Aggressive start for consumer bureau

WASHINGTON » The new federal agency charged with enforcing consumer finance laws is emerging as an ambitious sheriff, taking on companies for deceptive fees and marketing and unmoved by protests that its tactics go too far.

In the 14 months it has existed, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has launched dozens of enforcement probes and issued more than 100 subpoenas demanding data, testimony and marketing materials — sometimes amounting to millions of pages — from companies that include credit card lenders, for-profit colleges and mortgage servicers.

Cheapest fares on airlines’ own websites

NEW YORK » Some airlines are making travelers work harder to find a deal. Carriers are offering more deals to passengers who book flights directly on their websites. It’s an effort to steer people away from online travel agencies such as Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity, which charge the carriers commissions of roughly $10 to $25 a ticket.

While travelers save money, they also must do without the convenience of one-stop shopping.

Frontier Airlines is the latest carrier to jump into the fight, announcing Wednesday that it will penalize passengers who don’t book directly with the airline. Those fliers won’t be able to get seat assignments until check-in. And they’ll pay more in fees while earning half as many frequent flier miles.

Gas hits $8 in New Jersey, Pennsylvania

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, N.J. » More than 50 Lukoil gas stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania jacked up prices to more than $8 a gallon Wednesday to protest what they say are unfair pricing practices by Lukoil North America that leave them at a competitive disadvantage.

Dozens of Lukoil franchise owners also gathered to protest at a station in this central New Jersey town where the posted prices were an eye-popping $8.99 a gallon.

The owners and the New Jersey Gasoline, Convenience, Automotive Association said the one-day protest was aimed at raising consumer awareness about the challenges facing Lukoil dealers and getting the company to respond to dealer grievances.

Forecast points to solid holiday growth

NEW YORK » After wrapping up a decent back-to-school shopping season, merchants are expected to see healthy sales gains for the critical winter holidays, though the pace should be slightly below last year, according to one of the first forecasts issued for the holiday sales season.

Retail revenue in November and December should be up 3.3 percent during what’s traditionally the biggest shopping period of the year, Chicago-based research firm ShopperTrak said Wednesday.

The sales prediction from ShopperTrak would be below last year’s pace of 3.7 percent and the more than 5 percent gains seen during the boom economic times. But it would be respectable given that shoppers are still grappling with high unemployment and other financial challenges.

Facebook users get U.S. to vote

WASHINGTON » Facebook friends played a big role in getting hundreds of thousands of Americans to vote in 2010, a new scientific study claims.

Facebook researchers and scientists at the University of California, San Diego conducted a massive online experiment in the congressional election to test and measure the political power of online peer pressure.

They found that people who got Facebook messages that their friends had voted were a bit more likely to go to the polls than those who did not get the same reminder. And from there the effect multiplied in the social network, they reported in Thursday’s journal Nature.

The friend-prodding likely increased voter turnout by as much as 340,000 in the non-presidential election that voted in a new Republican congress, the scientists calculated. They said that it could potentially change the outcome of close elections.

U.S. wholesale stockpiles up in July

WASHINGTON » U.S. wholesalers increased their stockpiles in July from June, but sales fell for a third straight month. Declining sales could force companies to cut inventories in coming months, a troubling sign that economic growth could weaken.

The Commerce Department said Wednesday that wholesale stockpiles grew 0.7 percent in July, the biggest increase in five months. Sales fell 0.1 percent after declines of 1.4 percent in June and 1.1 percent in May. That marked the longest stretch of weakness since seven straight monthly declines ending in January 2009, a period when the country was in recession.

Horizon Lines and Pasha match Matson’s increase

Horizon Lines Inc. and Pasha Hawaii Transport Lines are raising their fuel surcharges 41⁄2 percentage points between Hawaii and the mainland on the heels of a similar increase by Matson Inc., the state’s largest ocean shipper.

Horizon’s increase to 43.5 percent, from 39 percent, will be effective Oct. 7.

Pasha, which began transporting containers in July between Honolulu, Maui, Hilo and San Diego to complement its auto-shipping business, is boosting its fuel surcharge to 39.5 percent, from 35 percent, effective Oct. 10.

Matson announced Friday it was raising its fuel surcharge to 43.5 percent, from 39 percent, also effective Oct. 7.

ON THE MOVE

Hawaii Pacific Federal Credit Union has promoted Janel Guira to assistant vice president of operations. She has 26 years of experience in the banking industry, including working for American Savings and Bank of America.

Central Pacific Bank has appointed:
>> Reid Chung to vice president, private banking officer. He has seven years of experience in the banking industry.
>> Ken Niimura to vice president, senior corporate international banking officer. He has more than 25 years’ experience in leadership positions and knowledge of international business.
 

OliverMcMillan has named Serge Krivatsy managing director. He was a founding member and principal of THM Partners LLC, a Hawaii-based real estate development firm.