Business, banking and stock market news from Charlotte, N.C.

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Feds could rule on Progress-Duke utility merger as early as Friday

By John Murawski | E-mail | 6:43PM

The two power companies are bracing 29,000 employees for an imminent merger decision out of Washington that could upend their lives and transform the state’s business landscape by combining Duke Energy and Progress Energy into the nation’s largest electric utility.

H-P leads Dow to its fourth day of gains in May

By MATTHEW CRAFT | AP Business Writer | 5:04PM

Hewlett-Packard helped pull the Dow Jones industrial average to a slight gain Thursday, giving the index only its fourth gain this month.

US bank earnings rose this winter to 5-year high

By MARCY GORDON | AP Business Writer | 1:10PM

U.S. bank earnings rose in the first three months of the year to the highest level in nearly five years and the number of troubled banks fell for the fourth straight quarter.

Oil bounces back above $90 per barrel

By SANDY SHORE | AP Business Writer | 3:51PM

Oil bounced back Thursday, a day after falling below $90 per barrel for the first time in months.

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Swisher Hygiene faces bigger losses

By Andrew Dunn | E-mail | 7:24AM

Charlotte-based Swisher Hygiene Inc. is under scrutiny from inside and outside the company as the restroom-cleaning products and services firm determines how much to write off its financial statements.

NRC chair mindful of safety

By Bruce Henderson | E-mail | 7:20AM

The chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Wednesday gave a tentative thumbs-up to construction remedies applied to a S.C. nuclear plant whose license he opposed.

BofA reaches mobile milestone

By Andrew Dunn | E-mail | 3:52PM

Bank of America Corp. has surpassed 10 million mobile banking customers - while Wells Fargo rolls out mobile money-transfer service.

Man gets 50 years for $40 million Ponzi scheme

By Ely Portillo | E-mail | 7:59AM

A North Carolina man convicted of running the $40 million Black Diamond Ponzi scheme was sentenced Wednesday to 50 years in prison for what prosecutors called “the worst financial crime in this district in memory.”

Facebook scandal adds to Wall Street's worries

By CHRISTINA REXRODE and PALLAVI GOGOI | AP Business Writers | 7:21AM

Wall Street appears bent on convincing Main Street that the game is rigged.

More bosses use video interviews to hire new workers

By Walter Pacheco | Orlando Sentinel | 5:07PM

Tad Walgreen dressed in a suit and boasted to his Cisco Systems interviewer about his leadership qualities and passion for international business. But he’s not sure any of it made an impact.

Tree.com sets date for sale of Home Loan Center | 6:51PM
Career Almanac | 5:45PM
Women execs mentor Charlote students | 6:59PM
Plaza Midwood to get 53-unit apartment project | 6:02PM
Late rally erases steep losses on Wall Street | May 23, 2012
Briefly: Apple project gets state OK | May 23, 2012

More recent business news

Database: 2010 executive pay
The CEOs of the 50 largest publicly traded companies in North Carolina made a collective $254 million in fiscal 2010, up more than 25 percent from the year before.
- CEO pay on the rise

Bank Watch »

Tree.com sets date for home loan unit sale

After months of delay, Tree.com has set a date for the sale of its mortgage origination business ...