Blizzard to Close Connecticut Secretary of State Office

In response to the expected blizzard in the Northeast, Connecticut Governor Malloy has requested all non-essential employees to stay home. Therefore, the Connecticut Secretary of State is closed.

As always, CLAS will be glad to do what we can to help. Call your service representative at 800.952.5696 or email Christy McCullough at Christy@clasinfo.com.

Snow Suspends Service in Massachusetts

Due to an impending snowstorm, Massachusetts transportation services will be suspended as of 3:30 PM on Friday, February 8, 2013. Other government office shutdowns may follow.

Please plan for processing delays due to closures and depleted staff. And if you have questions or need help, we'll be glad to do what we can to help. Just call your CLAS service representative at 800.952.5696, or email Christy McCullough at Christy@clasinfo.com.

CLAS Closed for Presidents' Day

CLAS will be closed on Monday, February 18, 2013, for Presidents' Day.

We'll return on Tuesday, February 19, 2013.

Please contact your CLAS service representative at 800.952.5696 if you have any questions, or contact Christy McCullough at Christy@clasinfo.com.

February 2013 State Holiday Closing Schedules

Please note, states sometimes make last-minute changes to their holiday closing schedules. We will update this list as we become aware of any changes.


Date	State	Holiday
Tuesday, February 12	Connecticut, Illinois, Missouri	Lincoln's Birthday
Tuesday, February 12	Alabama (Baldwin and Mobile Counties only) Louisiana	Mardi Gras
Monday, February 18	Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana*, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah**, Vermont, Washington, West Virgina, Wyoming	Presidents' Day *In Montana, Lincoln and Washington's Birthday. ** In Utah, Washington and Lincoln Day.
Monday, February 18	Alabama (also Thomas Jefferson's Birthday) Arkansas (also Daisy Gatson Bates Day) Connecticut, District of Columbia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Virginia	Washington's Birthday

Planning a Merger - Do You Know Which Filings Are Required?

Do you know which filings are required for mergers? Do you have a process for keeping track of what you need to do?

You can stay up-to-date with our free white paper on  "Planning a Merger" and our Merger Filings Worksheet. Contact your service representative to request a copy.

Our "Planning a Merger" white paper will help you to understand how to organize a merger and break it down so you know what has to be done:

• Before the merger
• To effect the merger, and
• After the merger has gone into effect.

Additionally, our Merger Filings Worksheet will help you to keep your project on course by making it easy for you to identify and track the items required before, during and after the merger.

If you need assistance to file merger documents, we can help you with that too. Just call CLAS for assistance at 800.952.5696, contact us, or post a question in the comments section below.

How Dan Is Getting in Shape with CLAS's Wellness Program

CLAS is proud to shine the spotlight this month on Dan McVicker, our senior Service Representative Support administrator. During his 11-year tenure, Dan has held several positions including runner, and has handled a variety of responsibilities, such as online ordering and UCC filings and searches.

Since CLAS rolled out its new fitness program, Dan has been a determined participant. Even before that he was committed to losing weight by making significant changes to his diet. Dan admits that in the past staying motivated to exercise had been a challenge. But CLAS's on-site exercise option, provided by Crossfit Envy, makes it convenient enough that he has been able to stick with it.Dan also appreciates the encouragement he and other participants give each other.

Dan lost 50 pounds before Thanksgiving, but he's allowing himself to break away from his low-carb diet over the holidays when he'll be visiting family. He says, "I try not to be obsessive about my diet, especially over the holidays. I've found that it's good to plan certain days that I'm going to 'cheat,' since that allows me to be sociable. But in the past, where I might have lost hope after 'cheating,' I now know that even if I go off my diet now and then, I can stick with the exercising and keep on track."

Another aspect of the program that Dan likes is the individualized approach Judy Kahler takes with rewards. Instead of setting the same goal for everyone, she often has her team members choose their own for a month and then awards prizes based on meeting them. Dan says, "This lets me focus on one area for a while, and then decide later if I need to re-visit it. It lets me experiment with what works for me and what doesn't."

Congratulations, Dan!

Special Purpose Entities, Independent Directors and Contract Agency Agreements

Special Purpose Entities (SPE) are used more and more as reliable tools for securitized lending and structured finance. They allow for maintaining legal ownership of assets in a vehicle that can be separated from the bankruptcy risks of a larger organization.

An Independent Director acts in a fiduciary capacity and maintains true independence from the SPE parent and the lender. We are seeing more frequent requests for these as well as Contract Agency Agreements.

We offer full services in this area and provide:

• Full compliance with lender and rating agency requirements
• Fully qualified, experienced Independent Directors
• Formation and management services for the SPE
• Client specific tailored entity management services

Contact Sandi Larsen at Sandi@clasinfo.com or call your CLAS service representative at 800.952.5696 for assistance or to learn about our very competitive pricing.