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Strategies & Market Trends : Rande Is . . . HOME -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rande Is who wrote (5530)	4/14/1999 11:28:00 AM
From: Bucky Katt	Respond to of 57584

Rande & all, I believe we are seeing the start of a rotation into the micro/small cap markets, slowly, just a bit, which have been pretty much ignored for some time. It will be confirmed when we see it on the cover of Business week<LOL>

To: Rande Is who wrote (5530)	4/14/1999 11:30:00 AM
From: strtrset	Respond to of 57584

Rande: You may want to check out GCHC-last week it moved up sharply-holding at a dollar now-10K release will be out shortly for your DD-positive earnings are one of the strong points but the future is it's foundation. GCHC has not put out any press releases till they were certain to not hype but state facts. Regards

To: Rande Is who wrote (5530)	4/14/1999 11:54:00 AM
From: Steven Finkel	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 57584

Rande: Wanted to get your opinion on fsfh: Signs Letter of Intent to Invest in Bank Holding Company to Facilitate Acquisition of National Bank Charter First Sierra Financial, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSFH) today announced that, subject to regulatory approval, it will establish the first Internet-based business-to-business bank. By establishing the Bank, which First Sierra anticipates will be operational by the end of the fourth quarter of 1999, the Company will be able to expand its equipment lease financing offerings to include a broad range of business banking products. The Board of Directors has also approved the Company's pursuit of additional capital to meet regulatory requirements in connection with the establishment of the new Bank. First Sierra's strategy is to expand its e-commerce product and service offerings to the small business market. The Company believes this strategy will be advanced with the creation of the first business-to-business Internet bank devoted exclusively to the needs of small business customers. The total number of small businesses in the U.S. is estimated to be in excess of 10 million. First Sierra has created a sizeable customer base exceeding 50,000 small businesses, including approximately 7,500 new business customers added in the first quarter. The Company received approximately 6,700 business applications in the month of March. "First Sierra's success to date reflects our ability to meet the needs of the small business market, which is underserved by traditional banks, " said Thomas Depping, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Now, in addition to providing the financing services most banks no longer offer to small businesses, we're moving fully into the market niche they no longer occupy. By establishing an Internet-based bank, we can diversify our funding sources, lower our all-in cost of funds, and further the e-commerce strategy that is central to First Sierra's continued success." "Our Internet business strategy is to focus on the high volume of repeat transactions that small businesses conduct every day," said Michael Sabel, Executive Vice President. "Our new Internet bank will allow us to offer additional high margin e-commerce products to our rapidly growing number of business customers. We believe that our focus on the business customer has the potential to drive higher margins than the more commoditized Internet consumer bank model." This release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect the management's view only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Readers should also carefully review the risk factors described in documents the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1998. First Sierra Financial, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, customizes lease financing products and offers servicing, consulting and technology solutions via on-line connections to its state-of-the-art computer system. The Company acquires, originates, sells and services equipment leases on a wide range of computers and peripherals, software, telecommunications, and diagnostic equipment as well as other specialized equipment for the health care, automotive, food and hospitality industries. First Sierra operates 28 offices in 14 states in the US and three locations in the UK.