Sverdlovsk Region division of Federal Antimonopoly Service has recently evaluated the re-organization project of Yekaterinburg Electrical Network Company, reports the spokesperson for Federal Antimonopoly Service. The plan, consisting in the prospective segregation into the network and the sales departments, has been approved of. This means that a power supplying company is to be singled out from Yekaterinburg Electrical Network Company by October 1, 2007. According to the existing law, all the power suppliers must be fragmented into the generating companies, the network companies, and the

‘We and are not blacklisting dishonest borrowers and never did,’ says Maxim Chobitko, Capital Crimes Director of Yekaterinburg Department of Internal Affairs, relating to rumors about the local Department of Internal Affairs allegedly creating some dishonest borrowers database. ‘A special Credit Bureau was set up to serve this purpose; what I said at a press conference was that the security departments of some banks were cooperating in order to keep their own records,’ Mr. Chobitko said.

Sverdlovsk Region Ministry for Public Property Management sees increasing profitability of land allotments as its top priority for the year 2007. This line of business is expected to yield the better part of money received by the region’s budget, Minister for Public Property Management Alexei Molotkov announced at a recent meeting. He also mentioned some agricultural projects to be implemented in Krasnoufimsk and Slobodo-Turinskiy districts. Like Artemovskiy district, they are to set up a number of agricultural firms or joint-stock companies that will make use of the state-owned land and

According to the Central Bank of Russia, 1,344 crediting organizations have been registered in Russia by February 1, 2007, including 1,292 banks and 52 non-bank entities. Only 1,138 out of 1,183 actually operating crediting organizations, however, have been officially registered. 153 organizations use some foreign investments as part of their authorized capital (in 52 of them, these investments amount to 100% of their assets, 15 entities use foreign investments to cover over 50% of their authorized capital). 3,286 subsidiaries of operating crediting organizations have been registered in

UralSvyazInform, Sverdlovsk Region’s landline and mobile phone operator, informed its subscribers that the company’s radio broadcasting license expired on February 11, 2007. This information was published in Rossiyskaya newspaper and the Federal Financial Market Service Bulletin Supplement. This means that UralSvyazInform is currently operating without a license.

ŠKODA Kovárny, Plzeň, s.r.o. and ŠKODA HUTĚ, Plzeň, s.r.o. (both members of ŠKODA STEEL Consortium and part of United Machine Building Works (aka OMZ (Obedinennye Mashinostroitelnye Zavody, formerly United Heavy Machinery)) are going to merge into one entity, reports the spokesperson for OMZ. The new company is to be named PILSEN STEEL. Experts are currently devising the would-be company’s logo and branded souvenirs; the final presentation on the company’s style has been scheduled for May 2007. ŠKODA STEEL Consortium deals in producing 1- to 80-ton forgings. It is at present the world’s

Sverdlovsk Region’s foreign trade turnover came to $9,493,300,000 in 2006, which exceeds the figures for a year earlier by 27.1%. The share of export went up 25.8% and amounted to $7,472,200,000; that of import increased by 32.3% and reached the point of $2,022,000,000. This means the export/import ratio came to 3.7/1.The foreign trade positive balance grew by 23.6%. These data were presented by Minister for International and Foreign Economic Relations of Sverdlovsk Region Viktor Koksharov at the Ministry meeting today.

‘A meeting of Sverdlovsk Region Court of Arbitration committee took place on February 5, 2007. This meeting resulted in the decision to arrest the flats that are currently being sold by HydroSpetsStroy (Noviy Grad’s general contractor) illegally,’ Elena Ivanova, the Chief Accountant of Ural State Economic University, said to UrBC. ‘The court has been trying to decide whether to arrest the parking lot and the offices located in the building put up by this developer. The next hearing has been postponed indefinitely,’ Ms Ivanova noted. Ural State Economic University was given a land allotment by

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of loans given by UralTransBank to natural persons for a term of 91 to 180 days went down 53.4% (from 7,371,000 RUR to 3,429,000 RUR) in January 2006-January 2007.

Kommersant newspaper relies on some independent experts to claim that bad debt makes up between 15% and 30% of all loans issued by Home Credit and Finance Bank Ltd. According to the bank’s official papers drawn up in compliance with the international accounting standards, its bad debt comes to round about 15%; however, according to RusRating, a rating agency, the figure looks more like 30%. Experts believe the proportion of bad debt keeps rising, and banks that offer loans without a collateral of some sort are at risk. The mass media coverage appears to imply that the major player on the

Ural Airlines will hold a round-table discussion devote to re-shaping civil aviation in terms of safety and quality audit. The agenda covers IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) and how Russian carriers can make the most of it; difficulties and would-be benefits of Russian civil air fleet upgrading program; information warfare; who wants delayed-flights scandals. The event is to be attended by the representatives of Russian and foreign airlines, IOSA pundits, analysts from Russian Academy of Transport, and independent experts.

Employees of Financial Planning and Analysis Department of Eldorado, the consumer electronic retail chain, report that the sales of LCD television sets soared last year. The sales went up by over 200% in terms of money, those of plasma screens by 66%. In terms of items sold, the increase comes to 151% and 111% respectively. As the large-diagonal LCD television sets were becoming more and more popular, the average price of such a TV set grew by 21% on average. The price of an average plasma screen went down 21.3%. GfK (Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung) reports that an LCD television set and a

Following the decision to renew the securities-register-keeping license of Yediniy Registrator (United Registrar) taken by Russia’s Federal Financial Market Service on February 8, 2007, Baltika (Baltic Business News Group) was allowed to give price quotations in the securities register on February 12, 2007. This means all the stock exchange transactions can be registered now. Prior to renewing the license, Federal Financial Market Service cancelled it temporarily on December 19, 2006 since the Russian Federation law on securities kept being violated throughout the year. So the register was no

The report on the state of the environment and the way environmental factors affect the health of Sverdlovsk Region population indicates that Lobvinskiy Biochemical Plant is Sverdlovsk Region’s top manufacturing water producer among the regional medical and microbiological enterprises: its share in the total amount of manufacturing water dumped on regular basis comes to 79%, or 4,755,000 cubic meters. The total amount of polluted water dumped by these enterprises reached the point of 6.05 million cubic meters.

HydroSpetsStroy Ltd. (general contractor of Noviy Grad, the developer) is still undergoing bankruptcy proceedings, says their trustee in bankruptcy Olga Rushitskaya. ‘The presentation of the trustee in bankruptcy’s report in the Court of Arbitration was postponed and should now take place on February 19, 2007,’ she said. ‘In the meantime, no circumstances related to the case have changed so far as the developer hasn’t produced any further information,’ Ms Rushitskaya said. The company’s debt currently amounts to over 55 million RUR.

‘Fire at Antey Trade and Entertainment Center was caused by arson. The fire broke out at the 11th bowling lane; some pieces of equipment had not been put together yet, so the lane was never actually turned on. This is why the short-circuit failure the firefighters speak about simply couldn’t happen. The fuel was put underneath the lane, and the smoke stayed there for a while, which is why the fire alarm failed to react instantaneously. When the fire did break out from underneath the lane, it was so formidable that all the hydrants switched on at once. The water pressure, however, was not

According to the Central Bank of Russia, the volume of loans given by UralTransBank to nongovernmental commercial organizations for a term 31 to 90 days went down 20.7% (from 259,966,000 RUR to 205,940,000 RUR) in January 2006-January 2007.

‘Many travel agents are offering tours well in advance, and experienced travelers often book early, so the offer made by Ural Airlines (a chance to buy tickets for summer flights on sale) is definitely going to enjoy great demand,’ Inna Averyanova, director of Inna Tour Travel Agency, said to UrBC. Anyone willing to fly to Anapa, Simferopol, Sochi, Krasnodar, or Mineralniye Vody (all situated at the Black Sea) can buy a single ticket for only 3,999 RUR between February 1, 2007 and March 31, 2007. ‘The offer can be popular with tourists and travel agents alike,’ Ms Averyanova said.

The public prosecution authorities of Oktyabrskiy district of Yekaterinburg took criminal action regarding fire at Antey Trade and Entertainment Center on February 10, 2007. The charge involves Article 168 of Russian Criminal Code (Destruction of or damage to property through negligence, which could result in the arsonist getting up to one year in prison. The case will be investigated by the district law-enforcement officers. The fire broke out at one of the bowling lanes on the 6th floor; the area touched by the fire reached the point of 900 square meters. One employee was injured and taken

Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development has recently set up a new office in Krasnoturinsk, Sverdlovsk Region, located at 21 Molodezhnaya St. The wide range of services and products offered by the bank is expected to fully cover the city dwellers’ needs. The bank conducts customer preference surveys regularly, so it is able to come up with offers its clients need most. In the office, private individuals can get a loan or a credit card as well as transfer money to their relatives or friends via Western Union. A 24-hour ATM is available as well.