Some of you may be surpised if you check the county recorder about your land.  An entity called "Tiptop Energy Productions US LLC" has loaned a billion plus dollars to Devon using many familiar people's oil leases as collateral.  Looked to me like they sold a 1/3 interest in the leases as well but then I may be confused.

It all sounded very fishy (funny and unheard of name for a billion dollar corporation, lots of lawyers and wierd sounding signatories like Lu) but now it seems to me to be on the up and up.  Seems Tiptop is the United States subsidiary of Sinopec which is doing a big deal with Devon.  The deal is well known.  They have an office in Cleveland and Hong Kong and the funny names would be real Chinese people.  If any of you come to a different conclusion let us know.