Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by UralFinPromBank to private individuals for 31 to 90 days went down by 40.12% (from 835,000 RUR to 500,000 RUR) in January-March 2008.

SKB-Bank is planning to organize a spring clean day on May 3, 2008 for all the city dwellers. The event is dedicated to First of May, the national Spring and Labor Day. All those willing to come are to gather in Yekaterinburg’s main square at noon to clean up the nearest park as well as to enjoy the performances of professional dancers and brass bands and to take part in games and prize-winning contests. A playground with some nice entertainment agenda and a trampoline will be available for the youngest visitors.

URSA Bank fully retired its sixth 1.5-million-bond issue (with each bond’s face value coming to 1,000 RUR) on April 24, 2008. The bank went through with the bond issue (file number 40600323) on April 27, 2006 with the backing from the Bank of Moscow. The bonds were to be in circulation for two years. Besides, the bank made all the bond coupon payments; the coupon interest rate was determined at 7.65% of the bonds’ face value and amounted to 19.07 RUR per bond. The bank made 28.605 million RUR worth of coupon payments altogether.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of natural persons’ deposits in Pervouralsk Joint Stock Commercial Bank valid for 31 to 90 days went down by 33.9% (from 6.277 million RUR to 4.149 million RUR) in January-March 2008.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Sverdlovsk Gubernskiy Bank to sole traders despite overdraft went down by 87.28% (from 7.341 million RUR to 934,000 RUR) in January-March 2008.

Ural Federal District’s division of Rostechnadzor (the state technological, nuclear, and environmental watchdog) carried out seventy-four inspections of various enterprises to check these companies’ compliance with the environmental legislation in January-March 2008, Rostechnadzor’s press officer reports. The local division of Rostechnadzor found out that Uralpredmet, Irbit-based motorcycle plant, Sinarskiy overhaul factory, Iset (the electric connector manufacturer), and a plant dealing in nonferrous casting were guilty of certain environmental offenses. As a result, the state body had to

Ural Airlines’ special flight is to deliver the Holy Fire from Jerusalem to Yekaterinburg on April 26, 2008. The tradition started five years ago; this year, a group of palmers was headed by the Archbishop of Yekaterinburg and Verkhoturie Vikentiy. Although transporting open fire is in no way typical of an air carrier, once a year airports and airlines agree to the exception to the rules and allow passengers with open flame on board, provided the aircraft has been specially prepared and particular safety measures have been taken, Ural Airlines’ press officer reports. The Holy Fire will be

The Collective Agreements for 2008-2010 came into force at Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant and Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (parts of ChTPZ Group) in April 2008. Due to the recent unification trend, the two plants’ agreements now look almost identical and combine the best social achievements of both enterprises. The new agreements’ major advantage lies in the increased number of social benefits and guarantees, especially for female workers and the employees’ children as well as for younger employees, the Group’s press officer said to UrBC. The female employees of both enterprises are now

Deposit Insurance Agency, the state-run corporation, reports that Yekaterinburg-based Grancombank (register number 27) and Voronezh-based Voronezhprombank (register number 658) were excluded from the deposit insurance system on April 15, 2008 due to their recent merger with Investbank (register number 259).

Sverdlovsk Region’s court considered the claim laid by Severouralsk Bauxite Mine (SUBR, part of United Company RUSAL) against a number of miners who were on strike from March 27, 2008 to April 4, 2008. The court officially denounced the strike as being illegitimate. ‘The court’s decision gives the employer the right to go for disciplinary punishment based on the Russian Federation’s Labor Code,’ the spokesperson for UC RUSAL said to UrBC.

Moscow, 24 April 2008 - UC RUSAL, the worlds largest aluminium and alumina producer, is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of a 25% plus one share stake in Norilsk Nickel from ONEXIM Group. Commenting on the deal, Alexander Bulygin, CEO, United Company RUSAL, said: We are delighted that our acquisition of 25% plus one share of Norilsk Nickel has been successfully completed. We have become a shareholder in one of the worlds largest producers of nickel, palladium, copper and platinum and have laid a solid foundation for the development of UC RUSAL as a diversified metals

Moscow, 25 April 2008 - UC RUSAL, the worlds largest aluminium and alumina producer, is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with BaselCement, part of the construction business of Basic Element, to sell the Pikalyovo Alumina Refinery. UC RUSAL aims to be one of the most effective energy and metals corporations in the world. The companys strategy is to create and develop a business that complies with the highest possible levels of profitability and which delivers the best quality products. In 2006, the production of alumina at the Pikalyovo Alumina Refinery became unprofitable

‘I believe there is absolutely no point in setting up another trade and business center in Vainer St.-Malyshev St.-Lenin Ave. This downtown area has already got a few malls, not all of which are fully occupied by tenants – this is true of Passage, for instance,’ says Director of GUM Trade Center Elena Uzkikh. In the meantime, Aston Group keeps advertising its new Nakhimov Plaza mall currently under construction at 9 Vainer St. The future mall is claimed to be ‘Yekaterinburg’s only center that enjoys any demand’. The company’s official website reports the building is to be commissioned in July

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of loans given by Universal Bank to natural persons for over 3 years went down by 7.33% (from 64.801 million RUR to 60.049 million RUR) in January-March 2008.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Bank Uralsib to non-profit NGOs for 91 to 180 days went down by 24.9% (from 20.15 million RUR to 15.5 million RUR) in January-March 2008.

LUKoil-Permnefteprodukt introduced new, increased petrol prices at its filling stations in Perm Territory, Kirov Region, and Sverdlovsk Region. AI 80 now costs 18.8 RUR per liter (this is .2 RUR/liter more expensive than before), AI 92 is sold for 21.6 RUR per liter (this is .4 RUR/liter more expensive than before), AI 95 costs 23.1 RUR per liter (this is .3 RUR/liter more expensive than before), AI 98 costs 25.4 RUR per liter (this is .6 RUR/liter more expensive than before), and diesel fuel is available for 21.9 RUR per liter (this is .4 RUR/liter more expensive than before). The main cause

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by VUZ Bank to private individuals for 91 to 180 days went down by 47.99% (from 2.086 million RUR to 1.085 million RUR) in January-March 2008.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of loans given by Tymenenergobank to sole traders for over 3 years went down by 92.1% (from 1.9 million RUR to 150,000 RUR) in January-March 2008.

Even though the euro is quantitatively behind the dollar, it makes up for this through quality, as could be inferred from the foreign currency supply and demand analysis available via the Bank of Russia’s website. In January and February 2008, the better part of foreign currency transactions Russian citizens performed in banks and currency exchange points involved the U.S. dollar, with dollar sales going up in February 2008. In fact, Russian citizens now do tend to sell their dollars rather than to buy any, even through the difference in the number of selling and purchasing transactions is by

The Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development keeps implementing its strategy of making financial services available within a stone’s throw of any customer through expanding its subsidiary network and has recently set up a third office in Nizhniy Tagil. The new outlet, dubbed Demidovskiy, is now awaiting the city dwellers right downtown, in a two-storey building at 22a Mira St. with light-saturated spacious rooms fitted with all the modern equipment, communication facilities, fire alarm, and security system. The opening ceremony was attended by the city council representatives, members of