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This article reports that Citigroup Inc., the nation's largest bank, is launching its most aggressive expansion in the Chicago area since it entered the market 22 years ago. Besides adding 15 branches this year to the 52 it had when 2006 began, Citigroup would like to buy a local bank, says Darryl P. Hendricks, president of Citibank Illinois. New York-based Citigroup opened locations recently in the Chinatown, Old Town and River North neighborhoods and in north suburban Glenview and west suburban Naperville. It plans more branch openings next year and in 2008, but won't say how many.

This article highlights some Chicago socialites, under 40 years of age from the field of local business, government and arts. They include Ronald T. Senci, 39, executive vice-president. Senci is one of an increasingly rare breed, the company man. Debra Pickett, 30, Chicago Sun-Times columnist. Amy Tu, 36, assistant corporate secretary and counsel. As a top in-house lawyer at Boeing Co.'s world headquarters in Chicago, Tu recently worked on a billion-dollar global bond offering, a syndicated credit facility for selling F-15s to South Korea and the innovative financial details of leasing 100 refueling aircraft to the U.S. Air Force. Swetal Patel, 32, vice-president, Raja Foods LLC, Patel Bros. Katie Watson, 36, Ensemble member, visiting assistant professor Medical humanities and bioethics program at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

Reports the construction project for the Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. Indication on the modernization program for the project; Influence of the capacity needs on the aviation security; Source of construction funds.

Reports on the status of the power plant industry in the U.S. Backlog of gas turbine orders; Demand for experienced power plant engineers and constructors; Increase in coal-fired power plant projects.

Focuses on the role of power plant engineering on power market in the United States. Discussions of risk allocation, cost and schedule control; Emphasis on process-industry construction experiences; Provision of instrumentation and control for power plants.

Reports on the real estate business of Sam Zell in Chicago, Illinois. Acquisition of Spieker Properties Inc. by Zell; Generation of long-term returns for the production of broader economy; Comparison between Equity office and other landlords.

The article reports that an eleventh-hour buyout offer in early July 2006 from an Atlanta, Georgia-based natural gas utility has been rejected by Peoples Energy Corp. The offer exceeded the $1.6-billion bid Peoples accepted from Wisconsin-based WPS Resources Corp. According to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Peoples turned down the higher bid partly because several weeks of due diligence would have been needed before a definitive agreement could be reached.

Big banks, after years of complaints that they underserved minority neighborhoods, are making a big play for Chicago's burgeoning Hispanic population in Illinois. Chicago's household names — Harris Bankcorp Inc., LaSalle Bank NA, Bank One Corp. — as well as aggressive newcomers like Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank all have launched marketing campaigns in 2002 that were aimed at Latinos. Their goal is to get in at the early stages of a demographic explosion that represents their biggest growth opportunity in years.

When the largest commercial finance firm in the United States bought the second-largest in 2001, it looked like a blow to competition. But, nearly two years after General Electric Capital Corp. acquired Heller Financial Inc. for $5.3 billion, local competition is not only alive and well, it's keener than before. The buyout has spawned new commercial finance firms and Chicago beachheads for well-capitalized out-of-town companies, the result of ex-Heller executives' search for new opportunities. In the cash-flow market, Merrill Lynch, CapitalSource and Dymas join other smaller groups formed before the GE Capital deal, such as Madison Capital Funding LLC, a Chicago-based commercial finance unit of New York Life Investment Management LLC, and Antares Capital Corp., formed in the mid-1990's by a splinter group from Heller. Much of the change in commercial finance has been among cash-flow lenders, while the ranks of asset-based lenders have remained relatively stable. Historically low interest rates have also made middle-market finance more lucrative by widening the gap between lenders' cost of obtaining capital and the rates they're able to charge.

Having made its fortune catering to the carriage trade, Chicago, Illinois-based Northern Trust Corp. must chart a fresh course or risk being passed by larger, more aggressive rivals. Having surfed the biggest stock market wave of all time, and now slogging through the post-crash driftwood and foam, the bank confronts stiffer competition in its core money management and trust business. Much as it was a quarter-century ago, when Northern began to see that its future lay with handling the money of the affluent rather than with making loans to large corporations, the bank is wrestling with issues that will determine whether it will remain an independent institution.

Reports on the plans of several banks to open branches in Chicago, Illinois. Impact of the plan on land value of Chicago; Number of branches expected to be built in Chicago by 2004; Expansion plans of Seattle, Washington-based company Washington Mutual Inc.

Profiles Nathaniel Shapo, director of the Illinois Department of Insurance in the U.S. Work for the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance claims; Advocacy to the financial aims of Holocaust survivors; Public admiration in the personal effort to publish insurer's list of unpaid claimants.

Reports on the transaction fees for debit card use by the banking industry in Chicago, Illinois. Adoption of the money-making strategy; Additional service on the standard automated teller machines; Possession of personal identification number.

Focuses on the increase in the cost of insuring executives and board members against shareholder lawsuits by companies in Chicago, Illinois. Reduction of coverage to cut employee rates; Percentage of increases paid by companies in the stock market; Continuity to acquire directors-and-officers insurance.

Reports the early resignation of Corbin A. McNeill Jr. to pave way for the merger plan of the company in the United States. Disagreement on the merger plan of the company; Investigation on the identity of the company; Decision of the company.

Reports the regulation on the sales strategy for agents of Allstate Corp. in Chicago, Illinois. Aspirations for being a big financial service player; Contemplation of a revised commission system; Diversification of the traditional insurance business.

Reports on the plan of the city government of Chicago, Illinois, to declare a portion of the Michigan Avenue road as a historic district as of January 29, 2001. Public opposition expressed by area property owners against the proposal.

Reports the advancement of women in the real estate development industry in Chicago, Illinois. Achievement of B.J. Spathies, president of Bejco Development Corp.; Implication of the Chicago Real Estate Executive Women membership; Appointment of women in real estate companies; Information on business succession by women.

Focuses on the overseas business ventures of real estate companies based in Chicago, Illinois. Golub & Co.'s deals in Warsaw, Poland; Opening of a South Korean office of U.S. Equities Realty Inc.; South American operations of Equity International.

Focuses on the proposal of MCZ Development Corp. and real estate investment company, Walton Street Capital LLC for a massive commercial project in downtown Chicago, Illinois. Evaluation of the demand for office space; Estimate of the project cost; Addition to the reconstruction of the Post Office building.

Reports that real estate developers in Chicago, Illinois are opting to buy existing Loop office buildings rather than construct new ones. Amount of new or renovated office space set to hit the market through 2002; Absence of need for high-rental buildings; Belief that the market could absorb space in smaller, cheaper buildings; Developers' move into the business of owning and managing buildings.

Reports on the renovation of Chicago, Illinois-based shopping mall Water Tower Place. Installation of water displays; Expansion of retail space; Reason for undertaking the renovation; Cost of renovation.

Reports on Chicago, Illinois-based Leo Burnett Co.'s plans of merging with MacManus Group and launch an initial public offering. Need for the company to cut costs, boost profits, and make acquisitions to improve its stature in financial markets; Projected public value of the combined agency; Means by which the Leo Burnett adapts to the transition from private ownership to public status.

Focuses on Chicago, Illinois-based companies' efforts to achieve Year 2000 computing crisis (Y2K)-readiness for their business operations in Russia as of October 25, 1999. Russia's unpreparedness for Y2K; Projected impact of the Y2K on the country.

Focuses on Chicago, Illinois-based companies with business operations in Asia and Latin America as of May 24, 1999. Impact of the 1997 Asian financial crisis on the companies' business operations; Chicago companies' decision to stay in the emerging markets; Rewards for companies that chose to remain in Asia and Latin America.

Reports on mutual fund investment in Chicago, Illinois, with focus on the efforts of Troy Simmons, a mutual fund wholesaler with Old Kent Financial Corp., based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. How Simmons plan to get investment advisers to put some of their client's assets in Kent Funds; How some bankers are handling mutual fund investments; Comments from Simmons.

Presents an introduction to articles on the celebration of the harvest season in the United States. Food and social change; Consumption of fresh produce; Homegrown produce.

The article offers information on the impacts of the mergers of banking industry in the U.S. Topics discussed include information on the sale of the Private Bancorp to the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce; discussions on the impacts of the presidential elections on the stock prices in U.S.; and the information on the impacts of federal closures on the local institutions.

The article focuses on the decision of U.S. investment bank JPMorgan Chase to close more than 160 branches across the country while opening more than 60. Topics covered include the reason why the company was not being much more aggressive in Chicago, Illinois and the impact of electronic banking on the banking industry. The performance of the company's shares in Chicago is also cited.

The article offers updates on the business performance of car insurance companies in the U.S. as of November 19, 2018. The growth of Geico in policies in the third quarter of 2018 slowed to 3.7 percent, according to a U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission filing. State Farm decides to cut auto rates in almost every state after experiencing customer defections following large rate hikes. The stock price of Allstate dropped 7 percent since it reported third-quarter earnings on October 31, 2018.

The article explores the support received by Kwame Raoul, Democratic state senator from Chicago, Illinois, from the utility industry. Raoul has received donations from energy companies including Commonwealth Edison and Peoples Gas for his campaign to be the next attorney general of Illinois. He supported some reforms in the industry, including local power-grid improvements and installation of smart meters.

The article reports on the move of CIBC Bank USA to close its branch in Skokie, Illinois, which used to be PrivateBank & Trust. Topics discussed include mother company Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce's (CIBC) acquisition of PrivateBancorp Inc. in 2017, the estimated value of deposits at the Skokie branch, and local banks' strategy of reducing their branch networks as more customers are now remotely performing banking transactions.

The article examines how the city government's method of financing police misconduct payouts for settlements and judgments in Chicago, Illinois is adding hundreds of millions to the burden of policing costs on taxpayers. Data provided shows Chicago's spending in police action settlements compared with Los Angles, California and New York from 2010 to 2017. It discusses Chicago's legal costs financed by bonds and its habit of debt-financing legal costs for police conduct.

The article reports on the civil penalty of one million U.S. dollars proposed by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) against Hiren Patel, chief executive officer (CEO) of National Republic Bank, a bank which collapsed in 2014. Topics covered include claims of Patel against the OCC, the proposal of the OCC to prevent Patel from any future participation in the banking industry, and belief of the OCC that Patel was the primary cause of the failure of National Republic.

The article explores the growth of Enova International, a subprime consumer lender based in Chicago, Illinois, since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump. Enova has more than tripled the money of its investors. The company's growth is attributed to a number of factors including low unemployment, wage growth, and rising demand for installment and line-of-credit loans .

The article explores the falling share of insurer Allstate in the U.S. automobile insurance market. Allstate was regarded as the country's second-largest car insurer before it was surpassed by Government Employees Insurance Co. (GEICO) in 2014. Allstate dropped to No. 4 after Progressive posted an increase in the total of value of its auto premiums in 2017. The strategy of Allstate chief executive officer (CEO) Tom Wilson is blamed for the company's market share decline.

The article reports that U.S. Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, has appointed Allstate Corp.'s chief executive Edward Liddy for American International Group Inc. (AIG). Mr. Liddy, 62, takes on the task of largely dismantling the country's largest insurer, with operations spanning the globe and reaching into many nooks and crannies of the financial markets. He will be ensuring that taxpayers are repaid on the $85 billion loan which was taken in order to keep AIG out of bankruptcy.

Reports on the decision of Chicago, Illiois-based bank Northern Trust Corp. to enter the New York market in the year 2003. Contribution of the bank's acquisition of Deutsche Bank's passive-asset management operation in the city to the decision; Plans of the bank regarding the establishment of a wealth management branch in New York;.

The article discusses a lawsuit filed by nuclear generator NextEra Energy against the U.S. Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) regarding the access to the NEI's list of workers who have obtained security clearances necessary to work in nuclear plants. The company questioned the institute's support for proposed federal intervention in markets to help nuclear and coal-fired plants at the expense of other power sources. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach, Florida.

An interview with Republican Representative Peter Roskam about the tax reform law in the U.S. is presented. Topics mentioned include his support for tax deductions in property taxes, corporate tax rate, the law's potential effect on charitable giving, and the need for finding solutions to the fraud problem.

The article looks at the conflict between insurers and consumers over the financial benefits of the corporate tax cuts in the U.S. Topics mentioned include the task of regulators in each state to decide whether to allow insurers to continue increasing insurance rates (IR) despite the tax changes, the decline in IR due to the cuts based on the estimates of the Center for Economic Justice and the Consumer Federation of America, and the impacts of tax savings on insurers like Allstate.

The article discusses how U.S. President Donald Trump and the Republican Party's agenda has slowed down mergers and acquisition (M&A) dealmaking in the banking sector in Chicago, Illinois. Topics discussed include Trump's promise to cut corporate tax rates which will benefit commercial banks, concerns about the high prices of bank stocks, and the M&A activities of several banking companies including Parkway Bank & Trust, First Midwest Bancorp and MB Financial.

The article examines the management errors of Seaway Bank & Trust in Chicago, Illinois which led to its failure as of September 2017. Topics discussed include the company's overexposure in loans to churches, the underestimation by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) on loans assumed by Seaway in 2010 and 2011 from Maywood's First Suburban Bank and Milwaukee's Legacy Bank, and Seaway's decision to bid on South Side mortgages offered by Urban Partnership Bank (UPB).

The article reports on automobile insurance price increases implemented by insurers in Chicago, Illinois as of September 2017, with State Farm, Allstate, and Geico justifying their price hikes by identifying rising claims payouts in the state resulting from more distracted driving and higher repair and health care costs. Topics discussed include the lack of automobile insurance rate regulation in Illinois compared to other U.S. states and rise in Allstate rates from 2014 through 2016.

The article discusses options to be presented by the administrators of the College Illinois prepaid tuition program to lawmakers and Governor Bruce Rauner to address the poor sales of new prepaid tuition contracts. Topics discussed include the proposal to close the college savings plan to new contract holders, the management of the program by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), and a comparison between College Illinois and the state's other college savings vehicle, BrightStart.

The article discusses the financial and tax policies of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump as of April 2017, and its possible effect on the scheduled acquisition by Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) of PrivateBancorp. Also cited are the expected higher interest rates, reduced taxes and looser regulations under Trump, and the key role played by PrivateBancorp stockholder Daniel Loeb of Third Point on the deal.

Reports that Swiss bank UBS is planning to offer comprehensive financial planning in New York. Aim to make the bank the lead adviser in overseeing the complex affairs of its superrich private banking clients in the United States; Similarity with its financial planning program offered in Europe; Hiring of the Rankin Group Ltd. to find American personnel; Factors that will hinder its prospects in the US.

Reports that American Express Financial Advisors is set to begin helping its representatives buy out the financial planning practices of competitors. Expansion of a corporate program that assists planners who want to acquire the practices of retiring AmEx colleagues; Efforts by smaller players to acquire adviser shops; Details of a deal forged between retiring AmEx planner Henry Lucas and colleague Ray LaPalme.

The article offers information on the impact of Japanese nuclear disaster on the nuclear power plants of Exelon Corp. in U.S. It states that Exelon Corp., the biggest nuclear plant of the U.S. has to suffer from the crackdown by regulators due to the radiation being released by the nuclear crisis of Japan. It also discusses the effect of Japan's nuclear crisis on other nuclear plants in U.S.