Following the mine workers’ numerous requests, a number of bauxite mines in Severouralsk (parts of SUBR) were ordered to resume working on April 11, 2008, UC RUSAL’s press officer for the Urals Roman Lukichev said to UrBC. Lukichev reports the miners have to strictly comply with the safety and labor protection regulations, besides, the mines have to be examined and be given Rostechnazor’s permits first. The ad hoc committee created to handle the recent miners’ strike is still looking for ways out. The committee has to think of and introduce the mechanisms that could prevent the occurrence of

Ural Treasures Bank came up with a special V-Day offer for customers who use its Pensioners’ Deposit scheme. The offer is valid from April 14, 2008 to May 31, 2008. To use the offer, you have to deposit at least 1,500 RUR for anything between 180 days to 1,080 days; the interest rate varies from 11.5% to 13.5% a year and is subject to the existing tax regulations. You can top up your deposit account any time you like. The interest is paid monthly and can be withdrawn easily; besides, after the deposit period expires, the deposit can be prolonged automatically. However, your interest will only

‘There are only five or six Russian airports at the moment capable of supporting an airline and offering ground services to the passengers in case a flight has been delayed; regrettably, most other airports are simply unable to meet the new regulations,’ Ural Airlines CFO Kirill Skuratov announced at a conference devoted to local carriers’ successes and challenges on April 14, 2008. ‘In case all the rooms in the airport hotel are booked, we normally try to place our passengers with the city’s hotels and make sure their have some telephone connection. In addition, we are planning to add a new

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of loans given by Uralprivatbank to sole traders for 31 to 90 days plummeted by 100% (from 600,000 RUR to zero) in January-March 2008.

MOTIV Telecommunications Group, backed up by RAO UES of Russia, was able to complete the first stage of putting up its own fiber-optic communication network between Yekaterinburg and Nizhniy Tagil along Sverdlovenergo’s power lines. The length of the network came to over 600 kilometers; it was built using a 96-fiber optical cable with great carrying capacity. ‘If you put all the lengths of MOTIV’s existing fiber optic networks together, the total length will come to twice the circumference of the globe. This is the Urals’ first large-scale fiber-optic network, and having such

Sverdlovsk Region’s division of Rosprirodnadzor (the state environmental watchdog) carried out scheduled inspections of Krasnouralsk-based Svyatogor on March 17-28, 2008. The inspections were targeted at checking the enterprise’s compliance with the terms of its five subsoil use licenses, the spokesperson for Rosprirodnadzor says. Four violations were detected in the course of the inspections; for instance, Svyatogor turned out not to have any agreement with Kushva’s municipal council regarding the development of the town’s infrastructure. Rosprirodnadzor’s PR Department also reports the

Bank Uralsib’s net profit decreased from 1.95 billion RUR in January-March 2007 to 1.71 billion RUR in the first quarter of 2008, or by 12.5%, with the data calculated on the basis of Russian Accounting Standards. At the same time, the figures for January-March 2008 fall short of the bank’s net profit in October-December 2007 (that is, 1.998 billion RUR) by 14.7%, Uralsib reports. The bank explains this drop in profits by getting fewer revenues from their security transactions.

‘We are not sure yet just when our insulin production will actually be launched,’ chairman of Novouralsk-based Medsintez Alexander Petrov announced at a press conference devoted to the prospective launch of Russia’s first insulin production facility. ‘The construction of the plant will probably have been completed by November 26, 2008. However, it’s a bit early to speak of the actual launch; insulin production is a science-intensive, computer-aided, robotic activity that needs much more research,’ he added.

‘Having a plate mill constructed still sounds like a good idea; Russia can now boast a shipbuilding holding, but all the sheets have to be bought abroad, while the amount needed comes to over 1 million tons a year. Apart from that, a lot of bridges are being put up, and we could produce bridge metal for them, too,’ says Nizhniy Tagil Iron & Steel Works (part of Evraz Group) CEO Alexei Kushnarev. However, the future of the project (known as Mill 5000) is still uncertain at the moment, he reports. According to Evraz Group’s press officer, the final decision will be taken at the BOD meeting

MSA a.s., one of the Czech Republic’s leading pipeline fittings manufacturers and part of ChTPZ Group, launched the production of new vane valves for trunk pipelines, the spokesperson for ChTPZ Group reports. The new valves (DN500-700, PN1.6-4.0 MPa varieties designed in accordance with technical conditions 29.13-МSА-120/06-А) are based on DN500-1000, PN8.0-10 MPa standard size valves that have been thoroughly tested for durability and seismic resistance and comply with the strictest technical standards employed at Transneft. These valves are unique in that they have an air-gas channel

Uralfinprombank’s license allowing the bank to render data encryption services (registration number LF/06-4005, issued on April 10, 2003) expired on April 10, 2008. Besides, the bank’s license entitling the company to maintenance of encrypting devices (registration number LF/06-4003, issued on April 10, 2003) and the license allowing the bank to distribute their encrypting facilities (registration number LF/06-4004, issued on April 10, 2003) expired on April 10, 2008 as well.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Tagilbank to sole traders for 91 to 180 days went down by 43.13% (from 11.94 million RUR to 6.79 million RUR) in January-March 2008.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of loans given by UralFinPromBank to sole traders for 31 to 90 days dropped by 93.5% (from 18.18 million RUR to 1.18 million RUR) in January-March 2008.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Khanty-Mansiyskiy Bank to nongovernmental financial institutions for 181 days to 1 year went down by 19.51% (from 803.595 million RUR to 646.795 million RUR) in January-March 2008.

‘Following the request of the defendant, the hearing of case А60-3641/08 (Yekaterinburg municipal council vs. Concern Kalina) was postponed till April 24, 2008,’ the spokesperson for Sverdlovsk Region Court of Arbitration Yulia Kolyasnikova said to UrBC. ‘The city council wants to get the rent Concern Kalina owes it; the council’s press officer claims Kalina owes them 2,437,736.37 RUR worth of rental fees for using the municipal land allotments in 2006 and 2007,’ Ms Kolyasnikova explained.

MICEX and RTS experts compiled a rating of professional stock market players in March 2008, and the Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development was given some rather impressive positions: the bank was rated Russia’s 36th best player on the stock market (compared with the 37th position in February 2008) among MICEX’s 640 participants. The bank’s trading operations turnover came to 5.6 billion RUR. RTS (FORTS) rated the Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development as the 18th most successful player on the futures and option transactions market among 132 market participants; its transactions

VISA-SKB cardholders can now enjoy SKB-Bank’s new services, for instance, the bank’s first Yekaterinburg-based cash-in ATM that is located at 75 Kuibyshev St. (the bank’s HQ). This new multi-tasking ATM combines the options of withdrawing cash from one’s account and topping it up with cash, paying one’s mobile phone and housing bills or for using satellite TV. ‘Besides, SKB-Bank’s new service gives you a chance to take care of your loved ones. If your family goes on vacation, make sure you give your spouse an additional bank card (it will only take little time to have this card issued), and

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by Universal Bank to for-profit self-regulatory organizations for 181 days to 1 year went down by 39.64% (from 13.3 million RUR to 8.028 million RUR) in January-March 2008.

Sberbank of Russia introduced its 25th Chelyabinsk-based lending center in April 2008. The new outlet can be found at 316 Sorok Let Pobedy St. and is meant exclusively for offering loans to private individuals. The bank’s experts can help customers find the most suitable lending scheme that would work best for them, calculate their monthly payments for them, assist them with the form-filling, and consult those who need professional advice free of charge. The new lending center offers the bank’s customers fifteen lending schemes to choose from, while this variety of schemes has been shaped to

The net profit of GRAN Commercial Bank went down by 35.3% in the first quarter of 2008. ‘This drop in profits compared to the last quarter of 2007 had to do with the expected decrease in the issuer’s securities transactions revenues as well as some seasonal factors,’ the bank reports. GRAN’s net profit amounted to 24,540,000 RUR in January-March 2008 compared with 37,955,000 RUR in October-December 2007. This information was published in compliance with the demand that any issuer and/or a joint stock company must promptly reveal any data that can influence its stock price.