Evans Petree PC shareholder Elizabeth B. Stengel has been elected the first female president of the Tennessee Association of Construction Counsel, a not-for-profit professional association of Tennessee attorneys with practices related to the construction industry.

2. Treasury Seeks Changes in the Way US Handles Troubled Banks - Thursday, February 22, 2018

The Treasury has recommended retaining a divisive procedure for handling troubled financial institutions with some changes, rather than scrapping the program as many conservative lawmakers had wanted.

3. 5 Things: What Yellen's Fed Tenure Will Be Remembered For - Friday, February 2, 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) – When Janet Yellen leaves the Federal Reserve this weekend after four years as chair, her legacy will include having shattered a social barrier: She is the first woman to have led the world's most powerful central bank, a position that carries enormous sway over the global economy.

4. 3 Things: Yellen's Impact on the Fed and the US Economy - Monday, November 6, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) – After she steps down in February, Janet Yellen will go into history books at the first woman to have led the Federal Reserve in its 100-year history. But Yellen, who has earned widespread praise for her stewardship of the Fed, will be remembered for much more than breaking a glass ceiling at the world's leading central bank.

5. Halvorson Assumes New Role At Cumberland Trust - Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Independent corporate trust firm Cumberland Trust has promoted Rebecca M. Halvorson to senior vice president of business development and manager of regional markets. Halvorson, who joined Cumberland in 2010, is based in the company’s Memphis office.

6. Yellen Defends Bank Regulations Passed After 2008 Crisis - Monday, August 28, 2017

JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (AP) – Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Friday emphatically defended the web of regulations the Fed helped enact after the 2008 financial crisis, saying it helped restore the banking system's health and disputing criticism that the rules have hurt lending.

7. SBA Head Sees Businesses Held Back by Lack of Loans, Workers - Thursday, August 17, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) – Six months into her tenure as head of the Small Business Administration, Linda McMahon sees a split among small business owners – they are increasingly optimistic, she says, but many are held back by their inability to get loans or find the right workers for jobs that are staying open.

8. Wall Street's Goldman Sachs Moves Quietly Into Main Street - Wednesday, July 19, 2017

NEW YORK (AP) – More homeowner, less hedge fund titan. Goldman Sachs, long known for its super-rich clients and well-connected executives, is starting to act a lot more like a neighborhood bank.

9. US Appeals Court Holds Crisis Bailout of AIG Lawful - Wednesday, May 10, 2017

WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal appeals court has upheld as lawful the government's bailout of American International Group in the heat of the financial crisis. It overturned a lower-court decision favoring the insurance giant's former CEO.

10. NexAir Signs Lease for New HQ at Crosstown Concourse - Thursday, June 23, 2016

495 N. Watkins St.
Memphis, TN 38104
Details: Crosstown Concourse has signed another tenant. Memphis-based nexAir, one of the largest distributors of atmospheric gases and welding supplies in the U.S., will lease 33,000 square feet at the mixed-use tower.

11. Kroger Pulls Building Permit for Crosstown Fuel Center - Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Kroger has plans for a fuel center at 1411 Poplar Ave., across from its Crosstown supermarket.

The company has applied for a $500,001 building permit for construction of a fuel center, according to data from The Daily News Online, memphisdailynews.com.

12. Bernanke Defending Fed Actions to Battle Recession - Tuesday, October 6, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says the U.S. economy is outperforming Europe at the moment because the Fed moved more quickly and aggressively to fight the 2008 financial crisis than Europe did.

13. Midtown Momentum - Monday, April 27, 2015

Kroger Co., buoyed by the Crosstown Concourse development and increased investment in Midtown as a whole, has purchased properties associated with the long-dormant Washington Bottoms project at Poplar Avenue and Cleveland Street.

14. Transcripts Reveal Fed Confronting Chaotic Banking System - Thursday, March 5, 2015

WASHINGTON (AP) – Transcripts of Federal Reserve meetings in 2009 showed central bank officials struggling to contain the worst financial crisis in seven decades and searching for the right policies to halt a deepening economic downturn.

15. Knoxville-Area Real Estate Bouncing Back - Saturday, September 6, 2014

Knoxville’s housing market seems to be making steady gains after the setbacks of the Great Recession.

Doyle Webb, president of the Knoxville Area Association of Realtors and a Realtor with Realty Executives Associates, says the area’s housing market will continue to improve over the next five to 10 years and surpass its 2007 sales’ levels.

16. US Hiring Surges As Unemployment Falls to 6.1 Percent - Friday, July 4, 2014

U.S. employers accelerated their hiring last month, adding a robust 288,000 jobs and helping drive the unemployment rate to 6.1 percent, the lowest since September 2008.

It was the fifth straight monthly job gain above 200,000 – the best such stretch since the late 1990s tech boom. In the past 12 months, the economy has added nearly 2.5 million jobs – an average of 208,000 a month, the fastest year-over-year pace since 2006.

17. Yellen Signals More Aggressive Stance Toward Banks - Wednesday, April 16, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve may be about to turn more aggressive in its regulation of the financial system.

Fed Chair Janet Yellen suggested Tuesday that current regulatory rules might not be enough to prevent the kind of risk-taking that triggered the 2008 financial crisis and nearly toppled the entire banking system.

18. Transcripts Show Fed at Times Slow to Grasp Crisis - Monday, February 24, 2014

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve agonized in 2008 over how far to go to stop a financial crisis that threatened to cause a recession and at times struggled to recognize its speed and magnitude.

19. Council OKs Street Closures In Washington Bottoms - Saturday, January 25, 2014

The Memphis City Council approved Tuesday, Jan. 21, a set of six alley and street closures on parcels totaling 28 acres in the Poplar Avenue-Cleveland Street area. The area, once known as Washington Bottoms, was cleared of buildings in 2008 in anticipation of redevelopment by a Memphis division of WSG Development Co. of Miami Beach, Fla.

20. Council OKs Street Closures in Washington Bottoms - Thursday, January 23, 2014

The Memphis City Council approved Tuesday, Jan. 21, a set of six alley and street closures on parcels totaling 28 acres in the Poplar Avenue-Cleveland Street area. The area, once known as Washington Bottoms, was cleared of buildings in 2008 in anticipation of redevelopment by a Memphis division of WSG Development Co. of Miami Beach, Fla.

21. Council Gets Overview of Public Safety Spending - Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Memphis City Council members got a first and at times conflicting look Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the hard decisions they could make about city spending on public safety.

Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. walked the council through some ideas for cuts in city spending beyond larger changes in city retirement and health benefits. Those obligations are the “cornerstone” of the efforts to get the city’s financial house in order, said city Chief Administrative Officer George Little.

22. Plans in Works for Dormant Midtown Project - Monday, January 6, 2014

City officials are working on plans to kick-start the dormant Washington Bottoms project at Poplar Avenue and Cleveland Street in Midtown.

Memphis Housing and Community Development director Robert Lipscomb confirmed that he is working on the effort but said he was not yet able to release detailed information on the project.

23. Other Shoe Drops in Troubled City Hall Finances - Monday, September 16, 2013

Concerns about the long-term financial health of Memphis city government that subsided in June go back to the front political burner at City Hall this week.

The administration of Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. has a report on the city’s pension plan from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP of Atlanta that concludes the city’s pension plan for city employees is unsustainable and “has continued to deteriorate.”

24. Jamesbridge Apartments Sell for $3.6 Million - Tuesday, June 25, 2013

3689 James Road Memphis, TN 38128

Sale Amount: $3.6 million

Sale Date: June 6, 2013

25. Jamesbridge Apartments Sell for $3.6 Million - Wednesday, June 19, 2013

A California company has bought the 432-unit Jamesbridge Apartments at 3689 James Road in Raleigh for $3.6 million.

26. U of M Files Permit for New Residence - Tuesday, February 26, 2013

3615 Central Ave. Memphis, TN 38111

Permit Cost: $43.5 million

Project Cost: $53 million

27. Jamesbridge Apartments Sells for $7.2 Million in Foreclosure - Thursday, February 21, 2013

The 432-unit Jamesbridge apartments at 3689 James Road in Raleigh sold to a special servicer for $7.2 million after a foreclosure.

28. Transcripts Show Fed Underestimated Crisis in 2007 - Monday, January 21, 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal Reserve officials in 2007 underestimated the scope of the approaching financial crisis and how it would tip the U.S. economy into the worst recession since the Great Depression, transcripts of the Fed's policy meetings that year show.

29. Foreclosure Notice Filed on Jamesbridge Apartments - Monday, January 14, 2013

A first-run foreclosure notice has been filed against the owner of the 432-unit Jamesbridge apartments at 3689 James Road in Raleigh.

30. Southwind Homewood Suites Sells for $6.5 Million - Monday, December 31, 2012

3583 Hacks Cross Road Memphis, TN 38125

Sale Amount: $6.5 million

Sale Date: Nov. 2, 2012

31. Southwind Homewood Suites Sells for $6.5 Million - Thursday, December 27, 2012

The Homewood Suites by Hilton Southwind at 3583 Hacks Cross Road sold for $6.5 million in a successor trustee’s deed following a foreclosure.

32. Delta Blues Winery LLC Buys 15 Acres in Lakeland - Tuesday, December 18, 2012

6495 Stewart Road Lakeland, TN 38002
Sale Amount: $165,000

Sale Date: Dec. 10, 2012

33. Metro Connection - Monday, December 17, 2012

The Interstate 269 bypass loop is moving closer to completion as work continues on sections running through Collierville, Fayette County and into Mississippi.

Preliminary dirt work is under way to connect Tenn. 385 near the Collierville/Fayette County border to the Mississippi state line, and an eight-mile portion spanning from Poplar Avenue north to Macon Road will be complete by the end of next year.

34. Southwind Hampton Inn Sells for $5.6 Million - Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The Hampton Inn Memphis-Southwind hotel at 3579 Hacks Cross Road sold for $5.6 million in a successor trustee’s deed following a foreclosure.

35. Southwind Homewood Suites Facing Foreclosure - Thursday, October 11, 2012

Homewood Suites by Hilton Southwind-Hacks Cross is facing foreclosure after its ownership group defaulted on a $10 million loan from Lehman Brothers Bank, according to a first-run foreclosure notice in Thursday’s Daily News.

36. Bank of America to Pay $2.43 Billion in Settlement - Monday, October 1, 2012

Bank of America says it has agreed to pay $2.43 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit related to its acquisition of Merrill Lynch at the height of the financial crisis.

In the lawsuit, shareholders alleged that Bank of America and some of its officers made false or misleading statements about both companies’ financial health.

37. Hampton Inn Southwind in Foreclosure - Monday, September 17, 2012

The Hampton Inn Memphis-Southwind hotel, 3579 Hacks Cross Road, is in foreclosure after its Memphis-based ownership group defaulted on an $11.5 million loan.

38. The Least Loved Day is Also the Market's Worst - Monday, August 20, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – It's not just in your head. Mondays really are the worst.

Monday is the only day the stock market is more likely to fall than to rise. The Dow Jones industrial average has been down 10 of the past 11 Mondays. And the two worst days in market history are both known as Black Monday.

39. US Economic Recovery is Weakest Since World War II - Thursday, August 16, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The recession that ended three years ago this summer has been followed by the feeblest economic recovery since the Great Depression.

Since World War II, 10 U.S. recessions have been followed by a recovery that lasted at least three years. An Associated Press analysis shows that by just about any measure, the one that began in June 2009 is the weakest.

40. NY-Based Retail Owner Defaults on $25.6M Loan - Friday, June 8, 2012

Four retail properties across six parcels in Collierville and Cordova owned by affiliates of New York-based Nightingale Properties are in default and facing foreclosure.

A first-run foreclosure notice has been filed for three retail properties in Collierville and one in Cordova after borrowers defaulted on a $25.6 million loan secured by the properties. The properties are scheduled for sale Friday, June 29, at noon by substitute trustee Robert F. Tom.

41. Bank of America, Barclays Sell Archstone Stake - Monday, May 28, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Bank of America Corp. and Barclays Bank PLC are selling their stake in the apartment building owner Archstone to Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.'s bankruptcy estate for $1.58 billion.

42. 2012 Grads Enter Better Market - Tuesday, May 15, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – The class of 2012 is leaving college with something that many graduates since the start of the Great Recession have lacked: jobs.

To the relief of graduating seniors – and their anxious parents – the outlook is brighter than it has been in four years. Campus job fairs were packed this spring and more companies are hiring. Students aren’t just finding good opportunities, some are weighing multiple offers.

43. FDIC Head Outlines Strategy for Seizing Banks - Friday, May 11, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – Regulators plan to employ a strategy for handling big failing banks that would help stabilize the financial system by preserving the banks' healthy operations, the head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. says.

44. Worldly View - Monday, March 12, 2012

Ron Paul would feel right at home in the Economic Club of Memphis audience next week.

Duke University professor Bruce Caldwell will speak to the club Thursday, March 15, to make a presentation titled “Some (mostly) Austrian insights for these trying times.” That’s Austrian, as in the Austrian school of economic thought represented by a particular brand of deficit hawkishness, bailout-ballyhooing and bristling against big government that Paul the perennial Republican presidential candidate loudly champions.

45. Lehman to Emerge From Bankruptcy and Wind Down - Wednesday, March 7, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) – Lehman Brothers, the investment bank that failed at the depths of the financial crisis, says it will sell the last of its assets starting in April.

Lehman said Tuesday it is emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which frees the company to sell its assets and distribute the cash to creditors. In effect, it means the failed bank is preparing to meet its end.

46. US Unemployment Applications Drop to a 4-Year Low - Friday, February 17, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of people seeking unemployment benefits in the U.S. fell to the lowest point in almost four years last week, the latest signal that the job market is steadily improving.

47. Turning Point - Monday, February 13, 2012

In World War II, it was the beaches of Normandy. During the Great Recession, it was the collapse of Lehman Brothers. In Shakespeare's “Hamlet,” it's the reaction of Claudius when he storms out of the play that Hamlet staged in an attempt to guess whether his uncle killed his father.

48. Foreclosure Notice Filed for C'ville, Cordova Sites - Friday, December 23, 2011

A first-run foreclosure notice has been filed for three retail properties in Collierville and one in Cordova after borrowers defaulted on a $25.6 million loan secured by the properties. The properties are scheduled for sale Jan. 13 by substitute trustees Nelwyn Inman and Robert F. Tom.

49. European Finan. Crisis Tops AP Picks of '11 Biz Stories - Thursday, December 22, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Europe took the financial world on a stomach-churning ride in 2011.

The rising threat of default by heavily indebted European countries spread fear across financial markets and weighed on economies worldwide. As the year came to a close, banks and investors nervously watched Europe's political and financial leaders scramble to prevent the 17-nation eurozone from breaking apart.

50. US Proposes New, Tougher Rules for Big Banks - Wednesday, December 21, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – The Federal Reserve on Tuesday said the largest U.S. banks and financial companies should hold extra cash on their balance sheets to cushion themselves against financial crises.

51. US Household Wealth Takes Biggest Hit Since 2008 - Friday, December 9, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – Americans' wealth last summer suffered its biggest quarterly loss in more than two years as stocks, pension funds and home values lost value.

At the same time, corporations raised their cash stockpiles to record levels.

52. Unemployment Applications Drop - Friday, November 18, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level since early April, a sign that layoffs are easing and hiring may pick up.

Weekly applications dropped by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 388,000, the Labor Department said Thursday, Nov. 17. It was the fourth decline in five weeks.

53. MF Global's Dive Shows Few Changes on Wall Street - Friday, November 11, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – After countless new rules designed to make Wall Street safer, it's come to this: Another securities firm has collapsed from risky, poorly disclosed bets.

Not enough, in other words, has changed since the U.S. financial system nearly toppled three years ago.

54. Stocks Surge on European Debt Deal, GDP Growth - Friday, October 28, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks soared Thursday after European leaders agreed on a deal to slash Greece's debt load and prevent the debt crisis there from engulfing larger countries like Italy. The Dow Jones industrial average surged 350 points and the Standard & Poor's 500 index is on track for its best monthly performance since 1974.

55. Verizon Strike Boosts Unemployment Aid Requests - Friday, August 26, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – Thousands of Verizon workers on strike pushed the number of people seeking unemployment benefits last week to its highest level in a month.

But excluding the work stoppage, layoffs appear to be stabilizing. That should help ease fears that the economy is on the verge of a recession.

56. Buffett Gives $5 Bln Vote of Confidence to BofA - Friday, August 26, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Warren Buffett is coming to the rescue of another fallen giant.

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. announced Thursday that it would invest $5 billion in Bank of America Corp., giving a much-needed vote of confidence to the beleaguered bank. The news sent the bank's stock soaring 9 percent.

57. Lehman Plan Receives Support From Major Creditors - Monday, July 4, 2011

NEW YORK (AP) – Lehman Brothers is getting broader support for its new bankruptcy plan.

The investment bank, which filed for bankruptcy at the height of the financial crisis in 2008, said Friday that creditors holding claims of $100 billion have approved its payment plan.

58. Research Analyst Joins Morgan Keegan - Friday, June 3, 2011

Michael Nemeroff has joined Morgan Keegan & Co. Inc. as a managing director and senior equity research analyst following the enterprise software industry.

59. Duo Helps Strengthen Colliers’ Retail Face - Thursday, May 26, 2011

After being historically thought of as a driving force in industrial real estate, Colliers International is becoming a rising star in the retail arena.

The retail team of Andrew Phillips and Ed Thomas has been involved in three of the largest retail lease transactions in the last six months with the 45,000-square-foot Habitat for Humanity, 24,000-square-foot Memphis Judo and 14,000-square-foot Jack Wills Co.

60. Wall Street Executive Warns Congress on Debt Limit - Wednesday, April 27, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – A Wall Street executive is urging Congress to raise the government's borrowing limit in the coming weeks, saying failure to do so could lead to a second financial crisis.

61. Job Openings Rise to Highest Point Since Sept. '08 - Thursday, April 14, 2011

WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. businesses in February posted the largest number of job openings in more than two years, evidence that hiring is picking up as the economy grows.

The Labor Department said Wednesday that employers advertised 3.1 million available jobs that month, the most since September 2008. That was the height of the financial crisis, when Lehman Brothers collapsed.

62. Look Ahead: Macro Themes of 2011 - Tuesday, January 4, 2011

What’s Coming As we close 2010 on a high note here are some of the macro themes that should make headlines in 2011:

The Jobs Are Coming Weekly U.S. unemployment claims recently tipped below 400,000 for the first time since July 2008. The long-run average for weekly unemployment claims is around 250,000. Levels below 400,000 correspond historically with overall employment gains. After a long furlough, U.S. workers returning to the job site will be the most welcomed headline in 2011.

63. Report: Ernst & Young May Face Civil Fraud Charges - Tuesday, December 21, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) – Accounting firm Ernst & Young LLC may face civil fraud charges in New York for its alleged role in the demise of Lehman Brothers, according to a report.

64. Fewer Jobless Claims Cap Strong Week for Economy - Friday, December 17, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – A further decline in the number of people applying for unemployment benefits capped a strong week for the economy.

Factories are producing more, shoppers are spending more and business executives and consumers are more optimistic. The latest reports, along with a tax-cut plan that Congress is set to pass, are leading economists to predict 2011 will be better than first thought.

65. Tax-Cut Plan Eases Pressure on Bernanke and Fed - Tuesday, December 14, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve last month absorbed a wave of criticism for announcing it will buy $600 billion in Treasury bonds to try to revitalize the economy. It won't help, critics said.

66. Value of County Pension Fund Hits Two-Year High in Oct. - Friday, December 10, 2010

The value of Shelby County’s pension fund hit a two-year high in October.

The value of the fund, which provides benefits to a few thousand county government retirees, climbed a little more than 2 percent during October 2010, rising from a little more than $890 million in September to a little more than $910 million in October.

67. Jobless Claims Fall, Near Lowest Level of the Year - Friday, December 10, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – Applications for unemployment benefits dropped last week to the second-lowest level this year, fresh evidence that companies are cutting fewer jobs.

First-time claims for jobless aid fell by 17,000 to a seasonally-adjusted 421,000 in the week ending Dec. 4, the Labor Department said Thursday.

68. Unemployment Claims Drop Sharply to 407K - Friday, November 26, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week to the lowest level since July 2008, a hopeful sign that improvement in the job market is accelerating.

69. Jobless Claims Fall to 4-Month Low - Thursday, November 11, 2010

Fewer people applied for unemployment aid last week, the third drop in four weeks and evidence that the job market is showing signs of life.

If the decline continues, it could signal more hiring in the near future. The report comes after the Labor Department said last week that private employers added the most jobs in six months in October.

70. City And Lehman Bros. Reach Accord on Demolition - Monday, October 4, 2010

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. has announced work will begin this week on clearing the Midtown site of what once was to have been a major mixed-use development that now is the site of abandoned, fire-damaged buildings.

71. City And Lehman Bros. Reach Accord On Washington Bottom Demolition - Friday, October 1, 2010

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. has announced work will begin next week on clearing the Midtown site of what once was to have been a major mixed-use development that now is the site of abandoned, fire-damaged buildings.

72. Regulators Defend Actions on Lehman, Wachovia - Thursday, September 2, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal bank regulators on Wednesday defended their actions leading up to the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the purchase of Wachovia at the height of the financial crisis before members of an inquiry panel who criticized government oversight of the banks.

73. Financial Overhaul 101: Impact on Top Executives - Friday, June 25, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bank executives took big risks before the financial crisis and paid themselves lavishly. Shareholders couldn't stop them.

That could change under the financial overhaul Congress is completing. It could give shareholders more influence over corporate pay and decision-making.

74. Job Openings Rise to Highest Level in 16 Months - Wednesday, June 9, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) — Job openings jumped in April to the highest level in 16 months, a sign that private employers may boost hiring in coming months.

The number of jobs advertised at the end of April rose to 3.1 million from 2.8 million in March, the Labor Department said Tuesday. That's the most openings since December 2008.

75. Midtown Target - Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Two years ago this month, awed silence greeted real estate developer Tom Marsh as he clicked through slides and walked a neighborhood group through his team’s plan.

76. Geithner to Confer With European Leaders - Wednesday, May 26, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will meet with European finance officials this week to review a $1 trillion rescue package that is being assembled to help stem the spreading debt crisis.

77. New Claims for Unemployment Insurance Inch Down - Friday, May 14, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) — New claims for unemployment benefits dipped for the fourth straight week, a sign the job market is improving at a slow but steady pace.

Employers, encouraged by a recovering economy, are hiring again. But they are not doing it at the level needed to reduce the jobless rate.

78. Hiring Jumps, While Job Openings Edge up Slightly - Wednesday, May 12, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) — New hiring rose in March to its highest level in more than a year while job openings moved up slightly, signs the job market is slowly improving.

The Labor Department said Tuesday that employers hired 4.24 million people in March, up from 4 million the previous month. Job openings edged up by 47,000 to 2.69 million.

79. One Recession Down, Many Challenges to Go - Monday, May 3, 2010

While we didn’t really realize it, prior to the Great Recession businesses were playing softball. The game has changed to hardball, which requires wearing a helmet and sometimes arguing with the ump.

80. Consumer Confidence Grows as Economy Strengthens - Wednesday, April 28, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) — Key pillars of the U.S. economy are getting stronger.

The best consumer confidence reading since September 2008's financial meltdown and bullish earnings reports this week from companies ranging from Whirlpool to UPS show increasing demand and a rebound gathering steam. Americans are even feeling a bit better about the job market.

81. Lehman Bros. Reclaims Midtown Acreage - Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The continuing saga of the Midtown land slated for a major mixed-use redevelopment took another twist Monday morning when the lender reclaimed the property for $3.15 million on the Shelby County Courthouse steps.

82. Lehman Brothers Reclaims Foreclosed Midtown Acreage - Monday, April 19, 2010

The continuing saga of the Midtown land slated for a major mixed-use redevelopment took another twist Monday morning when the lender reclaimed the property for $3.15 million on the Shelby County Courthouse steps.

83. Initial Jobless Claims Increase Unexpectedly - Friday, April 9, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits rose last week, a sign that jobs remain scarce even as the economy recovers.

The increase also may result from the difficulty the U.S. Labor Department has in seasonally adjusting the claims around the Easter holiday, which falls on different weeks each year.

84. US Manufacturing Growth Revs Up - Friday, April 2, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) – The U.S. manufacturing sector expanded in March at its strongest pace in 5 1/2 years, leading the rebound from the recession on growth in exports and inventory rebuilding.

Another drop in construction spending in February, however, underscored weakness in real estate.

85. New Claims for Unemployment Benefits Drop Slightly - Friday, April 2, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week as the recovering economy moves closer to generating more jobs.

The U.S. Labor Department said Thursday that new jobless benefit claims dropped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 439,000, nearly matching analysts' estimates. It's the fourth drop in five weeks.

86. Midtown Big-Box Site Not Dead – Yet - Monday, March 29, 2010

Friday’s foreclosure notice announcing a sale on the courthouse steps of dozens of Midtown properties where a long-awaited mixed-use project has been planned for years is not an automatic death knell for the development.

87. Midtown Big-Box Site Foreclosed - Friday, March 26, 2010

Dozens of Midtown properties slated for a major mixed-use redevelopment have been foreclosed and will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

WSG Memphis LLC, the Miami-based firm whose ambitious plans might have landed a Target store at the intersection of Poplar Avenue and Cleveland Street, defaulted on a $14 million loan through Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. dated April 30, 2007.

88. SEC Boss: Agency Examining Companies - Thursday, March 18, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - The head of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission confirmed Wednesday the agency is investigating several companies' actions in the run-up to the financial crisis of 2008.

89. Pension Fund Slips in January - Thursday, March 4, 2010

The Shelby County pension fund that provides benefits to more than 2,800 county retirees lost about $16 million in January.

The 1.8 percent drop in the $831.5 million fund reversed two months of gains.

90. Talks on Bank Rules Zero in on Consumer Protection - Wednesday, March 3, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - More than a year after Lehman Brothers' collapse set off a financial panic, U.S. Senate negotiators are laboring to seal a deal over a consumer protection dispute holding up broad legislation to establish new rules for Wall Street.

91. Sharp Fall in Consumer Confidence Spurs Fears - Wednesday, February 24, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans' outlook on the economy went into relapse in February. Rising job worries sent a key barometer of confidence to its lowest point in 10 months, raising concerns about the economic recovery.

92. ‘Independent’ Not Just a Name To Bank Co-Chair - Monday, February 22, 2010

Like many of their local competitors, the folks who run Independent Bank in Memphis were encouraged by regulators to participate in the federal government’s controversial but arguably necessary financial bailout program.

93. Bernanke Asks GAO to Review Fed Role in AIG Rescue - Wednesday, January 20, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke took the unusual step Tuesday of asking Congress' investigative arm to conduct a "full review" of the Fed's role in bailing out insurance giant American International Group.

94. SEC Expands Charges Against BofA - Tuesday, January 12, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal regulators have expanded their charges against Bank of America Corp. over billions in bonuses paid at Merrill Lynch, accusing the bank of failing to disclose mounting losses at Merrill before a shareholder vote approving the combination of the two firms.

95. Unemployment-Claims Data Signal Job Gains are Near - Friday, January 8, 2010

WASHINGTON (AP) – A government report Thursday on claims for unemployment aid signaled that layoffs are easing and that the U.S. economy could be on the verge of posting the first monthly gain in jobs in two years.

96. Morgan Stanley Names New CFO, Other Top Managers - Wednesday, December 9, 2009

NEW YORK (AP) - Morgan Stanley elevated its chief financial officer to a new role as co-chief of investment banking and global securities trading Tuesday as part of a management shake-up ahead of James Gorman's assumption of the CEO role on Jan. 1.

97. Memphian Williams Has Economic Front-Row Seat From FINRA Board - Friday, December 4, 2009

When Memphian Duncan Williams joined the board of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority in 2007, his colleagues included representatives of powerhouse firms with familiar names.

But Robert McCann, the former president of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc.’s retail unit, and Thomas Russo, the former chief legal officer at Lehman Brothers Inc., left the FINRA board earlier this year. Their companies went out of business as standalone entities as a result of the U.S. economy’s near-death experience in 2008.

98. Geithner Says $700B Bailout Program Will End Soon - Thursday, December 3, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner affirmed Wednesday the U.S. administration's intent to soon end the $700 billion financial bailout program.

Geithner did not provide details, but said the government is close to the point at which "we can wind down this program" and end it.

99. Geithner: Some Bailout Funds to Help Lower Debt - Friday, November 20, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday the government's $700 billion bailout program will end "as soon as we can," and that part of it will be used to lower the soaring federal debt.

100. Dems, Republicans at Odds over BofA, Merrill Deal - Wednesday, November 18, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - A senior House Democrat says the government didn't force Bank of America to take over Merrill Lynch, but a bank board member said much pressure was applied and Republicans charged that a committee inquiry was covering up the role of an Obama administration official.