Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) won in the all-Russian contest on organization of greater social efficiency in the country in 2007. MMK was given a third-degree diploma in the Implementation of Social Programs category, the company’s PR Department reports. The contest is coordinated by the Russian Federation Ministry for Economic Development and Trade, the Ministry for Healthcare and Social Development, and some executive authorities as well as employers’ unions and trade unions. The competition has been held annually since the year 2000 in order to draw the public’s attention to

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Bank24.ru to for-profit self-regulatory organizations despite overdraft went down by 36.17% (from 26.787 million RUR to 17.097 million RUR) in December 2007-January 2008.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Ural Innovational Commercial Bank to sole traders for 181 days to 1 year went down by 19.56% (from 1.38 million RUR to 1.11 million RUR) in December 2007-January 2008.

According to the National Managers’ League’s profitability ranking of unit investment trusts as of February 13, 2008, the share price of Alfa Capital Consumer Sector (Alfa Capital Management Company) has dropped by 9.88% since the beginning of the year.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Tyumenenergobank to for-profit self-regulatory organizations for up to 30 days plummeted by 99.38% (from 1,054,205,000 RUR to 6,538,000 RUR) in December 2007-January 2008.

The Minister for International and Foreign Economic Relations of Sverdlovsk Region Alexander Kharlov met the head of KFW’s Russian representation Daniil Algulyan and UBS Managing Director for Eastern Europe Martina Bigliardi Moehr. Both of these meetings had to do with the foreign banks’ plans to present their potential to the regional government and consider setting up branches in Yekaterinburg. Mr. Kharlov made a report on Sverdlovsk Region’s economic achievements in 2007 and spoke on the most promising fields of the parties’ prospective cooperation, whereupon Ms Bigliardi Moehr said she

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Bank Uralsib to state-run for-profit organizations despite overdraft went down by 48.54% (from 84.061 million RUR to 43.261 million RUR) in December 2007-January 2008.

The volume of deposits opened by private individuals in the Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development rose by 42.4% and reached 20,160,500,000 RUR in 2007, which is the 31st best result among the Top 100 Russian banks according to Interfax-CEA’s rating. 'The fact that the Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development invariably does very well in terms of attracting private investors’ money proves that the bank’s deposit offers are quite competitive. The bank comes up with some new appealing offers on a regular basis, trying to improve them so as to meet the customers’ changing needs

SKB-Bank’s Board of Directors approved of the decision taken at the extraordinary general meeting regarding the increase in the bank’s authorized capital. The capital is to be raised by 35% and will thus reach 1,822,775,000 RUR, the bank’s press officer reports. This is expected to be done through an additional share issue of 471,630,000 ordinary shares with face value of 1 RUR each. The share price was determined by the BOD at 3.7 RUR apiece.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Uralfinprombank to sole traders despite overdraft went down by 100% (from 15 million RUR to zero) in December 2007-January 2008.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Sverdlovsk Gubernskiy Bank to for-profit self-regulatory organizations for 1 to 3 years went down by 14.39% (from 256.191 million RUR to 219.33 million RUR) in December 2007-January 2008.

'METCOMBANK is working hard to support its customers, especially those who get their pay through the bank’s plastic card accounts, by offering them some more advantageous types of loans. As a result, our customers are now using the credit having a bank card entitles them to,’ the bank’s press officer said to UrBC. 'It appears that using a bank card as a ‘family purse’ of sorts is the prevailing trend on the consumer lending market nowadays. People use cards to pay for everything, so the volume of these types of credit amounted to 114 million RUR on January 1, 2008 compared with only

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of loans given by Plato Bank to for-profit self-regulatory organizations for 1 to 3 years went down by 10.56% (from 61.96 million RUR to 55.395 million RUR) in December 2007-January 2008.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Universal Bank to sole traders for 181 days to 1 year dropped by 19.39% (from 16.5 million RUR to 13.3 million RUR) in December 2007-January 2008.

ChTPZ Group’s pipe-making enterprises reorganized and improved their maintenance services, the spokesperson for the Group said to UrBC. Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant and Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant, for example, needed one year to merge all the services meant for various shops in single maintenance centers. The idea behind these mergers was to cut down on costs through more effective cooperation among the main production shops and the auxiliary services. At the moment, the two plants’ maintenance centers employ over 6,000 people, who have to provide the shops with tools and equipment and

According to Interfax-CEA’s ranking of Russia’s top banks as of December 31, 2007, Ural Treasures Bank was Ural Federal District’s 15th largest bank and Russia’s 86th largest bank in terms of private individuals’ deposit volume. In addition, the bank was rated Ural Federal District’s 9th largest bank and Russia’s 185th largest bank in terms of asset volume. Ural Treasures Bank’s assets rose by 23.2% in 2007 compared to a year earlier.

According to the National Managers’ League’s profitability ranking of unit investment trusts as of February 12, 2008, the share price of Alfa Capital Index MICEX (Alfa Capital Management Company) has gone down by 12.35% since the beginning of the year.

According to the National Managers’ League’s profitability ranking of unit investment trusts as of February 11, 2008, the share price of VTB Stock Fund (VTB Asset Management Company) has gone down by 15.10% since the beginning of the year.

The Academic construction project manager Stanislav Pridvizhkin made a report on the implementation of the project at a meeting devoted to construction in Sverdlovsk Region. The meeting was chaired by Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Eduard Rossel. The attendees were shown a few video snapshots made during the pilot launch of a powered balloon that is going to float above the construction site at the height of 100 meters, provided there is no strong wind. If this launch proves to be a success, the whole construction process could be monitored online.

According to the Bank of Russia, there were 1,135 crediting organizations in the country on February 1, 2008, which falls short of the figures for February 2003 by 115 banks. The maximum number of banks actually closed down in 2006. All these banks operate through 3,475 subsidiaries altogether; their number dropped by 99 outlets in 2003 and by 11 outlets in 2006, while the years 2004, 2005, and 2007 were the periods of extensive subsidiary network growth. 189 new bank subsidiaries were set up between February 1, 2007 and February 1, 2008. Besides, 20 new branches were introduced in January