Category: Business

By Mike Rosenberg, San Jose Mercury News – SAN JOSE, Calif. — Some of us might love to hate ’em, but states with a high proportion of millionaires need them to stay…

By Linda Loyd, The Philadelphia Inquirer – PHILADELPHIA — American Airlines said Thursday it will reduce its flight schedule by 1 percent through the first half of November because of continuing flight delays…

By Chuck Myers McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT) Although mortgage rates continue to reach new record lows, the search for a home mortgage to fit the family budget can still prove a challenge….

By Peter Delevett, San Jose Mercury News – Hate that old blouse? Fear not: A slew of new startups are running virtual marketplaces where folks can sell or buy secondhand treasures. Companies like…

By Alan J. Heavens, The Philadelphia Inquirer – Apartments continue to do a brisk business, and rents continue to rise even as home sales begin to pick up. “Household formation is reviving, despite…

By Dawn C. Chmielewski, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Russell Simmons has made a career — and a fortune — programming to audiences that the mainstream media has ignored. The hip-hop…

By Gary Singer, Sun Sentinel – QUESTION: My divorce agreement states that my ex owes me money when she sells the house, but she is selling it and does not want to give…

By Claudia Buck, The Sacramento Bee – California Franchise Tax Board expert Daniel Tahara answers readers’ questions on California taxes. To see more advice or to ask your own questions, go to:…

By Joe Taschler and Karen Herzog, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – MILWAUKEE — Got whey? From infant formula and protein supplements to sports drinks and nutrition bars, whey — the nursery rhyme food that…

By Alan J. Heavens, The Philadelphia Inquirer – PHILADELPHIA — Good credit is important, especially when you’re looking to buy a house. Mortgage lenders have to know whether you’re able to repay…

By Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times – MENLO PARK, Calif. — Facebook Inc. is on the outs with investors, and the tumbling stock price has dented employees’ morale and personal net worth. But…

By Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Just as it was regaining market share in the U.S., Toyota has announced a massive recall that could crimp its comeback. The Japanese…

By Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Mexico predicts record tourist visits this year. But it’s not because of a surge in U.S. visitors. Don’t get Mexico wrong. U.S. tourists…

By Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — IPhone fever is not just an adult affliction. It has trickled down to the younger population as well. Forty percent of U.S. teenagers…

By Andrew Tangel, Los Angeles Times – NEW YORK — JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s profits surged 34 percent in the third quarter as the country’s largest bank by assets saw its mortgage business…

By Celeste Smith, The Charlotte Observer – CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The way we pay for things is changing. Those credit-card keypads yielding paper receipts are giving way to a new group of mobile…

By Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times – WASHINGTON — Foreclosure filings fell in September to their lowest level in more than five years as a housing market rebound showed another sign of taking…

Kevin Coss, Austin Daily Herald, Minn. – Hormel Institute partners with Chinese province; Dayton visits Austin – The delegation from a Chinese province unrolled its gift to Minnesota before the crowd. An intricate…

By Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — When it comes to autos, white is the new white. Automakers in North America offered more white cars than vehicles in any other…

By Alisa Priddle, Detroit Free Press – DETROIT — Ford will continue to pay a fourth-quarter dividend of 5 cents per share, the board of directors declared as it wrapped up its monthly…

By David Sell, The Philadelphia Inquirer – PHILADELPHIA — So what is a compound pharmacy, one of which is the focus of attention in the national outbreak of fungal meningitis? Once upon a…

By Kevin G. Hall, McClatchy Newspapers – WASHINGTON — Jamie Dimon, America’s most celebrated banker, heaped criticism on regulators and politicians during a high-profile visit to the nation’s capital Wednesday, warning that overregulation…

By Dana Hull, San Jose Mercury News – SAN JOSE, Calif. — The U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday slapped big duties on solar panels imported from China, the latest decision in a highly…

By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times – Get ready for more small Wal-Mart stores, and sooner. The mega-retailer known for its big-box strategy said it’s planning to speed up openings of its Neighborhood…

By Ben Fritz, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Stan Lee Media, an Internet company that shut down more than a decade ago and has been mired in litigation ever since, has…

By Lindsay Wise, McClatchy Newspapers – WASHINGTON — One of the nation’s largest credit reporting agencies has agreed to pay $393,000 to settle charges that it improperly sold lists of consumers who were…

By Andrew Tangel, Los Angeles Times – NEW YORK — Zambia may not seem like the hottest investment out there. Disease, unemployment and poverty threaten the 14 million people in the small…

By Michael Doyle, McClatchy Newspapers – WASHINGTON — An unprecedented federal government effort to seize the Mongols Motorcycle Club’s trademark has quietly become a quarter-of-a-million-dollar headache for the Justice Department. Four years…

U.S. CFTC Commissioner Chilton, October 5, 2012 – These are busy times in our industry.  In fact, we’ve never had more on our plates.  Implementation of the Congressional mandates of Dodd-Frank is…

By Gary M. Singer, Sun Sentinel – QUESTION: I filed for bankruptcy over two years ago and included my primary and rental home loans in the bankruptcy. Even though the loans are not…

By Dawn C. Chmielewski, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Google and a group of U.S. publishers have reached an out-of-court settlement ending a seven-year dispute involving books digitized for the Google…

By Bob Cox, Fort Worth Star-Telegram – FORT WORTH, Texas — Six big automakers are poised to slug it out over the next year or two in what is shaping up to be…

By Joan Verdon, The Record (Hackensack, N.J.) – Toys R Us, which for years has done a big business selling videotapes and DVDs of children’s movies, is launching a sales plan for the…

By Rex W. Huppke, Chicago Tribune – There are few secrets in the workplace. People are too curious, too gossipy, too talkative. The details of our personal lives invariably spill over and co-workers…

By Al Heavens, The Philadelphia Inquirer – You know that mortgage modification you’ve been trying to get for a year, the one where the servicer keeps losing the paperwork and no one is…

By Tom Hudson, The Miami Herald – The housing market has shown some early signs of life. Sales and prices have turned up while the number of homes for sale has dropped. Record-low…

By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times – The Ikea catalog distributed in Saudi Arabia is the same as in other countries except for what it’s missing — women. The Swedish publication Metro…

By Jennie Wong, The Charlotte Observer – QUESTION: I’m looking at a couple of different locations for my new retail storefront. It’s important that I have good walk-in traffic, but I’m having…

By David Ranii, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) – RALEIGH, N.C. — Three years of an economic recovery characterized by sluggish job growth is proving to be a significant deterrent for…

By Steve Alexander, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – QUESTION: My wife and I are considering the purchase of an iPad and need to know if, in addition to receiving or sending e-mail, it can…