31.   Fraine declined to say which venture capital firms had offered to back his company.

32.   For many individuals, the transfer of wealth will be the other way, continued Potts, whose firm offers a specialized program for adult children with aging parents.

33.   Having discovered this market, other firms are offering to screen investments for gay men and lesbians who want to invest in companies they consider progressive.

34.   He added that the firm voluntarily offered to make up losses for customers, and as part of the settlement adopted procedures to prevent the recurrence of such problems.

35.   However, the firm will offer only clam-diggers, which offer more leg exposure, for its Norton McNaughton customer.

36.   In addition, the cable-TV firms could also offer their own on-line services and connections to the Internet, the global computer network.

37.   In recruiting employees, local firms can typically offer less than, say, a Santa Clara company and still manage to land top talent.

38.   In some cases, firms offer trades without any commissions.

39.   In the past, securities firms offered enhanced commissions and held sales contests to promote their own products even if mutual funds offered by third parties offered better returns.

40.   Jeffrey M. Lyons, head of mutual funds marketing at Schwab, says the firm simply offers the funds its clients want to buy.