Archive for March 2010
Lehman may be reborn as asset-management firm
Lehman Bros. Holdings Inc. wants to transform the remnants of its staff into an asset-management business, BusinessWeek reported.
In a court filing Monday, Lehman proposed placing its 387 remaining employees into a new business, Lamco …
Council OKs five more affordable-housing projects
The Des Moines City Council last week passed a resolution to support seven applications for affordable-housing projects to the Iowa Finance Authority.
Four of the applications approved March 8 for 2010 low-income housing tax credits …
Ticker: March 16
Construction of new homes fell in February to an annual rate of 575,000, down from January’s revised rate of 611,000, CNNMoney.com reported. But housing starts last month beat economists’ expectations of 570,000. The number of …
Read MoreFCC outlines plan to increase high-speed Internet access
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced today a plan to bring affordable high-speed Internet access to all Americans, CNNMoney.com reported.
In addition to a more than $15 billion government investment in infrastructure to bring 100 …
Business leaders weigh proposed tax credit changes
Des Moines’ business leaders are sounding off on a proposal to scale back Iowa’s tax credits, IowaPolitics.com reported.
Lawmakers, who contend they are responding to questions raised about the credits following allegations of abuse in …
For Internet shoppers, it’s a big old spooky world
Online shoppers reported losing more than $550 million in 2009 due to Internet fraud, falling prey to a variety of increasingly sophisticated scams, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times that was based …
Read MoreFed exit no threat to housing market
The U.S. housing market is poised to withstand the removal of government and Federal Reserve stimulus programs and rebound later in the year, contributing to annual economic growth for the first time since 2006, Bloomberg …
Read MoreTicker: March 15
Mb>The Technology Association of Iowa will host a clinic Tuesday titled “Employee Dishonesty in Times of Recession: Safeguards and Proper Handling.” The session will be from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the association’s headquarters, …
Read MoreTough times lead to more consumer complaints
Sure is a lot of whining going on.
Consumer complaints to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) increased by 9.7 percent in 2009, according to an annual report released this week.
The organization received nearly 1 …
Retail sales increase surprises
An unexpected increase in sales at U.S. retailers last month may be a signal that consumers will contribute more to economic growth than originally expected, Bloomberg reported.
Purchases rose 0.3 percent in February, as Americans …