Banking & Finance

Investors should be aware of what they can, should control

Data shows investing in markets long-term has hedged inflation

February 2, 2023

We can control limited things in our financial life, and focus is one of them. It is extremely important where we put our attention. Ideally, it should be at the intersection of what truly matters to us and what we can control.

Fighting fraud must be priority for small business

Remaining vigilant is important to protect against attacks, attempts

February 2, 2023

Jesse Von Feldt

Small business owners have a lot on their plate, but fighting fraud should be a priority. Fraudsters often pretend to be someone you can trust and create a sense of urgency to act quickly. For example, a fraudster could compromise a business email and

CredHub plans expansion, hires new revenue officer

Startup reports both on-time, late rental payments to bureaus

February 2, 2023

Erica Bullock

CredHub, a Spokane-based credit reporting startup, has hired a new executive, Michelle Flandreau, as chief revenue officer and is preparing to expand its operations and customer base in three western states this year, says Flandreau.

Credit union CEOs lead during era of growth

Once-small financial organizations emerge as business community leaders in the INW

February 2, 2023

Karina Elias

Leaders of Spokane Valley-based Numerica Credit Union and Liberty Lake-based STCU are helping grow and shape the influence of their respective financial institutions in the Inland Northwest. Ezra Eckhardt, president and CEO of STCU, says that while the

Inland Northwest bankruptcy filings trend downwardâ€”for now

Lawyers here expect filings to rise after end of pandemic-era consumer protections

February 2, 2023

Virginia Thomas

Bankruptcy filings in 2022 continued the downward trend of the past several years in Eastern Washington, but bankruptcy attorneys here say filings are likely to climb this year. In 2022, 436 bankruptcy cases were filed in Spokane County, according to d

Post merger, AgWest Farm Credit embraces change

Cooperative on mission to improve customers'efficiency, sustainability

February 2, 2023

Karina Elias

AgWest Farm Credit, the newly formed agricultural lending association, will focus its resources to enhancing its agricultural customer-owners' access to technology, which will enable them to modernize their growing methods and deliver efficient and

Raymond James Financial office planned in University District

$1.2 million remodel expected to start soon, take five months to finish

January 19, 2023

Virginia Thomas

St. Petersburg, Florida-based multinational investment bank and financial services company Raymond James Financial Inc. plans to establish a new office in Spokane. The company is renovating a 3,000-square-foot space in an office building at

Parting Thoughts with Numerica Credit Union's Lynn Ciani

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January 19, 2023

Karina Elias

Lynn Ciani, chief risk officer and general counsel for Spokane Valley-based Numerica Credit Union, retired from a 40-year career in law and banking on Jan. 2. Ciani grew up in Southern California and received a bachelor's degree in political science

Northwest Farm Credit, California co-op complete merger

AgWest to be based here, serve seven-state region

January 19, 2023

Karina Elias

Spokane-based Northwest Farm Credit Services and Rocklin, California-based Farm Credit West have completed their mergers and created a new financial cooperative association, AgWest Farm Credit. The merger, finalized Jan. 1, completes a year-long

DEI Best Practices: Principles belong in all business operations

Buy-in by leaders said vital for lasting success of diversity initiatives

January 19, 2023

Virginia Thomas

Businesses and nonprofits that implement diversity, equity, and inclusion practices should take steps to ensure that such principles are present throughout operations, some experts here say. Blending DEI into every facet of an organization ensures that