Increasing Debt Levels Reduce Self-Confidence

September 27th, 2009 AMSTERDAM - - The Volatility of the European and International Payment Landscape Over the Past Year Brings Debt Collections to the Top of the Businesses' Priority List - The Diversity and Complexity of Country Specific Procedures, Legislation and Cultural Approaches Present a Major Challenge for Companies Atradius Collections, the global expert in domestic and cross-border debt collections, releases today its comprehensive resource bank on debt collections procedures and practices around the world. The International Debt Collections Handbook, accessible via the company website (www.atradiuscollections.com) covers all the facets of collections process - from different stages of amicable settlement to legal proceedings, and all the governing country specific judicial and financial regulations.

June 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Buongiorno S.p.A. (MTA, Borsa Italiana: BNG), a leading multinational in digital entertainment, today announces that a new loan facility has been signed with a pool of banks headed by Banca IMI SpA (Intesa Sanpaolo Group) for the issue of a new multi-year loan for a total consideration of EUR87 million.

June 17th, 2009 LONDON - Credit crunch affecting your confidence? Not according to the UK's first Self-Confidence Index by Pomegreat, which shows that basic factors like diet, age, gender and simply receiving a compliment have a greater bearing on our self-esteem. The results of the first quarterly index including over 2,000 people has found that, although the country is going through a financial crisis, the main influences likely to affect the confidence levels of the nation remain those associated with the self rather than those linked to external factors like the economy.

May 21st, 2009 LONDON - Sales of food and beer at independent brewer and pub operator Marston's contributed to a resilient performance for the first half of the year in a difficult trading environment. Despite the economic headwinds, food sales in Marston's Inns and Taverns grew to 37 per cent of total sales, and turnover at the Marston's Beer Company grew by 19 per cent following the successful integration of the Wychwood Brewery last year and the trend among beer drinkers towards regional ales.

April 21st, 2009 LONDON - With Chancellor Alistair Darling expected to concede in today's budget that the government will fail to recover a significant amount of the GBP60bn bailout funds already spent on UK banks, new research has uncovered concern for the economy has risen by an amazing 463% over the past year, while trust in banks and politicians continues to fall. According to the latest MindReader survey from the world largest media agency network Mindshare, the state of the economy has now become the number one national concern among Britons replacing terrorism as the threat that causes most worry about on a daily basis.

March 25th, 2009 LONDON - The credit crunch continues to take a heavy toll on Britons' daily lives - and even their ability to concentrate on the job. At the end of January 2009, the Bank of England estimated total UK personal debt at GBP1,457 billion, GBP53 billion of which is personal credit card debt.

March 23rd, 2009 LONDON - Date: Wednesday 25 March Time: 12.30 Venue: Old Palace Yard, opposite House of Commons, Westminster Baggage handlers will gather at Parliament tomorrow, (Wednesday) to demand government action forcing airlines to cut the weight of checked-in bags from 32kg to 23kg to reduce high levels of muscular skeletal injuries in the civil aviation industry. Over 100 Unite members from airports across the UK will be lobbying their MPs.

March 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Responding to the announcement by the BBC, that many university chancellors would like to see increases in tuition fees by between GBP5,000 and GBP20,000 a year, leading Child Trust Fund (CTF) Provider, The Children's Mutual (www.thechildrensmutual.co.uk/) has calculated that families may have to find GBP49,900 if youngsters decide to go to university in 18 years time. David White, Chief Executive of The Children's Mutual comments: "What is clear from the research is that the cost of university is only going to increase, it's just a case of by how much.

March 18th, 2009 LONDON - Date: Wednesday 25 March Time: 12.30 Venue: Old Palace Yard, opposite House of Commons, Westminster Baggage handlers will gather at Parliament next week to demand government action forcing airlines to cut the weight of checked-in bags from 32 to 23kg to reduce high levels of muscular skeletal injuries in the civil aviation industry. Unite members from airports across the UK will be lobbying their MPs.

March 16th, 2009 LONDON - Increased University Fees Could Stretch Parents Purse Strings to the Limit - Child Trust Fund Offers Ray of Hope in Meeting Rising Costs The average student debt could be on the verge of smashing the GBP50,000 barrier in 18 years time if tuition fees are allowed to rise to GBP7,000 a year according to leading Child Trust Fund (CTF) Provider, The Children's Mutual (www.thechildrensmutual.co.uk/). Responding to today's announcement, by the BBC, that many university chancellors would like to see increases in tuition fees by between GBP5,000 and GBP20,000 a year, The Children's Mutual has calculated that families may have to find GBP49,900 if youngsters decide to go to university in 18 years time.

February 18th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala's 2006 per capita debt stood at over Rs.14,300 - the highest among states in south India - against the national average of around Rs.9,000. This was stated in the Economic Review 2008 tabled in the Kerala Assembly Thursday.

March 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI - India's total external debt rose to $230.85 billion at the end of December from $224.65 billion at September-end, the finance ministry said Tuesday. 'The total external debt marginally increased 2.8 percent from $224.65 billion at September-end 2008, as commercial external borrowings by India Inc continued to enjoy major chunk of external debt,' a ministry release said.

June 2nd, 2009 GM's May sales down 30 pct. but improvingDETROIT — A day after filing for bankruptcy protection, automaker General Motors Corp.

September 14th, 2009 Wynn issuing up to $500M in notes to pay down debtLAS VEGAS — Casino operator Wynn Resorts Ltd. plans to issue up to $500 million in new secured notes to help it pay down its debt.

July 30th, 2009 Euro economy confidence hits 8-month highBRUSSELS — Business and consumer confidence in the 16 nations that use the euro surged in July to the most optimistic levels since November, the EU statistics agency Eurostat said Thursday. The level of the survey — at 76 in July from 73.2 in June — is still far below the long-term average and industrial activity remains weak as factories lie idle, the agency warned.

July 6th, 2009 Rio Tinto offloads Alcan division for $1.2 billionSYDNEY — Rio Tinto has sold a division of its Alcan unit for $1.2 billion as it continues to reduce debt, the Anglo-Australian miner said in a statement Monday. The deal to sell its Alcan Packaging Food Americas division to U.S.-based Bemis Company Inc.

September 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said here on Wednesday that a revival plan for national carrier Air India is on track and his ministry will soon approach the Union Cabinet for approving infusion of equity. Speaking to newsmen, on the sidelines of the symposium on cooperation between India and Asia in the aviation sector, Patel said the revival plan is in the process of being finalised.

July 24th, 2009 JAMMU J - Alarmingly high pollution levels in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir has prompted the administration and environment experts to promote the use of cycle rickshaws as a mode of transport. Jammu is trying to go green traffic wise.

April 22nd, 2009 GM may skip $1B bond payment due to exchange offerDETROIT — General Motors Corp. may miss a $1 billion bond payment due June 1 if it doesn't complete a debt-for-equity exchange by then, the company said Wednesday.

April 29th, 2009 Treasurys decline as consumer confidence reboundsNEW YORK — Treasurys retreated Tuesday, pushing yields higher, after a report showed consumer confidence is on the rebound. The Conference Board said its barometer of consumer confidence rose to the highest level since November.