The nation's largest online mortgage lender plans to create nearly 400 jobs in Arizona as it opens a division in north Scottsdale early next year.

Quicken Loans Inc. already has started hiring for the positions, which pay an average of more than $75,000 after one year, even though it hasn't yet finalized a site. The company plans to issue an announcement about its plans Monday.

Quicken Loans employs more than 3,700 people in suburban Detroit but wanted a Western operation to better serve customers in later time zones. .

Beige Book: Southeast economy still mixed

The Federal Reserve's Beige Book report on Oct. 12 says the Southeast's economy remained a mixed bag in September, just as it was for the past several months.

Architecture students get experience; family gets a home

The new home at 590 Orchard St. in New Haven, Conn., offers many of the extras you would expect in a house designed by Yale-trained architects. From its edgy roof with solar panels to the basement with its high-efficiency furnace, numerous practical and aesthetic touches set this house apart from its slightly shabby Victorian-era neighbors. The Marvin windows are gigantic. The ceiling is cathedral. The floor is engineered maple. The bathroom floors are tile, and the custom staircase leading to the second floor has its banister built into the slanting wall. Nothing in the house suggests the bland, low-cost chock-ablock design usually associated with urban renewal. But the house was purchased this year by a low-income single mother who moved her family from public housing to the first home of her own.

Scottish Business Briefing - October 3

The Institute of Directors has defended evidence that the pay taken home by UK directors jumped by 28% last year (The Scotsman). Director of the organisation, David Watt, said the surging pay rates are the product of market conditions and anything less could damage the prospects of the Scottish economy. He called for Scotland to be brought in line with boardroom rates south of the border. "We have to be very, very careful about not paying the market rates, because these companies could easily be dragged off to other parts of the world." The Guardian & Reward Technology Forum report claimed Britain's highest paid boss is Mick Davis of mining group Xstrata, who earned £15 million last year. There were no Scottish chairman or chief executives included in the list. David Lonsdale, deputy director of the CBI, said he expected the figures would provoke anti-business sentiment, adding: "High levels of reward should come as a result of success."

At a glance: New Krispy Kreme executives

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree from Franklin & Marshall College, 1972. Masters of Business Administration, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 1974.

TITLE: Director, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc.

EXPERIENCE: Spent 30 years in various senior management positions at Winston-Salem-based R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, including vice president of personnel, executive vice president of operations, chief operating officer and, ultimately, chairman and chief executive officer. He oversaw the 2004 merger of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and the U.S. operations of Brown & Williamson that resulted in creation of Reynolds American Inc. before retiring in January 2005. In addition to Krispy Kreme's board, which he joined in September, Schindler serves on the board of directors of ArvinMeritor Inc., Pike Electric Company, and Hanesbrands Inc.

Market deserves the credit

The squeeze at the gas pump has eased up somewhat, with gas prices goingdown across the state and across the country. Gasoline prices are downabout 60 cents from last year, averaging about $2.10 in Oklahoma last week.That's fantastic news for Oklahoma consumers, who have been stretching their budgets to accommodate recent higher gas prices. The price decrease is especially welcome for those Oklahomans who have high transportation expenses, such as truckers and delivery services. And the expenses of farmers are heavily tied to the price of oil and gasoline — from diesel for tractors to the cost of fertilizer, which mirrors the cost of natural gas used in its production. This price decrease represents a 20 percent drop in costs to Oklahoma consumers.When the price of gas increased, I spoke to a lot of upset constituents about how the market forces were moving petroleum prices up.