Special Report

K&N wins $8 million job rehabilitating dam cranes

Industrial contractor to upgrade equipment at two Snake River sites

November 21, 2013

K&N Electric Motors Inc., of Spokane Valley, doing business as K&N Industrial Equipment, has landed an $8 million contract through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to upgrade heavy equipment on two Snake River dams, says Janet Schmidlkofer, the a a

Rendering courtesy of Longwell+Trapp Architects

Baker to construct new credit union, retail buildings

Pair of Valley projects valued at $1.4 million to be finished in spring

November 21, 2013

Mike McLean

Baker Construction & Development Inc., of Spokane, has been selected as the contractor for two new commercial buildings in Spokane Valley with a combined value of $1.4 million, building permit application information on file with the city of Valley

Tenant eviction cases jump in county

Landlords said possibly becoming quicker to act in some cases than in past

November 21, 2013

Katie Ross

Unlawful detainer filings, which are the legal documents landlords can use in Washington state to evict tenants who have violated rental agreements, have jumped in Spokane County this year by 250 cases, or about one-fifth. Through the first 10 a

Financial advisers still don't reach female clients well

Male-dominated industry adjusts to serve growing, successful demographic

November 7, 2013

Craig Holmes

Women own well over 50 percent of the private wealth in this country. Most new businesses are started by women and they have been outperforming men in higher education since 1990. Women are advancing on all fronts of the economy and will be for to

Consider financing options when selling company

While seller likely would prefer cash, other options can fill gaps in funding

November 7, 2013

Ed Kirk

A 2013 study by the National Institute on Retirement Security found that Americans of all ages are "falling well short of the savings amount they need to secure their retirement." Roughly one-third of baby boomers have no retirement savings and one

PrimeSource CU advances beyond its telecom roots

With two Spokane branches, organization reports rise in loans, income, members

November 7, 2013

Treva Lind

Spokane-based PrimeSource Credit Union, with nearly 6,000 members and two branches here, is experiencing strong asset and loan growth this year, during a time when the financial institution also is increasing its marketing efforts, says CEO called

Deciphering 401(k) fee disclosures said difficult to do

Previously hidden fees still hard to find in new mandated explanations

November 7, 2013

Mike McLean

Fee disclosure requirements for employer-sponsored 401(k) and other defined contribution retirement plans are a good idea, some financial and plan advisers here say, but they add that the disclosure statements sent to millions of plan participants

Banks serving Inland Northwest post mixed earnings

INB, Columbia among those reporting increases in net income during Q3

November 7, 2013

Staff Report

A handful of publicly-traded banks serving the Inland Northwest reported mixed results for the third quarter, with most describing a challenging market.A couple of bank holding companies said acquisitions bolstered quarterly earnings, while some

Stock index rises during latest quarter

Bank shares significantly outperformed other stocks here in latest comparison

November 7, 2013

Treva Lind

Hart Capital Management Inc., a Spokane-based investment firm, says the stock value of 14 publicly traded Inland Northwest companies as measured in an overall index it prepares rose by nearly 4 percent in the third quarter.The Hart Capital Index

Lenders adjust to refi decline

Drop in refinancings results in job cuts, refocus for banks

November 7, 2013

Katie Ross

A weakening demand for home mortgage refinancing has caused some institutions here and across the country to cut jobs and refocus their attention on other areas of lending, such as home purchases, to fill the gap. Bank of America cut 1,200 jobs