John L. Scott adds CdA office
Seattle-based John L. Scott Real Estate has opened its first franchise in Coeur d’Alene.
“That’s a spot that has had an enormous amount of growth, so it makes sense that we’re in that market,” company spokeswoman Shelley Rossi said.
John L. Scott has four franchises in the Spokane area.
Mary Ann Jones owns the new Coeur d’Alene office, at 7905 Meadowlark Way. Jones also owns John L. Scott franchises in Priest Lake, Priest River and Newport.
The Coeur d’Alene office has six agents.
Washington
Illness-bankruptcy link challenged
A report that expensive illnesses lead to nearly half of all personal bankruptcies is being challenged by researchers who looked at the same data and concluded that such costs lead to fewer than one in five bankruptcies.
The original study, by Harvard Medical School’s Dr. David Himmelstein, looked at 1,771 bankruptcy filers. It said illnesses and medical bills were cited as the cause, at least in part, of 46 percent of the bankruptcies.
The challenge, by David Dranove and Michael L. Millenson, of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, concluded that “medical expenditure bankruptcies” constituted 17 percent of all bankruptcies.
Dallas
Phoenix, airline discussing move
Phoenix officials have met with executives from Southwest Airlines Co. to discuss the low-cost carrier moving its headquarters from Dallas and may soon make a formal offer, according to officials for the city and the airline.
Southwest officials say several other cities have also approached the airline, which is locked in a dispute about expanding at its home, Dallas Love Field. Southwest has declined to identify the other bidding cities.
The airline was also miffed last week when Dallas increase landing fees at Love Field by 57 percent beginning in April to raise an extra $1 million a year.
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon spoke with Southwest Chief Executive Gary Kelly by phone about a possible move two weeks ago, and he dropped in last week when city airport officials were having lunch with Southwest representatives, city spokesman Scott Phelps said.
Washington
Feds OK merger of NYSE, rival
Federal regulators Monday approved the merger of the New York Stock Exchange with electronic rival Archipelago Holdings Inc., a market-shaping deal that will transform the 213-year-old Big Board into a for-profit company.
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced its approval of the $9 billion transaction, which will give the NYSE – already the world’s biggest stock exchange – new, high-tech trading capabilities and an estimated 49 percent of the market in stock trading. It was the final hurdle for the deal, which won approval late last year from the Justice Department, NYSE seat owners and Archipelago shareholders.
From staff and wire reports