Portsmouth, RI has grown into one of the most desirable areas to live in New England. The business community here is working hard to integrate the inevitable growth in commerce with the quality of life that makes our town so beautiful.

We encourage everyone in our region to visit our beautiful town for great shopping and services from friendly people. If you're a member of our business community, we would also like to invite you join our proactive organization. Together, we make a great team with a great future!

FALL 2009 PBA NEWSLETTER NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE.
To keep up with what is going on with the PBA, we ask that you read the announcements below.  Also you can click here to download the current PBA newsletter.

 

Announcements

Projo Moneyline

BCBSRI Direct Pay increase authorized Health Insurance Commissioner Christopher F. Koller has authorized Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island to raise its Direct Pay rates by an average of about 7 percent, effective April 1. Brown’s chief awards Goldman CEO $9M Brown University President Ruth Simmons, left, and her colleagues on Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s board voted Friday to award its chairman and chief executive, Lloyd Blankfein, a $9 million all-stock bonus for 2009. Carcieri: Tax credit would speed hiring The proposed tax credit for businesses that hire workers later this year and in 2011 is aimed at getting them to boost staffing more quickly than they would have otherwise, the governor’s spokeswoman said. Santander could spin off Sovereign Bank Banco Santander S.A., the Spanish banking giant that bought Sovereign Bank last year, is considering spinning off the U.S. bank in an initial public offering, according to a published report. Hasbro profit tops forecasts on film toys Hasbro Inc. on Monday reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat analysts’ estimates thanks to strong sales of “Transformers” toys tied to last year’s blockbuster film based on the brand. CVS sales outpacing Walgreen, Rite Aid CVS Caremark Corp. said Monday its earnings jumped 11 percent in the fourth quarter as customers took advantage of a new program that let them buy 90-day prescription supplies in CVS/pharmacy stores. R.I. gas prices fall as oil moves past $70 Gasoline prices in Rhode Island have fallen for the third week in a row, AAA Southern New England reported Monday. Oil prices bounced back on Monday after falling to a seven-week low on Friday. Citizens’ $39 overdraft fee is most in U.S. Citizens Bank hits its customers with the highest overdraft fee charged by any of the nation’s 15 largest banks, a new study has found. FM Global gets OK to expand in Malaysia FM Global plans to expand its reinsurance business into Labuan, a federal territory in Malaysia, the company announced this week. R.I. women earn 78 cents per $1 for men Women in Rhode Island who worked full time in 2008 earned 78.7 cents for every $1 earned by their male counterparts, according to the U.S. Labor Department.