July 2 / Spokane mall owner refinances

General Growth Properties Inc., the Chicago-based real estate investment trust that owns NorthTown Mall and Spokane Valley Mall, refinanced $3.1 billion in debt, including $63 million for Spokane Valley mall. The weighted average interest rate for the new mortgages is 4.2 percent, compared with a 5.24 percent interest rate under previous terms.

June 29 / Itron to start big project in Australia

Itron Inc., of Liberty Lake, began work on a three-year-long installation of its high-efficiency meters for Sydney Water, in Sydney, Australia. Sydney Water serves more than 4.6 million people, supplying about 500 billion liters of water a year to homes and businesses. Itron declines to disclose the value of the contract.

June 27 / Councilman, police float crime-prevention ideas

Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart said he wants the Council to approve an allocation of $10,000 from a city reserve fund for police overtime to address an increase in crime downtown, which includes two recent assaults and a nearly 40 percent rise in vehicle burglaries. Meantime, the Spokane Police Department said it will launch a "Remove It or Lose It" awareness campaign this month aimed at preventing vehicle prowling.

June 25 / Coeur to sell notes to fund growth

Coeur d'Alene-based Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp. said it plans to sell $350 million in senior notes to qualified institutional buyers, subject to market conditions. The company plans to use the proceeds to fund internal and external growth initiatives and for general corporate purposes.

June 22 / Idaho Independent Bank to deregister shares

Coeur d'Alene-based Idaho Independent Bank said it has filed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. its plans to deregister its common shares voluntarily within 90 days. The move will save costs and help improve the bank's profitability pursuant to provisions of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, said Jack Gustavel, IIB's CEO. The bank's shares will continue to be traded on the Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board.

June 20 / Lee & Hayes forms litigation group

Spokane-based intellectual-property law firm Lee & Hayes PLLC said it formed a litigation practice group, which has enabled the firm to expand its services in intellectual-property and commercial litigation matters in federal, state and appellate courts nationwide. Over the last six months, the firm hired five experienced trial attorneys to anchor the practice group, including three in its Spokane office and two in its Seattle office.

Corrections & Amplifications

Mountlake Terrace, Wash.-based health insurance provider Premera Blue Cross has a total of 1.4 million enrollees in Washington state, with 240,000 of those enrollees living in Eastern Washington. The latter number was reported incorrectly in the Journal's June 21 issue.

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce surveyed businesspeople there as part of a statewide survey conducted by Gallatin Public Affairs and GS Strategy Group. The statewide survey involved 400 people, including 200 people in Eastern Washington. The chamber's involvement and the number of people surveyed statewide were reported incorrectly in the Journal's June 21 issue.