A press conference on the bank’s new developmental stages organized by URSA Bank’s top management and the bank’s business partners was held in Interfax’s press center. It was announced that Russia New Growth Fund managed by Troika Capital Partners (TCP) had bought URSA Bank’s shareholding consisting of 7.4% of the bank’s ordinary shares acquired from S.M. Capital Group. Experts’ estimates of the bank’s capitalization range from $2.5bn to $2.4bn. URSA Bank has been doing business with Troika Dialog for a quite a while now; their latest success story involved going through with two preference

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of natural persons’ demand deposits and investments in Universal Bank went down by 95.5% (from 21.698 million RUR to 973,000 RUR) in January-September 2007.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of self-regulatory financial organizations’ deposits in VUZ Bank valid for 1 to 3 years went down by 52.26% (from 38.5 million RUR to 18.38 million RUR) in January-September 2007.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of loans given by Pervouralsk Joint Stock Commercial Bank to for-profit self-regulatory organizations valid for over 3 years went down by 20.56% (from 8 million RUR to 6.355 million RUR) in January-September 2007.

A number of Aviaprad’s flights were delayed due to bad weather conditions. Koltsovo airport of Yekaterinburg reports the carrier’s Yekaterinburg-Moscow flight scheduled for 9 AM was delayed by four hours. Besides, another flight only landed in Yekaterinburg at 12.40 PM instead of 1.40 AM due to a strong fog.

Ural Airlines negotiated for the introduction of chartered flights from Yekaterinburg to Paris and back on October 30, 2007. The flights will be available throughout the winter holiday season; this was coordinated by Europort and DSBW-Tours, who are already offering tours to France to the city dwellers. As it happens, the only way to get to Paris this winter is through these travel agents, as there are no plane tickets freely offered for sale, the airline’s press officer reports. Prior to this, the company’s longest scheduled flight that used to take about six hours and flew the passengers to

The regional statisticians came up with some data on Sverdlovsk Region’s socio-economic development in January-September 2007. The region’s foreign trade turnover came to $7.4bn in January-August 2007 (excluding the exported and imported goods that are officially not liable to declaration). This is 27.4% more than a year earlier; the share of exported goods amounted to $5.8bn (which is 24.6% more than in January-August 2006) and the share of imported goods reached $1.6bn (which is 38.5% more than in January-August 2006). The export surplus amounted to $4.2bn against $3.5bn a year earlier. In

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of natural persons’ investments and deposits in Tagilbank valid for 31 to 90 days went down by 30.29% (from 28.76 million RUR to 20.049 million RUR) in January-September 2007.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of natural persons’ demand deposits and other investments in Tyumenenergobank went down by 50.24% (from 150.083 million RUR to 74.684 million RUR) in January-September 2007.

Central Bank of Russia reports the volume of self-regulatory financial organizations’ deposits in AGROPROMBANK Credit valid for 181 days to 1 year went down by 15.73% (from 231.132 million RUR to 194.774 million RUR) in January-September 2007.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by UralTransBank to state-run for-profit organizations for 1 to 3 years went down by 3% (from 110 million RUR to 106.68 million RUR) in January-September 2007.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of loans given by UralFinPromBank to for-profit self-regulatory organizations for 31 to 90 days went down by 45% (from 255.187 million RUR to 140.236 million RUR) in January-September 2007.

UC RUSAL’s Khakas Aluminum Plant reached its full capacity well before the deadline. The plant is now capable of producing 300,000 tons of aluminum a year; this has so far required more than $750m in terms of investments, UC RUSAL’s local press officer Roman Lukichev said to UrBC. At the beginning of the year, the plant underwent an auditing procedure conducted by a group of independent experts at the request of BNP Paribas Bank; the experts came to a conclusion that the enterprise meets all the Equator Principles requirements, which means full compliance with both domestic and international

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of natural persons’ demand deposits and investments in Uralprivatbank went down by 45.19% (from 18.916 million RUR to 10.367 million RUR) in January-September 2007.

SKB-Bank keeps helping members of housing cooperatives get mortgage loans. On October 26, 2007 SKB-Bank and Olips, one of Yekaterinburg’s major developers, signed a cooperation agreement that provides for mortgages to members of Sozvezdiye housing cooperative, the bank’s press officer says. This means the bank offers them a loan so that the members can pay for their co-op share that will later give them a right to an apartment in three out of eight blocks within the Sozvezdiye complex. The first apartment block has already been put up and will soon be commissioned. SKB-Bank offers its

MegaFon Ural, one of Russia’s major mobile operators, presented its new service known as Push-To-Talk (PTT) at InfoCom, the 7th International Forum/Exhibition held in Yekaterinburg. The spokesperson for the company reports PTT makes it possible to use one’s mobile phone as a portable radio, but unlike with the conventional walkie-talkies, its radio range is virtually unlimited, so, thanks to the use of GPRS/EDGE technologies, MegaFon Ural’s customers can now use PTT within the network coverage area and when using the company’s roaming services. In addition, MegaFon Ural’s stand presented

The Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development introduced the New Year’s Deposit for businesses; the offer is valid from October 24, 2007 to December 31, 2007, the bank’s press officer reports. The winter holiday season is usually characterized by a certain commercial downfall, which is why the new deposit scheme is seen as a good way of making the most during this period of business inertia. The interest rate actually depends on the time period your money has been in the bank (between two and six months); if you choose to deposit your finances with the Ural Bank for Reconstruction and

URSA Bank made 28.605 million RUR worth of fourth-coupon payments on its sixth bond issue. The coupon yield was determined at 7.65% a year, which amounts to 19.07 RUR per one bond. The bank went through with its 1.5-billion-ruble bond issue valid for two years on April 27, 2006 (file number 40600323 В). The issue was coordinated by the Bank of Moscow; the next coupon payments have been scheduled for January 24, 2008 and April 24, 2008. As for its fifth bond issue, URSA Bank made 150.3 million RUR worth of coupon payments on October 23, 2007.

Ural Airlines switched to its winter timetable on October 28, 2007; this timetable will be valid through March 29, 2008. The airline’s press officer reports the winter timetable provides for more flights to most popular destinations; for one, Yekaterinburg-Moscow flights will be performed four to five times a day compared to only three times a day in the summer. On the other hand, fewer flights will be operated to the south of Russia (that is, places like Sochi and Mineralniye Vody).Unlike last winter, the carrier will also be offering flights to Vladivostok, Irkutsk, Surgut, Gyumri, Kulyaba,

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of non-profit NGOs’ deposits in Uralfinance Commercial Bank valid for 181 days to 1 year went down 11.76% (from 8.5 million RUR to 7.5 million RUR) in January-September 2007.