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Don L. Blankenship Notes Out of State Protesters Wasting West Virginia Tax Dollars and Putting Miners and Troopers at Risk

CHARLESTON, W.V., June 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — In a personal statement today, Don L. Blankenship, the Chairman and CEO of Massey Energy stated that out of state protesters had come in to West Virginia to protest surface mining. In the process, they endangered miners, West Virginia state troopers, Boone County deputies and themselves, and wasted West Virginia taxpayer money.

“It is my understanding that all but one of the fourteen protesters who were arrested for scaling a dragline at Massey Energy’s Twilight Mine in Southern West Virginia are residents of states other than West Virginia; such as Maine, Oklahoma, Michigan and Florida,” said Mr. Blankenship. “As a native of Appalachia and a resident of West Virginia, I find it hypocritical that these folks come from out of the state to waste West Virginians’ tax dollars and endanger our state troopers and miners.”

“When protesters perform dangerous acts such as scaling the boom of a piece of equipment to gain media attention, they not only put themselves at risk, but also put our miners and state troopers in danger. Every West Virginian should be outraged that these people come from outside our state to shut down mines that are legally permitted to operate. These media stunts take law enforcement personnel away from essential crime fighting and first response activities and puts all West Virginians at risk.”

“It is clear that these folks are not concerned with the people, the environment or the economy of West Virginia. Their efforts are purely about gaining hype and media attention for their out-of-state funders and patrons,” concluded Blankenship. “It is time for all West Virginians to stand up and say enough is enough to the protesters. We know our state and our economy and we won’t be told what to do.”

The above was a personal statement of Don L. Blankenship.

SOURCE Don L. Blankenship

$200,000 Powerball Prize Awarded on Day Ticket Was Set to Expire

Mother Urged Winner to Check Tickets, Having Heard News of Upcoming Expiration

MIDDLETOWN, Pa., June 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — William H. Greer of Philadelphia is the winner of a $200,000 Powerball prize that was set to expire at 4:30 p.m. today.

“My mother saw the news about the unclaimed ticket set to expire, knew the store that sold the ticket is where I play and told me to check my old tickets,” said Greer. “The first couple of tickets I checked were not winners, but the last one matched the numbers my mother gave me. I started shaking when I checked the numbers against the Lottery’s Web site.”

Greer took his winning ticket to the Lottery’s Philadelphia regional office on June 17. The claim arrived at Lottery headquarters in Middletown, Dauphin County, earlier today and was validated this afternoon after Lottery officials examined the ticket and executed proprietary security measures.

Greer’s ticket correctly matched all five white balls, 09-12-31-39-52, for a $200,000 prize, less 25 percent federal withholding.

The winning ticket was sold at Choi Food & Beer Inc., 3987 Ford Rd, Philadelphia. The store will receive a $500 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Lottery officials announced on June 4 that the unclaimed $200,000 prize from the June 18, 2008, Powerball drawing would expire today, one year from the Powerball drawing date, unless it was claimed.

How to play Powerball: To play Powerball, players pay $1 and select five white balls from the first set of 59 numbers plus a single red ball, the Powerball, from a second set of 39 numbers. Players may select their own numbers using a Powerball play slip, or they may opt for computer-selected quick picks. Players must match all five numbers drawn plus the Powerball number to win the jackpot. There also are eight additional ways for players to win a cash prize.

Powerball features an option called PowerPlay. For an extra $1 per Powerball play (game), players can multiply their Powerball prizes by 2, 3, 4, or 5 times the original prize amount for all prizes EXCEPT the jackpot. Prizes can multiply up to $1 million.

About the Pennsylvania Lottery: The Pennsylvania Lottery remains the only state lottery that designates all its proceeds to programs that benefit older residents. Since its inception 37 years ago, the Pennsylvania Lottery has contributed more than $18.3 billion to programs that include property tax and rent rebates; free and reduced-fare transit; the low-cost prescription drug programs PACE and PACENET; long-term care services; and the 52 Area Agencies on Aging, including more than 600 full- and part-time senior centers throughout the state. The Pennsylvania Lottery reminds its players to play responsibly. Players must be 18 or older.

For more information on the Pennsylvania Lottery, visit www.palottery.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: William Greer declined participating in a check presentation or public event recognizing his win.

CONTACT:  Veronica Sinclair-Anderson
(717) 702-8008

SOURCE Pennsylvania Lottery

Private Foundation Assets Are Not Public Dollars

A new study defends the limited relationship between philanthropy and government

WASHINGTON, June 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Tomorrow, The Philanthropy Roundtable releases a new report on charitable giving and the government’s relationship with foundations and charities. The report, How Public Is Private Philanthropy? Separating Reality from Myth, is a comprehensive legal analysis that examines the claim that charitable funds are “public money” because they are exempt from federal taxes, receive state charters, and are subject to oversight by state attorneys general.

The co-authors of this report are prominent scholars Evelyn Brody, Professor at the Chicago-Kent College of Law, and John Tyler, Secretary and General Counsel of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. They conclude, based on numerous applicable legal precedents, that the public-money assertion is not well grounded.

Brody and Tyler demonstrate that it is deeply problematic to consider the federal tax exemption and the charitable tax deduction subsidies to charities, and even more problematic to assert that the public has a legitimate claim to private philanthropic assets. Individuals and businesses routinely receive tax preferences, the authors note, but they are never considered governmental entities nor are their assets considered public property.

The law treats foundations like private entities devoted to public ends, but they do not have to serve the government’s purposes nor those of the public at large. Similarly, a charter from the state does not make foundations and other charities public entities. Policymakers cannot use these arguments to intrude into the governance, missions, and operations of philanthropies.

Traditionally, there has been a limited relationship between philanthropy and government. In recent years, the “public money” claim has been employed to support proposals to urge stricter legal limits on the operations and governance of foundations and other charities. This report underscores the legal basis for continued separation between government and philanthropy.

“American philanthropy is the envy of the world, with charitable giving last year at over $307 billion,” said Adam Meyerson, President of The Philanthropy Roundtable. “But it’s under attack by activists, legislators, and policymakers who clamor for greater governmental authority to regulate the activities of American philanthropists.”

The report will be released on Friday, June 19, 2009, during a panel discussion hosted by the Hudson Institute’s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal in Washington, D.C.

For more information on The Philanthropy Roundtable and this report visit www.philanthropyroundtable.org.

Contact: Sue Santa
publicpolicy@philanthropyroundtable.org
202-822-8333

SOURCE The Philanthropy Roundtable

Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund Annual Meeting of Shareholders

BOSTON, June 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — At a meeting held today, shareholders of Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (the “Fund”) (NYSE: EVT), a closed-end investment company, voted to elect Benjamin C. Esty as a Class I Trustee of the Fund to serve until 2010, to coincide with the term of office of his class; and Ronald A. Pearlman, Helen Frame Peters and Ralph F. Verni as Class III Trustees of the Fund, each for a three-year term. The Fund’s other Class I and Class II Trustees, who serve staggered terms, were not up for election and remain in office.

The Fund is managed by Eaton Vance Management, a subsidiary of Eaton Vance Corp. (NYSE: EV), based in Boston, one of the oldest investment management firms in the United States, with a history dating back to 1924. Eaton Vance and its affiliates managed $127.2 billion in assets as of April 30, 2009, offering individuals and institutions a broad array of investment products and wealth management solutions. The Company’s long record of providing exemplary service and attractive returns through a variety of market conditions has made Eaton Vance the investment manager of choice for many of today’s most discerning investors. For more information about Eaton Vance, visit www.eatonvance.com.

SOURCE Eaton Vance Management

Bank of America Has Raised $26 Billion in Capital Plan to Date

Bank of America logo. (PRNewsFoto/BANK OF AMERICA)

CHARLOTTE, NC UNITED STATES

CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 27 /PRNewswire/ — Bank of America Corporation today said it has raised almost $26 billion in its capital plan since the stress test results were announced and is well on its way to reaching the $33.9 billion indicated Supervisory Capital Assessment Program (SCAP) buffer set by the Federal Reserve.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050720/CLW086LOGO-b )

The company announced last week that it raised $13.5 billion through issuing 1.25 billion shares in an at-the-market common stock offering. It has also sold part of its holdings in China Construction Bank, generating a capital gain. Contributing to the capital plan, these initiatives also benefit Tier 1 common capital by $1.8 billion by reducing the deferred tax asset deduction.

Bank of America has entered into agreements with certain holders of (non-government) perpetual preferred shares to exchange their holdings of approximately $5.9 billion of preferred stock into approximately 436 million shares of common stock. This results in a total benefit to Tier 1 common capital of $5.9 billion.

Combined, these initiatives have raised almost $26 billion, or 76 percent of the total, toward the SCAP buffer of $33.9 billion.

Subject to market conditions, the company could issue up to an additional 564 million common shares through the exchange of (non-government) perpetual preferred shares for common stock.

In addition, Bank of America has previously said that it plans to sell non-strategic assets such as First Republic Bank and Columbia Management Group and to establish joint ventures. In addition to adding capital, these sales would also reduce the need for capital to support the balance sheet.

“We are quite pleased with the capital-raising effort and the progress toward completing the asset sales and establishment of the joint ventures,” said Joe Price, chief financial officer. “The company hopes to use the majority of the proceeds from these initiatives to reduce reliance on government support for the company.”

Bank of America

Bank of America is one of the world’s largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small- and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 55 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 6,100 retail banking offices, more than 18,500 ATMs and award-winning online banking with nearly 30 million active users. Bank of America is among the world’s leading wealth management companies and is a global leader in corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to more than 4 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients in more than 150 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Forward-Looking Statements

Bank of America and its management may make certain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation reform Act of 1995. These statements are not historical facts, but instead represent Bank of America’s current expectations, plans or forecasts of its plan to raise capital and other similar matters. These statements are not guarantees of future results or performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict and are often beyond Bank of America’s control. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, any of these forward-looking statements.

You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should consider all of the following uncertainties and risks, as well as those more fully discussed under Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of Bank of America’s 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K and in any of Bank of America’s subsequent SEC filings: negative economic conditions that adversely affect the general economy, housing prices, the job market, consumer confidence and spending habits; the level and volatility of the capital markets, interest rates, currency values and other market indices; changes in consumer, investor and counterparty confidence in, and the related impact on, financial markets and institutions; Bank of America’s credit ratings and the credit ratings of its securitizations; estimates of fair value of certain Bank of America assets and liabilities; legislative and regulatory actions in the United States and internationally; the impact of litigation and regulatory investigations, including costs, expenses, settlements and judgments; various monetary and fiscal policies and regulations of the U.S. and non-U.S. governments; changes in accounting standards, rules and interpretations and the impact on Bank of America’s financial statements; increased globalization of the financial services industry and competition with other U.S. and international financial institutions; Bank of America’s ability to attract new employees and retain and motivate existing employees; mergers and acquisitions and their integration into Bank of America; Bank of America’s reputation; and decisions to downsize, sell or close units or otherwise change the business mix of Bank of America. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Bank of America undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statement was made.

www.bankofamerica.com

SOURCE Bank of America Corporation

The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc. Declares Income and Capital Gain Distributions

NEW YORK, June 10 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc., a closed-end investment company, announced today the declaration of net investment income and long-term capital gain distributions in the amount of $0.007 per share and $0.366 per share respectively. The distribution will be paid on July 9, 2009 to stockholders of record on June 19, 2009. The shares will trade “ex-dividend” on June 17, 2009.

The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end investment company whose objective is to seek long-term capital appreciation through investment in equity and equity-linked securities of Swiss companies. The Fund is managed by Hottinger Capital Co. and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWZ.

For further information regarding the Fund, please contact Rudolf Millisits, Executive Vice President of Hottinger Capital Corp. at 1-888-SWISS-00 or (212) 332-2760, 1270 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 400, New York, New York, 10020.

http://www.swz.com

SOURCE The Swiss Helvetia Fund, Inc.

ING Global Equity Dividend and Premium Opportunity Fund and ING International High Dividend Equity Income Fund Declare Monthly Distributions

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., June 15 /PRNewswire/ — ING Investments, LLC announced the monthly distributions on the common shares of two of its closed-end funds: ING Global Equity Dividend and Premium Opportunity Fund (NYSE: IGD) and ING International High Dividend Equity Income Fund (NYSE: IID) (each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”). With respect to each Fund, the distribution will be paid on July 15, 2009, to shareholders of record on July 3, 2009. The ex-dividend date is July 1, 2009. The distribution per share for each Fund is as follows:

Fund                       Distribution Per Share
—-                       ———————-
ING Global Equity Dividend and Premium Opportunity
Fund (NYSE:  IGD)                                           $0.156
ING International High Dividend Equity Income Fund
(NYSE:  IID)                                                $0.163

Each Fund intends to make regular monthly distributions based on the past and projected performance of the Fund. The amount of monthly distributions may vary, depending on a number of factors. As portfolio and market conditions change, the rate of distributions on the common shares may change. There can be no assurance that a Fund will be able to declare a distribution in each period.

The tax treatment and characterization of a Fund’s distributions may vary significantly from time to time depending on the net investment income of the Fund and whether the Fund has realized gains or losses from its options strategy versus gain or loss realizations in the equity securities in the portfolio. Each Fund’s distributions will normally reflect past and projected net investment income, and may include income from dividends and interest, capital gains and/or a return of capital. The final tax characteristics of the distributions cannot be determined with certainty until after the end of the calendar year, and will be reported to shareholders at that time.

IGD estimates that each distribution for the current fiscal year as of May 31, 2009, will be comprised of approximately 27% ordinary income and 73% return of capital.

IID estimates that each distribution for the current fiscal year as of May 31, 2009, will be comprised of approximately 17% ordinary income and 83% return of capital.

The portion of each Fund’s monthly distributions estimated to come from the Fund’s option strategy, for tax purposes, may be treated as a combination of long-term and short-term capital gains, and/or a return of capital. The tax character of each Fund’s option strategy is largely determined by movements in, and gain and loss realizations in the underlying equity portfolio.

Certain statements made on behalf of the Funds in this release are forward-looking statements. The Funds actual future results may differ significantly from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including but not limited to a decline in value in equity markets in general or the Funds investments specifically. Neither the Funds nor ING undertake any responsibility to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement.

ING Investments, LLC, the manager of the Funds, is part of ING, a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking, investments, life insurance and retirement services to over 75 million private, corporate and institutional clients in more than 50 countries. With a diverse workforce of about 125,000 people, ING comprises a broad spectrum of prominent companies that increasingly serve their clients under the ING brand.

SHAREHOLDER INQUIRIES: ING Funds Shareholder Services at (800) 992-0180

SOURCE ING

Asset Acceptance Signs Job Creation Agreement With Michigan Economic Growth Authority

$2.7 Million in State Tax Credits to Support Job Creation; Company to Invest $8.1 Million on Growth Strategy

WARREN, Mich., June 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Asset Acceptance, LLC, a subsidiary of Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. (Nasdaq: AACC), today announced that it has formally executed an agreement with the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA) to provide tax credits to the Company to support job creation at its Warren facility. Asset Acceptance is a leading purchaser and collector of charged-off consumer debt.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced the approved tax credits for Asset Acceptance and other companies in a May 19 news release: (Granholm Announces Companies Investing Over $103 Million, Creating and Retaining More Than 4,200 Jobs in Michigan).

Rion Needs, President and CEO, commented: “We are pleased to be working with State and local governments to foster the continued growth of Asset Acceptance and do our part to bring much needed jobs to the Michigan economy. Programs like the MEGA tax credit illustrate how businesses and government can work together to spur growth and create jobs in the face of difficult economic conditions.”

Under the MEGA Standard Credit Agreement executed by Asset Acceptance and the MEDC on June 9, the Company is eligible for state tax incentives valued at $2.7 million over seven years for the purpose of job creation.

Asset Acceptance plans to invest $8.1 million to embark on an aggressive growth strategy that expands existing core competencies while building analytical and technical capabilities to fuel future growth in Warren. The MEDC estimates the increased economic activity created by the facility will create 601 new jobs, including 432 directly by the Company.

In addition to the MEGA tax credit, the city of Warren recently approved a six-year property tax abatement for Asset Acceptance in the amount of $172,305.

About Asset Acceptance

For more than 45 years, Asset Acceptance has provided credit originators, such as credit card issuers including private label card issuers, consumer finance companies, utilities and others, an efficient alternative in recovering defaulted consumer debt. For more information, please visit www.AssetAcceptance.com.

Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains certain statements, including the Company’s plans and expectations regarding its operating strategies, charged-off receivables and costs, which are forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include reference to the Company’s presentations and Web casts. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s views, expectations and beliefs at the time such statements were made with respect to such matters, as well as the Company’s future plans, objectives, events, portfolio purchases and pricing, collections and financial results such as revenues, expenses, income, earnings per share, capital expenditures, operating margins, financial position, expected results of operations and other financial items. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions (”Risk Factors”) that make the timing, extent, likelihood and degree of occurrence of these matters difficult to predict. Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “should,” “could,” “will,” variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, which could cause actual results and outcomes to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Risk Factors include, among others: ability to purchase charged-off consumer receivables at appropriate prices, ability to continue to acquire charged-off receivables in sufficient amounts to operate efficiently and profitably, employee turnover, ability to compete in the marketplace and acquiring charged-off receivables in industries that the Company has little or no experience. These Risk Factors also include, among others, the Risk Factors discussed under “Item 1A Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other SEC filings, in each case under a section titled “Risk Factors” or similar headings and those discussions regarding risk factors as well as the discussion of forward-looking statements in such sections are incorporated herein by reference. Other Risk Factors exist, and new Risk Factors emerge from time to time that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Furthermore, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update, amend or clarify forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.