Gustav may put crimp in PPG production

PPG Industries may not be able to fill some contracts for chemical products as a result of a plant closing related to Hurricane Gustav. The company closed its Lake Charles facility in Louisiana before the storm hit the U.S. Gulf Coast and may restart it this weekend. The company invoked "force majeure" on contracts for chemicals produced there, which means it can avoid penalties for missed deliveries because of circumstances beyond its control.

National City offers to forgo fee penalty

National City Corp. will let some customers close their untapped home equity lines of credit, without penalty, to reduce liabilities on its balance sheet. The bank "provided customers the opportunity to close the line without incurring the early termination fee," said spokeswoman Kelly Wagner Amen. The bank will reward customers who accept the offer, Ms. Wagner Amen said, declining to provide details. National City was forced to raise $7 billion after its Florida expansion was hurt by the collapsing housing market.

Westinghouse signs U.K. reactor accords

Westinghouse Electric Co. said it signed agreements with three British companies to help with the construction of atomic reactors in the United Kingdom. Westinghouse signed memorandums of understanding with BAE Systems PLC, Rolls-Royce Group PLC and Doosan Babcock Energy Ltd., and said as much as 80 percent of the work and services needed to build the AP1000 can be provided by U.K. companies, according to an e-mailed statement yesterday. It's seeking sales of the AP1000 nuclear power plants in Britain. Separately, Westinghouse said it wouldn't bid to build Finland's sixth nuclear reactor, explaining that it prefers to build reactors in pairs.

Junior Achievement moves to North Side

Junior Achievement of Western PA has relocated to One Allegheny Center on the North Side from the Thorn Hill Industrial Park in Marshall. The local organization, which claims to have the state's largest chapter, serves more than 82,000 students in 32 counties. It offers programs in business, economics, financial literacy, and career development for students in grades K-12.

Bombardier rebounds in second quarter

Bombardier Inc. reported second-quarter net income of $246 million, or 14 cents a share, vs. a loss of $71 million, or 5 cents, a year ago. Revenue increased 22 percent to $4.93 billion. Revenue at its rail-equipment division grew by 32 per cent to $2.42 billion and revenue at Bombardier Aerospace was up 14 percent to $2.52 billion. The company also said orders for its business jets would slow in the coming months.

Also in business ...

Carnegie Mellon University ranked No. 18 in a survey of the "Top 20 Wired Colleges." The rankings, created by PC Magazine and The Princeton Review, are based on colleges' technology offerings and focused on academics, student resources, infrastructure, wireless networks and tech support ... The area's first Garden Ridge home decorating store will celebrate a grand opening Sept. 17 off Montour Run in the former Wickes Furniture store ... Verizon Communications Inc. increased its quarterly dividend by 3 cents a share to 46 cents, payable Nov. 3 to shareholders of record Oct. 10.