It said it made $15.7 billion in new or renewed loancommitments during the quarter, about flat compared with theprior quarter. Banks that have received bailout funds have beenunder increasing pressure from lawmakers and regulators toincrease their lending in a bid to get credit flowing again. (Reporting by Karey Wutkowski; editing by John Wallace) Stocks Regulatory News Bonds. Reuters has stopped distributing the full text of Moody’sInvestors Service press releases on ratings actions, effectiveApril 1, 2009. The text of this Moody’s Investor Service ratingis available at . (Adds details, quotes) Japan MUMBAI, April 21 (Reuters) – Hero Honda Motors Ltd(HROH.BO), India’s largest motorcycle maker, on Tuesdayreported a forecast-beating 34 percent rise in quarterly netprofit, and said it hoped to maintain margins in the comingquarters. The company, in which Japan’s Honda Motor Corp (7267.T)holds a 26 percent stake, has been helped by increased sales inrural markets and smaller towns where consumers depend less onfinancing than in urban markets.

Hero Honda, which has nearly half of the two-wheeler marketin India, said sales volumes rose an annual 13 percent in thequarter, beating the industry growth rate of about 5 percent. For the fiscal year ending March 2010, managing directorPawan Munjal said the company expected to sell more than 4million motorbikes, up from 3.72 million units in 2008/09, andsaw capital expenditure at 3.5 billion rupees ($70 million). “We would maintain margins and keep trying to do betterthan current levels,” Munjal said. Operating profit margin was 16.04 percent in the Marchquarter, and Munjal said softer commodity prices had helpedprofitability “I don’t expect the commodity prices to harden any timesoon. At least for the next couple of quarters they probablywill be in the same range,” Munjal said. Hero Honda said net profit rose to 4.02 billion rupees inthe fiscal fourth quarter ended March from 2.99 billion rupeesreported a year earlier. Net sales rose to 34.1 billion rupeesfrom 27.9 billion rupees a year earlier.

That beat a forecast of 3.69 billion rupees on net sales of33.2 billion rupees in a Reuters poll of 16 brokerages. Ahead of the announcement, shares in Hero Honda, valued at$4.5 billion, fell 2.1 percent to 1,100.90 rupees in a Mumbaimarket .BSESN that fell 0.7 percent. Hero Honda shares are up 36.7 percent so far in 2009,stronger than a 13 percent rise for the main index. Sales of automobiles and motorbikes were hit in 2008/09 bya rise in interest rates, a squeeze on available credit, and aslowdown in he economy which put the brakes on customer demand. In 2008/09, Hero Honda sales rose more than 12 percent,much stronger than the 2.6 percent rise in two-wheeler salesacross the industry.

($1=50.4 rupees) (Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy & Janaki Krishnan) Japan. PMFG, Inc (Parent of Peerless Mfg. Co.) Announces Meeting Date for SpecialMeeting of Stockholders to Consider Authorizing Class of Preferred StockDALLAS, April 21, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PMFG, Inc. (the “Company”)(Nasdaq:PMFG) today announced that it has filed a definitive proxy statementwith the Securities and Exchange Commission related to a special meeting ofstockholders to be held on June 16, 2009 at the Company’s corporate headquartersat 10:00 a.m. Dallas, Texas time.At the meeting, the Company’s stockholders will be asked to approve a proposalto amend the Company’s certificate of incorporation to authorize the issuance offive million shares of preferred stock.