For the second consecutive year, Lee & Hayes PLLC, of Spokane, has been ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in patent quality, and No. 1 in the information technology industry, by Intellectual Asset Management Magazine and Ocean Tomo Patent Ratings.Patent

The Washington Association of Accountants' annual convention is slated for June 16-18 at the Red Lion Hotel at the Park, at 303 W. North River Drive, near downtown Spokane. The WAA's Spokane chapter will host this year's event.Jane Kantor, WAA's

Charitable giving in the U.S. totaled $323.9 billion in 2010, up 6.6 percent from 2009, says a newly released report from the Atlas of Giving. The 2010 figure is particularly meaningful given the fact that 2009 saw an unprecedented decline in to

Pay close attention to the quality of the municipal bonds and municipal bond funds that you own or are considering buying.That's the best advice for investors in this panicky 2011 in which fleeing the muni bond market is a national obsession. to

Gregory S. Deckard, chairman, president, and CEO of Spokane Valley-based State Bank Northwest, has been elected to a second term on the board of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA).Deckard says the position "gives me a chance to

Spokane-based investment company Hart Capital Management Inc. has increased the frequency of investment information it compiles and provides regarding the 15 largest publicly traded Inland Northwest companies.Hart Capital says it now publishes a

Most investment bankers end up based in New York, Los Angeles, or San Francisco.Cascadia Capital Holdings LLC co-founder Kevin Cable keeps centered in Spokane while focusing on fast-growing companies that need to negotiate acquisition deals or a

Commercial banks and savings institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reported an aggregate profit of $29 billion in the first quarter of 2011, an $11.6 billion improvement, or 66.5 percent upswing, from the $17.4 billion in net