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    US Bank loan report portends bigger worries for others; also: T.G.I. Friday's guest loyalty card, and new ad revenue for Northwest

    By Dan Haugen
    Tuesday, July 15, 2008

    The amount of loans US Bank borrowers aren't paying back has doubled from a year ago, Reuters reports. US Bank, based in Minneapolis, is the first of 10 major banks around the country to report results for last quarter. It was supposed to be in relatively good shape, so its 18 percent profit plunge announced today has financial observers even more worried about other banks that were supposed to report dismal results.

    Make room in your wallet for another guest loyalty card. T.G.I. Friday's announced its "Give Me More Stripes" program, the first of its kind for a national casual restaurant chain, according to the company. Customers who sign up receive: a personalized membership card, a free dessert or appetizer, an $8 gift certificate for every $100 spent, and 15 pieces of flair. Actually, the part about the flair isn't true. But you do get a "one-time-use, jump-the-line pass."

     

     

    The major airlines have come up with a new plan to fill their bank accounts by draining your printer's ink cartridge. Passengers who print their boarding passes at home will soon start seeing advertisements on them, the Associated Press reports. Forty percent of Northwest Airlines customers, or up to 30 million a year, use its website to print boarding passes. An official said the new advertisements should make "many millions of dollars" for the airline.

    Do you have an inside scoop or news tip about a Minnesota company? Spotted something interesting in your RSS reader? Drop Business Agenda a note at dhaugen [at] minnpost [dot] com.

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    Business Agenda reports on what's going on at businesses in Minnesota. Reported and written by MinnPost's Dan Haugen, Business Agenda provides brief, quick-reading items about important companies in Minnesota and the people who work at those firms. Business Agenda features new items every day Monday through Friday. 

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