Vista Energy Resources Inc. (Amex: VEI), Midland, Texas, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue 8,296,123 common shares, with a par value of 1 cent per share, and 3,979,372 shares of Series A 6% convertible preferred stock in connection with its merger with Prize Energy Corp., Dallas, that was to close Jan. 28. Subject to adjustment, each share of Vista preferred is convertible at any time into one share of Vista common. The registration statement also includes an additional 3,979,372 Vista common shares that are issuable in connection with the conversion of the preferred. Wiser Oil Co. (NYSE: WZR), Dallas, privately placed 1 million shares of convertible preferred stock with Wiser Investment Co. LLC for $25 million. After the transaction, George K. Hickox Jr. succeeded Andrew J. Shoup Jr. as Wiser Oil chairman and chief executive. A. Wayne Ritter, currently Wiser Oil vice president of operations and acquisitions, will become its president. Hickox, 41, is a private investor who worked for Texas Oil & Gas Corp. and InterFirst Bank Houston in the early 1980s. Later, he was a vice president at the investment banking firm of Copeland, Wickersham & Wiley, where he focused on restructuring transactions and mergers and acquisitions. The preferred will be convertible at the holder's option into 5.882 million shares of the independent producer's common stock at a conversion price of $4.25 per common share. The preferred will pay dividends in Wiser common shares or cash, at the company's option, at an annual rate of 7%. Wiser Investment also will acquire, for a nominal sum, seven-year warrants to purchase new Wiser Oil common shares representing 5% of total common stock outstanding at any given time during the term of the warrants. The strike price of the warrants issued at closing will be $4.25 each, subject to adjustment. Any subsequent warrants that are issued to maintain Wiser Investment's warrant position at a 5% level will have strike prices based on the time of their issue, with these prices increasing at a rate of 10% per year following closing. None of the warrants will be exercisable until two years after closing. Westminster Resources Ltd. (Toronto: WML), Calgary, filed a preliminary short-form prospectus in each of Canada's provinces to offer up to 2 million units at a price of C$7 per unit for C$14 million of gross proceeds. Each unit will consist of one common share and one-half of one warrant to purchase a common share for C$9 at any time through Dec. 7, 2000. Dundee Securities Corp., CIBC World Markets Inc., Merrill Lynch Canada Inc., Haywood Securities Inc., Canaccord Capital Corp. and Research Capital Corp. are agents. Westminster will use proceeds to pay bank debt and fund exploration and development activities in Canada and California's San Joaquin Valley. Vermilion Resources Ltd. (Toronto: VRM), Calgary, closed a C$7.5-million bought-deal financing with a syndicate of underwriters led by RBC Dominion Securities Inc. that includes FirstEnergy Capital Corp., Griffiths McBurney & Partners, Nesbitt Burns Inc. and Salman Partners Inc. The producer issued 1.5 million flow-through common shares from treasury at C$5 each and will renounce to purchasers 100% of the subscription proceeds as Canadian exploration expenses, giving subscribers 100% tax deductions for the 1999 tax year. Vermillion will use proceeds to expand its exploration activities. Avid Oil & Gas Ltd. (Canadian Venture Exchange: AVO), Calgary, closed an equity financing for C$5.7 million of gross proceeds. Yorkton Securities Inc. was lead underwriter, with Research Capital Corp. and Rampart Securities Inc. as participating underwriters. The independent producer issued 2,532,000 special warrants at C$2.25 each, including 275,000 warrants issued to the underwriters to cover any overallotments. Each warrant will allow the holder to acquire one Class A share and one-half Class A share purchase warrant. Each whole purchase warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Class A share at an exercise price of C$2.50 until Dec. 1, 2000. Avid intends to file a prospectus to clear the underlying Class A shares and warrants by March 21, 2000. It will use net proceeds for an expanded capital expenditure program and for general corporate purposes. Equatorial Energy Inc. (Toronto: OZ), Calgary, agreed to privately place up to 2 million flow- through common shares at C$2.15 per share for up to C$4.3 million of proceeds. Griffiths McBurney & Partners and Newcrest Capital Inc. lead the financing syndicate, which includes Salman Partners Inc. and Emerging Equities Inc. Energas Resources Inc. (Canadian Venture Exchange: EEG), Oklahoma City, privately placed 808,000 common shares at 45 cents each for C$363,600 with an unidentified investor. The stock carries a requirement that it be held for one year from the placement's Nov. 18, 1999, closing date. The producer will use proceeds for general working capital. Tanganyika Oil Co. Ltd. (CDNX: TYK), Vancouver, B.C., agreed to privately place 1.7 million units for C$1.80 each for C$3.06 million of gross proceeds. Each unit will consist of one common share and one-half of a non-transferable share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional common share of the independent producer's stock at any time over two years at a price of C$2 per share during the first year or C$2.10 per share during the second year. Tanganyika Oil will use net proceeds to fund the next phase of the drilling program on its West Gharib onshore concession in Egypt. CanArgo Energy Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: GUSH), Calgary and Oslo, privately placed 3.3 million common shares at 6.9 Norwegian kroner (approximately U.S.88.3 cents) each with Norwegian and Canadian investors for more than U.S.$2.9 million of proceeds. Orkla Finans and Sundal Collier and Co. were placement agents. The overseas independent producer will use net proceeds to develop its primary asset, the Ninotsminda Field in the Republic of Georgia. KeyWest Energy Corp. (CDNX: KWE) completed a C$2.5 million private placement at $1.05 per share. The Calgary independent producer will issue 2,380,954 common shares to which a one-year hold period applies under the private placement. Eighty percent of these shares will receive flow-through benefits for the 1999 tax year. The private placement and a C$5 million bought deal financing at $1.01 per special warrant will leave KeyWest Energy with 47.5 million shares outstanding. Place Resources Corp. (Toronto: PLG), Calgary, closed a private placement of 476,200 flow- through common shares at C$4.20 each for C$2,000,040 of proceeds with an unidentified Ontario arms length subscriber. The independent producer will use the private placement proceeds, together with an extended C$28 million bank line of credit, to fund its ongoing exploration and development program. Bison Resources Ltd. (CDNX: BIS), Calgary, filed a preliminary prospectus with the Alberta Securities Commission to offer 1.25 million to 5 million flow-through common shares at C40 cents each for C$500,000 to C$2 million of proceeds. Cannacord Capital Corp. will sell the stock on a best efforts basis. Charger Energy Inc. (CDNX: CHC), Calgary, privately placed U.S.$750,000 of one-year, 8% convertible subordinated secured debt. Holders may convert the debt into units of the independent producer for C35 cents per unit. Each unit will be comprised of one common share and one purchase warrant. Each purchase warrant will be exercisable into one common share at a price of C50 cents per share for one year. Charger will have an option at any time during the term to force conversion of the debt if its common shares trade at or above C55 cents per share for 20 consecutive days. Kookaburra Resources Ltd. (Toronto: KOB), Calgary, agreed to privately place 575,000 units at C$1.33 each for C$764,750 of total proceeds with investors that include executives of the independent producer. Each unit comprises one common share and one non-transferable share purchase warrant. Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase an additional share for two years at a price of C$1.33. Kookaburra will use proceeds to fund its exploration program and for general corporate purposes. AltaCanada Energy Corp. (CDNX: ANG), Calgary, privately placed 3.75 million flow-through common shares at C20 cents each for C$750,000 of proceeds with Canadian investors who committed to buy a minimum of 25,000 shares. The independent producer will use proceeds to finance its participation and development during the first half of 2000 under farmout and participation agreements with two private Alberta corporations which hold interests in shallow natural gas prospects in East Central Alberta, including existing wells, undeveloped lands and certain underutilized facilities. International Frontier Resources Corp. (CDNX: IFR), Calgary, privately placed 750,000 units at C80 cents each for C$600,000 of proceeds. Each unit consists of one flow through common share and one-half of a warrant. One full warrant entitles the holder to acquire one common share at C90 cents for 180 days. Research Capital Corp. assisted the independent producer in the placement. IFR will use the offering's proceeds to fund its 21.75% share of an oil and gas exploration program in the Central Mackenzie Valley of Canada's Northwest Territories. Ascot Energy Resources Ltd. (CDNX: AER), Calgary, privately placed 2 million common shares, priced at C25 cents each, for C$500,000 of proceeds. The private placement was part of a recapitalization by the independent producer that included a previous private placement of 6 million flow-through units at C25 cents each for C$1.5 million of gross proceeds. Each flow-through unit consisted of one common share and one warrant to purchase an additional common share, exercisable on or before June 30, 2000, at a price of C30 cents per share. Sawtooth International Resources Inc. (CDNX: SAW), Calgary, privately placed 1,050,000 common shares as 300,000 units for C$300,000 of proceeds. Each unit was composed of two flow-through shares, 1.5 common shares and 1.5 warrants to purchase 1.5 common shares for two years at C35 cents per common share. The independent producer will use proceeds for drilling, re-completions and testing at Redwater, Spirit River and the new venture Marten Hills area of Alberta