Home mortgage delinquencies gradually falling in Twin Cities: The home mortgage delinquency rate in the Twin Cities declined for the sixth straight month, falling to 5.78 percent in June, down from 5.85 percent in May, according to data published Wednesday by First American CoreLogic, a Santa Ana, California-based mortgage data firm. The rate of delinquency in the Twin Cities is still higher now than it was a year ago. In June 2009, the foreclosure rate was 4.98 percent. The Twin Cities delinquency rate hit a high in January, when it totaled 6.13 percent. Read full story

U of M to start company based on atrazine water treatment: The University of Minnesota on Thursday plans to announce a startup company that will use new water filtration technology to reduce levels of the herbicide atrazine. The technology will serve as the basis for an as-yet-unnamed company launched by two recent College of Science and Engineering graduates. Read full story

Piper to buy back $75 million in stock: Piper Jaffray Cos. will buy back $75 million of its common stock, the company announced today. The Minneapolis-based investment bank said it's launching the repurchase program to help offset the effects of stock issued to employees as part of compensation programs. The company's stock is currently trading at around $31 per share. Read full story

Fallon lands H&R Block account: Tax preparer H&R Block has awarded its $155 million marketing account to Fallon Worldwide, according to industry trade publication Advertising Age. New York-based DDB had handled the H&R Block account. Prior to that, Minneapolis-based Campbell Mithun had it for nine years. Read full story