BUSINESS DIGEST ||

Youngstown gets ride-sharing Lyft

YOUNGSTOWN

Lyft, a ride-sharing program, rolled out with 54 new cities Thursday including Youngstown. The announcement of the new cities added to its coverage area is Lyft’s largest expansion.

A month ago, the company announced 40 new routes.

Last year, Uber, another ride-sharing program, came to Youngstown.

Greenbriar Health improves quality of patient care

BOARDMAN

Greenbriar Healthcare Center, 8064 South Ave., has graduated from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, “Special Focus Facility” program.

A nursing-home graduates from the SFF program because it has made significant improvements in quality of care – and those improvements are continued over time, according to CMS.

Greenbriar was placed in the program in October 2015 and graduated in February 2017.

Antone’s update

BOARDMAN

The Vindicator was to meet with Ross Scianna, owner of Antone’s Banquet Centre, on Thursday to discuss rumors about his business, but Scianna didn’t show up for the meeting. Scianna told the paper earlier in the week the center was not closing, but a former employee who quit working at Antone’s last week was reportedly told by Scianna to call customers and cancel their events because the banquet hall was closing.

First Niles Financial

NILES

First Niles Financial Inc., the holding company for Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Niles, recently reported results for the three-month and one-year periods ended Dec. 31.

The company recorded a net loss of $47,000 for the fourth quarter of 2016, which compares with net income of $40,000 for the same quarter in 2015.

In 2016, the company recorded net income of $24,000 compared with net income of $212,000 made in 2015.

30-year mortgage rate edges up

WASHINGTON

Long-term U.S. mortgage rates rose slightly this week, continuing a holding pattern that has prevailed this month.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the rate on 30-year, fixed-rate loans edged up to 4.16 percent from 4.15 percent last week. The benchmark rate stood at 3.62 percent a year ago and averaged 3.65 percent through 2016, the lowest level in records dating to 1971.

The rate on 15-year mortgages rose to 3.37 percent from 3.35 percent last week.

Mortgage rates surged in the weeks after President Donald Trump’s election in November. Investors bid rates higher because they expect Trump’s plans to cut taxes and increase spending on roads, bridges and airports will drive up economic growth and inflation.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., .1234.31-2.28

Aqua America, .71 30.730.26

Avalon Holdings,2.950.02

Chemical Bank, .2753.75-0.32Community Health Sys. 8.90 -0.22

Cortland Bancorp, .2818.000.00

Farmers Nat., .1614.050.28

First Energy, 1.44 31.420.62

Fifth/Third, .5227.45-0.05

FirstMerit Corp.,21.610.37

First Niles Financial, .129.750.15

FNB Corp., .4815.65-0.05

General Motors, 1.5237.20-0.64

General Electric, .9230.00-0.09

Huntington Bank, .28 14.190.00

iHeartMedia Inc.,1.200.10

JP Morgan Chase, 1.9291.130.07

Key Corp, .3419.060.13

LaFarge, .3417.570.00

Macy’s, 1.51 32.440.09

Parker Hannifin, 2.52 153.65-2.21

PNC, 2.20128.110.35

Simon Prop. Grp., 6.60184.890.19

Stoneridge 16.96-0.23

United Comm. Fin., .12 8.77-0.08

Selected prices from Thursday’s 4 p.m. close.