NMN Okay, but Tragedy Strikes Close to Home

For everyone who knows that National Mortgage Newsis based in New York City and has been calling or wondering about our safety in the wake of Tuesday's terroristattack -- thanks for your concern, and we are fine. Our building at 11 Penn Plazais not in the financial district, but since it is adjacent to Penn Station and the Empire State Building it wasevacuated promptly and successfully. We're back on the job today (Wednesday), although shaken and grieved by theloss of life downtown. Although our unit escaped this atrocious assault, the attacks have struck far too closeto home. Our parent firm, Thomson Financial, had office space in the World Trade Center. Thomson Financial wasstill accounting for its employees Wednesday morning, although it said the majority are safe. We pray for the safetyof our colleagues. We also had news sources and business contacts among the firms that were based in the WorldTrade Center. While the buildings are replaceable, the people who were killed are not, and we mourn their loss,as well as the deaths of the hundreds of police officers and firefighters killed trying to save them. --MARK FOGARTY, Editor, National Mortgage News