Regional Business Digest

REGION

CFO leaves banking post for Catholic Diocese job

YOUNGSTOWN — The chief financial officer of United Community Financial Corp. has left to become CFO of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.

Patrick Kelly of Canfield replaces Robert Hoffman, who is retiring after seven years in the post. He previously was executive director of finance and operations.

Kelly also was CFO of Home Savings and Loan Co., which is a subsidiary of United Community. He was treasurer of both organizations. He is a certified public accountant and chartered financial analyst.

NATION

Anheuser-Busch halts free samples at parks

ORLANDO, Fla. — There are no free lunches in life, but one could always count on free beer at Anheuser-Busch theme parks. Until now.

The brewer has stopped giving free samples in hospitality centers at its SeaWorld theme parks in Orlando, San Antonio and San Diego and its Busch Gardens parks in Tampa and Williamsburg, Va. Anheuser-Busch Adventure Parks spokesman Fred Jacobs says the free samples had a narrow appeal among park customers.

Bankruptcy filings rise 33 percent for 2008

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — U.S. consumer bankruptcy filings jumped nearly 33 percent in 2008 amid a recession that’s expected to keep filings rising into the new year.

Overall consumer filings reached 1,064,927 last year, up from 801,840 in 2007, according to data collected by the National Bankruptcy Research Center and published by the American Bankruptcy Institute, an Alexandria-based research group.

A recession that began in December 2007 has stretched many consumers who are turning to bankruptcy protection amid job losses, mortgage foreclosures and heavy personal debt.

Producer will stop making one type of pipe

PITTSBURGH — A unit of United States Steel Corp. said Monday it will stop making certain steel pipes used in the automotive and mining industries to focus on its main sheet and tubular steel products.

U.S. Steel Tubular Products Inc. will close production lines in Lone Star, Texas, that make the pipes, used by automakers, mine operators, fluid power component manufacturers and steel distributors. The shutdown will result in about 50 job cuts and a pretax charge of $25 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. The company did not specify when production would stop.

From Vindicator staff and wire reports