Shares of BankUnited, which failed in 2009 and was taken over by a group of investors including Blackstone BX -0.20% and the Carlyle Group, shot up 11% and triggered a circuit breaker in Friday afternoon trading.

An initial public offering for BankUnited, which priced in January 2011, valued the bank at $2.6 billion, according to previous reports.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bankunited-working-with-goldman-on-possible-sale-2012-01-13

Colbert Seagraves, Viper Motorcycle Company’s Vice President of Marketing and Racing Operations stated, “We plan to have the Platinum Distribution agreement in place with AMV during the first quarter of 2012.  As we continue to move forward expanding our dealer network, our commitment to excellence is represented by our choice of Platinum Overseas Distributors.” 

Graham Manchester, Managing Director of AMV said “AMV is delighted to enter a formal agreement with Viper Motorcycles and already has an ongoing relationship with Ilmor in the UK. We were pleased to be told that Ilmor were involved in building a special V twin for the new Viper motorcycle. This bike breaks new territory in the UK and Europe, being dubbed  a “supercruiser” and, with the new EU regulations looming, a slowing market in sports bikes and very little new in naked or existing V twins, this new bike offers serious riders a new and exciting form of two wheeled enjoyment and above all it has an engine built in the UK.

“AMV specializes in the development of new markets, especially for exotic motorcycles. Initially, for the sales of Viper motorcycles, we will be looking to appoint two outlets in the UK, one in the North West and one in London; we will also be seeking to expand the brand onto the mainland of Europe.” AMV can be contacted in the UK, 0844 800 28 20 or email info@amvmotorcycles.com

John Silseth, CEO of Viper Powersports stated, “The Viper Diamondback Super Cruiser is in a league of its own and we are setting up a worldwide distribution network to match.   We recently signed our initial Platinum distributor out of Dubai, and bringing AMV motorcycles on as our second overseas distributor is key to developing Viper into a truly worldwide brand.”

ABOUT VIPER POWERSPORTS, INC: Viper Powersports designs, manufactures and markets a line of premium American V-Twin Super Cruiser motorcycles, V-Twin aftermarket engines and other related aftermarket products through an independent dealer network. Joint venture partner Ilmor Engineering (www.ilmor.com), provides technical developmental support for the proprietary 152 cubic inch Viper V-Twin engine, utilizing their 25 years of engine design expertise, ensuring Viper’s long term success as America’s newest domestic OEM of motorcycles. Viper Motorcycle Company website is www.vipermotorcycle.com.

The foregoing material may contain forward-looking statements. We caution that such statements may be subject to uncertainties and that actual results could differ materially from the fore-going statements. Readers accordingly should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which do not reflect anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances occurring after the date of these forward-looking statements.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Colbert Seagraves
VP of Marketing & Racing Operations
Viper Motorcycle Company
Tel: (334) 321-4284
E: cseagraves@vipermotorcycle.com

John R. Silseth
Chief Executive Officer
Viper Powersports, Inc.
Tel: (334) 887-4445
E: jsilseth@viperpowersports.com 

Timothy C. Kling
Investor Relations
Chief Financial Officer
Viper Powersports, Inc. 
Tel: (334) 887-4445
E: tkling@viperpowersports.com

SOURCE: http://www.viperpowersports.com/

The Attorney General for the state, Martha Coakley, said in a statement Monday the bank will put $40.2 million to reducing the principal amounts on more than 700 subprime loans, the third such agreement the state has reached with investment banks.

“Investment banks profited handsomely from those securitizations at the expense of homeowners,” Coakley said in the statement. “The only way we are going to return to a healthy economy is to hold these banks accountable in order to achieve real relief for homeowners.”

RBS, which is now majority-owned by the U.K. government, will also pay Massachusetts $8.9 million and municipalities another $2.6 million. The allegations stem from the former Greenwich Capital Financial Products unit, now known as RBS Financial Products Inc., which the state alleged financed and securitized residential loans that were presumptively unfair.

“We are pleased to have resolved this matter with the Massachusetts Attorney General,” a spokesman for RBS said in a statement.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS) had both already reached similar deals with Coakley’s office, paying $60 million and $102 million, respectively.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rbs-reaches-52-mln-settlement-with-mass-ag-2011-11-28

The settlement with the Federal Trade Commission would resolve the agency’s complaint over Google Buzz, a social notification service the company built last year into Gmail. The feature allowed users to share photos, videos and updates with friends but attracted controversy when the automatically enabled service effectively made users’ email contacts public.

Under the proposed settlement, Google would prominently disclose when it transfers user information to third parties, identify the kind of third parties receiving the data and explain the purposes of sharing the data. The disclosures would come apart from the company’s standard end-user license agreement.

The agreement also requires biennial assessments of its privacy safeguards by an independent third-party professional.

The FTC said the agreement represents the first settlement order that mandates a comprehensive Internet privacy program and the first time the agency alleged a violation of the U.S.-EU safe harbor framework, which covers personal data exchanged between the U.S. and European Union.

The agreement is subject to a 30-day public comment period.

Shares were recently up 1.4% at $598.60 Monday. The stock has gained 14% over the past month.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/google-settles-with-ftc-on-privacy-breaches-2011-10-24

Microsoft has claimed Google’s Android operating system uses its patented technologies, and fellow tech giant Apple Inc. (AAPL) has made similar claims. Google and its Android partners have faced a rash of lawsuits attacking Android over patent and trademark infringement, and technology companies have been amassing intellectual-property arsenals to both defend against litigation and as a weapon for countersuits.

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Quanta, and proud of the continued success of our Android licensing program in resolving IP issues surrounding Android and Chrome devices in the marketplace,” said Horacio Gutierrez, deputy general counsel in Microsoft’s intellectual property group.

Financial details of the agreement weren’t disclosed, though Microsoft said it will receive royalties from Quanta.

Over the last few months, Microsoft has negotiated licensing agreements with a handful of hardware companies using Android, and the company last month struck a similar deal with Samsung Electronics Co. (SSNHY, 005930.SE), the world’s second-biggest cell phone maker, an indication Samsung may have recognized problems in Google’s intellectual property claims.

Shares of Microsoft were recently up 3 cents to $26.99.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/microsoft-strikes-patent-agreement-with-quanta-2011-10-13

LightSquared™, a wholesale carrier building a nationwide wireless broadband network that will create consumer choice and industry innovation, has signed a multi-year wholesale agreement with VoX Communications, a provider of wholesale and retail Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services for consumers and businesses.

This is LightSquared’s 14th partner agreement, signaling that companies across a range of industries are eager to develop innovative mobile services, devices and applications on LightSquared’s open network.

VoX is culminating its strategy to add mobile functionality to its existing IP network platform by launching affordable new mobile services and applications, including voice and video, on LightSquared’s world-class network. VoX also plans to offer high-speed data and satellite services to its existing and new customers. The combination of wholesale economics and business model, open platform, 4G-LTE network and growing device ecosystem is the key reason why VoX chose to partner with LightSquared to deliver its innovative services.

“We’ve been closely following the rapid increase in mobile VoIP users, and determining how our company could take advantage of this new reality,” said Mark Richards, president and chief information officer of VoX. “We believe that the LightSquared network and business model are creating a transformative moment for the industry, and will allow us to expand our portfolio so we can deliver a broad range of affordable and innovative mobile services to our customers.”

“When we think of the types of partners that would benefit from the LightSquared network, VoX Communications comes to mind,” said Sanjiv Ahuja, chairman and chief executive officer of LightSquared. “VoX is already redefining VoIP performance and services, and we look forward to helping them do the same with a new portfolio of innovative wireless services.

About LightSquared

LightSquared’s mission is to revolutionize the U.S. wireless industry. With the creation of the first-ever, wholesale-only nationwide 4G-LTE network integrated with satellite coverage, LightSquared offers people the speed, value and reliability of universal connectivity, wherever they are in the United States. As a wholesale-only operator, LightSquared will deploy an open 4G wireless broadband network to be used by existing and new service providers to sell their own devices, applications and services – at a competitive cost and without retail competition from LightSquared. The deployment and operation of LightSquared’s network represent more than $14 billion of private investment over the next eight years. For more information about LightSquared, please go to www.LightSquared.com, www.facebook.com/LightSquared and www.twitter.com/LightSquared.

About VoX Communications

VoX Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pervasip Corp., is a proven provider of wholesale and retail VoIP services and smartphone applications. Using its own nationwide VoIP network, VoX offers wholesale broadband voice, origination and termination services to cable operators, carriers, ISPs, CLECs, resellers and other wireless and wireline operators, as well as enhanced video and VoIP telephone service to the small business and residential marketplaces. VoX provides a feature-rich, low-cost and high-quality alternative to traditional wireline phone service. For more information, please go to www.voxcorp.net.

Contact

Amy Rosenberg
Burson-Marsteller for LightSquared
Tel: (212) 614-4558
amy.rosenberg@bm.com

Paul Riss
Chief Executive Officer
VoX Communications
Tel: (212) 404-7633
phriss@pervasip.com

SOURCE: http://www.pervasip.com/press/

Unlike its previous deals for online video provider YouTube and Internet advertising company DoubleClick, Google is buying an older, more established company with a focus on making hardware, not software. Plus, Motorola is based in the suburbs of Chicago, far from Google’s Silicon Valley home.

“It will be interesting to see just how deeply ingrained Motorola will be within Google,” said Chris Hazelton, a mobile and wireless analyst at research firm 451 Group. “Will it be the golden child or just the black sheep that gave them all their” intellectual property?

Motorola’s patent portfolio is a key feature of the deal. Google has fewer patents in mobile technology than some competitors, which could hobble it as smartphone companies increasingly look to patent litigation to give themselves an edge.

Google Chief Executive Larry Page said Monday that Motorola will operate as a separate entity and that “my intention is to work closely with the Motorola teams and let [Motorola Chief Executive] Sanjay [Jha] and his management team drive the business.”

Both companies declined to comment further on the integration process, which will go a long way to determining the deal’s success.

Google Chief Financial Officer Patrick Pichette said Monday that Google has “a proven track record on acquisitions.” Other notable purchases by the company include DoubleClick, the display-ad provider it bought for $3.11 billion in 2007, and YouTube LLC, which it acquired for $1.56 billion in 2006.

The DoubleClick deal was a significant step in Google’s expansion into advertising, which has become a core business alongside search; meanwhile, Pichette said in July that strength in YouTube and other new areas helped drive the company’s strong second-quarter financial results. However, both deals were smaller than Motorola and involved software companies.

Google not only moves into the hardware business with the Motorola acquisition but is forced to help turn around the company’s declining market share. Motorola sold 10.2 million mobile devices in the second quarter, good enough for a 2.4% market share, down from 2.5% a year earlier, according to Gartner.

“It’s an open question whether Google, a novice in hardware, can turn Motorola around without anointing it favored status within the Android license community,” Needham & Co. analyst Charlie Wolf said. Doing so, though, could push away other vendors, such as Samsung Electronics Co. (005930.SE).

“If Google were to favor Motorola, the company risks alienating its other Android licensees,” Wolf said, noting there are 38 such licensees.

Adding to the merger’s complexity is the different attitudes at the two companies. Motorola’s broader corporate culture, with an emphasis on process and procedure, differs from Google’s more flexible, innovation-driven approach.

“In some sense, they’re both engineering-driven cultures,” said Ken Delaney, vice president of research at Gartner Inc. “There’s probably a spirit of more flexibility in Google than there was inside Motorola.”

In addition to their Android partnership, the companies do have some connections. Hazelton noted that Motorola recently acquired Three Laws Mobility, a startup that makes security software for Android devices and was founded by former Google employees.

“Motorola has been working with Google for a while on a lot of projects,” the 451 Group analyst said. “The communication links are already there.”

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/google-faces-integration-challenges-with-motorola-2011-08-15

The Toronto company, a provider of electronics manufacturing services, said its adjusted profit rose to 27 cents in the quarter on “robust margin expansion” and top-line growth. Revenue came in at $1.83 billion.

The Thomson Reuters mean estimates were for earnings of 24 cents a share on revenue of $1.80 billion.

Net income was $45.7 million or 21 cents a share.

Celestica sees third-quarter revenue falling in a range of $1.725 billion to $1.875 billion, and adjusted earnings of 23-29 cents a share.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/celestica-beats-expectations-with-earnings-growth-2011-07-22

The statement didn’t provide more details.

This will be E.Sun’s first cooperation agreement with a Chinese counterpart. In June 2010, Taiwan and China signed a landmark trade deal that lifted some barriers on investments on various sectors across the Taiwan Strait, including banking and insurance.

Bank of China wasn’t immediately available for comment.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/taiwans-esun-to-sign-pact-with-bank-of-china-2011-05-07

There is a “pay-for-performance disconnect” at the orthopedics company, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. said in research report, issued last week. The advisory firm calculated that the value of Dvorak’s total compensation soared more than 50% to $12 million last year amid a backdrop of Zimmer shares declining 9.2%. Big increases in the value of restricted stock and stock options awards were key factors, ISS said.

Zimmer, a Warsaw, Ind., company that leads the market for replacement joints, took issue with the ISS calculations. Zimmer put Dvorak’s total 2010 compensation at $9.6 million, up 35% from the prior year, and said ISS “significantly overstates” the CEO’s compensation by the way it measures the grant date for stock options. Zimmer also noted that two other proxy advisory firms have recommended their clients vote for the non-binding executive pay proposal.

“We take issue with the way that ISS values Mr. Dvorak’s 2010 equity compensation,” Zimmer said in a note to shareholders, disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

“ISS is advising its clients to vote against the proposal based on its own inflated valuation of Mr. Dvorak’s compensation,” Zimmer also said.

Asked if Dvorak had a comment on the matter, Zimmer spokesman Garry Clark said the company had no comment beyond the material included in Friday’s SEC filing. Zimmer is holding its annual meeting on May 2.

Dvorak has been Zimmer’s CEO for nearly four years. The company has endured a bumpy ride at times on his watch, hurt by an uncertain economy, an issue with a replacement hip part and changes brought on by an industry-wide deal with the Department of Justice to resolve allegations of improper surgeon payments. Most recently, the orthopedics market has been pressured by patients deferring surgery due to worries about out-of-pocket costs.

Zimmer topped Wall Street’s sales expectations in the fourth quarter while forecasting an improved sales-growth pace for the near year, however, indicating market conditions may be improving. Also, Zimmer “executed several important product launches, which we believe will position us for accelerated growth as the economy strengthens,” the company said in a recent proxy filing.

Zimmer shares are up 14% so far this year, although they were down 1.1% to $61.32 in recent trading amid a broader-market selloff. The company reports first-quarter results on April 28.

SOURCE: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/advisory-firm-iss-takes-issue-with-zimmer-ceo-pay-2011-04-18