02.htm#capitalstream

 

Vendor financing is not entirely unknown in the software business - many companies let customers stretch out payments or lease products. For example, Oracle Corp. sold 14% of its software licenses through its financing division last quarter. But Oracle and most other vendors typically sell their loans to banks, finance and leasing companies.. Microsoft is putting its own money on the line.

Many are saying, “Look out, GE, you finally have competition.”

 

Analysts aren't overly concerned about the downside to Microsoft Capital.. In addition to more than $50 billion in its treasury, Microsoft generates about $1 billion in free cash flow every month, notes Goldman's Sherlund. "I would not suspect they would have to dip into their existing cash balance" to fund these programs, he says.

 

The New York Times recently reported that more than any other time in its 27-year history, the personal computer industry has found itself in a quandary, having to concoct new reasons to persuade the world's 500 million PC owners to replace their existing machines. And the problem goes beyond the computer makers themselves: no new computer generally means no new copy of Microsoft Windows sold, no upgrades to word processing or spreadsheet programs.

 

Computer and chip manufacturers have long used advances in speed as a central point to sell new computers. To be sure, such marketing will still appeal to people who edit video or process complex photographic images, for example, or make calculations with large masses of data, or play video games on the PC. They still see big benefits when they upgrade to faster chips for their processor-intensive tasks.

 

But even some of them are having second thoughts. Norman H. Nie, a political scientist at Stanford who has long thought of himself as a PC power user, was the co-inventor of a widely used and computer-power-hungry software program known as the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. For more than three decades the software has taxed the power of first mainframes, then minicomputers and finally PC's.

 

Dr. Nie has always acquired new, more powerful computers as they became available. But he was stunned not long ago to discover that his faster new computer did not improve the speed of his software. He predicted that for many people, the upgrade cycle might be ending.

 

"We're beginning to see a time where — except for the third world — the replacement cycle for computers looks like Detroit," where the desire for a new car every year yielded to a slower turnover, he said.

 

That new attitude is shown clearly in a recent national opinion survey by Odyssey Ventures, a San Francisco market research firm. Among households with PC's, the intention to buy a new computer in the next six months has fallen to just 11 percent from 21 percent in early 2000 and the lowest level in five years. And half of PC owners now have home computers that are at least two years old — more than at any time since 1994, when Odyssey began keeping track. The pace of upgrades is crucial because, according to the Gartner market research organization, they account for 80 to 85 percent of new computer sales.

 

"We've come to a plateau," said Nicholas Donatiello Jr., the chief executive of Odyssey, "What we're seeing is there are other digital needs in the home, and people may be spending money around the TV rather than the PC."

 

The computer industry's boosters insist that growth has leveled off before and that slumps have been only temporary. Each time the PC business has appeared to run out of steam in the past it has been revived by an burst of software creativity — from the spreadsheet to video games to the Internet — that has attracted millions of first-time buyers followed by successive waves of up graders.

 

There is no doubt Microsoft Capital will make its  major mark in the leasing industry, perhaps almost as significant as when it introduced its internet browser.

At the time, Netscape had 85% of the market share.  Today the opposite is true.

 

 Leasing News was unable to confirm that the company is taking "private label" leases or accepting lease brokerage business at this time.

 

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Kuwait Leasing Club NOT a joke

 

http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/October2002/10-2-2002.htm#rahim

 

“This was a legitimate inquiry by Mr. Mohammad of A'Ayan Leasing. I lectured

at the Mid East Forum this May in Kuwait (sponsored by A'Ayan Leasing and

the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce), met the senior management team of A'Ayan

Leasing and did some training with them (along with Jeff Taylor) regarding

pricing and operating leasing. A'Ayan Leasing is majority owned by the

Kuwait Finance House, one of the largest financial institutions in Kuwait

and highly regarded. As Mr. Mohammad stated in his e-mail, A'Ayan is

interested in promoting leasing throughout the Gulf States and is taking a

number of steps to educate both members of the industry and governmental

authorities of the benefits of leasing as a methodology of capital financing

.

Robert Sammis

Sammis & Associates

rsammis@msn.com

 

(Mr. Sammis  formerly was  Executive Vice President of GATX

Capital prior to his retirement in January having worked in the industry for

26 years, been an active member of the ELA and past Chairman of both the ELA

Global Committee and the ELA Equipment Committee.

 

 

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Mortgage Rates edge higher this week

 

By Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) Rates on 30-year mortgages edged up this week but hovered near the lowest level on record, which was reached last week.

 

In a nationwide survey released Thursday, Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, reported that the average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.01 percent this week. That was up from to 5.99 percent last week, which marked the lowest level since Freddie Mac began tracking 30-year mortgage rates in 1971.

 

Last week's rate surpassed the previous low of 6.05 percent set last week and marked the fifth time this year that 30-year rates hit record lows.

 

Mortgage rates have been falling amid a spotty economic recovery and a turbulent stock market that has sent investors to the bond market, helping to push long-term rates down.

 

Low mortgage rates are feeding a boom in mortgage refinancing. Savings or extra cash coming out of refinancing deals is helping to support consumer spending, including home buying, amid uncertain economic times and eroding consumer confidence.

 

''Low mortgage rates should reinforce the growth in housing and mortgage markets, spurring additional home sales and refinancings,'' said Freddie Mac's chief economist Frank Nothaft.

 

The Mortgage Bankers Association of America reported Wednesday that mortgage loan applications reached a record level last week. Refinancing activity accounted for 76.9 percent of total applications last week, up from 74.8 percent in the previous week.

 

Rates for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, a popular option or refinancing, dipped to 5.40 percent this week, the lowest level since Freddie Mac began tracking these rates in August of 1991. Last week, 15-year mortgages averaged 5.41 percent.

 

For one-year adjustable-rate mortgages, rates rose to 4.29 percent, up from 4.22 percent last week.

 

This week's mortgage rates do not include add-on fees known as points. Each loan type carried an average 0.5 point fee this week.

 

A year ago, 30-year mortgages averaged 6.64 percent, 15-year mortgages were 6.11 percent and one-year ARMS stood at 5.34 percent

 

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Sorry Virginia! Santa Claus got held up by the West Coast ports

 

by René Tankersley, feature editor

  Landline Magazine

 ( The Official Publication of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers

       Association)

 

While the dockworkers' union and port management stare each other down in a stalemate over technology and job security, the U.S. economy and trucking industry loses more each day the ports remain closed. Who will blink first - the dockworkers' union or management?

 

The Pacific Maritime Association closed the ports Sunday, locking out the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in response to union work slowdowns. Now, the PMA refuses to reopen the ports unless the ILWU agrees to extend their expired contract while negotiations continue. But, the ILWU won't budge until management reopens the port.

 

In the meantime, trucks loaded with fresh produce and other exports wait in a holding pen with no hope of being unloaded any time soon. Retailers are calling on President George W. Bush to take immediate action to reopen the West Coast ports, warning the shutdown could lead to retail store closings, layoffs and shortages of consumer products during the holiday shopping season. And, the national economy loses $1 billion dollars each day the ports are closed, according to research by the University of California Berkley.

 

The National Retail Federation President and CEO Tracy Mullin wrote a letter to the president, asking for his intervention to reopen the ports. "With the retail industry and consumer spending largely propping up a weak economy, the inability to get goods off the ships will quickly result in idling of distribution centers, closure of stores and layoffs of workers," Mullin wrote. "U.S. consumers will also quickly see an impact as goods become unavailable and prices rise."

 

____________________________________________________________

 

History of West Coast Port Strikes---from Seattle History Link

 

http://www.historylink.org/

 

___________________________________________________

 

 

 

Former millionaire ( leasing executive) could be deported over tax conviction

 

  (Guardian Capital. Tanner reportedly owns Guardian Capital, Guardian Shield, Guardian Holdings and the Guardian Group, many leases with the now

 bankrupt Commercial Money Center)

 

By Patricia Orwen and Dale Brazao

Tronoto Star Staff Reporters

 

 

 

The failure by police agencies to record a conviction for income tax evasion did not absolve a former Brampton millionaire(  president of Guardian Financial Services, USA) of his obligation to tell the federal parole board about it when he applied for a pardon.

 

That's what a justice department lawyer told a Federal Court of Canada judge in Toronto in a case that may trigger Blaine Tanner's deportation from the United States.

 

Tanner, once considered one of Ontario's worst deadbeat dads, received a pardon from the National Parole Board in June, 1999 for criminal offences that included break and enter, fraud and making a false statement.

 

But he neglected to tell the board about a 1993 conviction in Brampton for income tax evasion. His guilty plea, arising out of fraudulent claims for some $1.3 million in federal tax credits, was not entered in the RCMP's central computer.

 

The parole board revoked Tanner's pardon in August, 2000, saying he obtained it under false pretenses by not disclosing the conviction. And the fact that he hadn't paid the $100,000 fine levied at the time made him ineligible to apply for the pardon in the first place.

 

"An administrative error on the part of the police forces" did not "relieve the applicant of his obligation to tell the parole board about all his convictions," justice department lawyer Charleen Brenzall told Mr. Justice John O'Keefe yesterday.

 

But Tanner's lawyer, Brian Greenspan, argued that the parole board member who revoked Tanner's pardon had acted in a "capricious and unreasonable" manner in not accepting his explanation that he didn't know he had to include it in his application because it wasn't on a criminal record he'd obtained from the RCMP.

 

Tanner, 49, did not attend court. But the outcome of the hearing could be crucial to him. He has lived in Cleveland since 1997, when he married prominent civil rights lawyer Ellen Simon, and anyone who enters the United States and is later found to have a criminal record in another jurisdiction could be at risk of deportation, U.S. immigration officials say.

 

American and Canadian authorities began looking at Tanner after a Star investigation on deadbeat dads two years ago disclosed how the entrepreneur had obtained a pardon without having paid his $100,000 fine.

 

At the time, Tanner was involved in a bitter legal fight with his former wife, Pamela Tanner, over his failure to pay any support for their three children, two of whom are so severely disabled the family qualified for provincial disability benefits. Tanner, who was under a 1991 court order to pay $4,000 a month in support to his three children, hadn't paid a penny until after The Star published its investigation.

 

Both Greenspan and Brenzall agreed on one point in this case — something went wrong in that Tanner's 1993 conviction was not entered into the RCMP computer. "It was clearly some sort of glitch," Brenzall told reporters after the hearing.

 

Justice officials say revocation of a pardon is a rare occurrence. Of the 16,645 pardons granted in 2001-02, only 20 have been revoked. Most are the result of someone reoffending.

 

_______________________________________________________________________

 

Equipment Leasing Association Newsletter Highlights

 

  • FASB-Industry Discussions Reveal More About SPEs
  • ELA Urges Treasury To Make The Mid-Quarter Depreciation Convention
  • 30% Bonus Depreciation Syndication Problem expected to be Addressed In Legislation
  • .    ELA Calendar of Events

 

LIST THEM---

 

********************************

ELT E-Leasing Newsletter 10/3/02

********************************

The Equipment Leasing Today E-Leasing Newsletter is published every Thursday and is sponsored by the Equipment Leasing Association and its co-sponsor. To get Full-Text Stories, go to the web page associated with the story you wish to read. The links to news stories require an ELA MEMBERS-ONLY NAME AND PASSWORD. To receive a password, please go to http://www.elaonline.com/memberDir/Profile/IndivForm.cfm

 

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*Covering all 50 states and Canada *Fastest turn around *24 hour

reporting via Web *Highest resale prices Call Nassau now for a complete

assessment of your needs!!! http://www.nasset.com

 

******************************

2.       FASB-Industry Discussions Reveal More About SPEs

******************************

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) met on September 29, 2002 in two 3-hour roundtable sessions with invited participants to discuss the proposed Interpretation for Consolidation of Special Purpose Entities. The guests represented a spectrum of industry, banking and financial concerns. Moderated by Ed Trott, member of the Board responsible for the project, the meeting allowed participants to voice issues in their comment letters and the Board to pose questions about various attributes of the Exposure Draft.

The "information-gathering" session didn't yield much new information nor was it the Board's intent to reach any conclusions during the session. However, the meeting was invaluable to ascertain which way the wind was blowing - both from remarks made by Board members as well as body language. The session confirmed the direction the Board headed in its most recent meetings on September 11 and September 25, that is, that the scope exception in paragraph 8(c) (SPEs consolidated into substantive entities) is in jeopardy and that the recognition of "virtual" SPEs within substantive entities is gaining support. Both issues threaten many leasing transactions with substantive lessors whether or not an SPE is used.

 

SEC Weighs In. Probably the most telling comments of the day, however, were closing remarks in both the morning and afternoon sessions by Jackson Day, deputy chief accountant of the SEC. Mr. Day strongly urged that the Interpretation be issued by year end and effective second quarter 2003 as proposed. Clearly, the SEC has put FASB on notice - the Interpretation must get done, and done soon.

 

SOE Carveout and Virtual SPEs. The Big Four accounting representatives plus Grant Thornton had significant airtime to express their views on many matters that touch on leasing. Consistent with their comment letters, the public accountants spoke plainly concerning "rent a balance sheet" effects of the 8(c) scope exception and the need to view segregation of assets and liabilities without a corporate shell as an SPE ("virtual" SPEs). Themes such as controlling financial interests and consolidation of entities by an SOE with control over meaningful decisions were heard throughout the day. Does having the variable interests mean you have control? Can there be a presumption that the party who has the greatest risk of loss and reward must de facto have control over the asset? What's the legal distinction with and without the use of a corporate shell?

 

Leasing Issues. Leasing interests were also represented.  These representatives spoke most actively about the scope exception and virtual SPEs, and the disturbing results of the variable interest model in the credit tenant lease market. One suggested that the scope exception be subject to current GAAP requirements (i.e., EITF 90-15 and 96-21). Q&A revealed that the Board often isn't familiar with leasing practice (i.e., lessees under true leases normally don't guaranty residuals). Ed Trott denied that the ED effectively amended lease accounting, stating that there is no conflict between Statement 13 and the Interpretation. An ELA Financial Accounting Committee member observed, "There is a sense that the mere existence of synthetic leases is creating an obstacle to constructive discussion which might lead to a positive outcome for the leasing industry in the Interpretation."

 

Securitization and the Fed. The comment letter sent by the Federal Reserve last week weighed heavily in to the proceedings. The Fed argued that consolidation of conduits, CDOs and the like would cause a massive regulatory capital problem. FASB is listening carefully to this argument. The scope exception for QSPEs also plays into the discussion since the Board has to respect and work around the precedent of Statement 140. As a result, the heavily represented securitization/CDO/derivatives interests got substantial air time.  While this constituency may have walked away unsatisfied, the Board is listening, clearly trying to see if these interests can be accommodated. Some suggestions included moving to consolidation of SPEs only when a party holds a majority of the variable interests; this might create more breathing space plus allow the Board to eliminate the concept of a financial SPE.

 

Effective date and transition were discussed with some good suggestions from industry to help manage implementation, but the Board voiced opposition to any changes from the draft, consistent with the SEC's urging.

 

The Board is expected to have further discussion of this matter as it redeliberates the Interpretation. The ELA is in the process of setting up a meeting with the Board and staff over the next few weeks regarding leasing practice and the use of SPEs.  Stay tuned.

 

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3.       ELA Urges Treasury To Make The Mid-Quarter Depreciation Convention (60/40 Rule) An "Election" For 2002

******************************

Yesterday, an ELA delegation led by ELA Vice Chairman, Ed Dahlka (LaSalle), met with a group of high-ranking Treasury Department officials and urged Treasury to unilaterally take immediate administrative action, which would allow taxpayers to elect not to apply the mid-quarter convention for property placed in service during the fourth quarter of 2002. The ELA group, which also included ELA President, Mike Fleming and ELA Vice President, Steve Fier, explained that as a result of the slumping economy, many taxpayers have encountered difficulty completing the acquisition of equipment in accordance with plans developed earlier in the year when economic growth projections were more positive. They also pointed out that those who do go forward and acquire equipment will pay a premium as there will be less funding sources available if the election is not made available. Last year, following the tragic events of 9/11, Treasury issued Notice 2001-70 allowing for such an election at ELA's request. While urging Treasury to act immediately on its request, the ELA representatives also urged the Treasury officials to support the Association's efforts to have the mid-quarter convention repealed.

 

 

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4.       30% Bonus Depreciation Syndication Problem expected to be Addressed In Legislation

******************************

According to ELA Vice President, Steve Fier, it appears that the key tax staff on Capitol Hill has agreed to address a problem with the bonus depreciation provision brought to their attention by ELA back in June. The fix is expected to be included in what is called a "technical corrections" bill. As enacted into law earlier this year, the 30% bonus depreciation provision does not facilitate the syndication of lease transactions. If an underwriter or syndicator closes a transaction, either a direct lease or sale and leaseback within the 3-month statutory window, and then sells a portion of the transaction to another lessor, neither the syndicator nor the purchaser is entitled to the 30% bonus. While Hill staff is keeping the technical corrections bill under wraps, Fier is hopeful that it will contain a provision that will allow a syndicator a period of up to 3 months to syndicate a transaction by treating qualifying bonus depreciation property as originally placed in service by the person purchasing from the syndicator. The legislation is expected to be introduced soon and would be retroactive to the original date of enactment of the 30% bonus provision. However, Fier cautions that with so few days left on the legislative calendar, it is unclear how or exactly when the sponsors of the bill will move the legislation. "But," Fier said, "the introduction of the bill may be sufficient to allow Treasury to take administrative action consistent with the language of the legislation pending enactment".

 

 

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******************************

15.    ELA Calendar of Events

******************************

Please visit ELA's 2002 Calendar of Events online at

http://www.elaonline.com/events/year2002.htm

 

If you have any questions about ELA conferences and workshops, please contact

Lesley Sterling at lsterling@elamail.com

 

October 7-9, 2002 

Principles of Leasing Workshop

Hilton Northbrook, Northbrook, IL

http://www.elaonline.com/events/2002/principles/

 

October 9, 2002 

Credit Scoring and Decision Automation in the Leasing Industry

A Practical Overview of Scoring in the Leasing Industry

Philadelphia Courtyard Marriott ~ Philadelphia, PA

http://www.elaonline.com/events/2002/credscore/

 

October 13-15, 2002

41st Annual Convention

San Francisco Marriott, San Francisco, CA

http://www.elaonline.com/events/2002/AnnConv/

 

November 7, 2002

MAEL 20th Annual Dinner Meeting

Westin O'Hare, Chicago, IL

http://www.mael.org/members/news.asp

 

December 2-4, 2002

Principles of Leasing Workshop

Embassy Suites, LaJolla, CA

http://www.elaonline.com/events/2002/principles/

 

December 9-11, 2002

Principles of Leasing Workshop

Philadelphia Marriott, Philadelphia, PA

http://www.elaonline.com/events/2002/principles/

 

For more information on the events listed below, or to view ELA's entire

calendar, visit the ELA Conference & Training Home Page at

http://www.elaonline.com/events/ and click on the links to programs of interest

to you.

 

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Conseco's Troubles Outlast Reign of a Would-Be Savior

 

By FLOYD NORRIS and JOSEPH B. TREASTER

New York Times

 

 

Gary C. Wendt, the former General Electric executive who was hailed as a savior when he was hired to run Conseco, announced yesterday that he was stepping down as chief executive of the troubled financial services company. He said he would stay on as chairman, however.

 

Conseco did not name a new chief executive, but said that William J. Shea, the president and chief operating officer, would be in charge of the company's negotiations with creditors to restructure its $6 billion in debt.

 

Mr. Wendt's tenure as Conseco's chief executive lasted a little more than two

years. Having gained a reputation as an outstanding financial executive when he ran GE Capital, Mr. Wendt's hiring cheered investors in 2000, even though his contract was among the most valuable ever given to a new chief executive. The stock price leaped almost 50 percent, to $11.38, on news of his hiring, and it climbed above $20 in the spring of 2001 as Mr. Wendt issued a series of reports to investors that were usually folksy and always upbeat.

 

But in the end he could not turn Conseco around. The insurance company had been built up by Steven C. Hilbert, who was ousted by the board when Conseco ran into trouble after its acquisition of Green Tree Financial, which specialized in the financing of manufactured housing.

 

Shares of Conseco closed at 7 cents yesterday, up one-tenth of a penny. Colin Devine, an analyst for Salomon Smith Barney and a longtime critic of the company, said he expected Conseco to have to file for bankruptcy protection.

 

Mr. Wendt, however, was as upbeat as ever in the announcement of the management change: "Our day-to-day operations are in the hands of strong, capable leaders. Our management team, and in particular our business unit leaders, are doing an exemplary job. We have great confidence in them to keep the ship on course."

 

Mr. Shea joined Conseco just over a year ago, having previously been vice chairman and chief financial officer of BankBoston and vice chairman of the Coopers & Lybrand accounting firm.

 

When Mr. Wendt joined Conseco, he was given a $45 million signing bonus, along with a promise of a bonus of $8 million to $20 million this year, depending on the share price. He wound up getting the $8 million. Conseco also bought an annuity for him that will pay $1.5 million a year when he turns 65 in March 2007. That annuity, which will continue paying Mr. Wendt and his wife until they both die, probably cost at least $22 million, Mr. Devine said.

 

Mr. Wendt has quarreled with descriptions of his compensation as generous, arguing that it merely repaid him for some of the retirement benefits from G.E. that he forfeited by taking the Conseco job.

 

While the company said yesterday it still hoped to reach an agreement with its debtors, Mr. Devine said bankruptcy was almost a certainty for Conseco by the end of the year.

 

"They're not going to make it," he said. "They have $6.5 billion in debt, and we don't think the company can be liquidated for even $2 billion."

 

Besides its big finance company, Conseco operates 15 insurance subsidiaries around the country mostly dealing in life insurance, annuities and supplemental health insurance. According to A. M. Best & Company, Conseco is the 26th- largest life insurer in the country.

 

Insurance regulators in several states have been closely monitoring Conseco's financial woes. Mr. Devine said that regulators would probably take control of the insurance operation if the company files for bankruptcy protection.

 

Insurance customers should "eventually be made whole," he said, but if regulators seized the insurance units, it might take as much as eight years for policyholders to receive their money.

 

As for investors in Conseco, Mr. Devine predicted "bondholders will get some percentage of their money and equity holders will get nothing."

 

Mark Lubbers, a Conseco spokesman, said that Mr. Wendt would give up his $1 million annual salary and take the $50,000 annual pay for outside directors.

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Majority of PayPal shareholders approve eBay merger

 

By Bob Porterfield

ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

PALO ALTO – PayPal Inc. shareholders approved a $1.3 billion merger with eBay on Thursday, brushing aside legal challenges to the deal with the online auction giant.

 

A majority of the company's 61.6 million outstanding shares were voted in favor, and no one at the sparsely attended meeting voiced the objections raised in lawsuits over the share price and patent infringement allegations.

 

The all-stock acquisition gives eBay control of the Internet's largest purveyor of online payment services between individuals and businesses. When the deal closes later this year, PayPal insiders will collectively reap, on paper, nearly $600 million.

 

For eBay, the acquisition should fatten an already bulging bottom line. About two-thirds of PayPal revenues come from fees generated by eBay auction transactions. PayPal has some 20 million registered users, including 3.7 million business accounts. Since 1999, PayPal says it has moved an estimated $10 billion through the online service.

 

Under terms of the merger agreement announced last July, PayPal shareholders will receive 0.39 shares of eBay stock for every share of PayPal. EBay's offer valued PayPal at $23.61 per share on the day of the announcement, a price touted by both companies as an 18 percent premium above PayPal's market value before the merger was announced.

 

Based on eBay's close Wednesday, PayPal stockholders would receive $20.79 per share. EBay closed Wednesday at $53.30, while PayPal closed at $20.75.

 

In trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market, PayPal shares fell 53 cents Thursday to close at $20.22 while eBay shares fell $1.40 to $51.90.

 

If eBay stock remains near its current level, former PayPal CEO Elon R. Musk will receive nearly $148 million worth of eBay stock, while Michael Moritz, a director, and his investment firm, Sequoia Capital, will collect about $111 million. PayPal CEO Peter A. Thiel will reap nearly $58 million and the company's chief technology officer, Max R. Levchin, stands to make $36 million.

 

Their big payday was the catalyst for at least six shareholder suits filed in Delaware and California seeking to halt the merger. Plaintiffs in those cases claim the eBay offer was inadequate and they should receive more. The California cases have been placed on hold pending a decision in the Delaware courts.

 

On another legal front, Bank One Corp., the nation's third largest credit card company, sued PayPal in Delaware on Sept. 6 alleging infringement of its patents on an electronic payment system.

 

The merger may put eBay into competition with itself for awhile since one of PayPal's major competitors is Billpoint, an eBay subsidiary that processes credit card payments for online purchases. Analysts believe eBay will eventually fold Billpoint into PayPal's operations.

 

 

Latest Economic Wrap-Up

 

By Jeannine Aversa

ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

 

WASHINGTON – New claims for jobless benefits rose last week, highlighting the difficulties workers and companies are facing as the economy struggles to return to full health.

 

For the work week ending Sept. 28, new applications for unemployment insurance climbed by a seasonally adjusted 5,000 to 417,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The increase was slightly larger than analysts were predicting and followed a drop of 18,000 in the prior week.

 

For six weeks straight, new claims for unemployment benefits have been above the 400,000 mark, a level associated with a stagnant job market.

 

"The claims data thus point to a marked deterioration in job conditions in late summer – but the deterioration so far is not cascading as it would do in a recession," said Maury Harris, chief economist at UBS Warburg.

 

Separately, the Commerce Department reported that orders to U.S. factories were flat in August, after jumping by 4.4 percent in July. While the performance was better than the decline in orders forecast by analysts, a more forward-looking report released this week suggested that manufacturing is stalling.

 

A third report Thursday showed activity in the service sector grew at a faster than expected pace in September, providing a dose of good news for the economy.

 

The Institute for Supply Management said its nonmanufacturing index, which mostly includes businesses in the service sector, rose to 53.9 in September from 50.9 in August. Analysts were expecting a reading of 52. A reading higher than 50 signifies growth; a reading under 50 indicates a contraction.

 

"The solid bounce ... provides some hope that the economy really is not turning south," said economist Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors.

 

Nonetheless, the overall labor picture looks weak.

 

The more stable four-week moving average of new jobless claims, which smooths out weekly fluctuations, rose last week to 423,000, the highest level since early May.

 

The number of unemployed people still collecting unemployment benefits increased to 3.68 million for the work week ending Sept. 21, the most recent period for which the information is available. That is the highest level since the middle of June and suggests that not a lot of hiring is going on.

 

Because profits took a hit during last year's recession and are still hurting, companies have been reluctant to make big commitments in capital spending and in hiring, factors restraining the economy's recovery. Economic uncertainties, including worries about a possible war with Iraq, are weighing heavily on businesses, economists said.

 

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 38 points to close at 7,717.61.

 

The unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in August and many economists believe it climbed to 5.9 percent in September as companies sought to control costs and keep their work forces lean. The government was releasing September's employment report Friday.

 

Some economists believe that job growth for the month will be a mediocre 20,000. But others are predicting that businesses will actually cut around 25,000 jobs.

 

Consumers, whose spending accounts for two-thirds of all economic activity, have been the main force for growth. Low interest rates, rising home values and a refinancing boom that has left people with extra cash have supported spending this year. That has helped to blunt negative factors such as the stagnant jobs market, the uncertain stock market and eroding consumer confidence.

 

Some economists worry whether consumers will have the energy to continue buying at a strong enough pace to keep the economy afloat, especially if the job market were to worsen.

 

The Federal Reserve has kept short-term interest rates at 41-year lows this year in an effort to spur consumers and businesses to spend and invest more. Some economists believe the Fed might decide to cut rates for the first time this year at its next meeting in November.

 

On the Net:

 

Jobless report: www.dol.gov.

 

Factory report: www.commerce.gov/

 

Institute for Supply Management report: www.ism.ws/

 

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          Fans should give credit to Mariucci?

 

Glenn Dickey, Chronicle Staff Writer

 

DESPITE THE fact that the 49ers have come back from the dead since the 2000 season to resume their place in the NFL elite, many fans continue to call for coach Steve Mariucci's head.

 

The chief complaint is that the 49ers should "open up" their offense, throwing deep passes for quick scores, as the Rams did the past three seasons.

 

To have that kind of offense, a team needs what the Rams have had -- a strong-armed quarterback, several fast receivers and an offensive line that can pass protect long enough for the quarterback to connect on deep passes.

 

Does any part of that description fit the current 49ers?

 

There is another way to approach the problem, with an offensive scheme that exploits defensive weaknesses. When he coached the 49ers, Bill Walsh did that in two obvious ways:

 

-- Crossing patterns in which receivers such as Jerry Rice and John Taylor caught the ball from Joe Montana in stride and ran for significant yardage after the catch.

 

Since then, after other offensive units adopted that strategy, opposing defenses tightened up to tackle receivers immediately. Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon caught the Tennessee Titans in a blitz and hit a wide-open Rice on a slant pattern that went 75 yards, but that kind of play rarely happens anymore.

 

-- Against the "two-deep zone," in which two safeties divide up the field against deep passes and cornerbacks take the short routes, Walsh sent his tight end down the middle to catch a pass 25 yards downfield. Brent Jones, especially, made his career with that play.

 

Some years back, though, when Tony Dungy was coaching at Tampa Bay, he made a significant change in the two-deep zone. When the ball is snapped, if the middle linebacker senses a pass play, he quickly drops back into deep pass coverage, to take away the tight end route.

 

If Walsh were still coaching, I'm sure he would come up with a strategy that would beat these defenses. Mariucci is not Walsh's equal on strategy, but almost nobody in the NFL is. Probably only Mike Shanahan has an offensive mind comparable to Walsh's.

 

Mariucci's strength, in addition to bonding with all players not named Terrell Owens, is his flexibility. His first year with the 49ers, when he had only rookie Jim Druckenmiller backing up Steve Young, he played conservatively,

 

limiting Young's passing to keep him healthy. The next year, when the 49ers had an experienced backup quarterback in Ty Detmer, he opened up the offense, and Young set personal and team records.

 

Now, he's realistic enough to know what kind of team he has -- and the direction the organization has taken.

 

After the meltdown in the 4-12 season of 1999, the 49ers knew they had to start with the defense in rebuilding the team. They've done a remarkable job with that. The defense is very fast and still young enough to have a significant upside. The pass rush seems much improved, with Andre Carter as the focus, and this defense is capable of being a dominating one.

 

That cannot be said for the offense. Quarterback Jeff Garcia has had two Pro Bowl years, but he has only one big-play receiver, Owens, who receives double coverage on virtually every play -- and still drops too many passes.

 

J.J. Stokes is a reliable first-down receiver, but he's really performing a tight end's function, without the blocking tight ends must do. Tai Streets' injuries seem to have robbed him of the blinding speed that originally made him such an intriguing possibility.

 

The 49ers haven't drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since 1987 (Harris Barton). Their highest pick in recent years is center Jeremy Newberry, a second-rounder who's been a Pro Bowler. People I talk to think the 49ers got a real steal in Stanford's Eric Heitmann, a seventh-round pick in the last draft who will start in place of the injured Dave Fiore and has a chance to be very good.

 

In general, the offensive line is a patchwork group, made to look better than it is by the coaching of Pat Morris and the mobility of Garcia. The line does a creditable job of run blocking but its pass protection is inconsistent.

 

Given what he has, Mariucci's plan has to be to minimize errors. Offensively, it makes sense to have Garcia roll out because he throws well on the run and can run if necessary, to run the ball frequently with Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow to control the pace of the game and to just keep "moving the chains."

 

It isn't spectacular but it's a winning strategy. 49ers fans should be happy with that.

 

E-mail Glenn Dickey at gdickey@sfchronicle.com

 

(I’m not a Mariucci fan.  He is a PR guy who was only at Cal for not

even a year. This should be an interesting game on Sunday—I’ll be there to see who is the better coach: Mariucci or Martz.  Although I am a 49er fan and

the Rams are 0-4, I really don’t believe this is going to be any blow out,

and could go the other way, too. Leg of Lamb and Viader Merlot at

the tailgate. Editor )

 

http://www.leasingnews.org/archives/October2002/10-1-2002.htm#martz

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