I have been watching the hype and now the fallout.From Salesforce Agent force to Microsoft Copilot, we’re witnessing the dawn of intelligent agents in the enterprise. And I’m here to say it clearly: Most businesses will fail with AI agents.Not...
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August 07, 2025, 07:00 AM
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The current working environment has shifted dramatically. Many organizations are grappling with challenges ranging from employees exiting their roles to navigating health issues that leave teams short-handed. The pressure is on the remaining...
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October 08, 2024, 07:00 AM
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As a graduate student studying finance at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, I have heard a lot about the power and potential of data. But I didn’t know what to expect when I started my internship in the...
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August 20, 2024, 07:00 AM
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Wrongful repossessions are costly. They damage relationships and reputations. They trigger lawsuits. And depending on where you do business, they can even result in regulatory enforcement action – even criminal prosecution. Too often, lenders assume...
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June 17, 2024, 10:00 AM
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In today's volatile economic climate, businesses across sectors face numerous challenges, from fluctuating market demands to tightening financial conditions. This tumultuous landscape necessitates not just skilled management but visionary leadership...
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June 11, 2024, 07:00 AM
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Understanding MentorshipIn the dynamic world of personal and professional growth, mentorship stands out as a vital key to unlocking potential. It transcends a mere relationship; it's a shared expedition between a mentor and a mentee. Here, wisdom and...
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January 16, 2024, 07:00 AM
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As in every other technology sector, asset finance professionals are wondering how AI will enhance their businesses. Current industry conversations don’t touch on specific requests so much as on a general — and correct — intuition that AI will have a...
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January 05, 2024, 05:00 AM
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As the equipment finance industry looks at the final stretch of 2023, the industry has undergone an uneven year in terms of overall confidence in the market. Back in June, the industry was looking at encouraging signs in the market, but the September...
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December 07, 2023, 05:00 AM
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Every week, we’re hearing from executives with asset-based lenders and lease finance companies. Business conditions have become much more difficult in recent months. Unfortunately, some are finding out the hard way that the levers they expected to...
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August 10, 2023, 05:00 AM
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Throughout the pandemic, there was an incredible amount of innovation and investments made to improve the end-customer-facing commercial transaction process and technology workflows, which has resulted in exceptional acceleration in the transaction...
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June 27, 2023, 05:00 AM
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Salespeople who have worked for me over the years have heard me say that good looks and charm will only take you so far as a salesperson. You can sweet-talk and tap dance your way through the sale, but, at some point, the essence of your product will...
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June 15, 2023, 05:00 AM
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For some independent asset-based lenders, securing sufficient operating capital is becoming a growing problem. Why? Because increased regulatory scrutiny on credit quality following the first quarter’s bank failures is causing banks to rethink their...
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May 23, 2023, 01:00 PM
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Diverse specializations have become increasingly important in our modern world. While deep industry knowledge is an undeniable benefit to your existing clients, it limits the scope of who you and your organization can work with and what it can...
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May 01, 2023, 07:00 AM
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As I mentioned in my Triple Threat article last November, (posted in the publications listing on my LinkedIn page), the first two legs, (bank unrealized losses on investment securities and the migration of core deposits out of regional and local...
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April 19, 2023, 07:00 AM
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I attended the Equipment Leasing & Finance Association’s 34th Annual National Funding Conference in Chicago, March 14 – 16. It was one of the more interesting industry conferences with multiple surprise announcements of several bank balance sheet...
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March 16, 2023, 03:00 PM
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Rising interest rates and uncertain economic conditions have intensified the slowdown in financing-related activities among small business, according to the NerdWallet Small-Business Financing index. This is supported by a recently released survey...
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February 07, 2023, 07:00 AM
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Bankers, lenders and lessors are in the relationship business. Their careers and businesses are built on them. As a result, you would expect banks and other lenders and lessors to be great at building strong, mutually rewarding relationships. But...
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January 05, 2023, 05:00 AM
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A lot of lenders and lessors turn to third-party specialists for certain services. In today’s tough labor market, capable vendor partners can generate a substantial return on the investment in their services. But when those services touch the...
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December 02, 2022, 05:00 AM
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Each year, we look forward to the ELFA Convention. It gives us the opportunity to connect with old friends and clients and to forge new relationships. It also allows us to get a sense for how people are feeling about the year to come. This year, it...
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November 14, 2022, 07:00 AM
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The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) held its National Funding Conference on at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago on April 12-14, 2022. At the request of Michael Toglia, Publisher of Equipment Finance Advisor, who was unable to...
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April 26, 2022, 05:00 AM
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VIDEO INTEVIEW: Marc Hamroff, Managing Partner, Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP discusses the role of legal counsel when working with bank-owned and independent equipment finance companies. According to Hamroff, ultimately lawyers are counselors to their...
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December 20, 2021, 07:00 AM
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Some believe that entrepreneurs are the rock stars of the business world. Anybody who’s worked a 9-5 has, at some point, dreamt of starting a business to solve a problem. For many people, building a business out of something they’re passionate about...
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November 03, 2021, 05:00 AM
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VIDEO INTERVIEW: Shawn Arnone, SVP Commercial Vendor Finance, Key Equipment Finance explains the challenges in the vendor finance sector of the equipment finance industry. Arnone explains the importance and art behind successful relationship...
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March 25, 2020, 07:00 AM
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VIDEO INTERVIEW: Richard Gumbrecht, CEO, Secured Finance Network & President, Secured Finance Foundation discusses the Secured Finance Market Sizing Study, which was completed in 2019 and a new study completed with Keybridge Research to create the...
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January 29, 2020, 07:00 AM
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VIDEO INTERVIEW: Paul Tyczkowski, Senior Vice President Finance, of LEAF Commercial Capital, Inc. explains why finance professionals should take the time to build and leverage partnerships with professionals within in their organization that...
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November 14, 2019, 07:00 AM
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VIDEO INTERVIEW: Nate Gibbons, Chief Operating Officer, Innovation Finance explains how consumer behavior is driving the technology evolution. According to Gibbons, in some cases technological advancements are accelerating so quickly, that it is...
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August 13, 2019, 07:00 AM
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VIDEO INTERVIEW: Mike DiCecco, Executive Vice President, Huntington Bank and President of Huntington Equipment Finance, discusses the importance of being strategically aligned with a bank parent, and the value of utilizing the data developed by...
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May 13, 2019, 07:00 AM
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VIDEO INTERVIEW: Bob Rinaldi, President, Bob Rinaldi, LLC describes how and why independent equipment finance companies must be looking ahead and investing in their future today to avoid being disrupted in the future. According to Rinaldi, today...
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January 17, 2019, 07:00 AM
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VIDEO INTERVIEW: Adam Warner, President, Key Equipment Finance discusses the importance of creating a more diverse workforce in the equipment finance industry. According to Warner, the most important benefit of building a diverse workforce and...
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December 11, 2018, 11:00 AM
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VIDEO INTERVIEW: Diane Croessmann, Director, The Alta Group discusses how the Internet of Things (IoT) is impacting funding sources in the equipment finance industry. According to Croessmann, the traditional equipment usage model – where idle...
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October 24, 2018, 07:00 AM
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VIDEO INTERVIEW: Don Hansen, CEO, Regents Capital Corporation discusses how the demands of customers are impacting the equipment finance industry. According to Hansen, as technology continues to create greater efficiency in the credit approval and...
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September 19, 2018, 07:00 AM
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I am old enough to remember the days when the utilities entered into the equipment finance business, the roll-up craze, and big banks entering in enmasse. More recently we have seen the FinTech phenomenon. I recall a panel discussion on FinTech at an...
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July 20, 2018, 07:00 AM
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VIDEO INTERVIEW: Deborah Reuben, President of Reuben Creative explains the importance of watching trends in the ecosystems of technologies, and seeking an understanding of how various technologies work together to change and advance both business...
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December 20, 2017, 07:00 AM
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VIDEO INTEVIEW: RJ Grimshaw, CEO of UniFi Equipment Finance explains the importance of welcoming “Intrapreneurs” into your company and how embracing this mind-shift toward the entrepreneurial spirit is positively impacting companies across the...
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November 27, 2017, 07:00 AM
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VIDEO INTERVIEW: Bill Verhelle, Immediate Past Chairman of the Equipment Leasing and Finance Foundation (ELFF) describes how young thought leaders and emerging technologies are impacting the equipment finance industry in the U.S.In this latest...
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October 16, 2017, 07:00 AM
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As I write this, the pending Presidential election is days away and too close to call. And while stark differences are obvious in terms of style, substance, policy and political priorities, both candidates have staked out decidedly populist positions...
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November 07, 2016, 07:00 AM
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Is there a shortage of manpower in the equipment finance industry today? It’s hard to say, given the confusing and complex landscape now facing the industry. Recent efforts by industry leadership to bring more young professionals into our industry...
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July 05, 2016, 07:00 AM
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For the past several years, concerns about margin compression in the leasing and equipment finance industry have continued to mount. When you combine this with slower growth, increased competition, and a number of other factors, it can be difficult...
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April 12, 2016, 07:00 AM
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On December 1st, JPMorgan Chase announced a partnership agreement with OnDeck Capital, a publicly traded commercial Fintech lending enterprise. This may well be a watershed event in the emerging Fintech commercial finance segment as it represents the...
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January 19, 2016, 07:00 AM
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Fog descends on a busy highway and catastrophe often ensues. It is hard to navigate when you can’t see the road ahead. Yet that is just what many of us in the alternative finance industry have been trying to do for the last decade. We’ve avoided...
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July 21, 2015, 07:00 AM
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Partnering with a new funding source can be a rewarding but tedious task for both the originator and the lender. Low cost, aggressive financing is certainly available for those originators that enjoy a solid reputation, dependable volume and proven...
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March 04, 2015, 07:00 AM
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For years, equipment finance professionals have been lamenting what has been described as “the graying of our industry.” While this topic is frequently discussed at industry conferences and around company conference tables, few industry professionals...
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February 04, 2015, 07:00 AM
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Equipment Finance Advisor sat down with Bill Hughes, Executive Vice President of Linedata Capitalstream, Lending & Leasing, to talk about his perspective on what to expect in 2015. What areas of the lending & leasing industry experienced the most...
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January 21, 2015, 07:00 AM
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As many of us typically look back and reflect on the events of the last twelve months, the staff of Equipment Finance Advisor decided to do the same. We thought it would be insightful to take a look at which of our blogs from 2014 that captured our...
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December 22, 2014, 07:00 AM
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The surge in the shale gas industry in the U.S., as well as stepped up oil exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, is creating enormous demand for marine assets to transport fuels and supplies. To seize this growth opportunity, mid-size marine operating...
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November 05, 2014, 07:00 AM
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After the decline in activity that occurred during the financial crisis and great recession, the M&A market for equipment leasing and finance businesses is definitely showing signs of heating up in 2014. Two large transactions – Element Financial’s...
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August 05, 2014, 07:00 AM
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In the final installment of this blog series discussing the implications of community banks entering our industry, I take a look at the impact of this trend on vendor program lessors. To be sure, there are significant opportunities for these vendor...
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July 08, 2014, 07:00 AM
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Part one of this blog series entitled Community Banks Entering Our Industry focused on some of the reasons community banks are entering or should enter our specific category of C&I finance. It concluded with my personal belief that this trend is a...
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June 03, 2014, 07:00 AM
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Construction industry makes use of a large number of complex and varied equipment. Construction activities are many and diverse. They are also expensive and labor-intensive. Contractors have to control and coordinate all these activities into a...
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May 26, 2014, 09:30 AM
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Did you hear the one about the Great Recession putting the nail in the lease syndication coffin? The lack of liquidity in 2009 drove most equipment finance organizations toward an exclusive franchise focus, abandoning all activities considered...
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April 21, 2014, 07:00 AM
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Over the past year or so, there have been numerous announcements about community and regional banks entering the equipment finance industry via de novo startups or “lift-outs” of existing equipment finance teams. While it’s no secret that banks of...
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February 04, 2014, 07:00 AM
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Oil ad gas refineries are often blamed for the rising pollution levels. This blame isn't completely untrue given the emissions that are reported to be made by them. Citizens have become more conscious about environmental factors of late and are...
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December 31, 2013, 12:39 AM
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As we bring 2013 to a close, I reflect back on a year of instability, uncertainty, fear and a small amount of measurable growth in business. Given this environment, I am surprised that the industry has fared as well as it did in 2013, posting to date...
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December 17, 2013, 07:00 AM
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On more than a few occasions over the past several years, I have heard multiple versions of the same rhetorical question: “Where do we go from here?" Well, I have finally grown tired of letting the question just hang there.While enjoying an...
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October 15, 2013, 07:00 AM
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The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) held its annual Credit and Collections Conference at the historic Hyatt at the Bellevue in Philadelphia, PA on June 2-4. This year’s conference, attended by approximately 150 attendees, was...
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June 10, 2013, 07:00 AM
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The Economist Perspective: Adam Karson, Keybridge Research LLCThe budget sequester has garnered a lot of attention in recent months. Shrouded in hyperbole and doomsday predictions, it has been difficult to get a clear picture of what the budget cuts...
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March 13, 2013, 07:00 AM
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Welcome again to Executive Solutions’ annual newsletter. For 23 years we have focused on the equipment leasing and finance industry. We pride ourselves on our continued commitment to the clients and candidates we have come to know and whose...
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March 01, 2013, 12:08 PM
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On February 8th I was invited to attend a roundtable discussion in New York City hosted by Knowledgent, Inc., a consulting company focused on delivering innovation through the utilization of information to various industries including the financial...
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February 12, 2013, 07:00 AM
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You can't avoid being barraged by the fiscal cliff hype from the media in all its forms. Frankly, it has now become boring. What is hype and what is real? More importantly, what affect would it really have on the equipment leasing and finance...
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December 18, 2012, 07:00 AM
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