The maker of Monopoly is adding to its empire of board games. Hasbro Inc., the world’s second-largest toy company, has agreed to buy privately held game maker Cranium Inc. of Seattle for about $77.5 million, the companies said Friday. Pawtucket-based Hasbro owns the board game brands Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley, which make perennially popular games including Scrabble, Clue and Battleship as well as Monopoly. Cranium is best known for Cranium, which requires players to hum, draw and sculpt.
Debit cards for SSA checks?
The Treasury Department said Friday it would begin offering the option of providing monthly Social Security payments on debit cards and said it hopes millions of people without bank accounts will make use of the new service. Treasury officials said Comerica Bank had been chosen to offer the new debit cards, which have been given the name “Direct Express.” Treasury’s Financial Management Service estimated that 4 million recipients of Social Security and Supplemental Social Security, benefits paid to the poor, do not have bank accounts.
United Airlines raises fares
United Airlines, the second-largest U.S. carrier, raised domestic fares by $10 to $20 round-trip to offset rising fuel costs, a spokeswoman said Friday. United’s increase affects nearly all domestic routes, spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said.
Banks offered money from Fed
The Federal Reserve announced Friday it is increasing the amount of money available to banks through the new auction process it created to ease the nation’s severe credit squeeze. The Fed again pledged to continue the auctions “for as long as necessary.” The Fed said it will increase the amount offered at each of the next two auctions from $20 billion to $30 billion, a 50 percent jump. Those two auctions will take place Jan. 14 and Jan. 28.
Seattle firm delays stock offer
Biodiesel producer Imperium Renewables Inc. has delayed plans for an initial public offering designed to raise $345 million, citing “unfavorable market conditions.” The decision followed the surprise resignation of its chief executive officer, Martin Tobias, in December. Imperium, based in Seattle, filed for an IPO last May. The firm operates two biodiesel production facilities, a small one in Seattle and a larger one in Oak Harbor. A Seattle newspaper reported Friday that with the IPO on ice, the new plants’ futures are in question and the 107-person company could face layoffs. In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Imperium said it may seek private funding.
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