At The Bell

A bank by any other name

What do retailers, computer hardware and software manufacturers, career counselors for financial company employees, real estate appraisers, and travel agents have in common? They would all be subject to the privacy rules proposed by the Federal Trade Commission, which says that their services are “closely related to banking.” The rules allow customers to prevent financial-services companies from sharing personal information with subsidiaries or other companies.

GE site brings good tips to light

Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric Co. Inc. is rolling out tomorrow a financial information website that provides tips on everything from retirement planning to saving for education, as well as a dictionary and access to financial research.

New online hedge fund exchange

HedgeTrust Exchange, the first formal secondary market linked to a regulated exchange for trading hedge funds, today begins matching electronic trade orders for offshore hedge funds at www.hedgeworld.com. U.S. backers of the electronic mart — which confirms trades through the Bermuda Stock Exchange — include Gabelli Asset Management Inc. and a private equity fund of investment bankers Putnam Lovell de Guardiola & Thornton Inc.

Trading loans

John Nuveen Co. is turning to secondary traders in the corporate loan market to price the securities in two of its floating-rate loan funds instead of doing so internally. The firm will also start disclosing the funds’ holdings quarterly, although the SEC requires only semiannual disclosure. The Chicago-based bond specialist says the new method allows investors a glimpse at what the securities they are holding are worth. Van Kampen Funds of Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., also outsources pricing.

Corrections

A Movers item in the Feb. 14 issue misstated the employer of Charlie Carr. He works for Funds Distributor Inc., not its FDI Communications division.

A Feb. 21 article about Fidelity Investments misstated to whom Kevin J. Kelly, president of Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Company Inc., reported prior to a managerial realignment. He reported to Jim Curvey, Fidelity’s president and chief executive officer. He continues to report to Mr. Curvey.

A Feb. 14 front page article misstated the headquarters city of Amerindo Investment Advisors. It is in New York.