Hiring up, unemployment down in January report

American employers substantially stepped up their hiring in January, bringing the unemployment rate down for the fifth month in a row.

Employers added 243,000 jobs in January, the Labor Department reported Friday, marking a pick-up in hiring from December, when the economy added 203,000 jobs.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 8.3%. That is the lowest since February 2009.

You can read the entire story on CNN.com by clicking here.

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Bristow banker urges enactment of bill

Bristow banker – and current chairman of the American Bankers Association – said he and his Association strongly supports and urges the enactment of a bipartisan bill that would provide critical balance and transparency to the bank examination process.

Albert C. "Kell" Kelly, who is president and CEO of SpiritBank in Bristow, told the House Financial Institutions Subcommittee on Feb. 1. that the bill – H.R. 3461 – “takes a major step toward a more balanced and transparent approach regarding how, and on what basis, decisions are made by the regulatory agencies in the examination process."

You can read all of Kelly's testimony by clicking here (.pdf).

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K.C. Fed President speaks on economy in 2012

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Esther George recently spoke about the country's economy and monetary policy for the upcoming year.

George was speaking at the Economic Outlook 2012 forum on Jan. 12, hosted by the Central Exchange in Kansas City, Mo.

You can read her transcribed remarks by clicking here (.pdf).

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