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Betsy Roberts, head of the private placement group at Hartford Investment Management Co., retired recently. Reached at her home in Connecticut, she said she took time off to be with her family. Curt Nyman, v.p., is serving as interim head of the private placement team, but a search is well under way for a permanent successor, says Cynthia Michener, a spokeswoman with the buy-side firm. Nyman, who joined Himco in 1997, reports to Tim Corbett, managing director. Nyman was on holiday and could not be reached. As of June 30, Himco had $80 billion in assets under management, including $2.3 billion in private placement securities.

BNP Paribas and Bank of America have pushed back by more than a week the deadline for commitments on Iasis Healthcare as market conditions turn. But the $463 million refinancing is still on track and has not been postponed or cancelled, according to Carl Whitmer, cfo. "It has been a difficult market over the last couple of weeks but, with the growth of investors in bank debt that need access to quarterly results, we wanted to wait for the results to come out." The due date for commitments is now Aug. 9, and third quarter results were announced Aug. 1.

The International Finance Corporation, which promotes the development of capital markets in developing markets, is seeking a structured product specialist. The new hire will be a member of the IFC's structured finance group in Washington, D.C., according to market officials. Structured finance officials at the IFC were not available for comment and a spokeswoman was unable to respond to inquiries. The new hire will be responsible for structuring, modeling and executing structured transactions in several asset classes including senior debt, mortgages and trade finance receivables.

Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs' refinancing for PETCO Animal Supplies is fully subscribed with the $193 million "B" term loan taken out with a new "C" loan. The new deal cuts the interest spread from LIBOR plus 31/ 2% to LIBOR plus 3%, and PETCO is paying a 15 basis point fee for a capital expenditure amendment, said a banker. The refinancing trend is slowing and this deal could have been done 25 basis points tighter a few weeks ago, he noted.

Yearbook and class ring producer Jostens is expected to maintain stable cash flow, but both Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's are concerned about the company's high leverage following its leveraged buyout by Investcorp in May 2000.

J.P. Morgan and Salomon Smith Barney reportedly are arranging $800 million in bank debt and $680 million in bonds to back the acquisition of Burger King by a consortium of private-equity firms. Texas Pacific Group, Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners are purchasing the giant fast-food franchise from Diageo for $2.26 billion, though Goldman Sachs at this point is not confirmed as a lead on the debt financing, according to bankers. The sponsor firms are believed to be putting in $780 million of equity to fund the deal, but officials at the firms either could not be reached or declined to comment on the financing arrangements.

A weaker-than-expected earnings picture for energy service providers should cause buy-siders to reevaluate credits such as Trico Marine Services, Hornbeck Offshore Services and Grey Wolf, according to Christy Parsons, high-yield energy analyst at CIBC World Markets.

Kinetic Systems postponed its $210 million refinancing in conjunction with the decision to temporarily put its initial public offering on hold because proceeds from the IPO were to be used to reduce the company's total debt, said Judy Rogers, corporate treasurer. The Santa Clara, Calif., company decided not to move ahead with its IPO because it could not successfully complete the offering with any degree of certainty due to choppiness in the equity markets, she explained.

Morgan Stanley and UBS Warburg pulled a $230 million refinancing credit for New World Pasta from the market last week after investors balked over the terms of the deal and the company refused to pay the new tougher terms investors were demanding. "The company wanted to repay $55 million of subordinated debt, replace it with senior bank debt and cut pricing," said one buysider, echoing the concerns of fellow investors.

Investors didn't shy away from the bank debt of Qwest Communications International despite the announcement that the Denver telecommunications company incorrectly accounted for more than $1.1 billion in transactions. Early last week, traders said $5 million and $10 million pieces traded into the buyside in the high 60s. But with Qwest's bonds on the decline, traders said the paper had sunk to the 55-60 range by midweek.

Salomon Smith Barney and Bank of America are doing preparation work on a $675 million credit for Rayovac Corp., backing its $262 million acquisition of the consumer-battery operations of Hannover, Germany-based Varta. The Varta consumer business outside Germany will be bought outright, while the German consumer battery operation will be set up in a joint venture that will be 51% owned by Rayovac.