Press Releases

HOUSTON, Feb. 10, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mayor Annise Parker along with state and local officials joined representatives of Cloudbreak Houston, LLC, Travis Street Plaza LP, National Equity Fund, Inc., Amegy Bank of Texas, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas), United States Veterans Initiative, and the Department of Veteran Affairs on Thursday, February 9, 2012, to celebrate the groundbreaking for Travis Street Plaza, a new 192-unit permanent housing community for homeless and disabled veterans near downtown Houston.

A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11627

The cost of the project totals approximately $18 million, and Amegy Bank is the lead lender. Amegy Bank also partnered with FHLB Dallas to award a $500,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant to assist with construction of the project. National Equity Fund, Inc. provided more than $11 million in low-income housing tax credit equity on behalf of nine investors, and the City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department provided more than $5.7 million in grant and bond funds. 

"This is more than just a housing complex, but a fully integrated community providing the supportive services, counseling, and job training programs that veterans need and deserve," said City of Houston Mayor Annise Parker.  "It's through partnerships between the private, public, and nonprofit sectors that will enable Travis Street Plaza to support Houston's homeless veterans transition to an independent life of self sustainability."

Developed by Cloudbreak Communities, construction has begun on the five-story apartment community which will serve in addition to the existing 286-unit facility that is already operating on the adjacent property. The existing facility, Midtown Terrace, was converted from a Days Inn Motel and provides short- and long-term transitional housing for veteran residents. 

The partnership with National Equity Fund, Inc. was a critical component in funding Travis Street Plaza.

"We are committed to supporting efforts that go beyond shelters and short-term transitional housing for homeless veterans," said Joe Hagan, National Equity Fund, Inc. president and chief operating officer. "And, we are proud to be part of Travis Street Plaza as a permanent housing solution with access to critical supportive services for the men and women who have served our country."

The new facility will contain 192 units and will provide subsidized permanent housing for homeless and disabled veterans. Residents will have access to supportive services, such as counseling, medical care, job training, and mental health services provided by DVA, USVETS, Goodwill of Greater Houston, Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, and other local service providers. Veterans will access HUD/VASH Housing Vouchers through the City of Houston and Harris County Housing Authorities. Travis Street Plaza plans to open by the end of 2012.

"Travis Street Plaza is another step in Cloudbreak Communities' multi-decade vision to add new permanent supportive housing around its already existing veteran facilities that are providing entry level programs and services along with transitional and permanent housing," said Thomas R. Cantwell, manager of Travis Street Plaza, LP. "This development will provide urgently needed housing for Houston-area veterans building upon Cloudbreak Houston, L.L.C's Midtown Terrace Suites, which currently houses nearly 300 vets."

Amegy Bank has been a tremendous partner and advocate of Travis Street Plaza, LP, and along with providing financing for the project, Amegy Bank utilized the FHLB Dallas AHP grant program for additional funding. Since 2005, Amegy Bank has awarded approximately $4 million in AHP grants to Houston area projects. Each year, Amegy Bank works diligently to partner with dedicated organizations that are committed to providing quality housing and services to the community.

"Amegy Bank supports Travis Street to help address the community's critical housing need for veterans and to further Travis Street's goal to provide social services and workforce training for veterans who have been misplaced or recently returned from war," said  Senior Vice President and Community Banking Manager Brian Stoker.  "We believe that it is our responsibility to support the communities that we serve, and we appreciate having the opportunity to help address the diverse affordable housing needs throughout Houston and the Texas area."   

AHP grants are awarded through FHLB Dallas member financial institutions, such as Amegy Bank, to assist in the development of affordable, owner-occupied and rental housing for very low- to moderate-income households. In 2011, FHLB Dallas awarded $11 million in AHP funding to 53 projects across its five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. The funding will result in the creation or rehabilitation of 1,653 housing units across the District.

About National Equity Fund

National Equity Fund, Inc. is a nonprofit syndicator of LIHTCs connecting private capital to long-term affordable rental housing investments. With its 2011 activity - $833 million equity investments for new construction and rehab projects creating 8,100 jobs - NEF now counts 2,100 LIHTC projects under management, with $9.5 billion invested. 

About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 12 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932.  FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $31.4 billion as of September 30, 2011, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced advances and other credit products to more than 900 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas.  For more information about FHLB Dallas and its programs, please visit fhlb.com.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3013

The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.

CONTACT: Corporate Communications
         Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
         www.fhlb.com
         (214) 441-8445

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dynasty Financial Partners, a leading provider of research, infrastructure and best in class investment platforms for independent financial advisors, announced today that it was named Best Newcomer - Advisory Consulting at the 2012 Private Asset Management Awards (“PAM Awards”) held on Tuesday in New York. In its first year in business, Dynasty Financial Partners was nominated for three separate award categories including Private Client Investment Platform – Innovation and Outstanding Contribution.

“It is tremendously gratifying to see the results of our team’s hard work acknowledged by PAM Magazine,” said Shirl Penney, President and CEO of Dynasty Financial Partners. “I am proud that we have been recognized for what we have created and it confirms how important this model will be to the future of the industry.”

About Dynasty Financial Partners

Dynasty Financial Partners develops, sources and integrates the finest capabilities for the industry’s leading independent investment advisor teams - without limitations or conflicts. Dynasty offers a customized open-architecture platform of the finest wealth management solutions and technology to help independent advisors best protect and grow their clients’ wealth. Dynasty’s core principle is “objectivity without compromise,” and the firm is committed to crafting solutions that allow investment advisors to act as true fiduciaries to their clients. For more information, please visit www.dynastyfinancialpartners.com.

About the PAM Awards

The PAM Awards are awarded annually by Private Asset Management, a financial services industry trade magazine. The PAM Awards invite firms to compete for awards in several categories by providing answers regarding their business model, services offered, growth in client count and assets managed, countries of operation, service innovation and performance. A panel of independent industry experts selects the nominees and winners based on a number of qualitative and quantitative performance indicators.

http://www.pammagazine.com/event/pam-2012-awards

for Dynasty Financial PartnersGerard Carney, 212-453-2000gerard.carney@fleishman.com

Source: Dynasty Financial Partners

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fitch Ratings affirms the following rating for the Imperial Irrigation District, California (IID) as part of its continuing surveillance:

--$35.8 million revenue certificates of participation (COPs), series 2004, at 'AA-'.

The Rating Outlook is Stable.

SECURITY

Water revenue COPs are secured by net revenues of IID's water system.

KEY RATING DRIVERS

EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG WATER RIGHTS: The district has superior water rights to a very large volume of the state of California's allocation of Colorado River water that is used to serve the region's irrigation needs.

DIVERSIFICATION IN WATER SALES: IID makes water sales outside the traditional service area that are under contract through 2047, resulting in revenue diversity with around half of system revenues provided by IID's traditional irrigation customers and the other half provided by water sales outside the region and falling water charges from IID's power system.

WATER SALES AT FIXED PRICES: The Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) provides IID a highly stable and certain revenue stream and a 2009 Settlement Agreement with the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA) increased pricing which, over time, is anticipated to offset needed rates from irrigation customer and fund system capital needs.

SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL NEEDS: Fitch anticipates significant capital spending in the next five years to build mandatory conservation projects, which could place strain on the system's resources and financial position.

LIMITED RATE FLEXIBILITY: Very low water rates to the district's irrigation customers at $20 per acre-foot provide the region with a competitive advantage to other agricultural areas in the state. However, IID appears to have very limited rate flexibility given strong customer protest voiced in 2009.

IMPROVED AND ADEQUATE FINANCIAL POSITION: The financial position became strained over the past few years with reliance on one-time sources to meet rate covenant requirements. The 2009 settlement agreement revenues and a decrease in debt service resulting from the prudent cash defeasance of debt, improved cash flow in fiscal 2010. Future financial performance will depend, in large part, on the structure and timing of new debt.

GOVERNANCE CONCERNS: Frequent senior management turnover at the district has been a credit concern given the long-term capital needs that are required to comply with the QSA.

WHAT COULD TRIGGER A RATING ACTION

CAPITAL INVESTMENT NOT DISCRETIONARY: The district's completion of the conservation projects over the next five years is important in that if conservation water is not available to meet required transfers, IID would have to reduce water sales to its irrigations customers, which would be highly unpopular and potentially damaging to the regional economy.

ADDITIONAL DEBT ISSUANCE: Costly required conservation projects are expected to result in additional borrowing, the structure and timing of which is presently unclear. While the growing revenues from water transfers appear overall to be sufficient to support the increasing debt burden, decisions regarding the structure of the new debt may impact financial margins for existing bondholders and, perhaps, credit quality.

CREDIT PROFILE

STRONG WATER RIGHTSImperial Irrigation District is located in southeastern California, near the borders of Mexico and Arizona. The district enjoys a 3.1 million acre-feet entitlement to flows from the Colorado River and delivers approximately 2.4 million acre-feet of raw water to irrigation customers in the Imperial Valley, where a tremendous amount of California's agricultural activity takes place.

The Imperial Valley economy is linked to that of Mexicali, MX, located just south of the service area. The economy has been seriously affected by the economic downturn. The district's water rights to a share of California's apportionment of the Colorado River are plentiful and superior to many in the state, including the water rights of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, used to serve the urban Los Angeles and San Diego areas.

WATER TRANSFER SALE OBLIGATIONSIn a broad regional agreement signed in 2003, the QSA, the district agreed to execute substantial conservation projects that would generate water to be sold to other regional entities to meet population growth. IID is poised to embark on a sizable capital program to implement the long-term conservation projects needed to meet the required deliveries to SDCWA and CVWD that grow to 278,000 acre-feet by 2021.

In the interim period, the district is meeting initial water transfer sale requirements through land fallowing programs with Imperial Valley farmers. Financial pressure could result in the interim period since IID must spend capital dollars to construct conservation projects, but the bulk of revenues from these projects will be generated a number of years after construction is complete. IID is expected to debt finance the majority of project costs in addition to $50 million in up-front capital funds provided by a 2009 settlement agreement with SDCWA.

IID is required as part of the QSA to transfer increasing amount of water to SDCWA and CVWD. The transfers began in 2004 and ramp up to a flat annual level of 200,000 af in 2021. Deliveries to CVWD increase to a maximum of 103,000 in 2026 and deliveries to both entities continue through 2047. Prices for the water transfers to SDCWA and CVWD are fixed under certain agreements with the entities.

In addition, IID is required to transfer 'mitigation' water to the Salton Sea through 2017. However, IID has petitioned the state for the ability to sell the mitigation water to other regional entities and use the resulting funds for alternative mitigation efforts related to the Salton Sea. This type of change, should it occur, is considered neutral from a revenue and credit perspective.

CAPITAL NEEDS WILL INCREASE DEBTIID expects to complete approximately $293 million in capital projects overall in the next five years, with $216 million related to conservation requirements. Funding will include $50 million provided by SDCWA and bond proceeds. Management is considering the use of parity or subordinate bonds but to date, a structure has not been determined.

The approximately $223 in additional debt estimated over the next five years will represent a substantial increase to the district's existing $124 million in outstanding debt, as of Dec. 31, 2010, including pension obligation bonds and commercial paper. Existing debt was reduced by around $50 million in 2010 when land sale proceeds were used to cash defease early maturities of the outstanding 2004 COPs, the original proceeds of which were used to purchase the land. The defeasance provides some capacity for the additional debt anticipated.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE IMPROVED IN 2010IID's financial performance in fiscal years 2007 through 2009 was slim and debt service coverage was aided by revenues provided by one-time land sales and settlement payments, which were included in 'revenues' for purposes of the rate covenant calculation.

Fiscal 2010 performance was helped by the implementation of two of three rate increases approved in 2009, a substantial reduction in debt service as a result of debt refundings and the cash defeasance in that year. Water transfer sales also increased considerably in fiscal 2009, aiding financial performance. Debt service coverage in fiscal 2010 was 3.5 times (x) and unrestricted cash balances remained healthy, even after the defeasance, with $100 million in cash, or 380 days operations.

Future financial performance is expected to remain in line with 2010 performance although with lower debt service coverage as additional debt is issued. Management's informal policy is to maintain debt service coverage of at least 2.0x. Revenues are expected to increase in future years as a result of increased water transfer sales to SDCWA and CVWD. Salton Sea mitigation revenues provided by a regional JPA will also increase, although these revenues are a direct reimbursement for incurred expenditures. Expenditures will also increase significantly as operational costs increase related to the new capital investments anticipated and related to the previously mentioned Salton Sea mitigation costs.

Additional information is available at www.fitchratings.com. The ratings above were solicited by, or on behalf of, the issuer, and therefore, Fitch has been compensated for the provision of the ratings.

Applicable Criteria and Related Research:--'Revenue-Supported Rating Criteria', dated June 20, 2011;--'Water and Sewer Revenue Bond Rating Guidelines', dated Aug. 10, 2011.

Applicable Criteria and Related Research:Revenue-Supported Rating Criteriahttp://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=637130U.S. Water and Sewer Revenue Bond Rating Criteriahttp://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=647331

ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE.

Fitch RatingsPrimary Analyst:Kathy Masterson, +1-415-732-5622Senior DirectorFitch, Inc.650 California StreetSan Francisco, CA 94008orSecondary Analyst:Douglas Scott, +1-512-215-3725Managing DirectororCommittee Chairperson:Mike Rinaldi, +1-212-908-0833Senior DirectororMedia Relations:Sandro Scenga, +1-212-908-0278sandro.scenga@fitchratings.com

Source: Fitch Ratings

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Link to Fitch Ratings' Report: REITs in Brief

http://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=671534

Fitch Ratings has published its inaugural edition of 'REITs in Brief,' a publication that highlights the week that was within Fitch's rated-REIT universe.

The new publication summarizes Fitch's REIT research and provides commentary on activity within the REIT sector. Additionally, 'REITs in Brief' references the work of our colleagues across Fitch that may be of interest to broader commercial real estate participants.

Included in 'REITs in Brief' is a summary of issuers with significant divergences between Fitch's Issuer Default Rating (IDR) and Fitch's Market Implied Ratings (MIRs). MIRs can be relevant for portfolio management, buy/sell decisions, and early warnings of credit events. The highlighted MIRs can be a catalyst for dialogue with Fitch's REIT analysts whose independence and access provides market participants unparalleled perspectives on the issuers and sectors.

The latest 'REITs in Brief' is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'

Additional information is available on 'www.fitchratings.com'.

ALL FITCH CREDIT RATINGS ARE SUBJECT TO CERTAIN LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS. PLEASE READ THESE LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS BY FOLLOWING THIS LINK: HTTP://FITCHRATINGS.COM/UNDERSTANDINGCREDITRATINGS. IN ADDITION, RATING DEFINITIONS AND THE TERMS OF USE OF SUCH RATINGS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE AGENCY'S PUBLIC WEBSITE 'WWW.FITCHRATINGS.COM'. PUBLISHED RATINGS, CRITERIA AND METHODOLOGIES ARE AVAILABLE FROM THIS SITE AT ALL TIMES. FITCH'S CODE OF CONDUCT, CONFIDENTIALITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST, AFFILIATE FIREWALL, COMPLIANCE AND OTHER RELEVANT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE 'CODE OF CONDUCT' SECTION OF THIS SITE.

Fitch RatingsSteven Marks, +1-212-908-9161Managing Director, Head of U.S. REITsFitch, Inc.One State Street PlazaNew York, NY 10004orBritton Costa, +1-212-908-0524Associate DirectororMedia Relations:Sandro Scenga, +1-212-908-0278Email: sandro.scenga@fitchratings.com

Source: Fitch Ratings