Business

13 - 12:14am

NEW YORK — Men’s Wearhouse doesn’t like the way its founder looks anymore. The men’s clothier said Wednesday it has fired the face of the company and its executive chairman, George Zimmer, 64, who appeared in many of its TV commercials with the slogan “You’re going to like the way you look. I guarantee it.”

Fed suggests it's closer to slowing bond purchases 06/20/13 - 12:13am

WASHINGTON — Chairman Ben Bernanke ended weeks of speculation Wednesday by saying the Federal Reserve will likely slow its bond-buying program later this year and end it next year because the economy is strengthening. The Fed’s purchases of Treasury and mortgage bonds have helped keep long-term interest rates at record lows. A pullback in its $85 billion-a-month program would likely mean higher rates on mortgages and other consumer and business loans.

Car quality dinged by tech glitches, survey finds 06/20/13 - 12:12am

DETROIT — Car buyers increasingly want high-tech features like voice recognition and navigation. But they’re not very forgiving of the car company when those systems fail. The top complaints in J.D. Power’s closely watched survey of new-vehicle owners, released Wednesday, involved technologies that drivers are clamoring for. Voice recognition systems either didn’t recognize commands or didn’t work at all. Bluetooth systems had trouble connecting with drivers’ phones.

Business in brief 06/20/13 - 12:11am

DALLAS A government review finds the merger of American Airlines and US Airways would reduce competition on more than 1,600 routes traveled by more than 53 million passengers. That’s a greater loss of competition than occurred with the 2010 merger of United Airlines and Continental Airlines, an analyst for the Government Accountability Office told a U.S. Senate panel Wednesday.

Chrysler agrees to recall of Jeeps at risk of fire 06/19/13 - 12:11am

DETROIT — Chrysler abruptly agreed to recall 2.7 million older model Jeeps on Tuesday, reversing a defiant stance and avoiding a possible public relations nightmare over fuel tanks that can rupture and cause fires in rear-end collisions. In deciding on the recall, Chrysler sidestepped a showdown with government safety regulators that could have led to public hearings with witnesses providing details of deadly crashes involving the Jeeps. The dispute ultimately could have landed in court and hurt Chrysler’s image and its finances.

Business Highlights 06/16/13 - 12:33am

CHRYSLER FREEZING PENSIONS FOR 8,000 Chrysler Group LLC said that it is freezing the pensions of roughly 8,000 U.S. salaried employees at the end of the year. The U.S. automaker said it is making the move to stay in line with industry trends and to comply with Internal Revenue Service regulations. The Auburn Hills, Mich.-based company declined to detail the specifics of the IRS issue, but said it is currently in compliance. Company spokeswoman Shawn Morgan said the compliance matter is not related to underfunding of the pension.

Bankruptcy petitions 06/16/13 - 12:32am

U.S. BANKRUPTCY COURT JUDGE ROBERT JONES CHAPTER 7 Grace Jeanette Morris, filed June 7 Tosha Marie Chambers, filed June 11 CHAPTER 13 Tonja Elaine Lamprecht, filed June 11 Bobby Randall Burris and Wendy Lynn Burris, filed June 11

Sales tax licenses 06/16/13 - 12:30am

New sales tax licenses issued in Lubbock by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts for the week ending June 7: ■ Wayne’s Landscaping & More; 1720 E. Second Place ■ Big Sky Lawn & Landscape; 5533 34th St., Apt. A ■ Texas Fu Manchu Lubbock 1402; 1910 Quaker Ave., Suite 106 ■ Twilight Electric - Lubbock Branch; 6801 19th St., Lot 324 ■ Under The Hood Entertainment; 3201 W. Loop 289, Apt. 65 ■ Beeba Lo’s; 4445 34th St. ■ Liz Welch Custom Cakes And Gourmet Sweets; 4305 29th St. ■ Alexandra’s Concession Stand; 2323 Ave. K

Business bulletin board 06/16/13 - 12:30am

Meeks is new Peoples vice president

Meeks is new Peoples vice president Pat Meeks has been promoted to a vice presidency at Peoples Bank. Larry Allen, the bank’s chairman and chief executive officer, made the announcement last week. Meeks, who joined Peoples Bank in 2006, will continue to work in the credit department at the bank’s headquarters location on west 82nd Street in Lubbock. Meeks, with 35 years of banking experience, assists both customers and loan officers at all six locations of Peoples Bank branches.

Ideas for keeping your data safe from spying 06/16/13 - 12:22am

Encrypt your emails

LONDON — Phone call logs, credit card records, emails, Skype chats, Facebook message, and more: The precise nature of the NSA’s sweeping surveillance apparatus has yet to be confirmed. But given the revelations spilling out into the media recently, there hardly seems a single aspect of daily life that isn’t somehow subject to spying or surveillance by someone. Experts say there are steps anyone can take to improve privacy, but they only go so far.