Ural Airlines came up with an updated website version to mark the carrier’s 65th anniversary. The Internet address has remained the same (www.uralairlines.com), but the design and the structure of the website underwent dramatic improvements. The decision to go through with the site update was taken after a marketing research carried out among the passengers in the spring. The most important sections are now available right on the main page; these are ticket booking and delivery, additional services like booking a taxi or special meals and hotel reservations. Some other essential pieces of

‘We do not intend to help any other bank recover financially. This is rather hard and not always expedient, since the ‘illness’ tends to be catchy,’ Uraltransbank’s Chairman of the Supervisory Board Valery Zavodov announced in the course of a press conference in Yekaterinburg on December 22, 2008. At the same time, the executive did admit Uraltransbank might actually acquire some bank. ‘The money obtained from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Foreign Trade Bank (VEB) will be directed to real sector lending. We are even prepared to offer loans to small and medium-scale

The Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Ural Federal District Nikolai Vinnichenko met with Ural Federal District’s Governors to discuss the way the global financial crisis has affected the district’s socioeconomic development. ‘The banking business is now back on the track, with most banks operating as usual. Their performance indicators, however, are far from the ante-crisis status quo. As far as private customers are concerned, we can see that people no longer cash in and close their deposits, while getting a loan is becoming increasingly harder for a private

‘In case the time for your monthly loan payment falls on January1-10, 2009 (the official bank holiday recess), the deadline is put off until January 11, 2008. Also, if you really feel like paying early, the Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development suggests that you should use one of the bank’s cash-in ATMs that will be operating during the first days of the year 2009. To do this, you have to find out what the payment sum is, then choose the Additional Services heading on the ATM display, press Loans, then Debt Under Credit. Likewise, you can make your payments in the bank’s offices on

Investtrade Bank’s Board of Directors decided to close down its Yekaterinburg representation. The proposal was accepted by a unanimous vote.

The members of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) Board of Directors decided to give up on their remuneration starting January 1, 2009. This decision will be valid through the entire term of their office. MMK’s BOD Chairman Viktor Rashnikov is reported to say that the decision stems from the need to cut down on the company’s expenses at the difficult time of the global financial and economic crisis. The executive explains that the BOD members showed a lot of understanding and gave up on their remuneration voluntarily. The company’s Board of Directors members are: MMK Management