Business

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday unveiled long-awaited changes to how the nation’s biggest banks structure overdraft protection plans. The independent watchdog agency said the new rule closes a loophole that for decades has exempted overdraft loans from the consumer protections required by the 1968 Truth in Lending Act. Since 2000, American consumers have paid an estimated $280 billion in bank overdraft fees, according to CFPB data.

Yes, there is some good news coming from the stranding of the massive Ever Forward container Ship in the upper Chesapeake Bay in March of 2022. Here’s what to know about how it will actually now boost oysters in Maryland. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will plant about 147 million oyster spat, or juvenile oysters, on 41 acres in Anne Arundel County waters with mitigation funds from the 2022 grounding of the Ever Forward on an upper Chesapeake Bay oyster bar.

The Baltimore Sun, the largest newspaper in Maryland, has been acquired in a private deal by David D. Smith, executive chairman of Hunt Valley-based television station owner Sinclair Inc. Smith said Monday that he acquired Baltimore Sun Media on Friday from investment firm Alden Global Capital, marking the first time in nearly four decades that The Sun will be in the hands of a local owner.

This time last year, Choice Hotels wasn’t even a contender in NerdWallet’s annual analysis of hotel brands and their loyalty programs. In past years, we didn’t collect data on Choice because its award search didn’t show enough availability. (As part of our analysis, we collect data on bookings eight months from the time of search.)

As authorities probe Boeing’s safety protocols as part of their investigation into what went wrong with a flight that blew a hole midair last week, the role of a major supplier is also coming into focus: Spirit AeroSystems. The Kansas-based company, which is far less prominent than Boeing, built most of the jet before handing it off to the aviation giant. On Wednesday, Spirit said it had started working directly with the National Transportation Safety Board on its investigation — a sign that investigators believe Spirit may have critical information relevant to the probe.

Allegis Group is reorganizing one of its subsidiaries as Greater Baltimore’s largest private company looks to build on the success of one of its fastest-growing brands. Aston Carter, an Allegis Group subsidiary that provides staffing services for a range of professional focus areas, is being split in half and reorganized under two other subsidiaries. The Aston Carter brand will move under Actalent, a growing subsidiary that specializes in engineering and science, taking some of its services with it.

“We are a neighborhood Italian restaurant. We’re all about using fresh ingredients and just making [food] the way you would make it at home,” Gregorio’s Trattoria owner Greg Kahn said as he prepares to open a new location this year in Park Potomac. The Italian eatery’s new location, which is slated to open in May or June, will be at 12505 Park Potomac Ave., Kahn said. It will be less than two miles from the restaurant’s current Potomac location at 7745 Tuckerman Lane.

The slower winter months can drag on for restaurants, but a week of deals can often help reinvigorate people’s desire to eat out. That’s what many Greater Baltimore restaurants are hoping for as four area restaurant weeks – Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Harford County and Howard County – kick off this month. Restaurant owners use the weeks to bring in new customers and draw in regulars during a historically slow time.