Simon gift cards to be distributed

Simon gift cards to be distributed

BOARDMAN

Southern Park Mall will it have its Spread Love campaign Saturday.

The mall will surprise randomly selected shoppers with free Simon gift cards.

The shoppers chosen will receive one gift card to keep and one to share.

The gift cards will be distributed at random by the Southern Park Mall management team.

Movoto to expand into Warren market

WARREN

Movoto, an online real- estate brokerage based in San Mateo, Calif., will move to the Warren market as part of its $20 million expansion.

Movoto covered a dozen new markets as of November and will continue to grow into January 2015 to cover 30 new regions.

Prospective homebuyers in Warren can use Movoto to research homes for sale in the area. Buyers also have free access to the Movoto Certified Agent network of local real-estate agents.

Autosoft expansion

WEST MIDDLESEX, PA.

Autosoft Inc., a software and services company serving automotive dealers across North America, is opening a renovated technology center to accommodate growing operations and an expanding staff of software developers on its West Middlesex campus.

Average mortgage rates continue to fall

WASHINGTON

Average U.S. long-term mortgage rates fell for the fourth-straight week, a continuing boon for potential homebuyers.

Mortgage company Freddie Mac said Thursday the nationwide average for a 30-year mortgage declined to 3.89 percent this week from 3.97 percent last week. It is now at its lowest level since May 2013.

Rates are about a half-point lower than at the beginning of the year, when the benchmark 30-year rate stood at 4.53 percent. Rates have fallen in recent weeks amid economic slowdowns in Europe and China and the start of a recession in Japan.

The average for a 15-year mortgage, a popular choice for people who are refinancing, declined to 3.10 percent from 3.17 percent last week.

Amazon to sell own brand of diapers

ATLANTA

Amazon is launching its own line of diapers and baby wipes exclusively for its Prime members to get more shoppers to sign up for the $99 annual program.

The new line, Amazon Elements, will mean tougher competition for traditional consumer-product companies, said Bernstein Research analyst Carlos Kirjner, and they may have to change the way they sell and price their own goods.

Amazon, the largest U.S. e-commerce company, already sells other store-brand products, including bedding and bath items and patio furniture. Its Amazon Basics line includes home and office products. It also sells Kindle tablets and e-readers, the Fire phone and set-top video streaming devices.

The Seattle company has been investing heavily in services for its loyalty program, Prime, which has an estimated 40 million members.

Vindicator staff/wire reports