International Business News - MA http://www.ibtimes.com All articles are copyrighted by IBTimes.com 400 100 http://www.ibtimes.com/ http://www.ibtimes.com/images/top_logo_ibt2_3.gif City and town leaders breathed a sign of relief Friday after hearing that while there may be sizable budget cutting at the Massachusetts state level next week, they will most likely be spared in the first round of fiscal pain. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081010/mass-leaders-come-to-statehouse-for-budget-news.htm Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:22:58 EDT Credit card stocks fluctuated in a volatile trading session Friday, as investors weighed a number of potential government initiatives to help free up lending and stabilize the economy. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081010/sector-wrap-credit-card-stocks-fluctuate.htm Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:13:30 EDT Babson College plans to establish an institute for social entrepreneurship after receiving a $10.8 million gift, its second largest individual donation ever. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081010/babson-receives-10-8m-gift-to-start-new-institute.htm Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:27:23 EDT Massachusetts has established a Creative Economy Council to examine and promote policies for dealing with industries centered on creating intellectual property products. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081010/new-council-promoting-creative-businesses-in-mass.htm Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:33:25 EDT The state's insurance commissioner, addressing a concern of some insurers, is considering eliminating the unique right under which Massachusetts drivers have been able to appeal auto premium surcharges they consider unfair for accidents caused by bad weather, road problems or some other abnormal circumstance. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081010/massachusetts-may-end-auto-insurance-appeals.htm Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:20:01 EDT An analyst on Friday cut his price target and earnings estimates for Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc., and downgraded MasterCard because of an expected global economic slowdown. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081010/ahead-of-the-bell-visa-and-mastercard.htm Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:23:40 EDT A woman who admitted fabricating a best-selling memoir about surviving the Holocaust as a child by living with wolves has won a court battle with her former publisher. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081009/mass-judge-rejects-holocaust-memoir-lawsuit.htm Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:45:30 EDT The turmoil on Wall Street is translating into dramatic losses for the Massachusetts pension fund. The fund, which covers the retirement costs of state employees in Massachusetts, plummeted nearly $4 billion in September. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081008/turmoil-sends-mass-pension-fund-plummeting.htm Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:50:56 EDT Shares of financial services firms mostly rose in premarket trading Wednesday after the Federal Reserve Board cut a key interest rate to 1.5 percent from 2 percent in an effort to help spur a sputtering economy. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081008/ahead-of-the-bell-financial-cos-mostly-rise.htm Wed, 08 Oct 2008 08:57:00 EDT Massachusetts Treasurer Timothy Cahill says credit markets remain so uncertain that he's decided against trying to sell $750 million worth of bonds to pay state bills. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081007/mass-treasurer-delays-750-million-bond-sale.htm Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:05:35 EDT A business school alumnus has given Harvard University its largest individual donation ever--$125 million to start a bioengineering institute. The mission of the Hansjorg Wyss (HAHNZ'-jorg VEES) Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering is to discover the engineering principles nature uses to build living things, then use that information to create devices and technologies to meet medical needs. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081007/alum-gives-harvard-125m-for-bioengineering-center.htm Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:36:31 EDT Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank said Monday Republican criticism of Democrats over the nation's housing crisis is a veiled attack on the poor that's racially motivated. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081006/frank-says-gop-housing-attacks-racially-motivated.htm Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:12:49 EDT The average annual interest rates charged on popular types of credit cards edged down in the past week, according to Bankrate.com. For low interest cards, which have rates below the national average but are often offered only to customers with strong credit histories, the average APR declined slightly to 11.56 percent, from 11.63 percent last week. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081006/credit-card-interest-rates-edge-down-in-past-week.htm Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:50:12 EDT Despite an aggressive lobbying push by the White House and congressional leaders, Massachusetts Reps. William Delahunt and Stephen Lynch said Thursday they were standing firm against a Senate-passed $700 billion financial industry bailout bill that could face a House showdown as soon as Friday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081002/mass-congressmen-oppose-700-billion-bailout-bill.htm Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:31:04 EDT Gov. Deval Patrick said Thursday he wants to merge the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority with other transportation agencies in a series of steps aimed at restructuring state finances amid sagging tax collections. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081002/mass-gov-wants-turnpike-changes-as-revenues-sag.htm Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:23:06 EDT National Grid is planning to install solar power facilities at four sites near Boston. The utility announced Thursday that it's presenting its proposal to state regulators under the state's Green Communities Act. The act allows utilities to develop and own up to 50 megawatts of solar generating facilities by 2010. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081002/national-grid-to-build-4-solar-facilities-in-mass.htm Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:33:12 EDT Massachusetts officials announced new health care regulations designed to ramp up pressure on companies that don't help cover insurance costs for large portions of their workers. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081002/mass-asking-companies-to-pay-more-insurance-costs.htm Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:01:46 EDT The Massachusetts Department of Revenue is expected to announce a roughly $200 million shortfall in tax collections on Thursday, a pronouncement likely to prompt Gov. Deval Patrick to make a series of budget cuts that could affect government operations and, if the trend continues, threaten future state aid to cities and towns. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081001/mass-gov-readying-budget-cuts-as-revenues-lag.htm Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:52:39 EDT Massachusetts reached an agreement with the federal government on a three-year extension of a Medicaid waiver needed to provide critical funding for the state's landmark health care law, Gov. Deval Patrick announced Tuesday. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080930/mass-obtains-extension-of-medicaid-waiver.htm Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:54:57 EDT Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry said Tuesday Wall Street turmoil has triggered a "crisis in confidence" that has now trickled down to the credit markets and must be reversed with swift congressional action. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080930/kerry-predicts-senate-will-take-lead-on-bailout.htm Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:03:33 EDT