Business in brief: Checks going out to Mazda patrons
Restitution checks could be in the mail this month to 52 Post Falls Mazda customers who did not get the extended-service or debt-cancellation contracts they purchased from the now-defunct dealership.
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden also said Thursday owner Mark Gibson is forbidden to operate another dealership without supervision until he reimburses the state for the costs of litigating the matter in state court and U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Gibson and the dealership were taking customer money for the contracts, but not forwarding the money to the insurance companies who provide the protection.
Wasden said the ruse is common, and consumers don’t find out until they need the services they thought they paid for.
CNA National Warranty Corp. honored many of the contracts despite not receiving payment, he said.
Viren acquires insurance firm
Spokane-based Viren and Associates Inc. has acquired the practice of Spokane insurance and planning company James F. O’Connell and Associates Inc.
The combined company, with eight employees, will remain at the Viren office at 400 S. Jefferson St.
Viren and Associates has focused on financial planning and employee benefits for 15 years. O’Connell and Associates has been in business more than 40 years. James F. O’Connell, its founder, will continue working with company clients, a press release said.
Air service returns to Moses Lake
Commercial air service has returned to the Grant County airport at Moses Lake.
The Columbia Basin Herald reports United Express-SkyWest Airlines is offering flights twice a day, connecting with Sea-Tac Airport.
The last commercial service at Moses Lake ended two years ago.
Jobless numbers go down slightly
The number of people on the unemployment insurance rolls fell slightly for the first time in 20 weeks, while the tally of new jobless claims also dipped, the U.S. government said Thursday.
The Labor Department report provides a glimmer of good news for job seekers, though both drops were small and the figures remain significantly above the levels associated with a healthy economy.
The job market likely will remain weak well into next year, according to estimates from government and private economists.
United to seek bids for jet order
United Airlines confirmed Thursday it will seek bids from airplane makers Boeing Co. and rival Airbus for a major jet order that could be placed as soon as this fall.
The nation’s third-largest airline said it will look for proposals to replace its wide-body fleet over several years, as well as its Boeing 757s.