http://www.wfae.org/wfae/ Feed provided by WFAE 90.7 FM: Charlotte's NPR News Source en-us Copyright 2010 WFAE 90.7 Wed, 24 02 2010 11:06 EST Wed, 24 02 2010 11:06 EST Closing some credit accounts not bad idea If you have one - or several - credit cards you haven't used in a while, you may want to listen up. New rules took effect this week that have prompted many companies to add fees and increase interest rates. So, you may have already considered closing some accounts. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5890&action=display Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:00 EST Judge approves Bank of America settlement A federal judge has approved a $150 million settlement between Bank of America and the SEC. That means the two civil lawsuits regulators filed against the bank will not go to trial. More http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5886&action=display Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:00 EST Lowe's sees earnings jump in 4Q Mooresville-based Lowe's says earnings jumped in the company's fiscal 4th quarter. WFAE's Scott Graf reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5882&action=display Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:00 EST Wachovia shareholders get zilch in class action suit over bank sale A North Carolina business court judge has approved a settlement in a lawsuit brought by Wachovia shareholders angry at the bank's acquisition by Wells Fargo. However, WFAE's Julie Rose reports the settlement is far from what shareholders had hoped. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5853&action=display Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00 EST NY attorney general files civil fraud lawsuit against BofA, Lewis The New York Attorney General's office has filed fraud charges against Bank of America and its former Chief Executive Ken Lewis and former CFO Joe Price over the bank's acquisition of Merrill Lynch. WFAE's Simone Orendain reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5847&action=display Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:00 EST Judge Rules BofA Discriminated in Hiring for Charlotte Branches A Department of Labor judge has ruled that Bank of America discriminated against African Americans for entry level jobs at its Charlotte branches. WFAE's Julie Rose reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5836&action=display Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:00 EST Crescent Resources looking to dig out of bankruptcy The major Charlotte developer, Crescent Resources is hopeful it will emerge from bankruptcy by spring. WFAE's Simone Orendain reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5837&action=display Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:00 EST Calm prevails, for now, at Charlotte area Toyota dealers during recall Toyota continues with its recall of about 2.3 million vehicles that might have a problem with accelerator pedals sticking. The Japanese automaker said this week it will install a part to the accelerator pedals of the recalled models to keep this from happening. WFAE's Simone Orendain discusses Charlotte area dealers’ response with All Things Considered host, Mark Rumsey. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5841&action=display Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:00 EST Monsanto moves into Kannapolis Research Campus Monsanto announced today it is moving into the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis. WFAE's Julie Rose reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5824&action=display Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:00 EST Chamber Business Outlook Charlotte-area businesses surveyed by the city and the chamber of commerce say they expect moderate economic growth this year. The results were released at Charlotte Chamber event this morning. WFAE's Julie Rose reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5819&action=display Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:00 EST Weight loss, fitness centers top BBB "Dirty Dozen" The Better Business Bureau in Charlotte released its Dirty Dozen list for 2009: twelve companies with the most unanswered customer complaints in the region. And the business at the top of the list is there for the second year in a row. WFAE's Julie Rose reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5816&action=display Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:00 EST Wells Fargo success has much to do with Wachovia Wells Fargo has Charlotte-based Wachovia to thank, in large part, for its surprisingly strong earnings report this week. WFAE's Julie Rose explains. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5804&action=display Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:00 EST Wells Fargo reports big profit in Q4, BofA had big loss Wells Fargo reported a better-than-expected profit for the fourth quarter today, bucking a trend of losses among the nation’s largest banks. WFAE's Julie Rose reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5797&action=display Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:00 EST Charlotte banks to take financial news spotlight Wednesday Both of Charlotte's biggest banks are expected to announce year-end earnings tomorrow, capping a tense week of financial news from the banking industry. WFAE's Julie Rose reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5793&action=display Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:00 EST Housing market crash leads to big changes in mortgage industry The crash of the housing market in 2008 led to a big change in the mortgage industry. It deals with Good Faith Estimates. Before, they were just that - estimates of things like closing costs and monthly payments. But as of this month, they're binding agreements. In this segment, WFAE Morning Edition host Scott Graf discusses the changes with Charlotte mortgage consultant Bill McConnell of the firm Cunningham and Company. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5783&action=display Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:00 EST Bank of Granite Stock soars on rumor of sale The stock price of a small community bank based in Granite Falls, just north of Hickory, has more than tripled in the last two weeks. Investors speculate a merger could be in the works for Bank of Granite. WFAE's Julie Rose reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5787&action=display Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:00 EST NC-based credit union closes Charlotte, Concord locations Coastal Federal Credit Union is closing its Charlotte area branches at the end of February. WFAE's Simone Orendain has more. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5769&action=display Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:00 EST SEC files another lawsuit against BofA The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a new lawsuit against Bank of America. The SEC says the bank failed to disclose several billion dollars in Merrill Lynch losses before the two companies merged. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5770&action=display Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:00 EST Swedish chainsaw maker Husqvarna to double Charlotte presence A Swedish company known for its bright orange chainsaws and tractors says it will double its Charlotte workforce in the coming years. WFAE's Julie Rose reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5756&action=display Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:00 EST Week one for new B of A chief This is Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan's first full week on the job. His tenure started off with a speech Monday to a friendly audience at the annual Economic Forum hosted by the North Carolina Bankers Association, but the rest of the way may not be as smooth. WFAE's Simone Orendain has more. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5744&action=display Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:00 EST Financial services company to hire 1,000 in Charlotte A firm that processes loans for major banks called Zenta, announced it's adding one-thousand new jobs to its Charlotte office in the coming years. WFAE's Simone Orendain has more. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5727&action=display Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00 EST Wells Fargo to leave big vacancies uptown Wells Fargo plans to consolidate its Uptown workers into four core buildings next year and vacate 300,000 square feet of space it currently leases. Over the next year, the vacancy rate in Charlotte's center city could double to 14 percent. WFAE's Julie Rose reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5722&action=display Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:00 EST Electrolux moving North American headquarters to Charlotte Swedish appliance maker Electrolux plans to relocate its North American headquarters to Charlotte. The move could bring 738 jobs to the area, but it's unclear how many of those would be hired locally. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5713&action=display Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:00 EST Bank of America hires Moynihan as CEO Bank of America has ended weeks of speculation, announcing the bank's head of retail operations , Brian Moynihan, will replace outgoing CEO Ken Lewis on January 1st. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5715&action=display Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:00 EST BofA employees welcome new CEO Moynihan Bank of America has promoted the current head of retail banking, Brian Moynihan, to replace retiring CEO Ken Lewis. Employees headed to work this morning seemed pleased with the board's selection and hopeful the bank's troubles are behind it. WFAE's Julie Rose reports. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5717&action=display Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:00 EST Council OKs stimulus money for secret company Charlotte City Council last night approved $45 million in stimulus bonds to a company that has asked to remain nameless. WFAE's Lisa Miller has more. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5702&action=display Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00 EST SEC widens B of A-Merrill Lynch investigation The Securities and Exchange Commission is broadening its probe into Bank of America's merger with Merrill Lynch. That's according to the commission's Enforcement director who spoke to a House Committee on Oversight today. http://www.wfae.org/wfae/stat_search.cfm?id=5695&action=display Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:00 EST