Strictly Business

From Business Today:

First Niagara Bank is about to pull off the almost impossible: converting about 100 HSBC branches to First Niagara, in one weekend. The bank has had lots of practice absorbing other banks it has bought, but this will be its biggest effort to date.

The St. Lawrence Seaway is open for the season, allowing the great lake freighters to ply the waters and make deliveries from the Atlantic to the tip of Lake Superior. Bruce Hodgson, director of market development for the canal, sees increased use of the passage from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

The first quarter was not very kind to the Buffalo area stock portfolio. Although the wider market had a banner quarter, local stocks languished.

Living on a budget is hard for everybody, bit it can be almost impossible for those barely getting by. These shoestring savers have lessons everyone can learn from.

Recent are real estate transactions.