Knight Frank

London, UK (PRWEB UK) 18 May 2012

Knight Frank/Markit’s http://my.knightfrank.com/research-reports/knight-frank-and-markit’s-house-price-sentiment-index-(hpsi).aspx [House Price Sentiment Index (HPSI) __title__ House Price Sentiment Index (HPSI)] indicates that average prices fell again May.

A decline in home values was reported by 17% of households, while 9.5% signalled that the value of their property rose.

At 46.3, the resulting HPSI figure is up from April’s reading of 45.4 and just under March’s 20-month high of 46.6.

Any figure under 50 indicates that prices are falling, and the lower the figure, the steeper the decline. Any figure over 50 indicates that prices are rising.

As has been the case for the past three months, households in all but one region signalled that the value of their property had fallen in May. The survey of 1,500 households across the UK showed that sentiment was weakest in the North West (41.0) and West Midlands (42.5), indicating accelerated price falls.

London property bucked the trend again, with those living in the capital reporting that the value of their home had risen for the third month running, but at a much slower pace than in April (50.9, down from 53.6).

Households in the South East (49.2) expect only minimal falls in prices, indicating that the north-south divide in house price movements continued in May.

A lead indicator

Since the inception of the HPSI, the index has been a clear lead indicator for house price trends. Figure 3 shows that the index moves ahead of mainstream house price indices, confirming the advantage of an opinion‐based survey which provides a current view on household sentiment, rather than historic evidence from transactions or mortgage market evidence.

Outlook for house prices

The future HPSI (figure 2), which measures what households think will happen to the value of their property over the next year, remained in positive territory for the fourth consecutive month in April, the longest period of upbeat expectations since mid-2010. Nearly a third of households anticipate a rise in the value of their home over the next 12 months, compared with 21% expecting a decline. The index reading is 54.0, unchanged from April and close to the 20-month high set in March.

Regional outlook

Despite the unchanged future HPSI reading, positive expectations for house prices were recorded in only seven of the 11 regions in May, down from nine in April. Respondents in London remain the most upbeat (62.8), followed by those in the East of England (61.0) and the South East (57.1). Households are most pessimistic about prices in the North West (47.0) and the West Midlands (47.2).

Household variations

Sentiment regarding future house prices is slightly more upbeat in the private sector (54.3) than the public sector (53.4), in line with the long-term trend.

Respondents working in the utility, energy and transport sectors forecast the steepest rise in the value of their property (69.7).This marked a sharp rise from April’s reading of 53.8. Expectations are also strong in the media, culture and entertainment sector (63.9). The weakest sentiment is again in the retail sector (50.3, up from 50.1 in April), but survey participants now expect house prices to broadly stagnate, in contrast to the price falls predicted in the six months to March.

All types of homeowner expect prices to rise over the next year. The biggest price rises are forecast by those living rent-free at home (57.8), followed by those renting from a local authority (54.2) and those renting privately (53.8). Sentiment among mortgage borrowers (53.4), although remaining upbeat, slipped to the lowest level since January.

Gráinne Gilmore, head of UK residential research at Knight Frank, said:

“Despite reporting another month of house price falls in May, households remain confident that the value of their home will rise in future.”

“In fact households seem to have shrugged off the negative economic news about the UK’s double-dip recession and the new problems facing the Eurozone, and the impact these factors could have on house prices, with most regions confident that the value of their home will rise at least modestly over the next 12 months.”

“As is perhaps to be expected after the recent price performances in the capital, those living in London expect the biggest price growth over the next year. At the same time, optimism in the South West of England slipped for the first time since January, underlining the increasingly regional nature of the UK housing market.”

“It will be interesting to see what effect the ‘feel-good factors’ of bank holidays and the Jubilee have on house price sentiment next month.”

Tim Moore, senior economist at Markit, said:

“UK house price sentiment for the year ahead remained surprisingly resilient in May, with households brushing off recent falls in property values and an intensification of the negative economic news flow. The north-south sentiment divide showed no sign of closing, and if anything widened slightly since April.

“There is, however, some evidence that sentiment among mortgage holders has started to waver, perhaps reflecting worries over higher standard variable rates coming into effect.”

“People with a mortgage defied the overall trend and noted the weakest future sentiment for four months. They also reported a much faster monthly reduction in property values than the average for all types of households in May.”

Ends

For further information, please contact

Knight Frank

Rosie Cade, PR Manager

rosie(dot)cade(at)knightfrank(dot)com

020 7861 1068

Gráinne Gilmore, Head of UK Residential Research

grainne(dot)gilmore(at)knightfrank(dot)com

020 7861 5102

07785 527 145    

Rachel Harling, Corporate Communications

rachel(dot)harling(at)markit(dot)com

020 7064 6283

Chris Williamson, Chief Economist

chris(dot)williamson(at)markit(dot)com

0779 5555061

Notes to editors

About the HPSI

The Knight Frank/Markit House Price Sentiment Index (HPSI) survey was first conducted in February 2009 and is compiled each month by Markit.

The survey is based on monthly responses from approximately 1,500 individuals in Great Britain, with data collected by Ipsos MORI from its panel of respondents aged 18-64. The survey sample is structured according to gender, region and age to ensure the survey results accurately reflect the true composition of the population. Results are also weighted to further improve representativeness.

Prior to September 2010, the Household Finance Index was jointly compiled by YouGov and Markit based on monthly responses from over 2,000 UK households, with data collected online by YouGov plc from its representative panel of respondents aged 18 and above. The panel was structured according to income, region and age to ensure the survey results accurately reflected the true composition of the UK population. Results were also weighted to further improve representativeness.

Index numbers

Index numbers are calculated from the percentages of respondents reporting an improvement, no change or decline. These indices vary between 0 and 100 with readings of exactly 50.0 signalling no change on the previous month. Readings above 50.0 signal an increase or improvement; readings below 50.0 signal a decline or deterioration.

Ipsos MORI technical details (May survey)

Ipsos MORI interviewed 1500 adults aged 18-64 across Great Britain from its online panel of respondents. Interviews were conducted online between 7th and 14th May 2012. A representative sample of adults was interviewed with quota controls set by gender, age and region and the resultant survey data weighted to the known GB profile of this audience by gender, age, region and household income. Ipsos MORI was responsible for the fieldwork and data collection only and not responsible for the analysis, reporting or interpretation of the survey results.

About Knight Frank

Knight Frank LLP is the leading independent global property consultancy. Headquartered in London, Knight Frank and its New York-based global partner, Newmark Knight Frank, operate from 209 offices, in 47 countries, across six continents. More than 6,840 professionals handle in excess of US$ 755 billion (£521 billion) worth of commercial, agricultural and residential real estate annually, advising clients ranging from individual owners and buyers to major developers, investors and corporate tenants. For further information about the Company, please visit http://www.knightfrank.com.

For the latest news, views and analysis on the world of prime property visit Knight Frank’s new website Global Briefing at http://globalbriefing.knightfrank.com/. And follow us on twitter @kfglobalbrief and @knightfrank.

About Markit

Markit is a leading, global financial information services company with over 2,000 employees. The company provides independent data, valuations and trade processing across all asset classes in order to enhance transparency, reduce risk and improve operational efficiency. Its client base includes the most significant institutional participants in the financial market place. For more information please see http://www.markit.com

The intellectual property rights to the HPSI provided herein is owned by Markit Economics Limited. Any unauthorised use, including but not limited to copying, distributing, transmitting or otherwise of any data appearing is not permitted without Markit’s prior consent. Markit shall not have any liability, duty or obligation for or relating to the content or information (“data”) contained herein, any errors, inaccuracies, omissions or delays in the data, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. In no event shall Markit be liable for any special, incidental, or consequential damages, arising out of the use of the data. Markit and the Markit logo are registered trade marks of Markit Group Limited.

Attachments

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(PRWEB) May 09, 2012

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About XForex

XForex is a great online trading platform that helps traders get all the features they need to trade conveniently for just $ 100. It strives to make it extremely easy to open an account. It offers one to one personal training, easy and secure funding options and excellent trading tools to make trading experience comfortable. For more information about XForex, you can visit http://www.xforex.com.

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Lynchburg, Va. (PRWEB) May 12, 2012

Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr., may have retold the “Miracle Story” of how Liberty University has become the world’s largest Christian university during its 39th Commencement on Saturday morning, but the packed Williams Stadium crowd only needed to look around them to see the miracle for themselves.

They saw Liberty’s largest graduating class honored — 14,012. The number of graduates has nearly quadrupled in the five years since Falwell, Jr., became chancellor after the sudden death of his father, Liberty’s founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell, Sr. Liberty now enrolls over 90,000 students and will surpass 100,000 in the next 12 months.

They saw thousands more parents, grandparents, siblings, spouses, children and close friends arrive to campus several hours early just so they could support their loved ones and celebrate their achievement on this important day.

They saw more than 2,000 military personnel honored for earning their degrees while serving and protecting our country.

And they saw a prominent Virginia businessman honored on the same stage with the founder of Chick-Fil-A and a presumptive Republican presidential nominee (see honorary doctorates below).

No doubt the largest crowd ever for a Liberty Commencement, Saturday’s event was historic in many other ways.

Falwell took the opportunity to formally announce Liberty’s intention to move its football program to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, after recently completing various feasibility studies. The move will be finalized when Liberty is invited to join an FBS conference, he said.

Falwell also announced this year that Liberty will top $ 1 billion in net assets, making it the youngest university in American history to reach this tier.

“My father announced publicly, shortly before his death in 2007, that he was praying for a five-year, $ 1 billion miracle for Liberty,” he said. “This was at a time when Liberty’s net assets were less than one-tenth that amount. I have to admit many of us thought it would take a generation or more to reach that goal. Over the last five years, though, God has taught us all that there is no limit to what He can do.”

And there’s no limit to what God can do in the lives of people committed to Him, a theme that rang true from the invocation given by Dr. Elmer Towns, co-founder and Dean of the School of Religion and Dean of Liberty University Baptist Theological Seminary, to an address by world-renowned evangelist Luis Palau, to Falwell’s charge to the graduates and the speech delivered by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Romney was introduced by Liberty alumnus Mark DeMoss (’84), a friend of Romney’s who founded the DeMoss Group, a national public relations firm, and whose father was one of Falwell, Sr.’s closest friends and confidants.

Romney paid tribute to Falwell, Sr., many times in his 20-minute speech, recalling having met him in his Boston home seven months before he died. Romney called it a “great life honor” to speak at Liberty’s Commencement.

“Your generosity of spirit humbles me, the welcoming spirit of Liberty is a tribute to the gracious Christian example of your founder,” he said. “In his 73 years of life, Dr. Falwell left a big mark. … The calling Jerry answered was not an easy one. Today we remember him as a courageous and big-hearted minister of the Gospel, who never feared an argument and never hated an adversary. Jerry deserves the tribute he would have treasured most: as a cheerful, confident Champion for Christ.”

Romney said the most confident step Falwell, Sr. ever took “was to open the doors of this school 41 years ago.”

“He believed that Liberty might become one of the most respected Christian universities anywhere on the earth and so it is today,” Romney said. “He believed even when the first graduating class consisted of only 13 students that year after year young Christians would be drawn to such a university in ever great numbers — here you are. Today, thanks to what you have gained here, you leave Liberty with conviction and confidence as your armor. You know what you believe, you know who you are and you know whom you will you serve. Not all colleges instill that kind of confidence.”

Romney spoke briefly about his own convictions, receiving a standing ovation when he stated marriage was a relationship between one man and one woman.

He also spoke about the protection of religious freedom, “the first freedom in our Constitution” and putting that faith into service.

“Whether the cause is justice for the persecuted, compassion for the needy and the sick, or mercy for the child waiting to be born, there is no greater force for good in the nation than Christian conscience in action,” he said.

Service and moral convictions is where “people of different faiths, like yours and mine” can meet in “common purpose,” he said.

Romney graduated from Brigham Young University in 1971, and continued on to earn dual degrees from Harvard Law and Harvard Business School. A businessman and career consultant, he co-founded and later served as CEO for the investment firm, Bain Capital.

During a significant time in his career, Romney was asked to take over the managing role of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, which was on the verge of collapse. Under his leadership, the budget was salvaged, the public’s confidence was restored, and Salt Lake City staged one of the most successful games ever held on U.S. soil.

Romney married his childhood friend, Ann, in 1969. They have five sons and 18 grandchildren.

Commencement 2012 notables:

During his welcome speech, as he traditionally does, Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr., shared a few words highlighting some notable graduates in this year’s class.

This year’s oldest graduate, at 77, is Dolores Darrell and Liberty’s youngest is Gabrielle Turnquest, age 17.

Falwell gave special recognition to those graduates who completed their degree through Liberty University Online, many of whom could not have obtained a college degree without it.

“As part of Liberty’s Christian mission we have sought to make Christian education affordable and accessible for as many individuals as possible,” Falwell said. “Liberty University Online has achieved that objective like nothing else could.”

Katherine McInnis began her college journey in 1977 but had to drop out because of financial challenges. She enrolled in Liberty Online as a mother and grandmother and today, on her 53rd birthday, graduated Summa Cum Laude.

In 1998, graduate Katheryn Armstrong broke her back while taking classes at Liberty. She enrolled in Liberty online to finish her degree, and thanks to a miraculous new surgical technique, walked across the stage at graduation, after years of being confined to a wheelchair.

Falwell was reminded of Liberty’s humble beginnings from Mark Rhoades, Jr., who attended Liberty in 1974 when classes were held at the old Thomas Road Baptist Church site and the land on which Williams Stadium now rests was home to a dairy barn.

Rhoades also had to leave Liberty after only one year and later returned to obtain his B.S. in 2010, and this year received his M.A in Human Services.

Falwell, citing Liberty’s family-friendly atmosphere, said that three sisters — Hannah Ellenburg, Catherine Comfort and Emily Ellenburg — graduated together today and their fourth sister, Sarah Ellenburg, is a freshman. Resident student Katie Raybould told Falwell at last week’s senior picnic that three members of her immediate family would graduate together today.

Mike Morrison and his sister, Danielle, graduated today. Mike, a member of the Flames hockey team, will play pro hockey in New Zealand this summer.

Falwell somberly honored Ron King who was awarded his doctorate in ministry today, posthumously. King passed away on Feb. 7 this year and his wife Sharon King, of Huntsville, Ala., was present at today’s ceremony.

He expressed sorrow for her loss, but wanted her to know that Liberty “is not just your husband’s alma mater, but your extended family.”

Falwell also told the miracle story of Patrick Andrews, who so many have come to fondly know as “the man in the orange shirt.” At the ceremony, Andrews was wearing an orange cap.

Andrews began his studies at Liberty in 1994. During that year he was in a car accident that changed his life forever, putting him in a coma for six weeks and giving him severe head trauma. After the accident, Andrews was only capable of taking a limited number of credit hours per semester, but he never quit, following Falwell, Sr.’s repeated admonition.

Today, after nearly two decades of perseverance and determination, Andrews received his bachelor’s degree in communications at 40 years of age.

Falwell said that the Class of 2012 is one of a few special classes to enroll at Liberty after his father’s sudden death five years ago.

“The first few classes of students in my tenure as president will always have a special place in our hearts.”

Honorary doctorates:

Liberty University’s Board of Trustees conferred three honorary doctorate degrees during the 39th Commencement ceremony.

Worth Harris Carter, Jr. was born in Richmond, Va., in 1937. He began his career as a cashier. The job provided income while he earned a B.A. in political science and history at the University of Richmond. He then attended two years of law school at the University of Virginia, but for financial reasons was unable to finish. Later, he became a bank examiner. Between 1973 And 1998, Carter founded 10 separate community banks. Those 10 banks merged in 2006 to form Carter Bank and Trust where Worth Carter now serves as the chairman and president.

His bank provided Liberty with short-term loans beginning in 1988 and with its first long-term mortgage financing in 1997 after donors like Arthur L. Williams, Jr., gave generously to reduce its debt.

Carter was presented the Doctor of Business degree.

“Worth Carter, Jr. has fought the good fight and has been quietly used by God to make a difference here at Liberty and in the lives of many individuals. You would be wise to follow his example of perseverance, integrity and a strong worth ethic,” said Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr.

S. Truett Cathy is the founder of the Chick-Fil-A restaurant chain, with over 1,600 locations in 38 states and in the District of Columbia. He was presented the Doctor of Humanities for his “commitment to faith and excellence in business, and for modeling the vision of Liberty University to the world,” Falwell said.

Romney, 2012 Republican party nominee for president, was presented with a Doctor of Humanities degree.

“Governor Mitt Romney is on the front lines, representing and defending the uniquely American ideals that are important to this institution, and to the future of our nation,” Falwell said.

Liberty University, located in Lynchburg, Va., is the world’s largest Christian university. Nearly 100,000 students attend classes on its 6,800-acre residential campus and study in its thriving online education program.

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Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) May 05, 2012

In order to help day traders everywhere to achieve the fastest real-time streaming for computerized trading of stock, commodities and forex markets, EZ Trading Computers is first in line to offer a new computer model “ZR-X”. This is the fastest and most powerful yet, and is packed with many goodies, including the i7 3770K, also known as the Ivy Bridge. Ivy Bridge is the successor of the late i7 2600K series, also referred to as Sandy Bridge. Although it’s newly released, traders looking for the fastest computing can already put the ZR-X to use.

Ivy Bridge is Intel’s newest processor and a definite winner when it comes to maintain real-time data streams from market open to close. By incorporating the latest processors into their computers, EZ Trading Computer strives to make certain traders never experience “stale data”, or the difference between current trading quotes, and what displays on users’ computer screens.

The ZR-X model is 35% to 40% faster than the standard i7-2600. It boasts speeds starting at 3.4GHz and has a turbo boost at 4.5GHz. It also comes with four cores and eight threads. Compared to Sandy Bridge’s 1.16 billion transistors, Ivy Bridge comes with 1.4 billion transistors.

Although Ivy Bridge has a higher transistor count, the technology used in its development allows the Ivy Bridge to use less power, making it more energy efficient. Another new feature that makes Ivy Bridge surpass Sandy Bridge is its processor graphics, which is substantially larger. It features 16 Execution Units, Clear Video Technology and Quick Sync Video. This means faster rendering of charts for forecasting, analysis, or monitoring stock movements.

The “ZR-X” model is EZ Trading Computers latest offer, and it comes with lots of memory RAM, an excellent graphics cards options to support up to eight monitors. As a day trader, it’s important to have a reliable computer that isn’t only fast, but can sustain the heavy load of running multiple indicators, charts and monitoring multiple markets simultaneously. The trading industry has evolved to include more participants and volatility. With the Ivy Bridge processor in stow, it becomes possible to keep up with major news events and sudden shifts in the financial markets.

“ZR-X” is specially designed for day traders, making it the most reliable and efficient for trading usage. It packs power, speed, endurance and hard drive space that makes day trading a lot simpler. EZ Trading Computers offers customized day trading computers at below-market rates. Top trading experts in the industry, including Larry Levin from Trading Advantage and Dr. Dan Mielcarski from iFund Traders, and Jeff McAllister from Options Animal have used EZ Trading Computers systems for their trading needs. To learn more about EZ Trading Computers or about its new “ZR-X” model, visit http://www.tradingcomputersnow.com.

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Kevin Miller, CEO TexasLending.com

Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) May 08, 2012

Kevin Miller, CEO and president of TexasLending.com, a Texas home loan and mortgage company specializing in Texas refinance loans and Texas home equity loans, and his co-hosts discussed the lowest mortgage rates in history on The TexasLending.com Mortgage Hour. The radio show aired on KLIF radio in Dallas on Saturday May 5th, 2012.

In Dallas/Fort Worth the TexasLending.com Mortgage Hour radio show can be heard weekly on Saturdays on AM 570 KLIF from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

“During last week’s radio show we discussed the lowest mortgage rates in history and how this may help people acquire refinance loans even if they are currently at or below 4.5%” commented Kevin Miller.

TexasLending.com has been on the air for over 10 years to educate the consumer about home loans in Texas. Listen in each week as the CEO of TexasLending.com, Kevin Miller, and his co-hosts, discuss the behind the scenes information about the mortgage industry that will help you in making an informed decision about your home loan now and in the future.

About TexasLending.com:

TexasLending.com (NMLS # 137773) provides expert service in the field of residential mortgages. Headquartered in Dallas, TexasLending.com specializes in loans throughout the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Missouri and Colorado. TexasLending.com is a mortgage Banker with virtually unlimited options available for conventional, FHA, VA, Texas home equity loans, refinance loans, reverse mortgages, Dallas home loans, Houston home loans and Austin home loans. To find out more about Texas Lending’s home loan and mortgage programs, visit http://www.TexasLending.com.

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New York, NY (PRWEB) May 03, 2012

GBCHealth announced today the winners of the 2012 Business Action on Health Awards. The awards recognize the best corporate programs developed to address global health needs. Awards will be presented to winning companies during GBCHealth’s annual conference on May 14th and 15th at the Roosevelt Hotel, New York City.

In 2011, GBCHealth announced that it was expanding its mission beyond HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to take on a wider range of global health challenges. The winning programs address issues as varied as cardiovascular disease, preventable blindness and the need for communications technology to improve health care in a Chinese province crippled by an earthquake. The winners tap intervention strategies as diverse as a water filtering, non-surgical male circumcision and the use of smart phones to quickly report malaria information and improve disease surveillance.

“This year’s award winning and commended companies embrace GBCHealth’s expanded mandate and showcase an unprecedented diversity of innovative private sector solutions to global health problems,” said John Tedstrom, President and CEO of GBCHealth. “Collectively, these programs demonstrate the unique power of business to help overcome our world’s most pressing health challenges. Congratulations to our winners and to all companies who are making a positive difference in the lives of their workers, their communities and beyond.”

GBCHealth received entries from companies working across all six continents, in dozens of countries. What’s more, half of this year’s entries came from companies that had never before competed.

Winning programs represent innovative work from AstraZeneca, Chevron Corporation, PrePex, Cisco Systems, Inc., Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, HP, Standard Chartered, Sumitomo Chemical Company Limited and Vestergaard Frandsen.

In addition to the Business Action on Health Awards, GBCHealth will recognize the significant contributions of HEINEKEN and mothers2mothers during a gala dinner on May 15 at Cipriani Wall Street. HEINEKEN, one of GBCHealth’s founding supporters, will receive the 2012 Business Leadership Award for its more than two-decade commitment to tackling some of the most challenging health issues. Its many health-related efforts include trailblazing work in HIV/AIDS, malaria and Vesico-vagina fistula.

mothers2mothers will be presented with the 2012 Frontline Heroes Award in honor of its more than 1,500 HIV-positive Mentor Mothers who deliver life-saving information to women who are also HIV- positive in sub-Saharan Africa.

GBCHealth 2012 Business Action on Health Awards

Winner: Workplace/Workforce Engagement: General – Chevron Corporation

Chevron Corporation implemented an enterprise-wide Cardiovascular Health Program to reduce employees’ risk of developing cardiovascular disease. To date, it has been deployed in 11 countries, including Angola, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Nigeria, Philippines and the United States. Of roughly 35,000 eligible employees, approximately 17,000 have completed the risk assessment and 11,000 have enrolled in follow up programming. Participants previously at risk of developing coronary heart disease within the next 10 years have reduced that likelihood by more than a third.

Winner: Workplace/Workforce Engagement: Special Focus on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis or Malaria – Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold

Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM), a mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo majority owned and operated by Freeport-McMoRan, developed its Public Health and Integrated Malaria Control Program (IMCP) in partnership with International SOS after baseline research showed high malaria prevalence among employees and their families. Since the program’s inception in late 2007, the malaria incidence rate among employees has reduced by 66% and prevalence in their communities has dropped by 47%.

Winner: Community Investment: General – Standard Chartered

Seeing is Believing, a global partnership between Standard Chartered and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), combats avoidable blindness in developing countries. As of 2011, Seeing is Believing projects had reached over 28 million people, providing over 2.8 million cataract surgeries, treating 1.9 million people for River Blindness, distributing nearly 168,000 pairs of spectacles, supplying 2 million people with vitamin A supplements, and providing 14.4 million individuals with preventive treatment and education services.

Winner: Community Investment Special Focus on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis or Malaria – AstraZeneca AstraZeneca worked in partnership with the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) to create a program focused on integrated management of malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) in the high-incidence areas of Luwero and Kiboga, Uganda. The program focused on improving community- based prevention methods, constructing and equipping 10 clinical laboratories, and training health system staff. Since the project’s inception, 6,618 local people have been trained and more than 1.5 million patient visits have occurred. In the districts covered by the project, malaria deaths in hospital declined by half between 2007 and 2011 and new TB cases dropped by 10%. New HIV diagnoses fellfrom 11% to 7%, with 69,730 tests now carried out per year, three times the annual figure at the start of the project.

Joint Winners: Application of Core Competence – Cisco & Sumitomo Chemical Company

Cisco Systems, Inc.: In 2008, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake displaced 4.8 million residents and claimed 68,000 lives in China’s Sichuan Province. Recognizing that a long-term response was needed, Cisco collaborated with the Chinese government to create a 21stcentury medical delivery system called Connecting Sichuan, bridging the gap between urban and rural healthcare with advanced communication technologies. The network enables providers throughout the healthcare system to interact and share resources.

Sumitomo Chemical Company Limited: Sumitomo’s groundbreaking Olyset® technology incorporates insecticide directly into polyethylene filaments which, when woven into bed nets, provide long-lasting protection from the mosquitoes that spread malaria. To get nets to users in Africa faster and to make a lasting contribution to local economic development, Sumitomo Chemical decided to establish a major manufacturing base in sub-Saharan Africa. Its joint venture with A to Z Textile Mills has become one of the largest employers and together the companies’ two Tanzanian factories produce 30 million nets annually.

Winner: Partnership/Collective Action – HP

The Disease Surveillance and Mapping Project is a public-private partnership between HP, Positive Innovation for the Next Generation (PING), Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Mascom and the Botswana Ministry of Health (MoH). Before the project, the process of tracking notifiable diseases in Botswana was manual and slow. The PING program uses smartphones to collect data on malaria activity to streamline data collection and analysis to improve the quality of disease surveillance. By the end of the pilot, 93% of facilities were reporting on time (compared to 20% beforehand), and MoH officials had been notified of 19 potential malaria outbreaks to which they were able to respond immediately. The pilot was so successful that the MoH plans to expand PING’s mobile platform to track all notifiable diseases in Botswana.

Winner: Technology for Health – PrePex by Circ MedTech

Clinical trials have shown that male circumcision can dramatically reduce a man’s risk of HIV infection. In response to the challenge of rapid scale-up of voluntary medical male circumcisions in countries with high HIV prevalence but limited health resources, Circ MedTech developed the PrePex device. PrePex is an innovative non-surgical device administered by minimally-skilled nurses in rural settings in just a few minutes with no injected anesthesia. Not only is the procedure much faster and cheaper than surgical methods, it is safer, too, and has been recognized by global leaders as having the potential to revolutionize HIV prevention and save millions of lives by making scale-up a reality for Africa.

Winner: Health & Beyond: Eradicating Root Causes – Vestergaard Fransden

Launched in 2011, the Carbon For Water program has distributed approximately 880,000 LifeStraw® Family water filters to 91% of households in Kenya’s Western Province. Carbon For Water is designed to be fully self-funding, as carbon credits can be claimed and sold for avoiding the greenhouse gas emissions associated with burning wood to boil, and thereby purify, water. Expected health benefits include reductions in waterborne diseases and respiratory illnesses. The program also has a positive environmental impact, achieving a reduction of 1.4 million tons of carbon emissions in its first six months.

In addition, GBCHealth commended several companies within each of the award categories for their outstanding programs.

Commended Companies by Award Category: Workplace/Workforce Engagement: General

    Safeway Inc.
    Vale
    Volkswagen South Africa

Workplace/Workforce Engagement: Special Focus on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis or Malaria

    Mabati Rolling Mills Ltd.

Community Investment: General

    Kraft Foods Foundation
    PepsiCo

Community Investment: Special Focus on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis or Malaria

    ArcelorMittal
    Royal Dutch Shell plc

Application of Core Competence

    SC Johnson

Partnership/Collective Action

    BASF
    ExxonMobil Corporation
    Microsoft

Technology for Health

    Dimagi Inc.
    Metropolitan Health Risk Management (Pty) Ltd.
    Vodafone Group PLC

Health & Beyond: Eradicating Root Causes

    Thomson Reuters Foundation

Additional information on the 2012 awards, including a list of all finalists, can be found on GBCHealth’s Conference and Awards Dinner website (http://www.gbchealth.org/conference).

About GBCHealth

GBCHealth represents over 200 private sector companies leading the business fight for improved global health. Through work that includes developing comprehensive workplace policies; supporting community programs; leveraging core competencies; facilitating leadership and advocacy by business leaders; and brokering public-private partnerships, GBCHealth helps members achieve their global health goals. GBCHealth also manages the private sector delegation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, serving as an entry-point for corporate collaboration and engagement with the Fund and its recipients worldwide. GBCHealth has offices in New York, Johannesburg, Beijing, Nairobi and Moscow. For more information on GBCHealth, please visit http://www.gbchealth.org.

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Syndicate Mortgages

Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec (PRWEB) March 16, 2012

This spring will bring some more policy changes for the mortgage and housing market in Canada. While anecdotal evidence has led the government and many economists into believing that stricter mortgage rules will help tackle all the issues, the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals warns against the potential damages of the expected policy change. Backing CAAMP’s claim are numerous mortgage firms, lenders and broker associations including Syndicate Mortgages, a leading mortgage company which has been helping people find the best mortgage rates around Ontario and Canada.

CAAMP has recently published a detailed report in this aspect. The report highlights the impact of the housing and mortgage market on the overall economy of the country. According to the spokesperson for Syndicate Market, “CAAMP is sounding the right alarm at the right moment. The report terms the housing market as the driver for Canada’s economy and we definitely support this claim. We would really want to prompt the government to reconsider any decision they are about to take.”

CAAMP presented the analysis to authorities in Ottawa through a government relations firm. The basic objective of the analysis was to make officials realize that under-lending is not the cause of CMHC’s 600 million insurance cap. In a message sent to its members lately, CAAMP said, “The issue of lenders and the mortgage insurance ceiling has hardly anything to do with lending practices, but rather liquidity and capital requirements.”

CAAMP is stressing the fact that Canada’s housing industry, in contrast to the U.S housing industry is still safe and stable. An estimated 2 to 3 percent of Canadian homes sales are for investment purposes. On the other hand, around 20 percent of the US sales were invested properties during the U.S housing boom. However, due to previous tightening of lending criteria, mortgage volume has significantly decreased in the past two years. Further strictness in these rules and policies could precipitate a weakening of the housing market. This will have a direct and deteriorating effect on the country’s economy.

The recently released analysis by CAAMP puts forward several facts and stats that support their claims. According to these facts and figures, approximately 8% of Canada’s employment comes from the housing industry. Since 2006, the industry has been responsible for 18% of job creation. While the new polices will result in a rise in housing value, it will also trigger a rise in consumer spending.

CAAMP also warns policy makers regarding any changes that will ultimately reduce consumer’s ability to pay their mortgages. A policy-induced housing market downturn may not be in favor of the country’s overall economy. “CAAMP is currently playing the voice of the industry,” adds the spokesperson for Syndicate mortgages, “Economists and officials must understand that the biggest threat to the industry is the recession we will have to face due to job loss. “

CAAMP is reaching out to lenders, brokers and insurers to call for a proper evaluation of facts and their implications. It is a national organization with a huge number of members and supporters. With the right approach, CAAMP can greatly influence the decision of the government. Major broker associations have also showed complete support to CAAMP and their current cause. In this aspect, Alberta Mortgage Brokers Association (AMBA) has been one of the most significant advocators.

In support of CAAMP’s campaign, AMBA strives to drive decision makers’ attention towards the impact of national policies on struggling local markets. It also pointed out the risk of reduced liquidity that may be caused by the intended policy change. “Being a significant part of the industry, we brokers fear for its downfall. Like AMBA and CAAMP, Syndicate Mortgages also wants the government to refrain from limiting consumer’s choice in this aspect,” said the spokesperson.

About Syndicate Mortgages Inc.

Syndicate Mortgages Inc. is one of the leading Canadian mortgage brokerage firms. Founded in 2003 in Ontario, the company specializes in residential, commercial and construction financing across Canada. With years of experience and expertise in the mortgage industry, and access to an array of lending institutions across Canada, Syndicate is known for finding the best mortgage rates for their customers. Syndicate has ten several branch locations across Ontario. For contact, please use the following details.

Contact Details:

Syndicate Mortgages Inc.

8920 Woodbine Ave.

Markham, Ontario – L3R 9W9, Canada

Toll Free: 1 (888) 646-1062

Phone: (416)-646-1062

Fax: (416)-646-1065

email: info(at)smibroker.com

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Orange, CA (PRWEB) May 01, 2012

International City Mortgage (ICM) today announced the release of “ICM Fannie Mae Direct,” its new Conventional service retained home loan product.

“Being a Fannie Mae approved Seller/Servicer is taking International City Mortgage to the next level,” said Cory Hjelmeir, ICM Vice President of Production. “We are pleased to offer a true ICM Conventional product that will give us a competitive advantage in the marketplace.”

ICM Fannie Mae Direct product highlights are as follows: streamlined process, competitive pricing, property flipping okay, up to 10 financed properties allowed, minimum 680 FICO, and maximum 80% LTV/CLTV. Additional loan parameters follow DU/Fannie Mae Guidelines.

Even though the company reported record loan production in 2011, ICM believes the release of its own service retained Fannie Mae product will drive loan volume to new heights. “We’re excited about the great potential for growth with this product and look forward to another record year,” said Hjelmeir.

“Successfully completing the rigorous Fannie Mae approval process has elevated ICM into the next echelon of mortgage bankers and will fuel our Conventional product offering for years to come,” added Hjelmeir.

About International City Mortgage

International City Mortgage (ICM) is a privately held residential mortgage banking direct lender. Founded in 1987 on the principles of responsible lending, competitive rates, and exceptional service, they have successfully weathered mortgage industry cycles and are positioned for sustained growth. Their 21 retail branch locations are focused primarily on purchase transactions, which are generated from strong relationships with Realtors and Builders. They offer a wide range of financial solutions for homebuyers and homeowners, including the top Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, Jumbo and Bond products available within the industry today. Loans made or arranged pursuant to California Department of Corporations Residential Mortgage Lenders License #4130570, NMLS-DOC: 222730, HUD Mortgagee #7906300005, Illinois Residential Mortgage License #MB.6760856, and Nevada Mortgage Banker License #3795. ICM’s business services and products do not originate from HUD, FHA, the Government of the United States, or any Federal, State or local government agency. For more information, please visit the Company website at http://www.icitymortgage.com.

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Nashviile, TN (PRWEB) January 25, 2012

Country Music Singer/Songwriter Rick Monroe (http://www.rickmonroe.com) has inked an exclusive recording deal with Nashville based Render Records (http://www.renderecords.com), it was announced today by Render’s Steve Freeman.

All combined, the Render Records team is responsible for more than 10 Billboard #1 records, countless Top 40 singles and over 10 million units sold to date. Render currently works or has worked with some of the largest companies and most influential people in television, music and film. Render Recording Artists represent a span of the globe from South Alabama to South Africa and their music includes a diverse variety of musical genres from Country to Rock to Christian Contemporary to Hip Hop.

Of the new agreement, Steve Freeman said, “When it came time for us to sign an act that we could send to the country audience, I didn’t have to look far, I knew exactly who I wanted to associate our brand with, Rick Monroe. We are very excited that Rick is joining the Render family. We are currently in the studio recording Rick’s debut project for the label and are planning to release his first single “Crazy Not To” to country radio in late February.”

Rick Monroe added, “I am absolutely thrilled to be working with a forward thinking company like Render Records. With the rapid speed at which the music business is changing and evolving these days, being signed to a label that really ‘gets it’ from every angle is invaluable. And having talented, entrepreneurs, writers/musicians at the helm certainly allows for the perfect creative and open environment where artistry comes first and hard work is rewarded.”

Monroe comes to Render hot off the heel of four successful tours with Dierks Bentley, Josh Thompson, Eric Church and Randy Houser. Rick’s most recent single release, GET UR COUNTRY ON spawned the Jagermeister club tour of the same name which wrapped a 30 date swing at the conclusion of 2011. His hugely popular single and video, “Honky-Tonk Road Trip” (co-written with songwriter and celebrated journalist, Larry Holden) continues to be a fan favorite. No stranger to success Rick’s album, ‘Against the Grain’ spawned the hit single ‘Midnight Rider’. Having received rave reviews in print and accolades on television shows such as EXTRA, E! and ET, Rick’s gritty Midnight Rider video is still a much requested fan favorite. A true ambassador of the genre, Monroe was among the first country artists to perform in Russia and China. His extensive touring history includes performances throughout Russia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Hungary, Honduras, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Bahamas, Germany, England, Netherlands and Switzerland, sharing the stage with a who’s who of musical greats.

Monroe’s also opened for the likes of Charlie Daniels, Dwight Yoakam, Montgomery Gentry, Marshall Tucker, Darryl Worley, Craig Morgan, Eric Church, Emerson Drive, Patty Loveless, Little Texas, Ricochet, The Birds, Black Hawk, Trick Pony, Chely Wright, Sammy Kershaw and Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus. He’s toured Europe for the last three years and performed an average of 100 dates a year for the last two years.

Steve Freeman added, “As a label, you are constantly looking for the perfect mix of hard work and talent in an artist. I have known Rick for a couple years now and have watched him consistently work harder on his own behalf than most artist with a big time record deal. I have written with him and even cut some of his songs on other artists leading me to become a huge fan of his writing and performing. I am looking forward to writing and cutting great records with him and watching his career move forward with the support of a label that believes in their artists from a creative standpoint, not just from a financial point of view. Rick Monroe, the writer and artist, has some things to say that people need to hear and I am glad that we get the opportunity to be the launching pad for him and the great music to come. 2012 will be a great year for this partnership, Rick Monroe fans and music fans as a whole.”

The creative and ownership team is comprised of hit songwriters and award winning producers Steve Freeman, Rich Redmond, Tully Kennedy, Kurt Allison, David Fanning, serial entrepreneur Randy Adams. Adams is a graduate of MIT and former member of the board of directors of Yahoo, where he secured Yahoo’s initial financing through his partners at Sequoia Capital and oversaw their transition to a public company. He is also credited with creating Adobe Acrobat and the PDF file format as Director of Engineering for Adobe. In addition to his role with Render Records and Render Filmz, Randy is currently the Director and Co-Founder of actor Will Ferrell’s company Funny or Die, funnyordie.com, the webs most popular comedy website, as well as, Director and Co-Founder of Celebrity Apps, the premier mobile app publisher for celebrities and celebrity brands. He frequently lectures at Stanford University on becoming an entrepreneur and has been called one of the brightest minds in technology in the past 25 years.

Steve Freeman is a hit songwriter and award-winning producer from Nashville who currently writes professionally for Colton Entertainment Group. He has had over 30 songs cut by artists in various formats including Country, Rock, Christian and Adult Contemporary. His production credits can be found on over 5 million records sold.

A part of the Render family, Rich, Kurt and Tully, also known worldwide as The Three Kings, along with artist/producer David Fanning, make up New Voice Entertainment. Together they produce country music’s hottest new duo Thompson Square, who just celebrated their first #1 hit single, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not” as well as other acts Kristy Lee Cook, Blake Wise and Parmalee. When not behind the console, Rich, Kurt and Tully can be found in the studio and on the road creating the sound that made them famous with one of music’s most popular and best selling acts, Jason Aldean.

Media Contact: handsonpr(at)aol(dot)com 323-788-0741

More on Rick Monroe:

Rick Monroe is a country music road warrior who isn’t opposed to taking his music directly to the folks. Rick says, “You know all those reality shows on TV, my life IS a reality show.”

Monroe’s new recording contract with Render Records (http://www.renderecords.com) will spawn a new single in the spring of 2012 and a corresponding 6 track EP later in the year.

Regarding the new association, Rick says, “I’m very excited to be working with a forward thinking company like Render Records. With the ever changing speed of the music business at this time, having a label that really ‘gets it’ from every angle is invaluable. And having writers/musicians at the helm really allows for an extremely creative and open environment which at the end of the day is far more conducive to optimizing my artistic growth.”

Rick’s most recent single release, GET UR COUNTRY ON has audiences, both live and on the radio joining in the call… And in his hugely popular single and video, “Honky-Tonk Road Trip” (co-written with songwriter and celebrated journalist, Larry Holden) the country music sensation (http://www.cmt.com/videos/rick-monroe/335797/honky-tonk-roadtrip.jhtml) paints a vivid portrait of life on the road. The song has even spawned a unscripted/reality based television show currently in development.

On virtually every song written and recorded, through his artistry Monroe intentionally creates an amazing picture of a musician’s life. Be it one who hits the road, performing at every honky-tonk he can find to wash away the pain of a broken heart — only to find there was perfection waiting for him right around the corner… or something even more “every day grind” inspired.

The “Nashville favorite” recently joined Josh Thompson and Dierks Bentley on the Jagermeister Country Tour line-up. His single, GET UR COUNTRY ON was the spark for a Jagermeister Club Tour of the same name also in 2011.

Monroe’s opened for the likes of Pat Green, Charlie Daniels, Dwight Yoakam, Montgomery Gentry, Marshall Tucker, Darryl Worley, Craig Morgan, Eric Church, Emerson Drive, Patty Loveless, Little Texas, Ricochet, The Birds, Black Hawk, Trick Pony, Chely Wright, Sammy Kershaw and Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus. He’s toured Europe for the last three years and performed an average of 100 dates a year for the last two years.

No stranger to success Rick’s previous album, ‘Against the Grain’ spawned the hit single ‘Midnight Rider’. Having received rave reviews in print and accolades on television shows such as EXTRA and ET, Rick’s gritty Midnight Rider video is still a much requested fan favorite.

Due to his expanding sphere of influence, Monroe has picked-up sponsorships from Jagermeister, Resistol Hats, Blue Berry Guitars, GHS, Visual Sound and others.

A true ambassador of the genre, Monroe was among the first country artists to perform in Russia and China. His extensive touring history includes performances throughout Russia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Hungary, Honduras, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Bahamas, Germany, England, Netherlands and Switzerland, sharing the stage with a who’s who of musical greats. At the request of Pete Peterson, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, Rick performed at the week-long 4th of July celebrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Mihn City. Monroe was honored to sing the U.S. National Anthem for the 5-year anniversary of the re-opening of diplomatic relations between the countries. This marking the first time the anthem had been sung at a public event in Vietnam in over 25 years.

He followed that up with a Command Performance for the former President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, on the USS Sequoia Presidential Yacht, Washington, DC. This lead to a trip to Russia where Monroe performed at several orphanages and was a featured performer on REN TV’s Bulat Okudzhava Festival in Moscow, Russia

Rick Monroe takes life experiences that we all share, the events that touch our hearts and creates music that speaks directly to the soul in each of us. Whether in an intimate setting accompanied only by his acoustic guitar, a good old honky-tonk, or on stage playing with his band to thousands at an outdoor festival halfway around the world, Rick strives to connect to his audiences. He is always a huge crowd pleaser.

http://www.rickmonroe.com

# # #

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Walnut, CA & Chennai, India (PRWEB) April 26, 2012

Freshdesk, the fast growing online help desk software solution, today announces that it has raised $ 5 million in financing led by Tiger Global Management. Previous investor, Accel Partners, is also participating in the round.

Freshdesk closed its Series A funding in October last year. Since then, the company has been on a tear, tripling its customer base in just the last quarter. Freshdesk already boasts of a wide array of industry-first capabilities in the help desk space. The company will be using the funds raised in this round to ramp up engineering and build more exciting product features. Freshdesk also plans to expand its global support team to meet the growing demand, and use the finance to help other growing businesses provide best-in-class support to their customers.

Freshdesk is a social customer service software that allows companies to support customers through both traditional support channels like email and phone, as well as social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Widely used by startups and enterprise businesses alike, Freshdesk’s powerful features, easy to use interface, and freemium pricing model make Freshdesk a customer support solution that any business can afford.

“We have been impressed by the Freshdesk team’s ability to identify what customers really want in their help desk, and quickly roll out these capabilities into the product. This additional capital will help Freshdesk reach a broader base of businesses big and small,” says Shekhar Kirani at Accel Partners.

Geared at making customer support more engaging, powerful and as simple as sending an email, Freshdesk is the easiest way to manage customer support and interaction.

“With millions of customers voicing their opinions and complaints on Facebook and Twitter, social customer support is the new marketing. Today, the easiest way to build a powerful brand is to listen and engage with the customer”, says Freshdesk CEO, Girish Mathrubootham. “Businesses need an affordable solution to get closer to their customers and engage with them across mobile, social and traditional channels simultaneously. And our mission is to give them just that.”

Alec Farquharson from Aviolinx, is one of the many passionate Freshdesk customers who actively recommends Freshdesk to others. “It has a fresh GUI, simple and interactive setup, and a great support team to back it up”, he says.

To learn more about Freshdesk’s online help desk solution, visit: http://www.freshdesk.com, or check out a demo at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRNUsbNyFKs&lr=1&feature=results_right_video

About Tiger Global:

Tiger Global Management, LLC is an investment firm that deploys capital globally through its private investment and hedge fund partnerships. The firms’ private investment funds have ten-year investment horizons and focus on growth-oriented private companies in the global Internet and technology sectors. Tiger Global’s private investments include Yandex, Mail.ru Group, Ctrip, New Oriental, 360buy, Flipkart, Makemytrip, Netshoes, Despegar, MercadoLibre, Trendyol, Facebook, Square, and Linkedin. The firm’s fundamentally-oriented hedge funds invest primarily in public equities with an emphasis on long-term trends in the global technology, telecom, media, and consumer sectors. Tiger Global Management, LLC was founded in 2001 and is based in New York with affiliate offices in Beijing and Singapore.

About Accel Partners:

Founded in 1983 Accel has helped entrepreneurs build over 300 successful companies worldwide through early initiating investments. Many of these companies have gone on to define their categories, including Facebook, Groupon, Admob, Atlassian, Brightcove, ComScore, Dropbox, Etsy, JBoss, Kayak, Macromedia, MetroPCS, Polycom/PictureTel, Playfish, QlikTech, Quidsi (Diapers.com), Real Networks, Riverbed, Rovio (AngryBirds), Veritas, Walmart.com, XenSource, SpringSource, and Zimbra. Accel has offices in Palo Alto, London, Bangalore, Bejing and Shanghai amongst others, and is also actively pursuing investments in Brazil and Latin America. For more information, please visit http://www.accel.com, or find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/accel.

About Freshdesk:

Freshdesk is a cloud-based help desk software that allows organizations to support their customers through email, phone, website, Facebook and Twitter. With powerful features, an easy to use interface and a freemium pricing model that makes it essentially a free support software for small businesses, Freshdesk is widely used by companies ranging from startups all the way up to enterprises. For more information, please visit http://www.freshdesk.com or find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/freshdesk or Twitter: @freshdesk.

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.