Business

The Cambridge firm has created technology that can redirect texts and photos sent to landlines to cellphones and other smart devices.  

Banks have paid less than half the $5.7 billion owed to troubled homeowners under nearly 30 settlements brokered by the government since 2008.  

In the political bargaining, legislation overhauling federal immigration law emerged with provisions the industry considers unappealing.  

The board of the faded Web pioneer agreed to buy the popular blogging service for about $1.1 billion in cash.  

Facebook is trying to convince brand-name consumer companies that ads on a social network are as important and effective as TV spots.  

AstraZeneca will pair a Mass. General team’s tumor analysis with the company’s library of drugs to identify combinations of treatments.  

CoUrbanize’s Web-based software allows developers to “explain their projects and the impacts they can have on the surrounding areas.” 

Smartphone apps can manipulate photos in myriad ways. Here are a few to consider.  

The deal, which is expected to be announced as soon as Monday, would be the largest acquisition of a social networking company in years. 

Peter Hotton answers readers’ questions.  

Soaring prices have brought a welcome windfall to residents who net the slippery little fish. But warning signs are on the horizon.  

Lars Albright is a man who knows his way around the ever-changing mobile landscape. 

The visually dramatic black-and-white floor in the entryway of this spacious center entrance Colonial signals what lies ahead. 

Spring has sprung and homeowners across the state are gearing up for home improvement projects.  

Here is some advice about coming in warm, not cold, when it comes to making an initial connection with someone.  

Take a look at some of the fields that are in high demand by employers and programs offered by local universities that might help you break in.  

Solar energy project manager Eric Lorenz became interested in solar power in college.  

Many working professionals are turning to flexible, part-time programs to retool or change careers without having to uproot families or quit jobs.  

Attorney General Martha Coakley is investigating about a dozen for-profit schools in Mass.  

You probably already know that health care is likely to be among your largest expenses in retirement. But how much?  

Walmart’s stock price hit a record high Wednesday.  

Athenahealth said that it has finalized its purchase of the Watertown “Arsenal on the Charles.”  

Meeting seating can be as informal as choosing to sit in the first available seat to making a highly structured seating plan.  

Summer jobs, as with all jobs, are in demand and highly competitive.  

Stocks closed higher for a fourth straight week.  

You may want to spare a thought, and a healthy dose of worry, for what is one of the biggest, and least appreciated, reasons for the rally: buybacks.  

Consumer Reports’ latest mower tests show that Honda is on a roll for performance and value.  

The Bulfinch Hotel near TD Garden is unveiling a new, more upscale identity when the recently renovated property officially becomes the Boxer.  

SAC Capital Advisors told its investors that it was no longer cooperating unconditionally with the government’s insider trading investigation.  

After big defense cuts, iRobot has generally been putting more emphasis on its nonmilitary robots.  

Shares of software design firm Autodesk Inc. slumped on first-quarter earnings of 42 cents per share.  

Rep. John Tierney introduced a bill in the House that would make it mandatory for all guns to be “personalized” within two years.  

The legislation would place stricter requirements on the federal agency overseeing Wall Street to assess the costs and benefits of its regulations before they are issued.  

European vehicle sales remain in the doldrums despite an uptick after 18 months.  

The largest retail industry organization in the US outlined reasons why a legally binding global pact to make factories safer would subject merchants to undue legal exposure.  

Shares of General Motors reached an important milestone on Friday, topping their initial public offering price of $33 for the first time in more than two years.  

Wells Fargo & Co. halted some foreclosure sales until it can understand new federal guidelines on seizures sent to the nation’s large and mid-sized banks.  

One of the largest new solar projects in Mass. is now churning out power from the roof of an industrial building in Hyde Park.  

With $600 million on the line, this is the time to play. It’s the largest-ever Powerball jackpot and the second-largest world jackpot ever.  

Bloomberg LP said it has appointed Samuel Palmisano, the former chief executive of IBM, as an independent adviser on its privacy and data standards.  

Stocks extended their rally amid encouraging news about the economy.  

Earnings rose despite a state decision to drop an assessment on the insurer’s newly acquired health insurance division.  

The Shaw’s and Star Market supermarket chain said Friday that its in-store donation campaign raised $300,000 for the One Fund Boston, the fund established by Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino to help people affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. Besides the in-store donation campaign, Shaw’s and Star Market donated an additional $200,000 to The One Fund Boston from their foundation, the company said. “Our customers and associates have a well-earned reputation of generosity, and I sincerely want to thank everyone who donated to support those affected by this tragedy,” Shane Sampson, president of Shaw’s and Star Market, said in a statement. Headquartered in West Bridgewater, the Shaw’s and Star Market chains operate 169 stores in New England. 

Carnegie Hall, the storied New York performance venue, said that Robert K. Kraft, chief executive of the Kraft Group and the New England Patriots, will receive its Medal of Excellence at a benefit at the Waldorf Astoria in mid June. The award recognizes Kraft’s leadership in business and philanthropy, and it will be presented by Sanford I. Weill, chairman of Carnegie Hall’s board of trustees. CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley is the evening’s master of ceremonies.In a statement, Weill said of Kraft. “Bob has made such a remarkable impact on the lives of so many, complementing his great success in business with a strong commitment to giving back to the community.... We’re proud to recognize Bob for his great spirit of generosity and his friendship to the hall.”  

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is hoping its 72-year-old signature monkey can learn new smartphone tricks --- and help teach pre-schoolers to boot. Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has a long history in textbooks and literature, and in 1941, it published a children’s book starring a monkey named Curious George. As times have changed, the company has looked to technology to augment and evolve its text-book business. In its latest effort, the publisher has developed a new Curious George teaching app series for iPads and iPhones. One app is called “Curious About Shapes & Colors,” and it seeks to teach pre-kindergarten-aged children about simple and complex shapes and primary and secondary colors. Games and reward are used to motivate young learners, the company also known as HMH said. 

The Biogen Idec Foundation announced a $250,000 grant to East End House to develop, implement, and evaluate an interactive out-of-school-time genetics program for middle school students in Cambridge. The program, known as GenoExplorers, will initially reach about 150 students and it will offer them hands-on experiments, collaboration with local scientists, and field trips, all designed to introduce young people to the science of genetics. The program is scheduled to launch this fall. The plan is to provide four hours per week of teaching for 35 weeks during the school year, and nine hours per week for four weeks during the summer. The goal is to expand the initiative to additional centers in the coming years and to create a national program. 

MassHousing, the quasi-public agency charged with providing financing for affordable housing in the Bay State, said it has awarded $104,950 to support sober housing programs in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield. The MassHousing grants will come from the Center for Community Recovery Innovations Inc., or CCRI, a nonprofit subsidiary corporation of MassHousing that supports nonprofits that create or preserve affordable sober housing in Massachusetts for recovering substance abusers. To date, CCRI has awarded more than $6 million in grants for more than 1,500 units of substance-free housing. “Substance abuse impacts not only those dealing with addiction but their families as well,’’ MassHousing executive director Thomas R. Gleason said. “Affordable sober housing is greatly needed across Massachusetts, and MassHousing’s CCRI funding is a very useful resource in helping to expand and rehabilitate that housing.’’  

After two hours of sharp questioning, Google vice president Matt Brittin was accused of unethical behavior. 

FORT WORTH — If you’re traveling light, you can board earlier on American Airlines.The airline said Thursday that people carrying just a personal item that fits under the seat — no rolling suitcases — will be allowed to board before most other passengers.American said that the change will speed up the boarding process and allow flights to take off sooner, helping the airline improve its on-time performance.Airlines have been seeing a buildup in boarding times since they began charging fees for checked baggage as more people fight for limited space in overhead bins. 

WASHINGTON — US builders broke ground on fewer homes in April, one month after topping the 1 million mark for the first time since 2008. But most of the decline was in apartment construction, which tends to vary sharply from month to month.And applications for new construction reached a five-year peak, evidence that the housing revival will be sustained.The Commerce Department said Thursday that builders started construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 853,000, a 16.5 percent drop from the March pace of 1.02 million. Applications for building permits rose 14.3 percent to a rate of 1.02 million, the most since June 2008.Builders are benefiting from a sustained rebound in housing that began a year ago. Steady job growth, rock-bottom mortgage rates, and rising home values have boosted demand. 

Signs of a slowing economy plus comments from a Fed official pulled stocks down. Applications for jobless benefits rose last week, and the mid-Atlantic’s manufacturing slowed. Walmart sank 2% after noting its customers are spending less. And the head of the San Francisco Fed said the Federal Reserve could end its bond-buying stimulus program this year — but only if the economy looks strong enough, he stressed. Companies have posted record profits this earnings season. But revenue has looked weak: Six out of every 10 companies in the S&P 500 have missed forecasts. Both the Dow and S&P 500 fell after closing at record highs on Wednesday. 

Loyalty programs at supermarkets used to be as simple as getting access to cheaper prices. But as companies fight to hold onto customers amid intensifying competition, they’re using shoppers’ purchasing histories to offer more personalized deals.Eventually, some say, deals could become so customized that everyone is paying different prices for the same item.‘‘There’s going to come a point where our shelf pricing is pretty irrelevant because we can be so personalized in what we offer people,’’ Safeway’s chief executive, Steve Burd, said.The company rolled out its ‘‘Just For U’’ loyalty program last year. Other grocery store chains are investing in more sophisticated loyalty programs, as well.Here’s a look at how they affect how much you spend and what you buy. 

A rule intended to loosen the largest US banks’ control over the trading of complex investments and help safeguard the financial system was weakened Thursday by regulators. 

WASHINGTON Senate Republicans said Thursday they would not support five nominees to the National Labor Relations Board, raising the possibility the troubled agency could be rendered mostly inoperable later this year.The board has already been working under a cloud since January, when a federal appeals court said the president violated the Constitution by filling vacancies on the board through recess appointments without Senate confirmation.But an impasse over the latest slate of nominees could pose broader problems. The five-member board needs at least three sitting members to conduct business. It has a bare minimum of three now, but the term of its chairman, Mark Pearce, expires in August. 

WASHINGTON — Apple chief executive Tim Cook plans to propose a ‘‘dramatic simplification’’ of corporate tax laws when he testifies for the first time before Congress next week, just as lawmakers are eyeing an overhaul of the tax code.In an interview, Cook said he will present specific proposals at a Senate hearing Tuesday aimed at encouraging companies to bring back foreign earnings to the United States and invest that money into creating jobs, as well as research and developmentMore than 1,000 U.S. companies hold an estimated $1.7 trillion in earnings overseas, according to a JPMorgan report. And Apple, which has built up one of the biggest cash piles in corporate history, holds massive amounts in foreign countries. 

WASHINGTON — Average US rates on fixed mortgages rose this week but stayed near their historic lows. Cheaper mortgages have helped the economy by spurring more home-buying and refinancing.Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac says the average rate for the 30-year loan increased to 3.51 percent from 3.42 percent last week. That’s still near the average of 3.31 percent reached in November, the lowest on records dating to 1971.The average on the 15-year loan rose to 2.69 percent. That’s up from 2.61 percent last week, which was the lowest on records going back to 1991. 

LOS ANGELES — Ticketmaster has agreed to settle claims for up to $23 million over a lawsuit affecting more than a million people who, after buying a ticket online, were enrolled in a rewards program that cost $9 a month but never gave them any benefits.US District Judge Dale Fischer in Los Angeles approved the settlement last week.Plaintiffs’ attorney Adam Gutride said affected customers will be sent an e-mail Friday with a link to a website where they can file a claim. Each customer can get up to $30.About 1.12 million people are eligible to file a claim. They signed up for the rewards program after buying a ticket at Ticketmaster.com between September 2004 and June 2009. The plaintiffs argued that they didn’t know about the fees, which were charged to the credit or debit card used to buy the ticket. 

WASHINGTON — A plunge in the cost of gas drove down a measure of U.S. consumer prices last month by the most since December 2008. Excluding the drop in fuel costs, prices were largely unchanged.The consumer price index fell 0.4 percent in April from March, the Labor Department said Thursday. The main reason the index fell was that gas prices plunged 8.1 percent.For the 12 months that ended in April, overall prices rose 1.1 percent — the smallest year-over-year increase in 2½ years.Excluding volatile energy and food costs, ‘‘core’’ prices ticked up 0.1 percent last month. Core prices have risen only 1.7 percent in the past 12 months. That’s just below the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent inflation target. 

A large coalition of religious groups and investors is urging major U.S. retailers to join a landmark plan to improve factory safety in Bangladesh, calling on them to act together to force changes in the overseas marketplace.In a letter released Thursday, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Unitarian Universalist Association and the AFL-CIO are pressing retail giants such as Walmart, Target, Sears, and Gap to sign on to the factory safety plan that more than two dozen European retailers have embraced this week. The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, which helped put together the letter, said the signers controlled more than $1 trillion in investment assets. 

U.S. airlines charged more in fares and fees and reduced debt as they improved their financial performance in the first quarter. 

Hospitality Properties Trust has reappointed William Lamkin to its board after he did not receive a majority of the shares needed to be reelected.The Newton-based real estate investment trust said Thursday that when Lamkin did not get the necessary number of shares, he resigned.Hospitality Properties, though, said that it determined that Lamkin probably didn’t get enough votes because of the board’s opposition to a proposal by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.Directors said they determined that Lamkin’s continued presence on the board would be in the real estate investment trust’s best interests, and they asked him to fill the vacancy he had created by resigning. Lamkin accepted the appointment. 

The European Commission ramped up its inquiry into the potential manipulation of oil and biofuel prices. 

Federal spending cuts and tax increases are slowing the state’s economy and taking a toll on hiring, economists said. 

Experts say the uproar at Bloomberg highlights the uncertain and rapidly changing ethical landscape facing companies. 

The GOP-led House Education and the Workforce Committee proposed a bill that would tie interest rates to the market. 

JPMorgan says investors are “increasingly skittish” ahead of June’s American Society of Clinical Oncology conference. 

Subaru’s 2014 Forester was the only vehicle to get the top ‘‘good’’ rating in the results released Thursday. 

The two hotels will be across from the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the first part of a proposed $2 billion expansion. 

Tech shares rallied 0.7 percent as a group, with Cisco Systems surging 12.6 percent.  

Walmart reported quarterly results that missed analysts’ expectations, citing everything from a cold spring to late tax refunds. 

After years of criticism of the wireless service on its trains, Amtrak upgraded its cellular-based Wi-Fi. 

Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. of Springfield tops the 2013 Globe 100 rankings, and TKC Cos. is honored as top company over 25 years of the Globe 100. 

New electronic signs announcing bus arrival times will be installed at Logan International Airport this fall as part of the airport’s attempts to encourage passengers to use high-occupancy vehicles. The Massachusetts Port Authority on Thursday approved a partial $4 million budget for signs announcing buses that will take passengers to the Blue Line MBTA station, Logan Express satellite parking lots, and the new rental car facility opening in the fall. Signs showing arrival times for the Silver Line were installed last year. The $4 million will also cover signs directing passengers to high-occupancy ground transportation at all four terminals to better accommodate these vehicles. Massport has been promoting high-occupancy vehicle usage to help deal with the parking crunch at the airport, where lots could exceed capacity 40 days this year.  

Walmart, the giant retail chain, held a ceremony earlier this week to mark the installation of a new solar array system at its Walpole store. Eight of the 50 Walmarts in Massachusetts now have such systems, a company spokesman said. The other local Walmarts with solar arrays are in Springfield, Ware, Lunenberg, Northbridge, Halifax, Abington, and Tewksbury, he said. Collectively, the installations at those eight Walmarts are projected to provide 2.8 million kilowatt hours of energy annually, saving about 1,484 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually – roughly the equivalent of taking 309 cars off the road, Walmart said. The eight Massachusetts array were installed by Greenskies Renewable Energy LLC of Connecticut. The inverter for the solar PV array is from Massachusetts-based Solectria Renewables. 

Construction delays and the juggling of other projects are the reasons for the delay, said the spokeswoman. 

The two towers, which could reach 600 feet in height, would be occupied by restaurants, residences, offices, and a 200-room hotel. 

Dynamics Research Corp., an Andover company that provides technology and management consulting services to government agencies, said Thursday that a subsidiary has been awarded a federal contract extension from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The company, which refers to itself as DRC, won a contract from the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2010, and now the department has decided to extend that contract through next year, DRC said. Over a five-year period, that arrangement could have a total contract value to DRC of $125.5 million. The contract covers work DRC is doing on behalf of the department’s Veterans Relationship Management program, which is a multi-year initiative for delivering fast, accurate, and easily accessible health care information and benefits to veterans, service members, and eligible beneficiaries 

Massachusetts lost 1,400 jobs in April as the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.4 percent. 

Eric S. Rosengren called on Congress and President Obama to delay efforts to lower the deficit. 

The Boston Conservatory, which bills itself as the oldest performing arts conservatory of its kind in the nation, has scheduled a ceremonial groundbreaking for Thursday afternoon for a new building that will house orchestra rehearsal hall and dance studios. The new building will be located at 132 Ipswich St, about a thousand feet from the school’s main building at 8 The Fenway. Plans call for conservatory president Richard Ortner to host the event, and other dignitaries are expected to be in attendance. “As a multi-disciplinary performing arts conservatory, our highly specialized curriculum requires equally specialized studios and teaching spaces,” Ortner said in a statement. “This project addresses many current needs and also makes provisions for future development.” The project will also breathe new life into the neighborhood, he added.