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Commission approval of proposed divestiture: Following a public comment period, the Commission has approved a petition for proposed divestiture from Service Corporation International (SCI) and Alderwoods Group, Inc., related to SCI’s recent acquisition of Alderwoods. In the FTC’s consent agreement and order allowing the transaction to proceed with conditions, SCI and Alderwoods were required to divest a range of funeral home and cemetery services companies. Through the petition, a public version of which can be found on the Commission’s Web site and as a link to this press release, the companies requested approval to divest Griffin Funeral Home in Hobbes, New Mexico to Griffin Funeral Home, Inc. The FTC has now approved that request.

The Commission vote to approve the proposed divestitures was 5-0. (FTC File No. 061-0156, Docket No. C-4174; the staff contact is Elizabeth A. Piotrowski, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-2623, see press release dated November 22, 2006.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC’s Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and from the FTC’s Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.