Data Downlink Announces Release of TFSD Worldwide M&A Data on .xls
August 25, 1999

Data Downlink has made an exciting addition to the Mergers and Acquisitions offering on .xls. We are pleased to announce that we will now be offering Thomson Financial Securities Data's Worldwide Mergers & Acquisitions database. TFSD's M&A database updates daily, with U.S. transactions dating back to 1979 and international deals back to 1985. Coverage includes both public and private corporate transactions involving at least a 5% of the ownership of a company. Transaction types include M&A, stake purchases, stock swaps, LBO's, tender offers, spinoffs and splitoffs, and more.

Effective immediately, Acquisitions Monthly (AM) will no longer be available. TFSD purchased Acquisitions Monthly several months ago, and the AM data has been "merged" into the TFSD (formerly SDC) database.

How does this affect .xls customers? Most .xls users will be able to download TFSD Worldwide M&A data on a pay-as-you-go basis, just like any other .xls database. However, customers who have subscription agreements with TFSD may be initially blocked from using the Worldwide M&A database on .xls. Separate arrangements must be made in order to access the data through .xls as part of your subscription. For more information, please contact either your TFSD Sales Rep or your Data Downlink Sales Rep.

The .xls search interface for TFSD is similar to the Acquisitions Monthly criteria search screen, where users enter the search criteria and then choose the desired report format. Several of TFSD's standard reports will be offered, including the Brief Summary Report, the Multiples Report and the Comprehensive Advisors/Fees Report. You can also create your own report by selecting the data elements from the available list. Before downloading the information, the number of deals and cost of the report will be displayed. All data will automatically download to a spreadsheet.