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Thu. Feb. 09, 2012 Personal bankruptcy filings in Mass. fell 16 percent last year Personal bankruptcy filings in Massachusetts fell 16 percent in 2011 when compared with 2010, the Warren Group reported today. Last year, there were 14,716 Chapter 7 bankruptcies filed in the Bay State, down from 17,496 filed in 2010, said the Warren Group, a Boston firm that tracks bankruptcy and real estate activity Chapter 7 of the US bankruptcy code is the most common option for individuals seeking debt relief, and accounted for almost 75 percent of Massachusetts’ bankruptcy filings last year.	Advertisement
FED releases report finding underwater homeowners don’t greatly impact jobless rate Falling home values have kept some troubled homeowners from moving to another state for work -- but not enough to make a major impact on the national jobless rate. That’s the conclusion of a new report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, which looked at the impact of the housing market on jobs. The report, produced by the bank’s New England Public Policy Center, examined homeowners whose properties were “underwater,” or when their mortgage was larger than the value of the home.
Yellow bootmaker shares tips on how to ‘green your love life’ Timberland, an apparel-and-footwear brand that courts eco-friendly consumers with a love of the outdoors, has come up with a Valentine’s Day guide for how to “green your love life.” The guide is based on a consumer survey. And according to the survey, women like men who recycle and take steps to keep their carbon footprints small. And for goodness sake, don’t deny global warning. That could be a first-date deal-breaker.
Dunkin’ Brands returns to a profit in the 4Q Dunkin’ Brands, which owns Dunkin’ Donuts and the Baskin-Robbins ice cream chain, returned to profitability in its fiscal fourth quarter as traffic at its Dunkin’ Donuts stores improved and customers spent more. Dunkin’ Donuts stores in the US got a lift from strong beverage sales, limited-time breakfast sandwich offerings, and sales of K-Cup portion packs, the company said. The Canton company reported that net income of $11.6 million, or 10 cents per share, for the three months ended Dec. 31.
Fidelity: 401(k) balances little changed over 2011 Workers stashed money away in their 401(k) retirement plans at a faster clip last year but didn’t get an immediate reward for their savings strategy. Fidelity Investments, the nation’s biggest 401(k) administrator, says the average account balance was essentially unchanged in 2011, compared with 2010. The year-end average for participants in Boston-based Fidelity Investments plans was $69,100, down $300 from 2010, the company said.
Help wanted: Job openings in manufacturing second only to health care in 2011 The state’s manufacturing sector was hiring last year, with the number of job openings second only to health care, according a study released today by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute. Local manufacturers advertised nearly 73,000 jobs in 2011 -- but relatively few were production jobs. The vast majority of openings came in areas such as sales and customer services, computer and information technology, and managerial positions. The health care sector, meanwhile, posted just over 76,000 openings.
Cape Cod filmmaker is again denied lower bail Daniel Adams, the Cape Cod filmmaker who is in jail awaiting trial on state tax fraud charges, was again denied a lower bail yesterday. Superior Court Judge Frances McIntyre rejected Adams’s request to lower his bail from $100,000. Adams’s lawyer argued that bail should be lowered to $5,000 because Adams is facing financial difficulties. Adams has been charged with bilking the state of $4.7 million in tax credits on two films he made on Cape Cod, “The Golden Boys” and “The Lightkeepers.”
Needham office building sold for $9.4m An affiliate of Intrum Corp., a Newton-based boutique commercial real estate firm, has purchased a Needham office building for $9.4 million, said a broker involved in the transaction. The broker is the Boston office of CBRE/New England. With about 80,000 square feet of space and frontage on Route 128/Interstate 95, the building is located at 300 First Ave. CBRE/New England said it represented the seller in the transaction, 300 Realty Trust, and procured the buyer.
Boston Scientific launches artery-clearing device Natick medical device maker Boston Scientific Corp. announced the US launch of a device designed to unclog hardened plaque from leg arteries. Equipped with a rotating diamond-coated tip, the new drill-like product is called the TruePath CTO Device. The plan is to use it to treat patients with peripheral artery disease, something that affects more than 30 million people worldwide. Using the TruePath device, medical professionals can penetrate through difficult artery blockages and help install catheters or stents, if needed.
Akamai buys Canadian firm Akamai Technologies Inc., an Internet data delivery company based in Cambridge, said it has acquired Blaze Software Inc., a Canadian company with complementary technology, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition is expected to augment the speed at which Web pages can be delivered. At a time when more people are accessing the Internet through mobile devices such as smartphones, “new performance bottlenecks are emerging,” Akamai said. By combining Akamai and Blaze technologies, Akamai said it can widen such bottlenecks.
Shaw’s Supermarkets is cutting 60 jobs Shaw’s Supermarkets confirmed that it is cutting about 60 jobs throughout New England as part of a larger workforce reduction by its corporate parent. Shaw’s said the cuts represent 0.3 percent of the West Bridgewater-based chain’s workforce of about 21,000 employees. The cuts do not affect store-level associates. Shaw’s also operates stores under the Star Market nameplate. The chain is made up of about 170 stores. Shaw’s is owned by Supervalu Inc. of Minnesota.
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