On April 1, 2014, the final regulations implementing the “Volcker Rule”1 became effective. The regulations were jointly adopted on December 10, 2013 by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The regulations, among other things, prohibit banking entities and nonbank financial companies from engaging in proprietary trading and...

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By now, federal contractors should have taken a hard look at their current Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) policies, procedures and documentation to ensure compliance with the new requirements. Under the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ (OFCCP) Final Rule, effective March 27, 2014, contractors are required to gather data and set hiring goals for individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. Some of the other rules, however, will not become effective until contractors update their annual AAP. To be confident...

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Coinciding with the announcement of funds availability to small and medium-sized foreign enterprises for use in developing compliance programs, GRANITO launches a new project called "Soft Compliance" addressed to SMEs that seek to expand their operations cross border, but who have not yet adopted compliance programs and organizational and control models such as larger companies may be required to have under, for example, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or, at the EU level, under the U.K. Bribery act, or by the Italian Legislative Decree no. 231/2001. When not required by...

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According to a special notice received on 2/Apr/2014, the appraisal value for the Tishman German Office Portfolio loan was decreased by €89.40 million. The loan is the largest in EURO 28 with a current balance of €244.97 million. The loan, which is backed by office properties in Germany, is expected to mature on 7/Feb/2015. The loan's initial securitised balance was €378.96 million. The loan was valued at €599.20 million at origination, and its most recent valuation was €273.80 million as of 1/Nov/2009. Based on...

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DS-Concept, a German-Based Import/Export Trade Credit Firm Established Fourteen Years Ago, Has Announced Several Recently Closed Transactions With Customers All Over the World • Four European textile retailers from the Netherlands, Germany and the UK will be using a DS-Concept Factoring trade financing facility to fund their imports mainly from Turkey, South Asia and China. DS-Concept has provided each of these companies with a facility line of up to 4 million Euro and will be opening letters of credit on...

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As part of the EU research project KHRESMOI, a team of experts from the University Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the MedUni Vienna is building up a search engine that will enable radiologists to retrieve precedence cases within seconds and thus compare the results with their current finding. It will give radiologists the ability to very quickly access a database of images and at the same time look at literature on specialist problems in radiology. The project brings...

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PHA’s First-Ever Partnership with an Animated Series Emphasizes Nutrition Education and Healthy Eating Choices for Kids WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 13, 2014) – In the first-ever agreement between the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) and an animated series, the action-packed, adventure-fueled NUTRI VENTRES: THE QUEST FOR THE 7 KINGDOMS will be made available for free to all U.S. public school systems in a commitment announced today. Nearly 60,000 elementary schools nationwide will have free access to 29 episodes from NUTRI VENTURES...

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Despite enactment of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act almost four years ago, final rules implementing Section 954, the clawback provision, remain a work in progress. The clawback provision will require public companies to disclose their policies on incentive-based compensation and to adopt policies for recovery of compensation, such as bonuses, from their executives in certain instances. Intended to discourage the types of excessive risk taking that contributed to the financial crisis, the provision has been...

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Following on its success in Mexico, GRANITO expands exporting by bringing Italian SMEs in the Made in Italy food product sector into North-East Africa and South America. In partnership with Massimo Iacono & Partners (MI&P), a consultancy and general management firm having a leading experience in global marketing and venture management, GRANITO will support Italian companies in expanding into non-traditional and emerging markets in areas such as Columbia, Sudan and North-East Africa, who are requesting  Made in Italy  food products. Together, GRANITO and MI&P...

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According to Friday's Commercial Mortgage Alert, Brookfield has obtained a $900 million loan on the Grace Building in Manhattan. Part of the loan will go to pay down the $343.5 million in CMBS debt currently outstanding on the office building. There are four senior pieces across three 2004 vintage deals, as well as one B note held outside of the trusts. The loans are open to prepayment and due to mature this July. The loan breaks down as follows: -$105.5 million piece in JPMCC 2004-CB9 (21.7%) -$105.5 million piece in LBUBS 2004-C8 (22.6%) -$51.7...

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