Banking & Finance

Financial centers work to protect elderly from scams

Technology offers more opportunity for swindlers

August 14, 2014

In late June, the American Bankers Association and AARP announced a two-year partnership to study and help prevent the financial exploitation of elder Americans. Locally, financial institutions are using employee training and customer education to try to

D.A. Davidson program puts emphasis on young recruits

Effort aims to help graduates become successful advisers

August 14, 2014

Staff Report

D.A. Davidson's Individual Investor Group is starting a financial advisor apprentice program.Â With almost 80 years of experience helping generations of clients, Davidson says it has developed this program to give candidates the structure, tools, strate

Edward Jones in growth mode in the Inland Northwest

Company has 57 branches in region, more likely to open

August 14, 2014

Linn Parish

Edward D. Jones & Co. is expanding its presence in the Spokane market as part of a five-year national push to open more offices. Pete Blackwell, a certified financial planner who operates an Edward Jones office at 6319 N. Maple, on Spokane's North Sid

Columbia Bank stakes an Idaho foothold

Tacoma-based company to secure long-sought presence in Gem State

August 14, 2014

Mike McLean

Tacoma-based Columbia Banking System Inc. and Sandpoint-based Intermountain Community Bancorp have similar corporate cultures that will assist integrating the two banks following a planned acquisition that will mark Columbia Bank's long-envisioned entry

Business Cents buys building, plans move

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July 31, 2014

Staff Report

Spokane accounting consultant firm Business Cents LLC owner Steffanie Anderson has purchased a 3,200-square-foot building at 23 N. Napa in the East Central neighborhood and will be moving the business there on Aug. 1, says company spokeswoman Makenzi Rell

Retirees can take many avenues to charitable giving

Baby boomers are largest contributors, report finds

July 31, 2014

Judith Spitzer

Warren Buffett has persuaded more than 100 billionaires to give away large portions of their wealth to philanthropy over the past few years. People in Spokane may not have billions to donate to charity but they are generous when it comes to giving money t

RiverBank nets $2.9 million from private offering

Capital infusion could help once-struggling bank grow

July 17, 2014

Judith Spitzer

Spokane-based RiverBank Holding Co. has accepted $2.9 million from a fully subscribed private-placement offering, which it says will strengthen the bank's capital position while supporting its growth strategy. Daniel Byrne, RiverBank CEO, says he appr

Inland Northwest stock index rises faster than the S&P 500

Itron, Hecla stocks up; Red Lion lags others

July 17, 2014

Judith Spitzer

Hart Capital Management Inc., a Spokane-based investment firm, says the combined stock value of 12 publicly traded Inland Northwest companies, as measured in an overall index it compiles, rose 6.3 percent in the second quarter of 2014, beating out the S&P

Accurate financials key when selling a business

Inconsistencies can raise red flags, jeopardize deal

June 19, 2014

Ed Kirk

The market for buying and selling privately held companies has changed substantially during the last few years. The economic downturn significantly reduced sales and profitability of many companies, decreasing the number of companies for sale as would-be

Banks face some challenges in moving to the cloud

However, they potentially could reap major savings

June 19, 2014

Francis Tam

Cloud computing is changing the game for both large and small businesses. For many, cloud computing has received a lot of buzz because of its ability to decrease the costs associated with administering an on-site system, meaning less investment in informa