What's in a name? Companies past identities
4:42
GMAC Bank recently reinvented itself as Ally Bank. The move was a way to distance itself from its troubled parent company GMAC Financial Services, which is negotiating its third infusion of taxpayer aid. Here are a few...
2nd deep shaft reopened at old gold mine in SD
4:39
Crews pumping water out of the Sanford Underground Laboratory in Lead have reopened a second deep shaft that eventually will be used as the primary entrance and exit for science experiments. The South Dakota Science...
Potential problems at 20 W.Va. coal ash dams
4:37
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection may change its policy for inspecting coal ash impoundments after a survey uncovered more problems _ and dams _ than expected. A report detailing the survey shows...
Covidien closes $210M purchase of Aspect Medical
4:33
Drug and medical device maker Covidien PLC said Friday it completed its $210 million purchase of Aspect Medical Systems, a company that makes brain monitoring technology. Covidien said its tender offer for Aspect...
Mich. regulator wants more info on proposed mine
4:23
Michigan's chief environmental regulator wants more information about a rocky outcrop in Marquette County that could affect plans for a nickel and copper mine. Steven Chester, director of the Department of...
Amazon shares climb on analyst's sales growth view
4:19
Shares of Amazon.com Inc. got a boost Friday after a Bernstein Research analyst upgraded the Seattle-based online retailer, expecting faster revenue growth in 2010. Analyst Jeffrey Lindsay upgraded Amazon to...
Brookfield Asset Management sets 13-cent dividend
4:17
Brookfield Asset Management on Friday said its board declared a dividend of 13 cents. The Toronto-based investment company said the dividend is payable Feb. 28 to shareholders of record as of Feb. 1. ...
Brookfield Asset Management 3rd-qtr profit falls
4:17
Brookfield Asset Management Inc. on Friday said its third-quarter profit fell 35 percent, as revenue declined, expenses rose and the company booked a charge of more than $192 million as the value of assets declined amid...
Perot pledges $6.1M to Army college in Kansas
4:13
Texas billionaire and two-time presidential candidate Ross Perot has pledged $6.1 million to a private foundation to pay for programs at the Army's Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Army...
Minnick to vote against House health care bill
4:11
U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick says he intends to vote against the health care reform bill coming up for a vote in the U.S. House. Minnick, Idaho's lone Democrat in Congress, says the new House bill fails to meet key goals for...
Senior transportation a critical need
4:06
When senior citizens finally surrender the car keys, they don't have to lose their independence. Efficient transportation services can help local economies by allowing seniors to remain mobile consumers and stay...
Mirant 3Q profit plunges 97 pct on hedging losses
4:05
Mirant Corp. on Friday posted a 97 percent plunge in its third-quarter profit _ driven mainly by one-time hedging losses _ and lowered its 2009 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. ...
Missouri agency looks into actions of Pinnacle CEO
3:52
Investigators are looking into the behavior of Pinnacle Entertainment Inc.'s CEO during a zoning vote by the St. Louis County Council this week on a casino complex being developed by another company. Gaming Commission...
Agriculture futures trade lower on the CBOT
3:45
Agriculture futures fell Friday on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for December delivery dropped 15 cents to $4.9725 a bushel, while December corn slid 9.5 cents to $3.67 a bushel and oats for December delivery fell...
PriceSmart fiscal 4th-quarter profit declines
3:45
PriceSmart Inc., which runs warehouse-shopping clubs, said Friday its fourth-quarter profit declined 9 percent as an increase in operating expenses hurt its bottom line. Profit declined to $10.3 million, or 35 cents...
Best of both worlds? Combined pension/401k plan
3:31
Over the last year it's become abundantly clear that the stock market can devastate even seemingly healthy retirement accounts. Even so, with the guaranteed income of traditional pensions disappearing, most investors...
Kraft nears deadline to make Cadbury offer
3:28
The clock is ticking on a Monday deadline for Kraft Foods Inc. to make a formal offer for British candy maker Cadbury PLC. Kraft, which makes Oreo cookies, Nabisco crackers and its namesake cheese, on Tuesday told...
Summary Box: Unemployment jumps to 10.2 percent
3:27
JOBLESSNESS JUMPS: The unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent in October _ a 26-year high _ as employers continued to cut jobs. ROCKY RECOVERY: The economy grew in the third quarter, but with 15.7 million Americans...
Judge rejects $225,000 award for blind Wis. vendor
3:24
The state of Wisconsin does not have to pay $225,000 to a blind businesswoman in a dispute over an Army dining contract, a federal judge ruled this week. An arbitration panel had ordered the state to compensate Janet...
Gold prices soar to $1,100; other commodities fall
3:17
Gold prices outshone other commodities Friday, soaring to a new high of $1,100 an ounce, as prices for copper, oil and soybeans fell. Gold prices have been rallying in recent weeks as investors fear the government's...
Neb. court says dealers must check used-car safety
3:13
Car dealers must inspect used vehicles for safety defects and either make repairs or warn potential buyers before they are resold, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday. The high court said that an "as is" sticker...
Wholesale inventories fall, sales grow in Sept.
3:04
Businesses cut inventories at the wholesale level for a record 13th consecutive month in September, but sales rose for a sixth straight time. The hope is steadily rising sales will encourage businesses to begin...
GM says Europe chief Forster to leave post
3:04
Carl-Peter Forster, the chief executive of General Motors Europe who runs its struggling Opel unit, will leave the company, GM said Friday. GM said in a statement that Forster, 55, would advise the company on picking a...
Little trail holds big dreams for NH city
3:00
A 4.5-mile trail for ATV riders running through the northernmost city of New Hampshire may be key to putting the North Country community, still suffering from the loss of its paper mill industry several years ago, on...
Fortress Investment posts wider 3rd-qtr loss
2:58
Alternative asset manager Fortress Investment Group LLC said Friday its third-quarter loss deepened as it cut expenses and recorded a big gain on affiliate investments. For the three months ended Sept. 30, the company...
Ariz. cities group to challenge budget legislation
2:57
Arizona municipalities will sue to challenge state budget legislation that local government officials contend went astray. The executive board of the League of Arizona Cities voted Friday to challenge a budget bill...
AIG posts 2nd consecutive quarterly profit
2:57
AIG said Friday it was profitable for the second straight quarter as its core insurance operations continue to stabilize after the company's bailout by the government last year. American International Group Inc. also...
Business events scheduled for the coming week
2:46
NEW YORK _ Deadline for submitting a revised agreement in the battle over Google Inc.'s effort to get digital rights to millions of out-of-print books. ENGLEWOOD, Colo. _ DISH Network Corp. releases third-quarter...
Arch Capital to buy back up to $1B of its stock
2:41
Arch Capital Group Ltd. said Friday it will buy back up to an additional $1 billion of its common stock. The insurance and reinsurance provider has $350.1 million still available under prior buybacks approved by its...
Number of active rigs increase by 9
2:39
The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. this week has risen by nine this week to 1,078. Houston-based Baker Hughes Inc. said Friday that 734 rigs were exploring for natural gas and 332...
Canadian GLG Life Tech plans IPO in the US
2:37
Canadian sweetener supplier GLG Life Tech Corp. plans to offer 3.6 million common shares in a U.S. initial public offering. The company, which makes zero-calorie natural beverage sweeteners from the herb stevia,...
Blackstone Group posts narrower 3rd-quarter loss
2:36
Hedge fund and private equity firm The Blackstone Group LP on Friday posted a narrower loss for the third quarter, as its private equity holdings gained value and its real estate investments stabilized. Adjusted...
Local officials endorse casino in western Maine
2:27
Elected officials in Oxford have endorsed by a 5-0 vote a proposal to build a resort and casino in the western Maine town. The Board of Selectmen voted Thursday night to support the plan put forth by Black Bear...
Va. man sentenced for running $5M Ponzi scheme
2:19
A Virginia man will spend more than seven years in prison for running a Ponzi scheme that bilked more than $5 million from more than 30 investors. John Mark Donnelly was sentenced Friday in federal court. The...
Iowa governor announces funds for flood buyouts
1:54
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver says $150 million in federal funds will be made available for the purchase of 1,352 homes damaged in last year's floods. The funding is part of the $516.7 million in Community Development Block...
Looking for land in all the right places
1:46
The housing bust left homebuilders with plenty of red ink on their books as they walked away from swaths of land they no longer needed. But now homebuilders are on the hunt again, vying for choice parcels even in...
Cracker Barrel lenders extend loan payback
1:45
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. said Friday that lenders have agreed to give the company more time to pay back a revolving credit facility and certain term loans, giving the restaurant chain operator greater...
A look at economic developments around the globe
1:32
A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Friday: ___ LONDON _ Government-controlled Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC reported a quarterly loss of 1.8 billion pounds ($3...
Ark. ag experts put weather losses at $225 million
1:20
State agriculture experts say soggy weather that drenched Arkansas during much of the harvest season will cut farm receipts statewide by nearly $225 million. The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service on Friday...
2 Nebraska banks get rural loan guarantees
1:18
Two Nebraska banks have obtained federal loan guarantees through the U.S Department of Agriculture, which is using federal stimulus funding. The USDA said in a news release Friday that the loans will help stimulate...
FDA warns Web companies not to sell flavored cigs
1:07
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it has warned several companies to stop selling banned flavored cigarettes to U.S. consumers online. The agency sent letters this week to more than a dozen Web-based...
Bebe shares fall after 1Q results
1:01
Shares of clothing retailer Bebe Stores Inc. tumbled 8 percent Friday, after it posted a quarterly loss on sharply lower sales. Bebe lost $4.2 million, or 5 cents per share, in the fiscal first quarter, compared with a...
Canada's unemployment rate rises, 43.2K jobs lost
1:00
Canada's unemployment rate rose to 8.6 percent in October from 8.4 percent a month earlier as the economy shed a net total of 43,200 jobs, the government said Friday. The decline in jobs follows two months of moderate...
Shares of auto supplier Magna soar on earnings
12:59
Shares of Magna International Inc. soared Friday after the Canadian auto supplier said it posted a $51 million third-quarter profit, blowing away Wall Street predictions. In midday trading, Magna shares jumped $6.55,...
Modus Link Corp. ships Utah jobs to China
12:59
The U.S. Department of Labor says workers laid off in Utah by a business-services company will qualify for special federal assistance because their jobs were lost to foreign competition. The company, Modus Link Corp.,...
Dril-Quip profit slips from a year ago
12:57
Dril-Quip Inc., which makes equipment for offshore oil drilling, said Friday its profit slipped from a year ago on a charge even as sales rose, and it gave a fourth-quarter outlook in line with Wall Street expectations....
AES sells stake to China sovereign fund for $1.58B
12:50
Global power company AES Corp. said Friday it is selling a 15 percent stake in itself to China's investment arm for $1.58 billion in a move to raise cash to develop projects around the world. AES also said its...
Ex-hedge fund boss charged in stock scam
12:45
A former hedge fund manager arrested earlier this year has been indicted on federal charges he participated in a $7 million insider trading scam. The indictment against 45-year-old Joseph Contorinis of New York City...
Fla. yacht broker gets 2 months prison in UBS case
12:36
A Florida yacht broker who admitted filing a false U.S. tax return and concealing millions of dollars in a secret account at Swiss bank UBS AG was sentenced Friday to two months in prison. U.S. District Judge James I....
Poll: Rural Nebraskans less positive about towns
12:18
Pollsters say economic worries may have contributed to a decline in rural Nebraskans' views of their communities. The 2009 Nebraska Rural Poll was conducted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Applied...