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Germany's Commerzbank is looking to add its name to the list of international players selling synthetic collateralized debt obligations in Asia.

Tim Hailes, v.p. and assistant general counsel at JPMorgan in London, explaining the problems resulting from some derivatives houses not switching to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association's 2002 equity derivatives definitions.

Five-year credit protection on tobacco giant Altria widened last week after news that the firm's subsidiary Philip Morris USA must face class-action lawsuits brought in Missouri hit the market.

Scott Balkan, a credit derivatives trader at Morgan Stanley in New York, has left the firm.

Craig James, former senior equity derivatives trader at Merrill Lynch in New York, has resurfaced at SAC Capital Management in a similar role.

Dow Jones Indexes plans to set up an advisory committee and is designing a method for valuing the index in the coming weeks.

Henderson Global Investors is likely to incorporate VIX futures into several of its equity funds once liquidity in the contracts reach high enough levels.

Bankgesellschaft Berlin, at one time one of Europe's largest asset-backed investors with more than E4 billion in structured finance holdings, is performing a strategic review of its portfolio to determine the portfolio's future size and asset allocation.

Trevor, Stewart, Burton & Jacobsen is putting new cash into Treasuries with maturities ranging up to seven years and short-term callable agencies, as it seeks to maintain a short duration across the board with the expectation of rising interest rates.

Brandywine Asset Management is playing defensively as it expects interest rates to rise this year, and is continuing to focus its attention on international government bonds.