REGION

REGION
First Place Financialreports earnings drop
WARREN -- First Place Financial Corp. earned $3.79 million in its third fiscal quarter, which ended March 31, compared with $4.41 million in the same quarter last year. The company said earnings were hurt by lower mortgage banking income and lower revenue from its non-bank affiliates.
First Place also declared a dividend of 14 cents a share, which is payable May 13 to shareholders of record on April 29.
Quality assessment
BOARDMAN -- Smithers Quality Assessments, a registrar for ISO 9001:2000 quality certification, and Stark State College of Technology will hold a free breakfast seminar on the certification at 8 a.m. April 27 at the Marriott Fairfield Inn & amp; Suites. For information, call Kelly Basinger at Smithers Quality Assessments at (330) 762-4231.
NATION
GM to recall Malibusto fix seat-belt anchor
DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. said it will recall about 108,000 Chevrolet Malibu cars from the 2004 model year to fix a seat-belt anchor that may detach in a severe side-impact crash and reprogram an antilock brake system controller.
The recall covers certain Malibus built between May 2003 and March 2004. GM plans to notify customers in June about the recall.
Greenspan mentionshigher interest rates
WASHINGTON -- An upbeat Alan Greenspan said Tuesday the economy has "picked up again," but the Federal Reserve chairman also talked about the possibility of higher interest rates, and that sent stock prices downward.
Greenspan, who spoke at a Senate Banking Committee hearing, did not say what central bank policy-makers would be doing about short-term interest rates.
But he told senators the banking system was well prepared to deal with rising rates, a statement investors interpreted as suggesting the Fed was at least considering an increase.
Siegel's severance
ARLINGTON, Va. -- US Airways Group Inc.'s former president and chief executive, who stepped down this week because of friction with unions over cost-cutting, will collect a multimillion-dollar severance package.
The airline has not disclosed the exact amount of David Siegel's severance, but its annual proxy statement indicates that he is entitled to receive a $4.5 million payment, and possibly more, within five days. The severance is available even if Siegel left voluntarily, as long as he cited good cause.
From Vindicator staff and wire reports