Defense lawyers and activists welcome a foreclosure-avoidance program as a way to keep Worcester's cash-strapped residents in their homes, while bankers and their trade association see it as an ineffective burden draining them of time and money.
Making a major step in its expansion plans, Pittsfield-based Berkshire Bank announced that it will purchase 20 retail branches from Bank of America with $640 million in deposits and $5 million in loans.
Announcing the first major initiative under new leader, Timothy Murray, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce said it plans to raise $1.2 million for business development in the region over the next two years.
For a small group of credit unions across the U.S. — including a handful in Central Massachusetts — a limit on commercial will constrain some of their asset growth for the foreseeable future.
The elements are in place for a good year for the United States economy, according to panelists who addressed a group of about 250 this morning at the Worcester Business Journal's annual Economic Forecast Breakfast at the Beechwood Hotel in Worcester.