MZ Announces Conclusion of Latin American Company Reports Related to the 2006 Investor Relations Global Rankings (IRGR) and Awards

NEW YORK, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- MZ Consult NY LLC (http://www.mz-ir.com/), a leading investor relations and financial communication consulting firm, today announced the conclusion and distribution of all 2006 IR Global Rankings (http://www.irglobalrankings.com/) reports for IR websites, Corporate Governance and Earnings Release & Financial Disclosure Procedure. After the companies review of MZ findings and suggestions, a conference call will be scheduled on an individual basis with all participants. The 2006 edition of the IRGR had 145 participants from 31 countries.

The best IR websites by technical criteria in Latin America were: Petrobras , Unibanco , NET Servicos , Banco Bradesco , Banco Itau Holding and ALL. Benchmarks by criteria were: content: adidas, design and navigability: Novartis , technology and data manipulation: GE ; interactivity: BASF and timeliness: Telecom Italia . Best online annual reports in Latin America were: Petrobras, VCP and CBD .

Companies with best Corporate Governance practices in Latin America were: TAM , Banco Santander , ASUR , ULTRA , Gerdau .

The best Earnings Release and Disclosure Procedure in Latin America were: GOL , VCP, Bradesco, CSN and ALL. Benchmarks by criteria were: Operating Information: Royal Bank of Scotland and O2, Income Statement: UBS and Nexen , Balance Sheet: Wachovia Corporation and Telus , Cash Flow: Wienerberger, and guidance: UBS and Telecom Austria .

The IR Global Rankings annual survey is the most comprehensive ranking system and feedback report for investor relations websites, corporate governance and earnings release & disclosure practices (SOX 302). Based on extensive proprietary research of public companies and investors, supported by the input of audit, corporate governance, and legal experts (KPMG Independent Auditors, Linklaters, JPMorgan, Corporate Governance Excellence and Real IR Magazine), MZ Consult's methodology is highly detailed, transparent, and completely accessible to all participants. Supporting entities worldwide included: CIRI, CIRA, ANIMEC, BIRS, AMERI, AERI and SIRV.

Further information available on http://www.irglobalrankings.com/.