Nov. 22, 2010 at 10:58 a.m.
Filed under:
Consumer news,
Retail
By Becky Yerak
Just in time for the holidays, Consumer Reports has released a list of 10 companies, including United Airlines, that it believes have been naughty to shoppers, and 10 that have been deemed as nice, including U.S. Cellular.
The Naughty & Nice Holiday List is based on input from Consumer Reports’ reporters and editors who cover such areas as shopping, travel, hospitality and telecommunications. Consumer Reports notes that the Naughty & Nice Holiday List is based on specific policies and doesn’t reflect the company as a whole. Get the full story »
Nov. 22, 2010 at 10:34 a.m.
Filed under:
Government,
Recalls
Bloomberg News | Bassett Furniture Industries has recalled about 90,000 drop-side cribs after receiving 154 reports of hardware failure, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports.
Nov. 22, 2010 at 9:53 a.m.
Filed under:
Computers,
M&A,
Technology,
Wireless
By Wailin Wong
Tellabs Inc. is acquiring a Canadian telecommunications equipment company to boost its research and development in mobile Internet technology.
Terms of the deal between Naperville-based Tellabs and Zeguma Systems Inc. of Richmond, British Columbia were not disclosed. Get the full story »
Nov. 22, 2010 at 9:45 a.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes,
M&A,
Manufacturing
By Reuters
Boeing Co. said Monday that it will buy Summit Aeronautics Group, which makes titanium and other hard metal structures for commercial and military aircraft.
Boeing did not disclose the terms of the deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter. Get the full story »
Nov. 22, 2010 at 9:27 a.m.
Filed under:
Bank failures,
Banking,
Chicago executives,
M&A
By Becky Yerak
A bank investor group that includes turnaround financier Wilbur L. Ross Jr. and several former PrivateBancorp and MB Financial executives on Friday made its second purchase of a failed bank this year. Get the full story »
Nov. 22, 2010 at 8:28 a.m.
Filed under:
M&A
By Becky Yerak
R. R. Donnelley & Sons Co. said it has been told by the Federal Trade Commission that the agency’s investigation of the Chicago-based company’s proposed acquisition of Bowne & Co. has been closed and that it plans no further action.
The companies say they soon expect to complete the $481 million deal, which was announced in February.
Donnelley is a communications company founded 146 years ago. Based in New York, Bowne’s business lines include preparing and filing regulatory and shareholder communications online and in print.
byerak@tribune.com
Nov. 22, 2010 at 8:26 a.m.
Filed under:
Retail
By Reuters
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it will match rivals’ prices on “Black Friday,” upping the ante in the battle to win sales on what is considered to be the kick-off to the U.S. holiday shopping season and a gauge of how overall holiday retail sales will shape up. Get the full story »
Nov. 22, 2010 at 8:11 a.m.
Filed under:
Media,
Video
By Reuters
Netflix introduced a new plan Monday that, for the first time, relies solely on video streamed over the Internet rather than the DVDs that it has mailed to customers since the company was founded more than a decade ago.
The shift demonstrates how quickly consumers have transitioned from physical media players to digital entertainment that can be browsed, watched again, or discarded without ever having handled a disk. Get the full story »
Nov. 22, 2010 at 6:17 a.m.
Filed under:
Real estate
By Associated Press
Late mortgage payments jumped sharply several Northeastern states during the third quarter, compared with a year ago, while the national delinquency rate rose at a far slower pace.
The rate of borrowers who were 60 days or more past due on their home loans jumped sharply in New York, New Jersey, Maine, Connecticut and Delaware, according to TransUnion. Pennsylvania, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maryland and New Hampshire also saw higher delinquency in the quarter. In Illinois the rate of late payments jumped to 6.55 percent in the third quarter from 5.95 percent a year ago, a 10.1 percent increase. Get the full story »
Nov. 22, 2010 at 6:02 a.m.
Filed under:
By Associated Press
Commemorative drinking glasses in front of plastic test containers at the Toy Testing Lab, in Warwick, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Drinking glasses depicting comic book and movie characters such as Superman, Wonder Woman and the Tin Man from “The Wizard of Oz” exceed federal limits for lead in children’s products by up to 1,000 times, according to laboratory testing commissioned by The Associated Press.
The decorative enamel on the superhero and Oz sets — made in China and purchased at a Warner Brothers Studios store in Burbank — contained between 16 percent and 30.2 percent lead. The federal limit on children’s products is 0.03 percent. The same glasses also contained relatively high levels of the even-more-dangerous cadmium, though there are no federal limits on that toxic metal in design surfaces. Get the full story »
Nov. 22, 2010 at 5:48 a.m.
Filed under:
Housing,
Real estate
ELITE STREET | By Bob Goldsborough | William Blair & Co. Chairman Edgar D. “Ned” Jannotta on Friday sold his 11-room, lakefront mansion in Winnetka for $6.5 million after once asking $10.75 million for it.
Jannotta, 79, has been with the closely held investment bank for more than 50 years. He became chairman in 2001 after previously serving in a variety of positions, including as managing partner. Get the full story »
Nov. 22, 2010 at 5:30 a.m.
Filed under:
Major earnings:Hewlett-Packard Co., Tyson Foods Inc.
Nov. 19, 2010 at 5:34 p.m.
Filed under:
Entertainment,
Internet
By Associated Press
Digital music subscription club eMusic is launching a new pricing plan. It charges more for new music but adds tunes from major labels in an effort to broaden its appeal.
In the past, the site focused on indie labels and offered discounts on tracks for members committed to spending at least $6.49 a month. Get the full story »
Nov. 19, 2010 at 5:29 p.m.
Filed under:
Airplanes,
Government
By McClatchy Tribune Newspapers
The Air Force has again stumbled in the lucrative but long-drawn-out competition for air refueling tankers for which Airbus and Boeing are contending.
The Air Force told members of Congress on Friday that about two weeks ago it accidentally provided Chicago-based Boeing with detailed data on the Airbus bid, and vice versa. Get the full story »
Nov. 19, 2010 at 4:34 p.m.
Filed under:
Housing,
Real estate,
Sports
ELITE STREET | By Bob Goldsborough | Chicago Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome and his wife have paid $1.44 million to buy a three-bedroom Streeterville condo. Get the full story »