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Budget cuts for long-term care are looming large at Legislature

Industry says it will make few proposals on policy while money is so tight

January 29, 2009

The long-term care industry is slated for big cuts in Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposed budget for the next biennium.The governor's budget includes a $12 a day rate cut for skilled-nursing facilities, and compared with that proposal, other issues in

Bankruptcy process good at weeding out weak, study finds

Research shows system to be successful at helping sound companies recover

January 29, 2009

With high-profile company bankruptcies becoming a distressingly common occurrence, many would be hard-pressed to find an upside in the situation.According to a new study by three finance researchers at the University of Utah's David Eccles of be

Organizers of rural bank pull state charter request

United Community Bank had planned rural branches in Suncrest area, Chewelah

January 29, 2009

Jeanne Gustafson

A group that included William "Bud" Dashiell, founder of the former United Security Bank and longtime leader of its successor, AmericanWest Bancorp., has withdrawn its application to launch a bank, to be called United Community Bank.The group to

Wheatland racks up record loan growth, no loan losses

Bank mulls stock placement in future, saying demand for common shares is high

January 29, 2009

Richard Ripley

Wheatland Bank says it logged record loan growth last year while enjoying asset quality achieved by few banks.The bank, which has its administrative offices in Spokane, says it had no loan losses last year and ended 2008 with just 0.4 percent of

Banner Bank branch downtown nearly ready - Art only

January 29, 2009

Work is nearing completion at this 14,000-square-foot Banner Bank branch, which is scheduled to open in April on the ground floor of the Grant Building, at 806 W. Riverside. Meridian Construction Inc., of Spokane, is the contractor on the project,

Data processing center plans to hire, seeks second office

Liberty Lake provider of credit union services to add seven employees

January 29, 2009

David Cole

CU*NorthWest, a Liberty Lake provider of data processing and other services to credit unions, says it expects both its customer base and staff to grow sharply in the next year and is looking for a second facility to support its rapid growth."We

Some West Side community banks suspend dividends

Holding onto their cash becomes paramount, despite some backlash

January 29, 2009

Kirsten Grind

Bracing themselves for at least several more months of economic misery, some community banks across the Puget Sound region are taking the unprecedented step of suspending their quarterly shareholder dividends or slashing them to several cents on to

Banks, credit unions cut back sharply on branch plans here

With recession, financial institutions sit tight on expansions

January 29, 2009

Jeanne Gustafson

The financial-industry crisis and recession are causing banks and credit unions here to rethink their branch expansion plans.Some financial institutions say they've decided to pull back on plans for new outlets, while others are completing but a

Goodwill impairment: Expect to hear more about it

Tough times, charge-offs force more companies to trot out esoteric term

January 29, 2009

Kim Crompton

Goodwill impairment is such an arcane term—sounding almost like a euphemism for diminished kindly feelings toward others—that it likely holds little significance for those not well-versed in financial lingo.Yet, it has exacted a heavy

Cd'A real estate brokerage closes its Post Falls office

Beutler & Associates moves 30-person staff to headquarters complex

January 29, 2009

Mike McLean

Century 21 Beutler & Associates, a prominent Coeur d'Alene-based real estate company, has moved its Post Falls agents and office employees to vacant space on its Coeur d'Alene campus.The move, which involved about 30 people, is expected to in of