Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/685011
38 www.resourceworld.com J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 1 6 miNiNg FIRST MINING FINANCE CORP. [FF-TSXV; FFMGF-OTCQB; FMG-FSE] has been actively acquiring listed companies to add to a "bank" of mineral assets in which the metal commodities are still in the ground, to be saved for more favorable development and mining conditions in the future. Sometimes the company acquires mineral properties themselves and other times it acquires the companies that own the properties. In late April 2016, the company com- pleted its latest acquisitions, Clifton Star Resources Inc. and the Pitt Gold Project from Brionor Resources Inc., bringing their portfolio of mineral assets up to 26 properties: 11 in Canada, one in the United States, and the rest in four areas of Mexico. Founded by Keith Neumeyer (Chairman of First Mining Finance as well as President and CEO of First Majestic Silver Corp.) and supported by First Majestic Silver Corp., the company has gathered an experienced team including Chris Osterman, PGeo (CEO and Director), and Patrick Donnelly (President), and others with many years of expertise in the mineral and securi- ties industries. In a recent interview with Resource World, Donnelly said that buying shares in First Mining Finance is "a great way to invest in mining, and to get expo- sure to a broad portfolio of assets while remaining liquid for investors." Since early 2015, the company has acquired Coastal Gold Corp., Gold Canyon Resources Inc., PC Gold Inc., Goldrush Resources Ltd., and Clifton Star Resources Inc., and additional acquisitions are in forthcoming. This amounts to more than 200,000 hectares of mineralized properties containing nearly 9 million ounces troy of gold equivalent at an average acquisition cost below US $10/oz. Criteria for acquisi- tions includes the economic and mineral quality of the geological assets as well as potential mineability; location in terms of mining-friendly political jurisdiction and receptive communities; availability of infrastructure; land tenure issues; holding costs; and the valuation of the commodi- ties (are they currently undervalued, that is, do the main properties offered by the company hold at least one million ounces of gold, and can they be bought for less than US $10/oz troy gold equivalent?). Canadian holdings are particularly attractive right now, with many underval- FirST mininG FinancE building a mineral bank by Jennifer S. Getsinger, PhD, PGeo