News money 2008-08-15 Andanh.com

Need rises as giving falls Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Amid economic slowdown, Maryland charities fear that fundraising will fall far short of goals

More people than ever are calling the Salvation Army's Baltimore offices this year, asking for help paying their utility bills or for food to feed their families. And contributions from individuals, the charity says, are down $100,000 from a year earlier.

New BlackBerry model Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Latest version may arrive by September

The new BlackBerry model should be coming to North America within a month now that Research In Motion Ltd. has started selling it in Germany and Chile.

JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley settle in N.Y. Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
2 will repurchase $7 billion of debt

JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley yesterday became the latest banks to reach settlements with New York Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo and other regulators as part of an investigation into the collapse of the auction-rate securities market.

Expansion and jobs for Mack truck plant Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Baltimore, Allentown to feel cuts as owner reorganizes

Volvo AB of Sweden said yesterday that it would embark on a $50 million expansion and add 50 workers to its Mack Powertrain Division plant in Hagerstown as part of a sweeping restructuring across the company.

Inflation at 5.6% annual rate Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Highest level in 17 years makes Fed task tougher

The job of the Federal Reserve and government policymakers got considerably more complicated yesterday when the Labor Department reported that consumer inflation is running at an annual rate of 5.6 percent, its highest level in 17 years.

Median home prices dive Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Sales in Md. drop by 30%

Median home prices fell in more than three-fourths of U.S. cities in the second quarter, the latest sign of the breadth of the housing market decline, according to data released yesterday.

CEG's dose of tough love Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
A few sentences on page 46 of a financial disclosure that did not change reported profits, sales or net worth caused Constellation Energy Group's prospects to go into brownout this week.

Apple ex-counsel settles SEC case Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Accused of options backdating, Heinen will pay $2.2 million

The former top attorney at Apple Inc. agreed yesterday to pay $2.2 million to settle federal regulators' charges that she altered company records to conceal improper backdating of stock options for senior executives, including Steve Jobs.

Wall St. rises as oil slips; financials prove bargains Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Wall Street rebounded yesterday, rising sharply as oil prices fell and investors took advantage of bargains in financial stocks after two straight days of heavy declines.

Micromet test results promising Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Micromet Inc.'s experimental cancer treatment shrank tumors in people with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a study that might lead to a new approach in tackling malignant diseases.

BGE parent's credit rating cut Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Constellation had raised estimate of collateral it would need

A major Wall Street firm cut Constellation Energy Group's credit rating yesterday after the Baltimore-based company recently revised its estimate of how much collateral it would need to address such a downgrade.

Bank advised to trim results Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Provident says accounting change boosted write-down

Provident Bankshares Corp. officials yesterday attributed Tuesday's move to restate quarterly profit that was announced only a month ago to unexpected guidance from auditors on how to value certain investment securities.

U.S. retail sales take a July swoon Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Fear over further slowing of economy

Retail sales delivered the weakest performance in five months in July as shoppers shunned autos while they paid more for gas.

Trade deficit falls to a 3-month low Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Spending down; exports up despite record oil prices

The U.S. trade deficit has gone on a diet, helped by strong exports of farm products and manufactured goods and by Americans spending less as the economy limps along.

How long can Md. escape recession? Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
I t might not feel like it, but so far the national recession of 2008 has left Maryland relatively unscathed. As tough as times are in housing, stores, publishing and finance, this state has avoided the blunt trauma visited upon many regions and the nation as a whole.

Lending rules get tougher Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Federal Reserve reports banks keep tightening loan standards

The Federal Reserve says more banks are making it harder to borrow money, as defaults and delinquencies on home loans soared and the economy faltered.

States regulate annuity security Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
Eileen Ambrose -- Personal Finance

M any people are worried about the security of their money on the heels of the third-largest U.S. bank failure last month.

Panic at garage Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0400
State law says you can't be charged for auto repairs you don't authorize

T he Q :

Expert: Short sales could double ‘desperation’ numbers Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:24:00 GMT
A new report shows 114 foreclosures in Frederick County in July, but another factor could double that number

Southern States operating in the black Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:25:00 GMT
Southern States Cooperative's financial standing is positive despite a dip in the growth of its Brunswick store

Healing Circles opens in Frederick Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:36:00 GMT
A new center in Frederick is designed to look at peoples' lives -- body, mind and soul

Chinese Dir