Ideas

Unless Congress acts, on July 1, the interest rate for 159,147 student loan borrowers in Wisconsin will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, according to a report by WISPIRG (Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group), a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest advocacy organization.

U.S. regulators last week filed suit against U.S. Bank for allegedly facilitating the embezzlement of customer funds by the jailed founder of Peregrine Financial Group Inc., the collapsed futures brokerage.
 

Curtis Industries, a Milwaukee-based division of Powers Holdings, announced it has acquired Tri-Mag, Inc., which manufactures standard and customized power supplies.

Milwaukee is part of a 19-city, $27 million collaboration announced by the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and Wells Fargo Bank, that will provide funds to foster homeownership, assist with rebuilding minority neighborhoods impacted by the foreclosure crisis, and “promote diverse, inclusive communities.”

Waterstone Financial Inc., the parent company for WaterStone Bank SSB, announced that it will be reorganized, changing from a bank mutual holding company to a fully public stock holding company.

Brookfield-based Diversified Insurance Services has changed its name to Diversified Insurance Solutions.

There were times in recent years at which the Wisconsin Assembly couldn't muster 91 votes to pass a resolution confirming the sun rises in the east.

Partnership Bank announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the two Ozaukee County bank branches operated by Oak Creek-based Tri City National Bank.

The Wisconsin Bankers Association has named Thomas Pamperin, president and CEO of Premier Community Bank in Marion, as its new board chair for 2013-2014.

The effort to establish Milwaukee as a global hub of freshwater research, technology and innovation received another boost today when Kikkoman Foods Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Kikkoman Corp., announced that it will make a $1 million contribution to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to, “advance the study of safe and sustainable drinking water.”