Banner Corp., the Walla Walla-based parent of Banner Bank, has reported a sharply higher net loss for the third quarter, citing continued need for additional loan-loss provisions and write-offs because of the difficult economy.The company, which

Northwest Bancorporation Inc., the Spokane-based parent of Inland Northwest Bank, has reported a third-quarter net loss of $804,000, or 34 cents a share, compared with net income of $203,000, or 9 cents a share, in the year-earlier results show L.

Personal income in the Spokane metropolitan area, though still lagging national benchmarks, grew at a faster rate last year than in the Seattle, Boise, and Portland markets, and also grew faster than the U.S. average, recently released data show. a

Minera Andes Inc., a Canadian mining exploration company that has maintained its headquarters in Spokane since its inception about 15 years ago, says it plans to move its executive offices to Toronto by the end of September.The office here, at a

An Eastern Washington University institute that developed a Web-based data bank that tracks indicators about the Spokane area is using its expertise to compile similar trend information for other Inland Northwest communities. It launched two such a