–


U.S. Trust Corp.

has promoted L. Andrew Gifford to managing director of its Los Angeles office, the company said. In this role, Gifford is responsible for expanding U.S. Trust’s relationship with the legal community and with providing guidance to company professionals in the areas of trust administration and estate planning. Gifford, who has 25 years experience as a practicing trusts and estates attorney, joined U.S. Trust in June 2000 as a senior vice president and senior fiduciary manager for the West Coast.

U.S. Trust, which has over $12 billion in assets under management in California, is headquartered in New York City.

–


United Online, Inc.

, a Woodland Hills-based Internet subscription services provider, announced that it has acquired the assets of Homestead Technologies, Inc.’s PhotoSite online digital photo-sharing business for nearly $10 million in cash. The PhotoSite service will join United Online, but will continue to be based in Menlo Park. United Online said it will integrate PhotoSite into its existing services, including Classmates.com, NetZero, Juno and its consumer Web-hosting businesses.

–

Acceris Communications Inc. announced a letter of intent to sell its communications subsidiary, Acceris Communications Corp., to Matrix Telecom Inc., a company owned by Beverly Hills-based global acquisition firm

Platinum Equity LLC

. The sale is for cash and other considerations, and is contingent upon the execution of a share purchase agreement that must receive approval from Acceris shareholders, the board of directors and government regulators, the San Diego-based company said in a release Monday. The agreement should be completed by April 30, with the transaction closing in the third quarter. Additional financial details were not released.