U.S. Small Business Administration loan incentives are helping a growing number of businesses start up or expand, some lenders here say. In 2015, lenders in the Spokane branch of SBA's Seattle district issued 522 SBA-backed loans totaling $183 million,

Spokane-area credit unions say they experienced an uptick in overall loan originations from 2014 to 2015, sparked in part by robust demand for auto loans. The demand for autos here mimicked what was a national trend in 2015. Experian Automotive, operat

The number of identity fraud victims in the U.S. increased by 3 percent, to 13.1 million consumers, last year, but the amount stolen decreased by 6 percent, to $15 billion, says a study released earlier this month by San Francisco-based Javelin Strategy

Boeing Employees Credit Union, which claims to be the fourth largest credit union in the U.S., is researching three possible locations available for lease-one near Gonzaga University, one in north Spokane, and one in Spokane Valley-as it prepares to e

Some tax preparers here say a few tax breaks that Congress recently made permanent will enable them to have a greater degree of certainty in helping clients with tax planning. Provisions made permanent in the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 20

Washington Federal Inc., the Seattle-based parent of Washington Federal bank that now has a permanent Eastern Washington headquarters on Spokane's North Side, has ambitious aspirations to grow its Inland Northwest presence in the years to come. Doug Sm

Foreclosure actions completed in Spokane County in 2015 dropped by 27 percent compared with the number of foreclosures in 2014, finally falling out of the historically high range, says Phil Kuharski, a longtime Spokane economic data analyst.