Banking & Finance

Going mobile: Online banking usage spikes during pandemic

Inland Northwest banks, credit unions report more downloads, transactions

June 18, 2020

With banks limiting contact between employees and their customers, the use of digital and mobile banking tools that the institutions have been investing in for years have seen sudden, dramatic spikes, Spokane-area financial industry representatives say.

Spokane bankers frustrated by sluggish guidance on PPP

Flexibility Act causes more confusion than clarity for some aspects of program

June 18, 2020

Virginia Thomas

Inland Northwest bankers say they're frustrated by a lack of federal guidance regarding particulars of the Paycheck Protection Program. Some say they and their customers are confused about some aspects of the program.

Financial sector better positioned for recovery now than during Great Recession

Capital flows more freely now than in last recession

June 4, 2020

Virginia Thomas

This isn't the Great Recession for Inland Nortwest bankers. And that's a good thing, executives here say. While the pandemic has brought a host of challenges, leaders at some banks and credit unions say financial institutions are in a much better

'Pause' could hamper WSU's research cause

Stoppage might hinder ability to secure funding at WSU Health Sciences

May 21, 2020

Kevin Blocker

Though money for research has risen steadily in recent years at Washington State University Health Sciences Spokane, officials are concerned a prolonged global pandemic could have a compromising effect on future funding.

Pledge 1200 garners commitments in 42 states

Consumers nationwide agree to spend stimulus funds in communities

April 23, 2020

Kevin Blocker

Residents from 42 states have committed to spending more than $1 million at struggling small businesses in their respective communities through an initiative co-founded by a young professional in Spokane.

Clearwater Paper is lone bright spot in first quarter market report

Toilet paper demand fuels manufacturer as others lose value

April 23, 2020

Kevin Blocker

Fueled by nationwide consumer demand in toilet paper, Spokane-based Clearwater Paper Corp. was the lone publicly traded company in the region to experience an increase in market capitalization in the first quarter of 2020, according to an analysis by Hart

Protecting paychecks in Spokane

Spokane employers bring back workers as checks come in

April 23, 2020

Virginia Thomas

Nearly $7 billion of the total $348 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration have gone to businesses in Washington, including a number of employers in the Spokane area.

End of Metropolitan Mortgage saga is in sight

Final distribution likely by late September

April 9, 2020

Kim Crompton

Investors who lost huge sums when Spokane-based Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities Co. and affiliate Summit Securities Inc. shut down about a decade and a half ago should recoup a final, small portion of their money by this fall.

State ABLE programs helps disabled people save for future

Special savings accounts don't risk federal benefits

April 9, 2020

Natasha Nellis

Washington state has added another tool to its roster to provide financial independence for those with disabilities and is engaged in a statewide push to increase awareness of its new ABLE program.

Preparing for CARES: Businesses line up for Paycheck Protection Program loans

Forgivable loans available to small companies that keep, rehire employees

April 9, 2020

Virginia Thomas

Spokane-area small-business owners are looking into taking advantage of aid offered to them through the CARES Act, says Sheryl McGrath, Spokane-based associate state director of the Washington Small Business Development Center.