New Hampshire Business Review - November 4 2011

Manchester-based Hampshire First Bank has agreed to be acquired by Norwich, N.Y.-based NBT Bancorp.The deal, valued at $45 million, is expected to close in the early second quarter, pending state and federal regulatory approval as well as approval by shareholders,…

New Hampshire merchants are already benefiting from recently enacted federal legislation that capped the amount big banks can charge merchants when their customers use debit cards, according to a national payments processor.Heartland Payment Systems -- the country's fifth-largest payments processor…

New Hampshire gets fewer economic benefits than any of the 10 states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, according to a report touting those benefits.But the report, released Tuesday, might have underestimated how much the Granite State gets out…

The New Hampshire Attorney General's office has issued a warning about solicitations for a bogus event that its organizers claim is scheduled to be held at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester.Attorney General Michael Delaney said even though the expo is…

"The Declaration of Inspiration" is the theme of the 16th annual New Hampshire Economic Development Summit, to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, at the Inns at Mill Falls in Meredith.Keynote speaker will be Burns…

Presstek Inc. will slash its workforce in an attempt to regain profitability after posting a third-quarter loss of more than $5.4 million, the company announced Monday.The printing equipment company, which employs 130 people in Hudson and 450 overall, would not…

Lynn Tilton, CEO and principal of Patriarch Partners LLC -- the firm that brought the former Fraser Papers mill in Gorham back to life -- will speak on "How to Save American Manufacturing" at the ninth annual New Hampshire Advanced…

New Hampshire's bankruptcy crest, which began in the spring of 2009, has now subsided. Ever since May, the number of filings in 2011 has not just been lower than last year's, but below 2009 filings as well. And in October…

A bill that would let entrepreneurs sell ownership stakes in their companies through crowdfunding websites and other online social networks has been overwhelmingly approved by the U.S. House.Earlier this month, members of the House voted 407-17 in favor of HR…

Ezenia, the Nashua software company that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the end of September, is claiming assets of $2.5 million and debts of close to $900,000, according to subsequent filings.But on closer examination, the largest asset --…