Mortgage Applications Increase Slightly in Latest MBA Weekly ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? April 24, 2013 ? (RealEstateRama) ? Mortgage applications increased 0.2 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association?s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 19, 2013.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 1 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 0.3 percent from the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 0.3 percent from one week earlier to the highest level since May 2010. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 1 percent compared with the previous week and was 18 percent higher than the same week one year ago.

The refinance share of mortgage activity remained unchanged at 75 percent of total applications from the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity decreased to 4 percent of total applications. The HARP share of refinance applications increased from 31 percent last week to 32 percent this week, the highest level since MBA began tracking HARP applications in February 2012.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($417,500 or less) decreased to 3.65 percent from 3.67 percent, with points decreasing to 0.41 from 0.50 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo loan balances (greater than $417,500) decreased to 3.75 percent from 3.77 percent, with points increasing to 0.37 from 0.27 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages backed by the FHA remained unchanged at 3.37 percent, with points increasing to 0.64 from 0.55 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 2.89 percent from 2.91 percent, with points increasing to 0.40 from 0.34 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs increased to 2.62 percent from 2.57 percent, with points decreasing to 0.21 from 0.29 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

If you would like to purchase a subscription of MBA?s Weekly Applications Survey, please visit www.mortgagebankers.org/WeeklyApps, contact or click here.

The survey covers over 75 percent of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications, and has been conducted weekly since 1990. Respondents include mortgage bankers, commercial banks and thrifts. Base period and value for all indexes is March 16, 1990=100.

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The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is the national association representing the real estate finance industry, an industry that employs more than 280,000 people in virtually every community in the country. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the association works to ensure the continued strength of the nation?s residential and commercial real estate markets; to expand homeownership and extend access to affordable housing to all Americans. MBA promotes fair and ethical lending practices and fosters professional excellence among real estate finance employees through a wide range of educational programs and a variety of publications. Its membership of over 2,200 companies includes all elements of real estate finance: mortgage companies, mortgage brokers, commercial banks, thrifts, Wall Street conduits, life insurance companies and others in the mortgage lending field. For additional information, visit MBA?s Web site: www.mortgagebankers.org.

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Source: http://www.realestaterama.com/2013/04/24/mortgage-applications-increase-slightly-in-latest-mba-weekly-survey-ID020487.html

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Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' sales up after bombings

Neil Diamond sings "Sweet Caroline" in the eighth inning of a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals in Boston, Saturday, April 20, 2013. Playing at home for the first time since two explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line killed three people and wounded more than 180 others, the Red Sox honored the victims and the survivors with a pregame ceremony and an emotional video of scenes from Monday's race. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Neil Diamond sings "Sweet Caroline" in the eighth inning of a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Kansas City Royals in Boston, Saturday, April 20, 2013. Playing at home for the first time since two explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line killed three people and wounded more than 180 others, the Red Sox honored the victims and the survivors with a pregame ceremony and an emotional video of scenes from Monday's race. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

NEW YORK (AP) ? Sales for Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" are up by 597 percent a week after the tune became a source of comfort following the explosions at the Boston Marathon.

Nielsen SoundScan said Wednesday the song sold 19,000 tracks this week. It sold 2,800 tracks the previous week and 1.75 million tracks to date.

The crowd-pleasing song is a staple of Boston Red Sox games. It makes no specific mention of Boston or the Red Sox, but the team started playing it regularly at Fenway Park more than a decade ago and fans took to it.

The New York Yankees, Toronto Raptors and other professional sports teams have also played the song at games in the days after last week's deadly blasts.

Diamond released "Sweet Caroline" in 1969. It is addressed to Caroline Kennedy.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-04-24-Music-Neil%20Diamond/id-4a1f427ff57b4cb4ad77355047d384cf

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U.S. Bank FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Card Review ...

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Visa card is a business card that rewards you for your spending regardless of what business purchases you make. This Visa (NYSE:V) card rewards you with up to 3 points for each dollar you spend, and even gives you an enrollment bonus of 17,500 points.

I like this business card as it has the option of not having any annual fee if you spend a certain amount on purchases yearly, and you can even enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for a certain period of time. But is this card good enough?

Here is a detailed review of U.S. Bank FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Visa card that should answer that question and give you a broader perspective of this card?s advantages and disadvantages.

Things We Like About This Card

No annual fee during the first year. And after the first year, if you spend $24,000 or more on annual purchases with this card, you won?t have to pay an annual fee. This won?t be hard as you?ll only have to spend $2,000 each month on your card to fulfill this requirement to pay no annual fee. If you spend less than $24,000 throughout the year, you will have to pay an annual fee of $55.

Receive 17,500 bonus FlexPoints when spending $2,500 within the first 150 days. This is an attractive bonus reward which you should be able to earn by spending $2,500 during the first 5 months. Since you only need to spend a small amount over an extended period of time, it is easily achievable. A few other business credit cards in the market may give you more bonus points, but you would have to spend a certain amount within a shorter period of time. For example, Ink Cash Business by JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), gives you 20,000 bonus points ($200 bonus cash back) after you spend $3,000 during the first 3 months (read our review of Ink Cash Business card here).

0% intro APR on all purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles. After that, you?ll pay a variable APR of 11.99% ? 17.99%, depending on your creditworthiness, if you hold a balance on your card.

Earn 3 points for each dollar you donate to charity. If you like helping others and donating to charity once in a while, you will be rewarded for your altruism.

Earn 2 points for each dollar you spend on a category of either gas, airline purchases or office supplies, whichever you spend the most in each month. That means if you charge the highest amount to say, gas, for that month, you will automatically earn double points in that category. You will also earn double points on most cell phone expenses such as monthly bills and Internet charges. By earning double points, you will be able to accumulate your points twice as fast.

Earn 1 point for each dollar you spend on net purchases. You will earn 1 point for each dollar you spend on your card regardless of the purchase you?re making.

Receive $25 airline allowance along with every award travel ticket. This allowance can be used to pay for food and beverages on the plane, baggage fees, and so on.

Redeem your points for travel starting at 20,000 points, which you can be redeemed for a $400 airline ticket. If you spend a reasonable amount on this card, you can earn these points relatively fast. Within the first year, you can earn these points to spend on travel purchases by spending $2,500 within the first 150 days, which earns you 17,500 points and when making $1,250 in purchases in a category that earns you double points, such as gas.

No redemption fees or blackout dates when redeeming your points for travel. Unlike many travel rewards cards you won?t have to worry about blackout dates when redeeming your points for travel.

Our Least Favorite Things About This Card

$55 annual fee after the first year if you spend less than $24,000 annually on this card. If you spend less than this amount during the year on this card, you will have to pay a $55 annual fee. Because of this, we will only recommend this card if you spend at least $24,000 a year on company expenses. If not, you are better off with a no-fee card such as Ink Cash Business, one of the highest rated business credit cards at DailyMarkets.com.

Our Verdict: 4.2/5 Stars

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards card is a business card that rewards business owners for their spending by giving them points for each dollar they spend. With this card, you will be able to earn double points on one of the following categories, whichever you?ve spent the most on during that month: gas, office supplies or airline purchases. You?ll also get double points on your cell phone payments.

You will also enjoy 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers, which will save you a lot of money if you?re planning on making big purchases and then paying them back within 12 months interest-free or if you want to transfer a balance to this card.

The U.S. Bank FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Visa card will only be worth it if you plan on spending at least $24,000 a year on purchases each year. If not, you?ll have to pay an annual fee of $55 after the first year.

Click here to go to the official U.S. Bank website to apply online for U.S. Bank FlexPerks Business Travel Rewards Visa card now.

For those of you who prefer a business credit card with absolutely no annual fee, you might want to go for Ink Cash Business Card by Chase, a cash back card which offers new sign-ups $200 bonus cash back when you spend $3,000 during the first 3 months.

Source: http://www.dailymarkets.com/creditcards/us-bank-flexperks-business-travel-rewards/

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United States Personal Bankruptcy Courtroom Tell Captain ...

Right after ability to hear arguments as well as account with a demo lasting only about three days, Key United states of america Individual bankruptcy Court Tell Captain christopher M. Klein authorized the City of Stocktons case for section nine personal bankruptcy comfort, filed on 06 28, 2008. The town protected the eligibility, whilst attorneys symbolizing a number of big financial lenders in case, the main city Market Lenders, which include Guaranteed Warranty Corp., Certain Guaranty Municipal Corp., National General public Finance Warranty Corporation, Franklin Advisors, Inc. as well as Wells Fargo Financial institution, questioned Determine Klein to reject the actual Citys request. The main objections had been associated with the question of good faith and also to whether the Metropolis had been financially troubled when the personal bankruptcy submitting has been made. Specific objections focused on the Citys not really asking for CalPERS recover or even impair worker or retired person pensions and suggesting the actual Metropolis might have carried out in a different way, within the years prior to its bankruptcy filing, to prevent bankruptcy.

Right after nine months and millions of dollars within attorney fees, the particular Assess validated what we should are already saying right from the start, that the Metropolis is financially troubled and desires the particular safety associated with bankruptcy to modify its financial obligations, stated Town Manager Chad Deis. The next steps are to verify a strategy associated with Adjustment with the reorganization, rearrangement, reshuffling in our financial debt, begin the particular recuperation process and move Stockton ahead.

During the time the City submitted regarding bankruptcy, it had currently tackled $90 mil generally Fund loss in the 3 prior as well as was faced with more than $26 million in General Fund loss in financial 12 months 2012-2013. Before personal bankruptcy, the location got completed ninety days in pre-bankruptcy confidential arrangement using its biggest lenders, attempting to prevent personal bankruptcy, and in conformity along with new State regulation. The location paid out all of the costs of this arrangement procedure once the Capital Industry Creditors refused to pay their own discuss. Throughout the mediation, the location posted an in depth 790-page reorganization, rearrangement, reshuffling proposal regarding consideration through the creditors. While the City could create agreements using its labour unions, the end result had not been sufficient, leaving behind no alternative but to look for bankruptcy safety.

Inspite of the hundreds of thousands invested by the Funds Market Creditors within attempting to refuse Stockton access to bankruptcy safety, the Determine ruled that Stockton officials and financial specialists demonstrated the City was indeed financially troubled upon June 28, 2012. In addition , the actual Assess identified that evidence as well as accounts given by the town and it is specialist and professional, shows that the City served within good trust. Stocktons determination to negotiate had been obvious within the pre-bankruptcy, state-mandated confidential arrangement procedure (AB 506), reorganization, rearrangement, reshuffling suggestion (referred in order to as, the actual ASK), as well as agreements since attained with all nine from the labour organizations and also Ambac Assurance Company, a relationship company. It has been the balance from the Citys capital market lenders which have been unwilling to work out.

Upon Mon and also Wednesday, in-person testimony has been given by Town authorities and also experts who have been cross-examined by attorneys representing the main city Marketplace Lenders. Metropolis Manager Chad Deis, that testified towards the Citys insolvency; poor financial practices as well as data processing mistakes simply by earlier administration; handling the $540 mil retiree healthcare unfunded legal responsibility; the inability to reduce CalPERS pensions and the need to keep up a competitive pension plan program. Key Financial Officer Vanessa Burke, because the Citys financial expert, answered questions to confirm the particular Citys cash bankruptcy, whilst Deputy Metropolis Supervisor Laurie Montes provided the particular construction for your Citys fiscal problem.

Dork Millican, specialist along with Management Companions as well as former (interim) Chief Monetary Official with all the City, described the second viewpoint and also assessment of the Citys fiscal problem, and also the reorganization, rearrangement, reshuffling suggestion offered throughout AB 506 procedure. Recruiting Director Teresia Haase answered questions about employee compensation and explained substantial cutbacks within worker compensation, and also the Citys work relations specialist Ann Goodrich resolved employee pay out and benefits reviews to other cities as well as changes which have been applied in the last two years that have brought City employee settlement to at- and also below-market levels.

Lawyers for that Capital Industry Lenders known as Councilmember Kathy Burns to testify as an undesirable witness, questioning her about employee settlement, pensions and just how the particular Council resolved decisions associated with getting into personal bankruptcy. Councilmember Callier was the only witness called by the objectors to state in-person. Subsequent the girl testimony, the Capital Market Creditors rested their situation.

Its regrettable that we get been forced to spend huge amount of money, thousands of hours and almost a year with this work, continuing Metropolis Manager Deis. They are useful sources as well as money which could have gone toward dealing with the crucial safety needs of our own community, repairing solutions, and also paying our creditors. With this hurdle out of the way, we hope which, such as Ambac, the Capital Marketplace Creditors assets are dedicated to settling the consensual Strategy associated with Adjustment. We look forward to getting a confirmed Intend to emerge from bankruptcy as well as rebuilding the town to financial wellness.

Source: http://www.chirana.biz/united-states-personal-bankruptcy-courtroom-tell-captain-christopher-klein-sees-stockton-qualified/

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Video: Schieffer: What politicians should learn from Bostonians (cbsnews)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Controlling Some Devices Will Be A Snap

By Gregory Blachier MONTE CARLO, April 21 (Reuters) - Rafael Nadal admitted he is still trying to recapture his best form but remained optimistic for the French Open after losing his Monte Carlo crown to Novak Djokovic on Sunday. Nadal, who returned to action in March after seven months out with injury, went down 6-2 7-6 to the Serbian world number one, ending his eight-year reign on the principality's clay. "I need to put in a little bit more physical performance," the Spaniard told a news conference. "That's the real thing - to play all the points with the same intensity. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/controlling-devices-snap-192108908.html

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91% The Angels' Share

All Critics (65) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (59) | Rotten (6)

The plot thickens, but the mood grows lighter.

Unexpectedly, and blithely, amusing.

The film itself vaporizes before your eyes, but it's likable. Given its unstable mishmash of thuggery and whimsy, that's something of an achievement.

Like the spirit it celebrates, "The Angel's Share" is a neat little jolt of pleasure - and guaranteed to leave you feeling just a mite warmer.

While a few farcical moments fizzle, it's mostly charming.

"The Angels' Share" leaves a warm glow.

Sweet-natured and high-spirited, it's a fanciful fable with a wee dash of magical realism.

This is one of the most likable movies so far this year.

Although the English director Ken Loach has been making socially conscious movies for close to 50 years, this shaggy comedy unfolds like the work of a young man on a lark.

With The Angels' Share, Ken Loach expertly combines a handful of genres which congeal into an often funny, always charming affair that serves as a salute to whisky to boot.

Loach films have been funny while making their point before (see "Riff Raff"), but this one is imbued with a little bit of magic...Those offended by four letter words should be warned that even the voice of God slings a heavy dose of them here.

Ken Loach comedy about young Glaswegian reprobates fighting for a second chance has charm aplenty, but suffers from occasional portions of cheese and a hard-to-swallow premise (whisky-tasting as gateway to a better life).

I'm not suggesting The Angels' Share is a chock full of bellylaughs, but it's the first Loach film in some time that lacks the sensation of having a plastic grocery bag pulled over one's face.

Some good laughs and a passable air of bonhomie do nothing to cover up the fact that The Angels' Share is totally lightweight and distractingly underdone.

No quotes approved yet for The Angels' Share. Logged in users can submit quotes.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_angels_share/

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In Boston and beyond, thanks and jubilation

BOSTON (AP) ? They gathered in silence on Boylston Street, just three blocks away from the chaos and carnage caused by twin bombings four days earlier. Some were crying.

Boston University student Aaron Wengertsman, 19, wrapped himself in an American flag. He was on the marathon route a mile from the finish line when the bombs exploded.

"I'm glad they caught him alive," he said of one of two brothers authorities say were responsible for the explosions. "I thought people might be more excited, but it's humbling to see all these people paying their respects."

As Wengertsman and dozens of others held a solemn commemoration Friday night for the victims of the blasts, others took to the streets of Boston and beyond to celebrate the capture of the surviving suspect following a manhunt that left the city largely paralyzed.

In Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, where an 8-year-old boy killed in the bombing lived, people set off fireworks.

Boston University juniors Brendan Hathaway and Sam Howes gave high fives to strangers as they walked down the street bathed in the flashing lights from Kenmore Square's iconic rooftop Citgo sign.

"This was like our first opportunity to really be outside without feeling like there imminent danger," said Hathaway, a mechanical engineering student from nearby Newton. "It was close to home for me."

At Boston Common, Beth Lloyd-Jones said it felt like she had her city back. She was blocks away from the blast on Monday in her south end home.

"It's personal," she said, noting that she's planning her wedding for the public library building adjacent to where the bombs exploded.

"That could have been any one of us," she said of the victims. "Now I feel a little safer."

The surviving suspect, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was taken to a hospital after engaging in a firefight with police while hiding out in a parked boat in a Watertown backyard. Earlier in the day, his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, had been killed in a gunbattle and car chase during which he and his younger brother hurled explosives at police from a stolen car, authorities said. During the getaway attempt, the brothers killed an MIT policeman and severely wounded another officer, authorities said.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I think that this would result in a shootout in Watertown," said Sheamus McGovern, of neighboring Belmont.

Less than 24 hours after the shootout, police officers and firefighters stood grim-faced with guns and rifles, lining the street leading to the property about a mile away where the younger brother was believed to be holed up in the boat.

Reporters and spectators lined up on the other side. The mood was tense, with the few neighbors who ventured out hugging and crying as they heard bangs. Others merely looked on curiously.

Then, one officer slowly started clapping. Then it spread to the crowd. Then loud cheers broke out.

People in the crowd started asking, "Is he alive?" One of the officers nodded, yes. Any time a first responder emerged from the street, there was loud applause.

"They finally caught the jerk," said nurse Cindy Boyle, 41. "It was scary; it was tense." She said she knew when police started clapping that everything would be all right.

In Boston, celebratory bells rang from a church tower after the capture. Teenagers waved American flags in the center of town. Every car that drove by honked. Every time an emergency vehicle went by, people cheered loudly.

Liz Rogers, a 65-year-old attorney, took one of the pieces of yellow police tape and tied it around her neck like a necklace.

"When you see your town invaded like this, it's stunning," she said. "Everyone in Watertown is just so grateful that he's caught and that we're liberated."

The jubilation was widespread. The mayor of Boston tweeted, "We got him!" And at the home of the New York Mets, spectators leapt to their feet and cheered when the news spread during a game against the Washington Nationals.

Hundreds of people marched down Commonwealth Avenue, chanting "USA" and singing the Red Sox anthem "Sweet Caroline" as they headed toward Boston Common. Police blocked traffic along part of the street to allow for the impromptu parade.

"I can finally sleep tonight," said 27-year-old Lisa Mara, standing along Boylston Street, just a few blocks from her home.

___

Lindsay reported from Watertown, Mass. Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed, Bridget Murphy and Katie Zezima in Boston contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/boston-beyond-thanks-jubilation-080556734.html

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GE 1Q earnings rise on NBC sale; Europe drags

NEW YORK (AP) ? General Electric's first quarter results were dragged down by deteriorating economic conditions in Europe, highlighting the danger that the region's struggles still pose to the global economy.

GE CEO Jeff Immelt said he expected results in Europe to be bad in the quarter ? and they were worse. Revenue from the region fell 17 percent compared with last year.

"We planned for Europe to be similar to 2012, down again, but it was even weaker than we expected," Immelt said in a call with investors.

While GE's results were roughly what analysts expected and Immelt said the company remained on track to meet its financial goals for the year, his gloomy comments about Europe and the weak performance of the company's core industrial operations sent GE shares tumbling.

GE shares dropped 92 cents, or 4 percent, to close at $21.75 Friday.

This even though the company's earnings rose in the first quarter, helped by the sale of NBC Universal and increased profit from selling aircraft engines and transportation equipment. GE reported net income of $3.5 billion, or 34 cents per share, on revenue of $35 billion. During last year's first quarter, GE earned $3 billion, or 29 cents per share, on $35.2 billion in revenue.

Adjusted to reflect earnings only from continuing operations, GE earned 35 cents per share. That matches what analysts surveyed by FactSet expected. The analysts expected slightly lower revenue of $34.5 billion.

But sales from the company's core industrial equipment and services divisions ? the divisions GE are counting on to deliver growth ? fell 6 percent, and profit fell 11 percent.

Immelt said he thought the first half of this year would be difficult, but some customers delayed purchases and revenue came in about $200 million lower than he had hoped. He expects those customers to come back later in the year, and help improve the company's performance.

That's not what investors wanted to hear. "Investors want to see results now," said Christian Mayes, an analyst at Edward Jones. "They don't like the whole 'wait for the second half of the year' approach."

Europe's struggles hit GE's sales of power generation and water treatment equipment especially hard. Revenue for that division fell 26 percent in the quarter, and profit fell 39 percent.

Profits in the oil and gas segment and GE's tiny energy management division also slipped in the quarter, offsetting profit gains in aviation, healthcare, transportation and home and business appliances.

"It's a big company and it takes a lot to get it firing on all cylinders," Mayes said.

The company's sale of NBC added earnings of 8 cents per share, while profit rose 9 percent at GE Capital, the company's finance arm.

GE is in the midst of shaping itself into a more focused conglomerate that sells and services industrial equipment and appliances. It is shedding divisions such as NBC Universal and shrinking its banking operations. GE sold its 49 percent of NBC Universal to Comcast for $16.7 billion in the first quarter. Earlier this month, GE announced an agreement to buy the oilfield equipment maker Lufkin Industries Inc. for $3.1 billion, as part of a push to grow its oil and gas equipment division.

Orders for oil and gas equipment rose 24 percent in the first quarter. Orders for aviation equipment, powered by a new jet aircraft engine, rose 47 percent.

But GE is not expecting any growth this year from two divisions that make up half the company's revenue ? power and water and GE Capital. That will make growing the company as a whole difficult.

Immelt said in order to hit the company's profit targets for the year, it will have to aggressively cut costs throughout the year.

Jonathan Fahey can be reached at http://twitter.com/JonathanFahey .

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ge-1q-earnings-rise-nbc-sale-europe-drags-121216833--finance.html

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Third Early Bird Drawing Deadline is April 26 for trips or cash in the ...

The third early bird drawing for the Chicago Dream House Raffle could be the opportunity for cash or the choice of a trip to an exciting destination for one lucky winner.?Those who purchase their $150 tickets before April 26 will be included in the third early bird drawing for $5000 in cash or winners? choice of a trip to Costa Rica, or Quebec City, Montreal and Toronto. Additionally, all ticketholders will be eligible to win the grand prize, an exquisite $2.45 million Gold Coast dream home or $1.5 million in cash and all subsequent drawings, in the Chicago Dream House Raffle to benefit The Hope Institute for Children and Families. Individuals can purchase their tickets for a chance at the dream house, along with 1200 other prizes, including cars, vacations and jewelry at www.chicagoraffle.com. ?The early bird drawing will take place on May 8.

All proceeds for the raffle will help The Hope Institute for Children and Families provide educational, residential and health care services to more than 23,000 Illinois children with developmental disabilities, including Autism Spectrum Disorders and their families each year.

The deadline for the grand prize drawing for the Chicago Dream House Raffle is set for May 24. Entrants have a chance to win a beautiful $2.45 million dream home or $1.5 million cash. The grand prize Dream House is a luxurious 3,900-square-foot custom home located in the Gold Coast in downtown Chicago. The three-bedroom home includes four and one-half baths, a 2,600- square-foot private terrace with panoramic city views, a gourmet chef?s kitchen featuring a 250- bottle wine fridge, two family rooms, two guest suites and a private gym.? For photos and descriptions of the Dream House, go to: http://www.chicagoraffle.com/Photos.aspx.

The Hope Institute will sell up to 50,000 tickets for the Dream House Raffle.?? As
incentive to purchase tickets early, the raffle includes cash prizes of up to
$25,000 in each of three early bird drawings for tickets purchased before the
deadlines of March 1, March 29 and April 26. Other early bird prizes include
the winner?s choice of a Mini Cooper, Toyota Prius or a Ford Mustang and trips
to Prague, Czech Republic; Vienna, Austria; Maui, Hawaii; Jamaica and more.? The grand prize drawing will be held on June 9. ?For a complete list of prizes go to http://www.chicagoraffle.com.

Any individual who buys three or more tickets is automatically entered into a multi-ticket drawing for a chance to win a 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLK 350 Roadster or $50,000 cash. Multiple tickets purchased at the same time are eligible for discounts. If ticketholders refer a friend to purchase a ticket, they will be included in the Refer-a-Friend drawing and given the chance to win $15,000 cash or a Smart Car.

To enter the Raffle, call 1-800-697-7734 or go to www.ChicagoRaffle.com and register online. Forms can be mailed to The Hope Institute at 15 East Hazel Dell Lane, Springfield, IL 62712. Entrants may also print online ticket forms and fax them to 312-254-5013. Ticket purchasers must be 18 years or older, have US residency and meet other requirements in the Rules and Regulations as specified on http://www.chicagoraffle.com/Rules.aspx.

The Chicago Dream House Raffle sponsors include Chicago?s ABC 7, Comcast, Kinzie Chophouse, Boka Restaurant Group, Chicago Blackhawks Charities, O?Brien?s Restaurant, Pearson Corporation and Ethan Allen.

About the Hope Institute for Children and Families:

Since 1957, The Hope Institute has provided living, learning and health care services to children with multiple developmental and physical disabilities from across Illinois. For more information, go to http://www.thehopeinstitute.us/ or
call (217) 585-KIDS.

Source: http://deerfield.patch.com/blog_posts/third-early-bird-drawing-deadline-is-april-26-for-trips-or-cash-in-the-chicago-dream-house-raffle-36de201d

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NASA's Hubble sees a horsehead of a different color

Apr. 19, 2013 ? Astronomers have used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to photograph the iconic Horsehead Nebula in a new, infrared light to mark the 23rd anniversary of the famous observatory's launch aboard the space shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990.

Looking like an apparition rising from whitecaps of interstellar foam, the iconic Horsehead Nebula has graced astronomy books ever since its discovery more than a century ago. The nebula is a favorite target for amateur and professional astronomers. It is shadowy in optical light. It appears transparent and ethereal when seen at infrared wavelengths. The rich tapestry of the Horsehead Nebula pops out against the backdrop of Milky Way stars and distant galaxies that easily are visible in infrared light.

Hubble has been producing ground-breaking science for two decades. During that time, it has benefited from a slew of upgrades from space shuttle missions, including the 2009 addition of a new imaging workhorse, the high-resolution Wide Field Camera 3 that took the new portrait of the Horsehead.

The nebula is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud, located about 1,500 light-years away in the constellation Orion. The cloud also contains other well-known objects such as the Great Orion Nebula (M42), the Flame Nebula, and Barnard's Loop. It is one of the nearest and most easily photographed regions in which massive stars are being formed.

In the Hubble image, the backlit wisps along the Horsehead's upper ridge are being illuminated by Sigma Orionis, a young five-star system just out of view. Along the nebula's top ridge, two fledgling stars peek out from their now-exposed nurseries.

Scientists know a harsh ultraviolet glare from one of these bright stars is slowly evaporating the nebula. Gas clouds surrounding the Horsehead already have dissipated, but the tip of the jutting pillar contains a slightly higher density of hydrogen and helium, laced with dust. This casts a shadow that protects material behind it from being stripped away by intense stellar radiation evaporating the hydrogen cloud, and a pillar structure forms.

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Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/yHUe7y14tJM/130419094139.htm

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Prospective jurors voice anti-Jackson opinions

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Lawyers in the wrongful death lawsuit brought by Michael Jackson's mother began using challenges to reject prospective jurors Friday but were confronted with a new set of panelists who had strong opinions critical of the superstar singer.

The search was to continue Monday for jurors who could be impartial toward Jackson and AEG, the company that promoted Jackson's ill-fated "This is It" concert.

No sooner had the attorneys excused two panelists for bias and used five of their 16 peremptory challenges to remove others without stating a cause than they were confronted with new problems.

One man said he had formed a strong opinion that Jackson was responsible for his own death.

"He was a weird person, too eccentric," he said when asked his opinion of Jackson as a person.

The jury candidate, an attorney, said he had heard that Jackson took strong narcotics to sleep.

"So you had a strong opinion that Michael Jackson caused his own death by taking strong narcotics?" asked Mrs. Jackson's attorney, Brian Panish.

"Yes," said the man. "...That's my opinion, not the facts, based on what I heard." He said he learned most of what he knew about the case from the Internet.

"I don't think I could be impartial," he said.

Another prospective juror who is the son of a doctor said he had a strong bias against Jackson and thought that Dr. Conrad Murray was not at fault in the superstar's death. He said he knew that Murray had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving Jackson an overdose of the anesthetic propofol.

"I don't believe Dr. Murray did anything wrong," said the man. "People take prescription drugs on their own. There may be some responsibility by Michael Jackson himself."

The man said he is also biased against people who seek large monetary awards in lawsuits involving doctors. He said his late father was an orthopedic surgeon and told him about the pitfalls of malpractice claims against physicians.

Mrs. Jackson's lawsuit claims AEG hired Dr. Conrad Murray as Jackson's physician without checking his credentials. Murray was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death of the superstar.

Attorneys said outside court that the jury selection process could stretch through next week.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-04-19-Jackson-Concert%20Promoter%20Suit/id-7c40d379b63040ce8844efa55da8dd55

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MTV cancels 'BUCKWILD' after W.Va. star's death

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) ? MTV said Wednesday it is canceling its West Virginia-based reality TV show "BUCKWILD" a week after the accidental death of 21-year-old star Shain Gandee.

Network spokesman Jake Urbanski confirmed the news, saying it was "not an easy decision."

"But given Shain's tragic passing and essential presence on the show, we felt it was not appropriate to continue without him," the network said. "Instead, we are working on a meaningful way to pay tribute to his memory on our air and privately."

On Sunday, MTV will air a special, "BUCKWILD: WV to the NYC," which was shot before second-season filming had begun. The network said Shain's parents, Dale and Loretta Gandee, support the move.

Gandee and two others were found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning on April 1. Gandee's SUV was stuck in a mud pit near his home in Sissonville, its tail pipe submerged. That could have allowed the invisible gas to fill the vehicle's cabin.

Gandee, his 48-year-old uncle, David Gandee, and 27-year-old friend Donald Robert Myers had last been seen leaving a bar at 3 a.m. March 31. Friends and family searched all day for them, and authorities issued a missing-persons report the following day.

The Gandees were buried Sunday after a joint memorial service in Charleston that drew hundreds of friends, family and fans. Cameras were not allowed inside the Charleston Municipal Auditorium or at the private family burial in Thaxton Cemetery.

Shain Gandee, nicknamed "Gandee Candy" by fans, was a breakout star of the show that followed the antics of young friends enjoying their wild country lifestyle. Season one was filmed last year, mostly around Sissonville and Charleston.

Gandee favored four-wheelers, pickups and SUVs over cellphones and computers, and "mudding," or off-road driving, was one of his favorite pastimes. It was no coincidence some mourners arrived in mud-splattered trucks.

Shooting was underway on season two at the time of Gandee's death, but MTV said film crews were not with him over Easter weekend and hadn't filmed him since earlier that week.

MTV said the half-hour series in the old "Jersey Shore" time slot was pulling in an average of 3 million viewers per episode since its premiere and was the No. 1 original cable series on Thursday nights among 12- to 34-year-olds.

But many fans, including some at Gandee's funeral, said the show just wouldn't have been the same without him.

The network issued a statement from Loretta and Dale Gandee, thanking fans for their thoughts and prayers.

"We have truly felt all the love and know that Shain is resting peacefully," they said. "Shain was an incredible, outgoing and positive person who was loved by whoever he met. We are honored that we were able to let the world see what a wonderful son we had."

Shain Gandee was the third BUCKWILD cast member to make unwanted headlines.

Last month, 24-year-old Salwa Amin was sent back to jail for violating the terms of her bond following a February arrest on drug charges. She is facing two counts of drug possession with intent to deliver and remained behind bars without bond on Wednesday.

State Police say a multi-agency task force arrested Amin and two other people at a Summersville residence after receiving a tip from an informant. A search found oxycodone pills, heroin and $3,000 in cash.

Another cast mate, Michael Douglas Burford, was charged in February with driving under the influence.

Some detractors, including U.S. Sen. and former West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, had publicly worried about the show and its cast before the first episode aired.

Manchin asked MTV to cancel the show, telling the network's president that it would profit from the "poor decisions of our youth" and that it played to ugly, inaccurate stereotypes about the people of West Virginia.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mtv-cancels-buckwild-w-va-stars-death-151321583.html

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Malawian government harshly criticizes Madonna

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) ? The Malawi government issued an angry attack on the pop diva Madonna Wednesday, alleging she expected to be granted VIP treatment during her controversial tour to this southern African country last week.

A strongly-worded statement issued Wednesday by the president's office, State House, in the capital, Lilongwe, accused Madonna of using her fame and money to press the government of Malawi to give her VIP treatment.

"Granted, Madonna is a famed international musician. But that does not impose an injunction of obligation on any government under whose territory Madonna finds herself, including Malawi, to give her state treatment. Such treatment, even if she deserved it, is discretionary not obligatory," said the statement, signed by State House Press Officer Tusekele Mwanyongo, apparently referring to the singer's annoyance at being stripped of her VIP status on departure from Malawi last Saturday.

Madonna, who has had VIP treatment during her previous visits ? including when she jetted into the country on April 1 ? was apparently surprised when she and her travelling party had to line up with ordinary passengers and be frisked by airport security.

"There was a directive that Miss Louise Ciccone, travelling on an American passport, and her children Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, Rocco Ritchie, Mercy James, David Banda Ciccone Ritchie should use the ordinary passenger terminal on their way to their jet," said the aviation official who refused to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

President Joyce Banda was reportedly angered by Madonna's claims that she has built 10 schools in Malawi.

"Where are the 10 schools she has built? She is just building school blocks at already existing schools. In some cases she just renovated an already existing block. This is an insult to the people of Malawi. She can't be lying to the world at our expense," said an angry Banda last week, in widely quoted remarks.

The Wednesday statement also accused Madonna of holding Malawi to ransom.

"Granted, Madonna has adopted two children from Malawi. According to the record, this gesture was humanitarian and of her accord. It, therefore, comes across as strange and depressing that for a humanitarian act, prompted only by her, Madonna wants Malawi to be forever chained to the obligation of gratitude. Kindness, as far as its ordinary meaning is concerned, is free and anonymous. If it can't be free and silent, it is not kindness; it is something else. Blackmail is the closest it becomes," reads the statement.

The statement said Malawi has played host to other international stars like Chuck Norris, Bono, David James, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville "who have never demanded state attention or decorum despite their equally dazzling stature."

The statement dismissed Madonna's claims that Banda is mad because her younger sister, Anjimile Mtila-Oponyo was fired as the CEO for Madonna's charity, Raising Malawi.

But Trevor Neilson, whose Global Philanthropy Group that is managing Madonna's projects in Malawi, repeated those claims, in an e-mail interview with The Associated Press.

"The President of Malawi appears to be using her office to pursue the financial interests of her family," he said.

When Banda became president following the death last April of her predecessor, President Bingu wa Mutharika, she made Mtila-Oponyo Secretary for Education. Neilson claims Mtila-Oponyo used her new position to get back at Madonna's charity.

"Immediately Oponyo began to use that office to pursue her grudge against Raising Malawi, first by harassing organizations that Raising Malawi has donated to and then by having the Education Ministry (that she helps lead) claim that (it built) the 10 schools that BuildOn built with Raising Malawi funding," he said.

Mtila-Oponyo is currently in Europe on official duties but in an earlier interview she refused to comment on these allegations.

This has been Madonna's most controversial tour to Malawi since she first visited the southern African country in 2006.

Despite the new furor, Madonna seemed unfazed.

"My reasons for being here have never changed, I am here because I care deeply about the children of Malawi, that is my main priority," said Madonna last week at the end of her trip. "So regardless of the challenges, the ups and the downs, I learned a lot for the last seven years. I have not forgotten my commitment to the children, to the orphans ... specifically to the children of Malawi. I will continue supporting Malawian children."

She came along with her two adopted Malawian children, David Banda and Mercy James, both eight, and her children Lourdes, 14, and Rocco, 12.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/malawian-government-harshly-criticizes-madonna-190009063.html

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Your best shot: Fairport and Perinton are the focus of this submitted gallery (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, News Feeds and News via Feedzilla.

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Berlin's airport project delays shame Germans

BERLIN (AP) ? Rabbits scamper over quiet runways. Only the call of a crow disturbs the silence around a gleaming, empty terminal that should be humming with the din of thousands of passengers.

Willy Brandt International Airport, named for Germany's famed Cold War leader, was supposed to have been up and running in late 2011, a sign of Berlin's transformation from Cold War confrontation line to world class capital of Europe's economic powerhouse. Instead it has become a symbol of how, even for this technological titan, things can go horribly wrong.

After four publicly announced delays, officials acknowledged the airport won't be ready by the latest target: October 2013. To spare themselves further embarrassment, officials have refused to set a new opening date.

The saga of Berlin's new airport has turned into a national joke and a source of humiliation for a people renowned for being on time. Yet it is just the highest profile in a string of big-ticket projects ? including a concert hall in Hamburg, railway tunnels in Munich and Leipzig, a subway line in Cologne and a Stuttgart underground train station ? that have been plagued by huge cost overruns and delays.

The airport fiasco presents a staggering picture of incompetence.

German media have tracked down a list of tens of thousands of technical problems. Among them: Officials can't even figure out how to turn the lights off. Thousands of light bulbs illuminate the gigantic main terminal and unused parking lots around the clock, a massive energy and cost drain that appears to be the result of a computer system that's so sophisticated it's almost impossible to operate.

Every day, an empty commuter train rolls to the unfinished airport over an eight-kilometer-long (five-mile) stretch to keep the newly-laid tracks from getting rusty, another example of gross inefficiency. Meanwhile, hundreds of freshly planted trees had to be chopped down because a company delivered the wrong type of linden trees; several escalators need to be rebuilt because they were too short; and dozen of tiles were already broken before a single airport passenger ever stepped on them.

The airport itself points to problems with the fire safety system as the immediate cause of the delays: The fire safety system incorporates some 75,000 sprinklers, but computer programming glitches mean it's not clear whether all of these sprinklers would spray enough water during a fire. And the system's underground vent system, designed to suck away smoke, isn't working. Here, again, technology's getting in the way: It's so advanced that technicians can't figure out what's wrong with it.

Critics say that the difficulties with handling today's complex technology have been compounded by hasty, negligent work due to the intense time pressures.

Underlying these problems appears to be a culture of political dishonesty.

"Many politicians want prestigious large-scale projects to be inseparably connected with their names," said Sebastian Panknin, a financial expert with the Taxpayer's Association Germany. "To get these expensive projects started, they artificially calculate down the real costs to get permission from parliament or other committees in charge."

In addition to that, politicians at the city, state and federal levels then often come with extra demands once construction is underway, which leads to expensive modifications. In the case of the Berlin airport, said Pankin, there were about 300 ad hoc change requests by politicians which created an explosion of costs and several delays ? among them a last-minute wish to expand the terminal to include a shopping mall.

"The airport is a classic example of the incompetence of our politicians," said Sven Fandrich, a 28-year-old Berliner who works for an insurance company. "We've seen this happen with many big infrastructure projects in Germany. Nobody feels responsible. The politicians are more concerned about winning the next elections than devoting their service to the people."

Hamburg's concert hall was to have opened by 2010. Instead it's nowhere near complete and costs have more than doubled to 575 million euros. It's now due to open in 2016.

Construction on Cologne's North-South subway line began in 2004. After cost overruns and a collapse that killed two people in 2009, officials say the entire line may not be open until 2019. Costs have soared from 780 million to 1.08 billion euros.

In Leipzig, the city tunnel for commuter trains was expected to open in 2009. Construction is still not finished, and costs have jumped from 572 million to 960 million euros.

Of all the bungled projects, the Berlin airport is the biggest embarrassment.

The initial plan foresaw building a stately airport that would be financed by private investors and replace the city's two Cold War airports ? Tegel in former West Berlin and Schoenefeld in what was the communist east.

After a series of disputes with private investors, the city, state and federal governments eventually took over the airport project. In 2006, costs were estimated at 2 billion euros, but after four delays, the figure spiked to 4.4 billion euros.

Companies like Air Berlin, Germany's second biggest carrier, have been severely affected by the delays and are suing for lost revenues. Small businesses like coffee shops, restaurants, retail stores or bus operators ? who had already hired staff and invested in new stores at the airport ? are facing bankruptcy.

Twitter users asked the mayor to "please open this gate," playing off President Ronald Reagan's famous 1987 appeal to Moscow to "tear down" the Berlin Wall.

And by the time the airport finally opens, it may face a new headache.

Some aviation experts are warning that by its inauguration date, the airport will already be too small to handle the rising number of passengers. The nearly 3.9 million square foot (360,000 square meter) airport complex was designed to handle 27 million passengers. But the existing two city airports handled 25 million passengers last year ? and the city keeps attracting more visitors every year.

"The airport is too expensive, too small and too much behind time," said aviation expert Dieter Faulenbach da Costa, who recently caused a stir when he proposed that the airport ought to be torn down.

In an effort to salvage the mess, Hartmut Mehdorn, the hardnosed former boss of the German railway system with a reputation for turning around failing corporations, was named chief executive of the airport in early March.

"The whole world says: it's not possible at all," Mehdorn said when he took over. "I say: It should be possible.

"I just don't know how yet."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/berlins-airport-project-delays-shame-germans-093036692--finance.html

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MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice | How Can I ...

Last week I received the following question from a Minter regarding the possibility of reducing credit card offers.

?John, is there any truth to the rumor that I can stop getting credit card offers in the mail by going through a process called opting out? I?ve also heard it can improve my credit scores if I am opted out.?

The answer to the first question is yes. The Fair Credit Reporting Act confers upon us a variety of credit report-related rights including free copies, the right to challenge errors, and yes, the right to have our names removed from credit card mailing lists.

OptOutPrescreen

The credit reporting industry is required to provide a centralized source where consumers could opt out of receiving preapproved credit card offers.

That central source is the website www.optoutprescreen.com. This site is legitimate and there is no fee to use its services, so you can leave your credit card in your wallet.

The opt out process allows you to have your name excluded from any list created by a credit reporting agency, which is to be used by a credit card issuer for the purposes of making what?s referred to as a ?firm offer of credit.?

These lists are the result of the credit card issuer asking the credit bureaus to weed out certain names that are too risky.

As such, a credit report and credit score review is performed and the names that end up on these lists are called ?pre-approved? because they?ve already passed the credit card issuers lending criteria.

If you receive offers from credit card issuers with language promising interest rates ?as low as? 0% or credit limits ?as high as? $25,000, it?s likely that the reason you received those types of offers is because your name ended up on one of those lists.

By opting out you ensure that your name will no longer be included.?You can opt out for five years or you can opt out permanently, it?s up to you.

And, if you ever change your mind, you can opt back in.

Credit Score Improvement Myth

There is a common myth floating around the world of credit scoring that by opting out you will increase your credit scores. This is absolutely not true. There is no credit score benefit to opting out.

Now that you?ve heard it from me?let?s see what the two prominent credit score development companies say about the subject?

I posed the same question to both FICO, inventors of the FICO credit scoring system, and VantageScore Solutions, inventor of the VantageScore credit score.

The question was, ?Does your scoring model consider whether or not the consumer has opted out from receiving pre-approved credit card offers when calculating the consumer?s credit score?

According to Anthony Sprauve, FICO?s Director of Public Relations, the answer is, ?No.?

According to Sarah Davies, VantageScore Solutions? Senior Vice President of Product Management, Analytics and Research, the answer is, ?Opting out of pre-approved credit card offers will have no bearing on a VantageScore credit score. The model simply doesn?t factor that information.?

The only change opting out will have on your credit reports is a reduction in the number of soft inquiries.

When your name is included on a risk-screened list sold by a credit bureau to a credit card issuer, a soft inquiry must be posted on your credit report by that credit card issuer.

They will show up in a section normally called ?Inquiries only shared with you? or ?Promotional inquiries.?

Soft inquiries have no impact on your credit scores whatsoever. You could have 50 of them or 500 of them and it?s immaterial.

And, lenders don?t see soft inquiries if they were to pull your credit reports. Only you, the consumer, sees those inquiries.

John Ulzheimer?is the President of Consumer Education at?SmartCredit.com, the credit blogger for?Mint.com, and a contributor for the?National Foundation for Credit Counseling.? He is an expert on credit reporting, credit scoring and identity theft. Formerly of FICO, Equifax and Credit.com, John is the only recognized credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry. The opinions expressed in his articles are his and not of Mint.com or Intuit.?Follow John on Twitter.

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Source: http://www.mint.com/blog/credit/how-can-i-reduce-the-number-of-credit-card-offers-i-receive-in-the-mail-0413/

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Report: Virgin America best US airline in 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Virgin America did the best job for its customers among leading U.S. airlines last year, a report said Monday, as carriers overall had their second best performance in the more than the two decades since researchers began measuring quality of service.

The report ranked the 14 largest U.S. airlines based on on-time arrivals, mishandled bags, consumer complaints and passengers who bought tickets but were turned away because flights were over booked.

Airline performance in 2012 was the second highest in the 23 years that Wichita State University in Kansas and the University of Nebraska at Omaha have tracked the performance of airlines. The airline's best year was 2011.

Besides being the overall leader, Virgin America, headquartered in Burlingame, Calif., also did the best job on baggage handling and had the second-lowest rate of passengers denied seats due to overbookings. United Airlines, whose consumer complaint rate nearly doubled last year, had the worst performance. United has merged with Continental Airlines, but has had rough spots in integrating the operations of the two carriers.

This is the first year Virgin America, created in 2007, has been large enough to be included in the rankings. United carries roughly 18 times more passengers than Virgin America, and has 702 planes, compared to 52 for the smaller carrier.

The number of complaints consumers filed with the Department of Transportation overall surged by one-fifth last year to 11,445 complaints, up from 9,414 in 2011.

"Over the 20-some year history we've looked at it, this is still the best time of airline performance we've ever seen," said Dean Headley, a business professor at Wichita State University in Kansas, who has co-written the annual report. The best year was 2011, which was only slightly better than last year, he said.

Despite those improvements, it's not surprising that passengers are getting grumpier, Headley said. Carriers keep shrinking the size of seats in order to stuff more people into planes. Empty middle seats that might provide a little more room have vanished. And more people who have bought tickets are being turned away because flights are overbooked.

"The way airlines have taken 130-seat airplanes and expanded them to 150 seats to squeeze out more revenue, I think, is finally catching up with them," he said. "People are saying, 'Look, I don't fit here. Do something about this.' At some point airlines can't keep shrinking seats to put more people into the same tube," he said.

The industry is even looking at ways to make today's smaller-than-a-broom closet toilets more compact in the hope of squeezing a few more seats onto planes.

"I can't imagine the uproar that making toilets smaller might generate," Headley said, especially given that passengers increasingly weigh more than they use to. Nevertheless, "will it keep them from flying? I doubt it would."

The rate of complaints per 100,000 passengers also rose to 1.43 last year from 1.19 in 2011.

United's 2012 ranking doesn't reflect its experience over the past six months, in which the airline has made significant improvements in performance, company spokesman Rahsaan Johnson said

"Customer satisfaction is up, complaints are down dramatically and we are improving our customers' experience," he said in an email.

In recent years, some airlines have shifted to larger planes that can carry more people, but that hasn't been enough to make up for an overall reduction in flights.

The rate at which passengers with tickets were denied seats because planes were full rose to 0.97 denials per 10,000 passengers last year, compared with 0.78 in 2011.

It used to be in cases of overbookings that airlines usually could find a passenger who would volunteer to give up a seat in exchange for cash, a free ticket or some other compensation with the expectation of catching another flight later that day or the next morning. Not anymore.

"Since flights are so full, there are no seats on those next flights. So people say, 'No, not for $500, not for $1,000,' " said airline industry analyst Robert W. Mann Jr.

Regional carrier SkyWest had the highest involuntary denied-boardings rate last year, 2.32 per 10,000 passengers.

But not every airline overbooks flights in an effort to keep seats full. JetBlue and Virgin America were the industry leaders in avoiding denied boardings, with rates of 0.01 and 0.07, respectively.

United Airlines' consumer complaint rate was 4.24 complaints per 100,000 passengers. Southwest had the lowest rate, at 0.25. Southwest was among five airlines that lowered complaint rates last year compared to 2011. The others were American Eagle, Delta, JetBlue and US Airways.

Consumer complaints were significantly higher in the peak summer travel months of June, July and August when planes are especially crowded.

"As airplanes get fuller, complaints get higher because people just don't like to be sardines," Mann said.

The complaints are regarded as indicators of a larger problem because many passengers may not realize they can file complaints with the Transportation Department, which regulates airlines.

At the same time that complaints were increasing, airlines were doing a better job of getting passengers to their destinations on time.

The industry average for on-time arrival rates was 81.8 percent of flights, compared with 80 percent in 2011. Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance record, 93.4 percent in 2012. ExpressJet and American Airlines had the worst records with only 76.9 percent of their planes arriving on time last year.

The industry's on-time performance has improved in recent years, partly due to airlines' decision to cut back on the number of flights.

"We've shown over the 20 years of doing this that whenever the system isn't taxed as much ? fewer flights, fewer people, less bags ? it performs better. It's when it reaches a critical mass that it starts to fracture," Headley said.

Passengers appear to be checking fewer bags since the industry's shift in 2008 to charging for fees for extra bags, and carrying more bags onto planes when permitted, industry analysts said.

The industry's mishandled bag rate peaked in 2007 at 7.01 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers, and has since been declining. It was 3.07 in 2012, down from 3.35 bags the previous year.

The report's ratings are based on statistics kept by the department for airlines that carry at least 1 percent of the passengers who flew domestically last year.

___

AP Airlines Writer Joshua Freed contributed to this report from Minneapolis.

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-08-Airline%20Quality/id-335d05d7fb45406eaa3b1310e7a6f976

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