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(May 18, 2007) British Columbia Securities Commission is taking a tough line against stock spammers. It has launched a new program that halts the trading of spammed stock and is asking the public to help in the fight by forwarding unwelcome e-mails that solicit penny stocks.

The program, called SpamWatch, has already led to a trading halt on an over-the-counter quoted company because it was the subject of a stock spam campaign. Compliance Systems Corp., a A company with shares quoted on the U.S. Over-the-Counter-Bulletin Board, has been banned from trading shares in B.C. for three days.

“With the huge amount of spam circulating that can cause improper or unfair trading, we are stepping up our public warnings by issuing alerts and taking immediate action with temporary halts,” says BCSC eExecutive director Brenda Leong.

The BCSC says spam can cause unfair trading in securities that can be harmful to investors and can tarnish the reputation of B.C.’s capital markets. By halting trading early in the spam campaign, BCSC staff hopes to prevent BC the province’s investors from being victimized.

The BCSC says it’s specifically going to target companies that do not have to disclose financial information to Canadian regulators and are not listed on a Canadian exchange.

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AIM Trimark proposes fund changes

(May 18, 2007) AIM Trimark Investments announced it is proposing a number of fund changes at an upcoming meeting for shareholders of AIM Trimark Corporate Class and AIM Trimark Canada Fund.

AIM Trimark is proposing to add its tax-efficient flexible distribution series (T-FLEX) to Trimark Diversified Income Class and Trimark Monthly Income Private Pool. The company is also proposing to re-designate the existing Series A and F shares of Trimark Monthly Income Private Pool and Trimark Diversified Income Class to Series T6 and F6 shares for Trimark Monthly Income Private Pool and Series T8 and F8 shares for Trimark Diversified Income Class.

In addition to adding certain T-FLEX series, AIM Trimark is also seeking investor approval at the annual general meeting and to make minor amendments to the investment objectives of Trimark Diversified Income Class and Trimark Monthly Income Private Pool.

“As more and more investors enter retirement, the demand for investment solutions that provide tax-efficient cash flow will grow, and we’re delivering on these needs,” said Philip Taylor, AMVESCAP Ssenior mManaging dDirector and head of AMVESCAP’s North American business, including AIM Trimark.

The meeting is scheduled for July 31, 2007, in Toronto. Details of these proposals will be provided to investors in a management information circular and proxy package that will be mailed in late June 2007.

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State Street Canada taps new senior managing director

(May 18, 2007) State Street Corporation announced Thursday that John Walks, senior managing director, has been promoted to general manager for State Street Global Markets in Canada. State Street Global Markets is the investment research and trading arm of State Street Corporation.

Walks will oversee all aspects of State Street Global Markets’’ sales and trading businesses in Canada. He will report to Stephen Smit, senior managing director and head of global account development for State Street Global Markets, and Jean-François Courville, head of State Street in Canada. Walks joined State Street in 1997 as head of foreign exchange trading for Canada and assumed additional responsibility for the foreign exchange sales in 2000.

“We are pleased to announce this promotion for John, and we are looking forward to the continued growth of our business in Canada under his strong leadership,” Smit says.

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(05/18/07)