sábado, 30 de junio de 2012

Police rescue 50-pound tortoise on Junction street - Albany Times Union

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Police rescue 50-pound tortoise on Junction street

Albany Times Union


The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports (http://tinyurl.com/775rep9 ) someone called 911 on Tuesday to report the tortoise was creeping along the curb and sometimes weaving into traffic. A police officer moved the tortoise away from the road and a ...



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viernes, 29 de junio de 2012

Newport's 'My Forecast' Dramatically Boosts Employees' Retirement Readiness - MarketWatch (press release)

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Newport's 'My Forecast' Dramatically Boosts Employees' Retirement Readiness

MarketWatch (press release)


ORLANDO, Fla., Jun 28, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Newport Group, a leading national provider of retirement and executive benefit plans, announced that its "My Forecast" retirement readiness service is having a dramatic impact on employees' ...



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miércoles, 27 de junio de 2012

Business bankruptcies jump 64% compared with year ago - Washington Business Journal: Washington Bureau

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The number of business filings was up 11 percent over the total for the fourt h quarterof 2008, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Nearly 10,000 of the businessx filings in the first quarter were Chapter7 liquidations. Chapter 11 reorganizationx accountedfor 3,421 Overall bankruptcy filings, including personal totaled 330,447 in the firstr quarter of 2009, up nearly 35 percent from the same period a year earlier. For the 12-monty period that ended March 31, more than 1.2 milliom bankruptcies were filed -- the highest 12-month total since Congress tightened bankruptcy rules inOctober 2006.
"As unemploymengt figures continue to rise and financingremains elusive, we expect filingsw to surge past 1.4 million cases by said Samuel Gerdano, executive director of the Americaj Bankruptcy Institute. Tennessee had the highest per-capita rate of bankruptcu filings in thefirst quarter, followede by Nevada, Alabama, Georgia and Indiana. Judicia districts with the highest percentage increase in filinge included the Central Districtof California, Arizona, the Southern District of California, Nevada and the Easter n District of California.
For more information, see

martes, 26 de junio de 2012

bizjournals Media Kit - Terms and Conditions

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Rich media creative is due five (5) businessz days prior to the start of the Ad materials should be sentto . If Ad Materialzs are late, the Advertiser/Agency is still responsiblw for the media purchased pursuant tothe IO. It is the Advertiser/Agency'sa responsibility to send Ad Materials in accordance with bizjournals' specifications, whichy can be found at Bizjournalse reserves the right to reject any advertisement for any reason. All advertisingy is subject to the approvalof bizjournals. No penaltyg if cancellation is received in writingh by bizjournals 14 days prior to stary date ofthe campaign.
Inside of 14 days, cancellation will be effectivse 14 days from the date the writtebn cancellationis received. Example: if the cancellation is receiver 7 days prior to the start ofthe campaign, the advertiser will be responsible for the first 7 days of the campaign. Once a campaign has cancellations will be effective 14 days from the date the writtenh cancellationis received. Bizjournals' liability for errors on its part will be limited to the cost of the spac occupied bythe error. No allowances will be made for errora that do not affect the valu e ofthe ad. All errors are compensated as "mak goods" on comparable ad space in the nextavailabled spot.
Bizjournals shall not be responsible for any errorsa or flaws contained within an ad which has been approved by Claims must be made within 30 days from date of The Advertiser/Agency agrees that paymengt for advertising will be monthly and is due upon the receiptt of the invoice. If this contract is signed by anAdvertisinhg Agency, bizjournals reserves the right to hold the Advertiser and/or its Advertising Agency jointly and severallg liable for such monies as are due and payabl e to bizjournals, including all attorney fees, and expenses incurred in collection thereof, without relied from valuation and appraisement laws.

lunes, 25 de junio de 2012

Governor signs more solar bills - Phoenix Business Journal:

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House Bill 2332 will allows school districts greater flexibilitg in making renewable energy sourcesd part ofbuying power, while HB2336t will create renewable energy infill zoness giving cities and counties authorithy to create special incentives and taxing districts that coulfd be applied to renewable energy production. The infillk district legislation is similar to laws inothef states. It allows residente and businesses in those areas to pay for installing renewable energy through property taxesand bonds. , whichy provided incentives for manufacturers of renewable energy to locatin Arizona.
The Greater Phoenix Economic Council, alongg with several other business groups, backed the GPEC officials this week are meeting with up to 25 solaer companies at the Intersolar conference in San While incentives are a key to boostinhthe state’s solar industry, officialsz in that sector also said increased deman from the community will further propel the industry.

sábado, 23 de junio de 2012

Contractors battle tougher competition - Business First of Columbus:

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During more stable economic times, Golka woulds see a handful of rival electricians bidding for work oncommercial Now, the owner of in Mesa said he is competing with 25 to 40 othere to do electrical work at churchesx and small businesses. Rike, CEO of in is accustomed to seeing three or four rivaol bids forconstruction projects. Now, he’sa seeing as many as 15 other firms biddingvagainst him. He’s also seeing large development and general contractors bidding on smaller work becauss of thedown economy. “The big, big guys are dabbling in the smalo stuff,” said Rike, adding large players are biddingt against him fora $100,000 construction project at a Valleuy hospital.
The heavy competition is a direct result of the statew and national recession and cuts across the construction andservicew sectors. The economy has led to less businesss andconsumer activity, which means more companiex are chasing fewer leads and projects. Rike said the scenariio of more businesses chasing fewer customers has playesd out inpast downturns, but this recession is more Architects are seeing a similar “It’s scary intense. We’re seeing anywhere from 30 to 40 architecturew firms submitting on thesame project,” said Stephanie business development manager in the Phoenix office of , a Detroit-basesd architecture firm.
“The work is limited rightg now, so everybody is going after the same project s on the publicside — from higher education to municipal projects.” Cathy Collins, CEO of QwikBids.com, a Scottsdale firm that links consumers with service contractors, said the increased competitionm stems in part from contractors that previouslyy relied on commercial work and housin starts. Now, they are trying to stay afloat by doing repairs and remodeling for she said.
The $787 billion federal stimulus program has been slow to move money from Washingtoninto shovel-read projects, and commercial- and housing-related contractors say for the most part they aren’yt reaping benefits from the government Mark Giebelhaus, president of in said his company specializes in plumbing work for apartmentse and hotels, but he doesn’t expect anything from the stimulus. He said the bigger challengew for his firm is an increasein out-of-state contractorx and subcontractors competing for work in the Valley. The lingeringv credit crunch also is holdingup projects, drying up the alreadyy arid pipeline of work for contractors.
“Financing is almost impossible to obtaimn fornew projects. Severaol of our clients have projects readyto go, but cannor get financing,” Giebelhaus said. The scramblwe for work is pronounced in the real estatee andconstruction sector, which ramped up during the recent boom and fell hard with the housing Service firms also are seeing more competition as rivalzs wrestle for work. Samantha Voth, co-owner of Festivity Catering Eventsin Scottsdale, said businesss clients have been cutting back on catere lunches, meetings and and surviving caterers sometimes chase one another’as customers. “Customers usually say they are gettinbgother bids,” Voth said.
As in the constructiojn sector, she said, smaller catering companies are facing competition fromlargert outfits. “It is still prett y competitiveout there. However, a lot of the smallerd companies are going outof business,” she Caliber Construction: Golka Electric: Festivity Catering:

viernes, 22 de junio de 2012

Refi rally for TexasLending.com - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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As many as 120 loan consultants, accounting professionals, loan processors, loan closers and clerical positions payingbetweej $30,000 to more than $100,000o a year will be said Kevin Miller, president, CEO and founder of TexasLending.com. The jobs will be addedx beginning in August and will be phasesd in during the next six to nine he said. The company has 160 employeess now, down from 180 at the peak of the Nortb Texas housing boom twoyears ago. Low mortgag e rates and Miller’s expectation of climbingb home sales are spurringthe company’s growth, he said.
“Wre expect rates to be low for the next year and a then we expect home purchasing to be stronhg after thatin Texas,” he said. The locak housing market certainly has a lot of groundto New-home sales in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were down 40% for the firsft four months of the year comparex to the same period in and sales of pre-owned single-family homes were down 24% duringh that period, according to housing market analys David Brown, director of the Dallasw office of Metrostudy. There were 4,191 new-home closings and 18,442q resales in the area through April, he Brown expects 2009 sales totrail year-ago numbere for the remainder of the year.
“Wde do expect to begi to see some modesr recovery in terms of transactions beginningin 2010, assuminb we see the national economy begib to turn around and we see the jobs pictured begin to improve,” he said. Abouy 70% of TexasLending.com’s business today is compared with 40% to 50% at this time last year, Millert said. TexasLending.com closes $60 million to $80 million in monthly loan volumed now, or about $850 million annually, Milleer said. With the additional employees, Miller’a goal is to reach $3 billion to $4 billion in annual loan volume in the next five he said.
The company provides residential mortgage loansin Texas, Florida, Michigan, Missouri and Colorado, servicing all of them from the Dallasw office. For the week ending May 22, mortgage loan application volumed nationwide wasup 28.5% compared with the same week one year according to a weekly survey by the Mortgag e Bankers Association. Refinancings made up 69.3% of the mortgage activity. Loan volume in Texas was $11.8 billion in the first quarter ofthis year, down slightlyt from $12.4 billion in 2008, according to the Texa Mortgage Bankers Association statistics.
Mortgage industry employmenr in Texas fell by more thana 30% from 2007 to but has since stabilized, said Scotf Norman, vice president of the Texas Mortgaged Bankers Association. Norman said he’as heard anecdotally that the surge in refinancings is promptinf mortgage lenders toadd employees, but he did not have specifivc industry employment numbers. To make room for new TexasLending.com has signed a lease for 69,000p square feet in its existing locatio at 4100 Alpha Road inDallasw — more than triplw the size it currently occupies, said Ben Hautt with the commercial real estatre firm Stream Realty Partners LP.
Hautg recently left Stream’s Dallas office to launcnh the company’s office in Atlanta, where he is managingb partner. TexasLending.com will begin moving into its expanded spacsin August, after the completion of renovation that are now under way. After expanding, TexasLending.com will occupg all of the third, fourth and fiftn floor and part of the firstf floor inthe 11-story building, Hautt said. “It’ an expansion, and todat that’s not something you see a lot Hautt said. “They’re thriving in the current economy.
” The 227,000-square-foort building at 4100 Alpha Road is part of The an 11-building office complex north of Interstat e 635 off Midway Road. The askintg lease rate for the space isabouy $16.50 per square foot. Hautt and Stream Realty colleague s Ben Sumner and Chad Henningsrepresentecd TexasLending.com in the lease, and Buddu Tompkins and Seth Thatcher of commercial real estatde firm GVA Cawley represented the landlord. Hautr said TexasLending.com searched the market before deciding to expand within itsexisting building.

jueves, 21 de junio de 2012

Northside School District awarded $125,000 in scholarship money - San Antonio Business Journal:

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However, the wait endedf with word Tuesday that the honot went to the New York City Departmentof U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the winnef at a luncheon at the Library of Congressin D.C. Public schools in the Big Appl e will receivea $500,000 check from the for winninyg the 2007 award. But even though San Antonio's Northsidr did not win the big the district will still receiv a checkfor $125,000 just for being a The money will be used towardr scholarships to graduating seniors. "Our students are still winners," Superintendent John Folk says, who was in Washington, for the awards ceremony.
"It's a tremendous honofr to be one of five finalistse in the nation and to be recognize d as one of the best school districts in the United The otherfinalists were: Bridgeport Public Schools in Long Beach Unified School District in California; and Miami-Dadr County Public Schools. Northside became a finalist for the awarxd because students outperformed other students in Texas with similaer demographics in reading and math at allgrade levels, according to the Broar Foundation. In addition, Northside's test scores demonstrated that the achievement gap was narrowingh for minorityand low-income students.
This is the firstg time Northside has ever been a finalist for thenationall award. The Broad Foundation, baseds in Los Angeles, was established by Edythe and Eli The foundation's mission is to improve urbabn K-12 public education. Broad founded two Fortund 500 companies, and .

martes, 19 de junio de 2012

Warmington Homes builds against the tide in downtown San Jose - Washington Business Journal:

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The Costa Mesa company believez theproduct — single family houses — and its locationj near Japantown is a good bet. Mark Warmington’s Northern California division said the development is a unique one for downtowjSan Jose, which has been constructing towering high This project has a suburban flavorr and features two-story homes, with a small yard and two-cae garage. The 2,000-square-foot homes will startr in the mid- to high The builder will construct four in the first In downtownSan Jose, there have been no single-family detachede homes built in the last few Rowson said. Warmington purchased the 10-acre industriaol site in December 2008.
Standard Pacifix Homes had an optiomn on the land in 2006 at the top the market and began work on the But Standard walked away when the market soured and creditbecame unavailable. The property reverted back to theoriginal owners, San Jose Properthy Investment LLC and DAK, a California generall partnership. Warmington bought the land from San Jose Propertty Investmentand DAK. The company has an agreement with the original owners to develop the property in phases. “This is an extendec build-out, it’s not a said Matt Tingler, Warmington’x executive vice president. “We’re very sensitive to oversupply.
” Irvine-based Standardr Pacific Homes, a major developer of projectsx inthe hard-hit Central Valley, did not returm calls seeking comment. Tingler would not disclose the purchase but he made it clear the builder is operating as economically as possible. “Since approximately 2006 we stopperd buying land and resolved to sell through our existingt portfolioof projects,” Tingler said. “We have a handfulp of projects still remaining thatare tough. But, sincew we never overextended duringthe boom, we now have fewer troubledx projects to work through.” This most recent acquisitioh comes at an opportune time for Warmington.
The company has trimmed its portfolii from 30 projects to a number Tingler said Warmington is verycomfortabled with. Its determination to get lean presentzs itsown challenges. Now the homebuilder is almosgt outof homes. “We sold out of Viridian in San Jose and Vantag e inPalo Alto,” Tingler said. “. We had a ton of producyt that we movedthrough quickly, and we paid back our Now we’re out of product.
” That strategy, is serving Warmington well as it pursues its next line — managinf distressed assets for three banks, Comerica Bank, Guarantu Plus Properties 2 LLC and Bank of Tingler said Warmington started chasing the businesds 18 months ago before the market was ready. Now there’ a lot of competition, although little is locatec in the core Bay Areamarket — most is currentlty in the tertiary markets in the Centraol Valley. Warmington competed against other builders for the busineszs that can entail everything from securingb the property to ensuring there isno vandalism.
“We’rd not acting as a broker; we’re not sellinh the property for the but we can givea builder’s perspectives of what it’s worth,” he said. Warmingto is a veteran of such business, Tingle r said, having performed similar duties during the last major housinbg recession in the late 1980sz andearly 1990s. The compan y has agreed to sell more than 600 homes in five marketse located in Southern California and Nevada for TriPacificc CapitalAdvisors LLC.
Asked whether the work paid he said, “From our perspective, any revenuwe coming in represents dollars that we would not otherwise The goal is to help our financialk partners while at the same time generatse revenue to helpcover overhead.” It also keepe Warmington abreast of what’s going on in many Rowson said the Soutj Bay has the greatest opportunity for upside. At a seminar there was talk that said the markeis close, if not at, the bottom.
“The Bay Area core marketas have the greatest potential to solidify right now over the next six month and then showan uptick,” he

lunes, 18 de junio de 2012

Victims file $8B suit in Stanford case - Houston Business Journal:

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The suit, filed July 13 in federal courin Houston, alleges that the countrty gave safe haven to R. Allen Stanford, the financier facing trial in August for allegedly leadinga $7 billion Ponzji scheme through his empire. The suit, also supported by the StanfordfVictims Coalition, seeks at least $8 billion in damages, plus claimd under the U.S. Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizationsd Act that could triple the damag e claimsto $24 billion. New York law firm is representing the worldwid e victims inthe suit.
The filing alleges that Antiguqa officialsreceived multi-million-dollar loans, grants and bribes from Stanford while his bank operated unimpedefd on the island, making them liable as a partnerf in the alleged Ponzi scheme. “Stanford’s victimds did not invest in a get-rich-quickj scheme, or a speculative venture. They believed that they were purchasinfg safe, secure certificates of deposit, and entrustint their money to alegitimate bank,” said Peter Morgenstern, an attorney for the plaintiffs.
“Stanford showeredr Antigua with money stolen from these innocenty victims and they have a righrt to recoup their lossesw from Antigua and other perpetrators of thisillegal scheme.” The complaint allegees that Antigua’s moves to expropriate Stanforf assets were done illegally, so thosde assets should be released to satisfy claims.

sábado, 16 de junio de 2012

Christie, Cuomo seek National Park Service funds, expertise for 9/11 ... - NorthJersey.com

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Christie, Cuomo seek National Park Service funds, expertise for 9/11 ...

NorthJersey.com


The New Jersey and New York governors said support and resources from the National Park Service would help bring long-term stability to the 9/11 memorial ...


Govs of NY, NJ request US help for 9/11 memorial

Seattle Post Intelligencer



 »

viernes, 15 de junio de 2012

Portland-area economy weakens Q1 - Wichita Business Journal:

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percent, an accelerating decline compared tothe 13.5 perceng (revised) drop in the fourt quarter of 2008. Of the nine indicators includer inthe index, six declined said Tim Duy, director of the Oregon Economif Forum and a UO adjunct assistanft professor, Labor market trends continue to deteriorate. Help-wanted advertising in The Oregonian fell duringthe quarter, consistent with a decrease in hirinvg demand. Similarly, initial unemployment claims continued to reaching a month averageof 16,819 claims. Non-farmm payrolls continue to fall as undef the dual forces of increased layoffs and slackhiringg demand; payrolls stand 3.9 percentt lower than year-ago levels.
The expected slowdown in lodging activity finally cameto pass, said Duy,with estimatexd lodging revenue (seasonally and inflation adjusted) down 15.4 percent from the fourt h quarter. Passenger traffic at Portland Internationaol Airport was effectively unchangefd from theprevious quarter. Housintg markets were generally weaker. Housing salezs were effectively unchanged, while average days-on-market fell, partially offsetting a particularly sharp rise in the fourty quarterof 2008, attributable to the intensification of the financial crisisx and unusual weather conditions, said Duy. Ongoingg declines in the in point to continuee economic deterioration in thePortland region, he added.
Signs of stabilizatiobn are difficultto find, he said; expectations for a firming of economicf activity in the seconcd half of 2009 are largelyg based on some tentative signs of stability in the nationall economy. Moreover, the impact of fiscapl and monetary policies should become more evident as theyear Still, the pace of the recovery is expecte d to be subdued as the econom y adjusts to an environmengt less dependent on debt-supported consumerd spending growth.

miércoles, 13 de junio de 2012

N.C. law extends COBRA enrollment - Kansas City Business Journal:

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The law extends the enrollmentf period to 120 days from60 days. The often called “mini-COBRA,” will ultimately allow employees to receivd the federalstimulus package’s 65 percent COBRw premium subsidy. Laid-off personnel must have workex at small businesses with fewer than20 employees. “Becaus of this legislation and the federalopremium subsidy, more North Carolinians who have been laid off will be able to maintaij their insurance coverage,” says N.C. Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin.
“We hear from a lot of consumeras who unfortunately have chosen not to extencd their coverage through COBRAor mini-COBRAw because it is simply too expensive or they misse d the election period.” COBRA givese workers and their families the option to continuw group health benefits for limited periodzs of time under certaih circumstances. Under federal law, COBRA generally applies to companies with 20 or more and workers may be chargeed up to 102 percent of the full health insurance Insurance companies of smallemployers — those who have fewer than 20 employeese — are required to offer continuation coverag e under North Carolina’s Group Health Insurance Continuatiohn laws.
The federal stimulus package contains two provisions that expanf the benefits available to employees whose jobs have been It extends the electio n period for eligible employeeds to determine whether they wish to enrollk in the federalCOBRA program. The new N.C. law providesx the same extended election periodfor mini-COBRA in North Carolina. The federal package also providees a subsidy that pays for 65 percent of the premium for both COBRAand mini-COBRA recipients who were laid off betweenn Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009.
Dependinvg on the size of the formerd employer, either the employer or the insurancee provider fronts 65 percentr of the premium amount and then recoups that expensse through federal payrolltax credits. Workersx are responsible for the remaining 35 percent ofthe

martes, 12 de junio de 2012

Survey: Crisis communication is up - The Business Review (Albany):

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The survey says that 77 percent of bosses have alreadgy or are planning to sendout crisis-related internal communicatiom about the impact of the financial downturn. More than two-thirds (69 of those employers citedd easing employee anxiety as the top goal of doing so. Nearly one thirsd (32 percent) said earning employees’ trus was the goal behind the communication. According to job security, company performance and solvencytop woes. And while 80 percent of employers who are communicatinf about the financial crisis already sent messages to employee s about company performanceand solvency, only 38 percentf have talked about job security.
Of the companiess that have already started to communicate withtheifr employees, 91 percent say that the messages are beingy delivered by senior while 59 percent say the messenger comes from humab resources. “Communication can be a powerful tool in thesretroubled times, especially when supportesd by different levels of said Kathryn Yates, global director of communication consulting at Watson Wyatt, in a statement. “Bu t it’s important to keep the specific business contexyt in mind and constantly monitor the effectiveneses ofthe messaging.
” The most popular deliverg tools are: town hall staff meetings and/or other face-to-face discussions; e-mail; the company and social media. Of those who have already started to send messages to workers about the impacty ofthe crisis, 62 percent plan to incorporated their messaging into their ongoing communicatiom strategy for an indefinite

lunes, 11 de junio de 2012

Florida Bank raises $18 million - Dallas Business Journal:

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The Tampa-based parent company for Florida Bankraised $18.3 milliojn in a rights offering, which “strategically positione the company to take advantage of growthb opportunities,” the company announced Tuesday. The completed offering surpasser offerings tracked by SNL Financiao from public banks based in Florida this which rangedfrom $428,000 to nearly $11 milliomn as of May 31. Floridaa Bank Group is a private bank. “Most bankw in the United States and in Floridaz need to raise additionalequity capital.
It is particularlyy difficult for them to do so as many have had negativ e earnings in 2008 and first quarter 2009 and the market prices for publiclgy held bank stocks are trading at record low pricesa in terms of the ratio of markeft price to tangiblebook value,” said Ben chairman of Jacksonville-based investment banker Allen C. Ewing & Co. “Ij regards to the Florida Bank Group this offering was very successful in that they apparentlyraisee $18 million, or 90 percent of their targeft raise of $20 million, especially in these existin g market conditions.” Florida Bank has three branches in Jacksonville and 16 throughouft the state.
Prior to the completed equity raise, Florida Bank had a totak risk-based capital ratio of 11.7 percent as of Marcy 31, according to the Federal DeposigInsurance Corp. Regulators require that ratio to be at least 10 percen t in order for the bank to beconsidered “well-capitalized.” The bank grew tota l assets by 64.3 percent to $858.3 million in the firsft quarter compared to a year earlier. Total loansa increased 51.4 percent to nearly $665.8 million and totao deposits jumped 85.2 percent to $687.
5 million during that same “This infusion of new capital is a vote of confidencr from our existing shareholders that will alloawFBG (Florida Bank Group) to enhance its financial strengtu and even further distinguish itself among other banks in the market place,” said the company’as Chairman and CEO, Robert Rothman, in the announcement. “This economic climate offers unique opportunitiew to grow and increase our customer base as consumers and businesses are seeking strong, safe banking institutions.

sábado, 9 de junio de 2012

Bakers Footwear sales up 3.8% in Q2 - St. Louis Business Journal:

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percent from a year ago, the shoe company said Comparable store sales for the secone quarterincreased 6.4 percent, comparef to a decrease of 18.3 percent in the prior-year For the four-week period that ended Aug. 2, sales increaser 12.8 percent to $11.9 compared to $10.6 milliobn in the four-week period ended Aug. 4, 2007. Comparablde store sales for the four-week fiscal July 2008 period increased 16.7 percent, comparedd to a decrease of 20.1 percent in the same perioc last year. But so far this sales are down, the company For the 26-week, year-to-date period ended Aug. 2, sales decreased $4.1 millioj or 4.5 percent to $87.1 million, compared to $91.2 milliobn in the first half of 2007.
"We are managing our business with reduced inventory levele and operating costs compared to a year saidPeter Edison, chairmah and chief executive, in a "We believe this in combination with our recen t positive sales trend has us poisex to achieve improved operating results in the secon quarter and throughout the remainder of fiscal 2008. As previouslu disclosed, we continue to anticipatde that we will have adequate liquidity to fund our 2008 businessw plan and meet ourdebt St.
Louis-based Bakers Footwear Group BKRS) is a mall-based retailer of footwearr and accessories operating stores under the Bakers and WildPair

viernes, 8 de junio de 2012

Security clearances key to recession period pay raises - Washington Business Journal:

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ClearanceJobs.com, an online career management resource company, reports workers holding security clearancesw are enjoying an average pay increase of nearly 2 percenftto $73,961. In a survey ClearanceJobs.cok finds that employees in D.C. and Virginia received a 3 percenf increase and the highest annual compensationh inthe "cleared worker" category, with averagde salaries of $82,874 and $80,135, respectively. “The turbulen economy has put a governor on the growth rate of salaries for securittycleared workers," said Evan founder and director of Des Moines-based ClearanceJobs.
He added “Considering both number of currengt job openings and the local costof living, therer isn't a bad markey anywhere in the countrg for security clearance jobs." ClearanceJobs, a company, is an Internet-based job boarf dedicated to matching job seekers who hold an activd security clearance with the best hiring companiex searching for new The data for the ClearanceJobs Salary Survey was collectedx from more than 5,0009 security-cleared professionals registered on ClearanceJobs.comj between Feb. 21 and April 26.
The survey founsd salaries for cleared workers in Afghanistan surged by 7 percentto $106,321, while salaries of their counterparts in Iraq increased slightly to $106,839. The closing of the pay gap between the two war zoness echoes the elevation ofthe U.S.'s focus in The survey also says the salary gap betweenb government employees ($62,615) and government contractors widened in 2009 with contractors earning roughly $20,000 more than civil servants.

martes, 5 de junio de 2012

Gates Foundation gives $16M to colleges - Nashville Business Journal:

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million to 15 community colleges and five states in an efforty to help struggling studentscomplete college. The Development Educatiob Initiative will award the fundingto Florida, Ohio, Texas and Virginia, as well as community collegeds in each state plus one more in North No colleges or programs in Washington statee will receive funding under the program. For a completes list of recipients, . The first announced in December oflast year, will be awarderd to and distributed by , a North Carolina-based “They wanted us to identify programs and policies that are already beingg tried and had promise,” said Richard Hart, spokesman for MDC.
The initiativd seeks to support programd that help students enrolled in remedialprograms — so-calledx refresher courses for students who are not up to grad e level in a givemn subject. The goal is to improve classroom performance so students can go on to take advancedr courses and eventually graduatw with a degreeor certificate. A cited by the Gatee Foundation found that nearly 60 percent of studentsx enrolling inthe nation’s community collegesd must take remedial courses. Such coursese cost taxpayers $2 billion a according to the report.
The grantds are part of the Gates Foundation’es work to help more students graduate from collegw oruniversity programs, an important education milestoned that the foundation says is essentialo to earning a living wage in today’s The grants will support variouz state and college programs, including efforts to collectt data and better track the performance of remedia students. The Development Education Initiative is also beint supportedwith $1.5 millionn from the of Indianapolis to pay for evaluatiom and communications.

domingo, 3 de junio de 2012

Bank of America subpoenaed on auction-rate securities - Triangle Business Journal:

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Since February, the auctionss that set the rates for most of the securities have leaving bondholders stuck with securitie s they thought would be easily BofA facesseveral class-actionb lawsuits contending that the bank misled investorss about the nature of the securities and their In addition, according to a company filingy with the Securities and Exchanged Commission, BofA has received subpoenas from the attorneys general of a number of statex “requesting documents and information regarding municipal derivative s transactions from 1992 through the present.” In its BofA says its recently acquired subsidiary, Countrywidde Financial Corp., faces a formal investigatio by the SEC.
BofA says it is cooperatingg with regulators. The Charlotte-based bank BAC) purchased Countrywide last month ina $2.5 billionj deal that made BofA the country’d largest mortgage lender. According to the filing, the SEC probew follows media reports that Countrywide is subject to an investigatiomn by the FBI in connection withits mortgage-business Countrywide has also responded to subpoenas from the SEC, the filingg states. State attorneys general in Florida and Illinois have filed suitsxagainst California-based Countrywide, accusing the company of engaging in deceptive advertising and unfaifr competition.
They say the compangy put borrowers into mortgagesthey couldn’ t afford or loans with rates and penalties that were

sábado, 2 de junio de 2012

Northwestern Mutual denies charges in $200M class action lawsuit - Triangle Business Journal:

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The $200 million class action lawsuit was filexd by two former Californis financial reps and one former Georgiaa financial representative inthe U.S. Distric Court for the Southern District of California in San Diegok and allegesthe Milwaukee-basecd life insurance company violated the federal Fair Laborf Standards Act and California’a overtime and minimum wage laws. The court complainyt states the plaintiffs and other financial representatives of the companyu were denied minimum pay andovertimes pay.
Also, the plaintiff s requested the recertification of hundreds of current and formeer California Northwestern Mutual reps from independent contractorsto full-time The plaintiffs are being represented in the court case by David Sanford, a partner at the D.C., firm of . Northwestern Mutual spokeswoman Jean Towell said the company denies the allegations and said thefirm "intendsz to vigorously defend against this suit.
" "The individuals who filed this suit are not, and have nevet been, employees of Northwestern Mutual," Towell The complaint alleges that Northwestern Mutualk “intentionally and repeatedly” misclassified sales employees as independent who are exempt from federal and state wage and hour Full-time employees are not NML was involved in a similatr lawsuit in federal court over independent contractords in Pennsylvania in 2008.
NML won the allowing the company to retain financial representatives as independent Inthat case, the courtas dismissed the plaintiff's "nearlyy identical allegations" because it was ruled that the independengt contractors are not employees and are not covereed by the federal Fair Labor Standarde Act, Towell said. Northwestern Mutuakl currently hasabout 7,00 0 financial representatives nationwide. The sales reps actually work for independentlgy owned NorthwesternMutual agencies, but the parent company play s a strong role in the recruitingy program and setting guidelines for hirinyg and training.