BUSINESS BRIEFS

FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY

More than 4.5 million people have positively changed their financial future through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University (FPU).

The nine-week course provides families and individuals with practical tools to gain control of their finances and set themselves up for long-term financial success. The course meets once a week where a different lesson is taught by Dave on DVD followed by a small-group discussion. Lessons include budgeting, relationships and money, getting out of debt, saving for emergencies and investing.

FPU will be held in Fallon at Oasis Community Church, 1520 S. Maine St. The classes will begin Jan. 15 at 8:15 a.m.. Contact the organization for more information or to register.

Through common-sense principles and small-group accountability, FPU gives people the tools they need to change their behavior and succeed financially. On average families who complete FPU pay off $5,300 and save $2,700 in the first 90 days. Following the class nearly 94 percent of those families budget regularly.

CC COMMUNICATIONS CHALLENGE

CC Communications has a free college football challenge offered to their CC Communications customers and employees called the Pick-it-Bowl challenge. Participants go in and choose the winners of the college bowl games.

This year CC Communications has challenged Fallon Ford Toyota employees in the challenge. At the end of the challenge, the top five employee scores from each company will be added together. The company with the highest score wins. The losing company will make a monetary donation to the winning company’s charity of choice.

AWARD TO U.S. BANK

U.S. Bank, which has an office in Fallon, has been named a Best Brand for Small Business and for Middle Market Banking by leading consulting and research firm Greenwich Associates.

U.S. Bank is among eight banks that won national Best Brand Overall awards in both the small business ($1 million to $10 million in annual sales) and Middle Market categories ($10 million to $500 million in annual sales) from Stamford-based Greenwich Associates.

“We work hard to advocate for our clients and support their success,” said Elliot Jaffee, executive vice president and head of commercial banking for U.S. Bank. “This recognition is external validation that our approach is making a difference for our clients and we couldn’t be more pleased.”

The Greenwich Best Brand Awards are based on thousands of interviews conducted from January through September as part of the Greenwich Associates Small Business and Middle Market research programs. They measure bank’s reputation by company owners and executives. To be selected as a Greenwich Best Brand winner, a bank must have a score for a particular service that is statistically higher than the industry average.

U.S. Bank was recognized as a Best Brand in six categories: Overall, Loans or Lines of Credit, and Cash Management for Small Business and Overall, Loans or Lines of Credit and Cash Management for Middle Market.