Category: Business

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Commerce last week released a green paper on Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy (Green Paper) to advance discussion on a set of policy issues critical to

Chicago – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently intercepted one of the world’s most destructive pests of grain products and seeds in a shipment of rice arriving from Pakistan into the

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to a four-year low of 7.4 percent in July. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 in

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 31, 2013) — Mortgage applications decreased 3.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending

WASHINGTON – Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in June suggests that economic activity expanded at a modest pace during the first half of the year. Labor market conditions

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jul. 29, 2013– Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced it is creating more than 5,000 new full-time jobs in its U.S. fulfillment network to meet growing customer demand. Median pay inside Amazon

WASHINGTON (July 29, 2013) – After reaching the highest level in over six years, pending home sales declined in June, with rising mortgage interest rates beginning to impact the market, according to

The federal bank regulatory agencies today issued a statement encouraging financial institutions to work constructively with private student loan borrowers experiencing financial difficulties. Prudent workout arrangements are consistent with safe and sound

Washington, DC – U.S. house price appreciation continued in May 2013, rising 0.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) monthly

NEW YORK, July 23, 2013 – Excessive heat in parts of the country and summer clearance sales helped to heat up a positive performance for retailers overall. As a result, sales for

NEW YORK – The back-to-school shopping season has already gotten underway with 29% of households reporting that they have begun to shop, according to a special ICSC-Goldman Sachs consumer tracking survey. While

WASHINGTON – Existing-home sales declined in June but have stayed well above year-ago levels for the past two years, while the median price shows seven straight months of double-digit year-over-year increases, according

NEW YORK, July 16, 2013 – Post-Independence Day week sales tumbled for retailers following a holiday spending surge. As a result, sales for the week ending July 13, 2013 declined sharply by

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) on Thursday announced that the Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission will receive $54,900 to update its comprehensive economic development strategy in West Burlington. The funds

WASHINGTON – As part of an effort to help make sure their residents’ health information is available after a hurricane or other wide-spread disaster, four Gulf states have partnered with six states

WASHINGTON – HHS Office of Civil Rights director Leon Rodriguez announced the termination of Medicaid funding to a California surgeon who intentionally discriminated against an HIV-positive patient by refusing to perform much

CHARLOTTE, N.C — Wells Fargo announced on July 15th that in the first quarter 2013, 10 percent of all participants in Wells Fargo administered defined contribution plans chose to contribute to a

Unemployment in OECD countries will remain high through 2014, with young people and the low-skilled hit hardest, according to a new OECD report. The Employment Outlook 2013 says that jobless rates will

WASHINGTON – Industrial production increased 0.3 percent in June after having been unchanged in May, the U.S. Federal Reserve said Tuesday. For the second quarter as a whole, industrial production moved up

July 16, 2013 – Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes rose six points to 57 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on July 12th proposed an “action level” of 10 parts per billion (ppb) for inorganic arsenic in apple juice. This is the same level

WAHINGTON – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday allowed marketing of the first medical device based on brain function to help assess attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents 6

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on July 12th approved Gilotrif (afatinib) for patients with late stage (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors express specific types of epidermal growth factor

WASHINGTON – Six federal financial regulatory agencies this week issued a proposed rule that would create exemptions from certain appraisal requirements for a subset of higher-priced mortgage loans. The proposed exemptions are

Rome – World total cereal production is forecast to increase by about 7 percent in 2013 compared to last year, helping to replenish global inventories and raise expectations for more stable markets

WASHINGTON – Consumer delinquencies declined significantly in this year’s first quarter, falling in 11 out of 13 loan categories as consumers more carefully manage their finances, according to results from the American Bankers

WASHINGTON – In the week ending June 29, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 343,000, a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 348,000. The 4-week moving average

AMES, Iowa — An appropriations bill signed June 20th by Gov. Terry Branstad will help expand the Iowa State University Research Park and improve service to new and growing companies. The bill includes $12

NEW YORK – The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency today issued the host state loan-to-deposit

NEW YORK – The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday approved a final rule to help ensure banks maintain strong capital positions that will enable them to continue lending to creditworthy households and

Fifty-five hospitals located throughout twenty-one states have agreed to pay the United States a total of more than $34 million to settle allegations that the health care facilities submitted false claims to

Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC July 2, 2013 The Virtual Student Foreign Service (VSFS) is a unique opportunity allowing U.S. citizen college students to engage in citizen diplomacy through virtual internships

DES MOINES – The Iowa Tourism Office and nine Convention and Visitors Bureaus have partnered with the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (ABD) to provide rolling billboards that encourage travel in Iowa. Nine

WASHINGTON (June 27, 2013) – Pending home sales rose in May to the highest level since late 2006, implying a possible spark as mortgage interest rates began to rise, according to the

NEW YORK – Governments must take measures to protect children from harmful work in small-scale fisheries and aquaculture, two United Nations agencies stressed today, noting that many are exposed to hazardous working

NEW YORK – The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had improved in May, increased again in June. The Index now stands at 81.4 (1985=100), up from 74.3 in May.  The Present Situation Index

WASHINGTON – The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. reflects an economy growing slowly but building forward momentum. The key is continued progress in the housing market, reasonably strong job

WASHINGTON – Sales of new single-family houses in May 2013 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 476,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the