Slow, steady make-over
Lord & Taylor hopes to restore the mystique that used to set it apart from look-alike department store chains. It's shifting its "taste level," and pricing, upward, but slowly so as not to alienate its baby boomer customers.
Lord & Taylor at a glance
Helen Huntley
On money
Co-signers should look to loan agreement for answers Q. We co-signed on a $300,000 loan to help our son and his wife buy a house. They are now separated and she is living in the house without him. Payments are being made, but what happens to us if they stop? Will we be notified in time to prevent foreclosure? If we make the payments, do we obtain ownership of the property? Can we obtain ownership through foreclosure?
Robert Trigaux
Bay area learns the many languages of globalization
When Germany's Mercedes manufacturer, Daimler-Benz AG, bought Chrysler Corp. three years ago, U.S. industry shuddered at the symbolic loss of control of such a famous American automaker.
Loose change
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The shaky economy is causing more Americans to lose their appetite for dining out. Sales are increasing in the $258-billion restaurant and bar industry, but the pace has been declining. And experts say 2001 is shaping up to have the slowest growth since the 1991 recession, when sales dropped 1.2 percent.
A clouded future for high-speed Internet
The regional Bell telephone companies and cable giant AT&T are squaring off on Capital Hill over access to the Bells' fiber-optic networks.
Ten tips: How to get your first credit card
Why is it that young, unemployed college students rarely have difficulty qualifying for multiple credit cards? Because the major credit card issuers figure parents will come to the rescue if their kids have a hard time paying their bills. But once students graduate, they suddenly may find themselves categorized as unsafe credit risks. If you've recently been turned down for a credit card, consider these tips:
