News

Unitil 4Q earnings rise

Higher rates helped boost Unitil Corp's profits last quarter.The Hampton-based utility increased its earnings fourfold in the last quarter of 2010, to $5.2 million, compared to $1.2 million in the last quarter of 2009, the company announced Thursday.That strong finish…

GT Solar 3Q earnings top $250m

GT Solar sales for the last quarter? More than a quarter of a billion dollars. And a billion dollars is what it expects to begin earning annually in a couple of years.The Merrimack-based maker of equipment and supplies for the…

N.H. bankruptcies fall again in Jan.

When it comes to bankruptcy filings, New Hampshire started 2011 off better than the record-breaking 2010.Some 350 filers - unofficially - filed for bankruptcy in January 2011 -- 14 fewer than in December 2010 and 31 fewer than January 2010.Indeed,…

SEC drops FRM investigation

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has ended its investigation of Financial Resources Mortgage Inc., the defunct business at the heart of New Hampshire's biggest Ponzi scheme, leaving the entire matter up to the bankruptcy court.The federal agency has proposed…

Wood-pellet heating rebates expanded

The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission has made changes to its wood-pellet heating rebate program so that more wood-pellet boilers and furnaces now qualify for the rebates. The PUC made two changes to the rebate program, which applies to wood-pellet…

People's United earnings up 28 percent

In the midst of another acquisition, People's United Bank announced a slew of financial news, including quarterly and full-year earnings, a stock buy-back and a dividend.Bridgeport, Conn.-based People's announced fourth-quarter 2010 net income of $32 million, or 9 cents per…

December foreclosures fall

The New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority said there were 203 foreclosed deeds recorded in the state in December 2010, an encouraging 11 percent drop from November, and a significant 36 percent decrease from December 2009.December was also the third consecutive…

Harvard Pilgrim, Tufts mull merger

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, both based in Massachusetts, have acknowledged they are considering a merger, with the potential of combining operations in four states, including New Hampshire.The insurers signed a memorandum of agreement that would consolidate…