Special Report

Many expect to navigate ACA, continue to offer benefits

Some employers here say costs likely will increase, options could change

February 14, 2013

What impact do you expect to see as employers are faced with the choice of offering health care insurance to employees or paying a required alternate fee?Val Fields, director of human resources, Associated Industries: Whether loved or loathed

Countdown to employers' rules under health care law

Companies mull standards for benefit plans next year; ACA carries potential fines

February 14, 2013

Treva Lind

Spokane-area businesses face significant decisions this year centered on employee health benefits, as major provisions of federal health care reform legislation take effect on Jan. 1, 2014, reshaping insurance coverage in the U.S. In basic most

ACA is reshaping small-group health insurance markets

Employer regulations aren't final, but system is likely to be complex

February 14, 2013

Bill Akers

2013 is a critical year for the implementation of federal health care reform taking place in 2014, also known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Employers likely recall a first wave of implementation of the law in 2010, but the biggest changes to

Customer satisfaction with mortgage lenders increases

J.D. Power survey shows marks reaching highest point in past six years

January 31, 2013

J.D. Power & Associates

Overall customer satisfaction with mortgage lenders has reached its highest level in the past six years, says the J.D. Power & Associates 2012 U.S. Primary Mortgage Origination Satisfaction Study released late last year.Overall customer is 761 a

Question banking relationship to determine best fit

Compare company's needs with institution's abilities before deciding to switch

January 31, 2013

Alan Roberts

The start of a new year is a good time to take stock of your business relationships and make sure your professional service providers and partners are still a good fit for your company and its changing needs. When it comes to assessing your banking

Accounting standards can sway lawsuits

Rules-based approach more likely to deter disgruntled shareholders, study finds

January 31, 2013

News Wise

Disgruntled shareholders are more likely to sue firms that use principles-based accounting standards instead of rules-based standards, according to a recent study by a University of Iowa accounting researcher.The study, by Richard Mergenthaler,

Gen X, gen Y retirement accounts swell, firm says

Baby boomers continue to possess the lion's share of assets at MassMutual

January 31, 2013

PR Newswire

Third-quarter 2012 data for defined-contribution plans administered by Springfield, Mass.-based MassMutual Financial Group show that, combined, generation X and generation Y participants now account for 55 percent of the company's participant with

Viren & Associates focuses on diverse financial advice

Longtime company helps clients with investments, estates, and benefit plans

January 31, 2013

Treva Lind

Viren & Associates Inc., a Spokane-based financial planning and employee benefits advisory company, has remained viable for almost 20 years by diversifying the services it offers clients, says Paul Viren, managing principal there. Viren, who in

FDIC-insured institutions' profits rise

Fewer than 700 banks appear on problem list, reaching three-year low

January 31, 2013

Commercial banks and savings institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reported aggregate net income of $37.6 billion in the third quarter of 2012, a $2.3 billion—or 6.6 percent—improvement from the $35.2 billion in the

C&I lending in Spokane begins to rebound

Business customers look to growth in inventory, billings to back financing

January 31, 2013

Mike McLean

As the economy tentatively improves and businesses begin to increase sales and rebuild inventory, commercial-and-industrial lending also is on the rise, some lenders here say.Spokane-based Sterling Bank and the Spokane operations of U.S. Bank, a