CHICAGO – For the first time in 13 years, the MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneur Series (MUES) is giving consumers the chance to vote for their favorite urban entrepreneur.

The new Consumer's Choice Award is a unique addition to the national business plan competition that has awarded nearly $2 million in grants since the program's inception in 1999. This new component will allow finalists the opportunity to engage their social networks for a chance to win a business development grant of $10,000.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce collected $1 million in penalties this week from a national mortgage settlement announced in February. Forty-nine states including Minnesota joined the $25 billion settlement which involves the nation’s five largest national mortgage lenders: Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank, and GMAC/Ally Financial.

“The mortgage crisis has left in its wake a path of foreclosures and financial distress for hundreds of thousands of Minnesota families,” said Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman. “Over the last seven years nearly 136,000 Minnesota homes have gone into foreclosure, and one out of every 905 homes in Minnesota received a notice of foreclosure last month.

Recently, the Minneapolis Saint Paul Regional Economic Development Partnership (GREATER MSP) and the Minnesota Trade Office (MTO) unveiled their co-located offices in Shanghai. 

The Greater MSP China Center aims to increase foreign direct investment in the Greater Minneapolis Saint Paul metropolitan area as well as promote trade between member companies and China while the Minnesota China Trade Office will focus on increasing Minnesota exports to China with the goal of stimulating the Minnesota economy and creating new economic opportunities through foreign direct investment for the entire state of Minnesota. 

A settlement agreement between the American International Group, Inc. (AIG) and its affiliates with all states and the District of Columbia has become fully effective, Commissioner Mike Rothman announced recently.  Minnesota was one of eight leading states to conduct a Multistate Market Conduct Examination that revealed AIG misrepresented its workers’ compensation insurance premiums to reduce their taxes and assessments, resulting in the $2.1 million settlement for the State of Minnesota.

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We are sitting in the 2nd floor food court at the new international terminal at Atlanta’s airport. We are glad to be here because this is what Ambassador Andrew Young talked about when he addressed the Minneapolis Urban League annual gala on May 31st.

WASHINGTON - (TriceEdneyWire.com) - The head of a national Black bankers organization is warning that growing foreclosures upon churches across America indicate that houses of worship must quickly change the way they do business or possibly face a national crisis.