New reporter joins CR staff

Shawn Shinneman has joined The Commercial Review as a city government/police reporter.
Shinneman, 22, is a May graduate of Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., where he majored in communication and worked on various campus publications.
He interned in the summer of 2010 at The Northwest Herald, a daily newspaper covering the suburbs northwest of Chicago.
Shinneman replaces former CR reporter Rachelle Haughn, who left the staff in May to take a position with the Academy of Model Aeronautics in Muncie.

Financial results reported
Park National Corporation reported quarterly and semi-annual financial results this week for the period ending June 30, 2011. The board of directors also declared a $0.94 per common share dividend, payable on Sept. 9, 2011 to stockholders.
Net income for the first half of 2011 was $41.7 million, compared to $21.2 million in 2010.

Agreement signed
The First Bank of Berne announced the signing an agreement with the American Trust Federal Saving Bank, headquartered in Peru, in which the Berne-based bank will purchase most loans and assume all deposits and related liabilities of American Trust.
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FBB will acquire all three American Trust locations purchase most of the loans, investments, accrued interest receivable and other banking-related assets.
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Strong earnings announced
Saint-Gobain announced figures for the first half of 2011, showing sales up, organic growth and double-digit growth in operating income.
Organic growth was up 6.7 percent, sales prices were up 2.4 percent and operating income was up 18.6 percent. The strong sales growth in the first half year confirmed the recovery in sales volumes observed in 2010, representatives said in a statement.[[In-content Ad]]