Wendy’s sales hurt by incident

For the first time in 18 years, annual sales at Wendy’s hamburger restaurants open more than a year fell in 2005 — partly because of fallout from a woman who planted a human finger in a bowl of chili, a story that took a few weeks to discredit.

Parent company Wendy’s International Inc., based in Dublin near Columbus, reported a fourth-quarter profit Friday in contrast to a loss a year ago even though sales were flat.

Earnings were $30 million, or 25 cents per share, for the three months ended Jan. 1, versus a loss of $141.4 million, or $1.25 per share, a year earlier. The loss a year ago was mainly due to charges from writing down assets in the struggling Baja Fresh Mexican foods chain.

Mountain West Bank, of Coeur d’Alene, said it had record earnings in 2005. The bank’s after-tax earnings for year were $11.42 million, up nearly 38 percent from 2004. Total assets as of Dec. 31 were $780 million, an increase of $151 million, or about 24 percent, from the same day the previous year.

During 2005 Mountain West acquired a branch in Bonners Ferry from Zions Bank and opened two more branches in the Boise area. The bank has 19 branches in Idaho, Washington and Utah.

Weyerhaeuser Co., one of the nation’s largest forest products companies, on Friday posted a loss for the fourth quarter on hefty charges, as revenue rose slightly.

The company lost $211 million, or 86 cents per share, during the October-December quarter, compared to a profit of $199 million, or 82 cents per share, in the same period in 2004. Revenue, however, grew 4 percent to $5.9 billion from $5.7 billion.

Those charges were partially offset by one-time gains of $62 million, or 25 cents per share, on an asset sale and an accounting change.

Maytag Corp., reporting a bigger loss for the fourth quarter on Friday, said it is seeking permission from its prospective buyer Whirlpool Corp. to sell its Hoover floor care and vending machine business.

Maytag, the nation’s third largest appliance maker, announced it would sell Hoover, a widely known vacuum cleaner and floor care brand that it has owned for about 16 years.