Oct. 29 / Regulators close The Union Credit Union
The Washington state Department of Financial Institutions announced it closed The Union Credit Union, of Spokane, due to loan losses. The National Credit Union Administration then assigned the credit union's deposits and memberships to Spokane Valley-based Numerica Credit Union, and certain loans and assets to Alaska USA Federal Credit Union, of Anchorage, Alaska. The credit union, the first to be closed in Washington state in recent years, had total assets of $11.8 million and also total deposits of $11.8 million as of Sept. 30.

Oct. 28 / Clearwater Paper's earnings fall
Clearwater Paper Corp, of Spokane, reported third-quarter net income of $15 million, or $1.27 a diluted share, down sharply from $46.2 million, or $3.92 a share, in the year-earlier quarter. The company said the lower results reflected a reduction in alternative fuel tax credits, new costs related to the acquisition of Cellu Tissue Holdings Inc., and higher scheduled maintenance costs.

Oct. 28 / Potlatch Corp.'s net income declines
Potlatch Corp., of Spokane, announced third-quarter net income of $18.1 million, or 45 cents a diluted share, down steeply from $45.8 million, or $1.15 a share, in the year- earlier quarter. The company said its wood-products segment experienced price pressure during the third quarter, but lumber sales volumes were adequate to operate mills at capacity.

Oct. 27 / AmericanWest Bank to be sold
AmericanWest Bancorp, of Spokane, announced that it has agreed to sell and recapitalize its wholly owned subsidiary, AmericanWest Bank. The transaction would result in an injection of up to $200 million to satisfy capital requirements imposed by regulators and to return the bank to "well-capitalized" status, it said. Corona del Mar, Calif.-based private investor SKBHC Holdings LLC and another affiliated entity have agreed to acquire all of the common stock of the bank for a cash payment of $6.5 million, subject to a competitive bidding process.

Oct. 27 / Itron posts record revenues
Itron, of Liberty Lake, reported net income of $29.1 million, or 71 cents a diluted share, in the third quarter, compared with a net loss of just under $3 million, or 7 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. Itron also reported net income of $82.8 million, or $2.02 a share, through the first nine months of 2010, up from a loss of $7.4 million, or 9 cents a share, in the first nine months of 2009. The maker of automated meter-reading technology posted record quarterly revenue of $576 million.

Oct. 26 / Hecla's net income falls
Hecla Mining Co., of Coeur d'Alene, reported third-quarter net income applicable to common shareholders of $16.4 million, or 6 cents a diluted share, down from $22.5 million, or 9 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. The latest income figure included, though, an $8.1 million income tax provision, up from $598,000 in the 2009 third quarter. Overall, the company said it had record quarterly revenues of $115.8 million, up 21 percent from the year-earlier quarter, and a record gross profit of $54 million, up 40 percent.

Oct. 20 / Ambassadors' earnings decline
Ambassadors Group Inc., of Spokane, a provider of educational travel experiences, reported third-quarter net income of $7.1 million, or 37 cents a diluted share, compared with $12.5 million, or 64 cents a share, in the year-earlier period. The company also reported a 22 percent decrease in delegate travel for the third quarter.