RBC.Rating’s analysts came up with a list of Russia’s leading banks in terms of cards issued by July 1, 2010. OAO SKB-Bank, with its 647,770 bank cards, proved the country’s No. 20, Ural Federal District’s second best, and Sverdlovsk Region’s top bank in this respect. According to the rating, SKB-Bank increased the number of plastic cards it issued by 13.8% in one year. The bank used to have 569,000 cards circulating on July 1, 2009. 17,182 new ones were issued in January-July 2010, which was almost 2,000 items more than in January-July 2009.

The court of appeals supported the ruling pronounced by Sverdlovsk Region’s division of the Federal Antimonopoly Service regarding MRSK Urala, the interregional electricity network distribution company, and RSK, the regional network distribution company. The two distributors had been accused of colluding, the FAS’s press service reports. FAS’s Sverdlovsk Region division declared on October 9, 2009 that MRSK Urala and RSK had violated Article 11 (part 1, paragraph 5) of the Competition Protection Law. The offense consisted in the two companies colluding in such a way that unfavorable

Vysokovoltniy Soyuz Concern presented some computers to the children of Mirogoshchanskiy Orphanage in Ukraine, Rovno Region. The gift was presented on the eve of September 1, Knowledge Day, by Deputy General Director of OOO RZVA-Electric (a member of the concern) Vladimir Protsyuk, the company’s press officer reports. ‘We differ greatly from other donators in that we deal in ‘smart’ charity, that is, prior to giving some help to an orphanage we meet the management in person to find out about the children’s needs. This is necessary to make sure the orphanages get exactly what they need most,’

OAO KhantyMansiyskNefteProdukt is not going to pay any share dividends for the year 2009. The decision to this extent was made by the company’s Board of Directors. Instead, the net profit (17.37 million RUR) is to be directed to cover up for the previous years’ losses. The annual general meeting is expected to take place in Khanty-Mansiysk on June 25, 2010.

The Bank of Russia appointed its authorized representatives in twenty-seven Russian banks, the bank’s PR Department reports. For one, three Ural Federal District-based banks are still under the Central Bank’s special supervision. These are OAO Bank Severnaya Kazna, OAO Bank24.ru, and OAO Khanty-Mansiyskiy Bank. Besides, the Central Bank’s authorized representatives keep working in OAO Alfa-Bank, OAO Bank VTB, OAO Russian Standard Bank, OAO Home Credit & Finance Bank, and a number of other organizations.