Wells Fargo in talks to buy GE's commercial lending business, reports say

Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC) wants a bigger piece of General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE).

The Wall Street Journal at midday reported the bank is negotiating to buy all or part of GE’s commercial lending unit, a business with $74 billion in assets that lends money to middle-market U.S. companies.

The report, citing anonymous sources, says GE’s talks include other potential bidders. Other details are not known.

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Drawing a bright future: Powerhouse Animation doubles its footprint

Powerhouse Animation of Austin has doubled its space at a 9,000-square-foot office at North MoPac Expressway near Steck Avenue to accommodate its continued growth in the two-dimension animation market.

The company, which has 45 employees, is one of the largest animation houses in Texas, with 2014 revenue of about $3 million. The company anticipates revenue growth of 130 percent this year.

The move to a larger space in the building, which is owned by Congress Holdings Group, gives Powerhouse more…

Baker Donelson announces newly elected shareholders in Alabama

Baker Donelson announced Monday that it has elected 14 new shareholders across the firm, including three attorneys in its Birmingham office: Thomas J. Buchanan, Kevin R. Garrison and Catherine Crosby Long.

Buchanan is a member of the firm’s real estate and finance group, where he represents clients in all aspects of the wireless telecommunications industry.

Garrison concentrates his practice in construction where he represents owners, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers in all aspects of…

Country Club Plaza partner: Shoe store closure doesn't mean trouble

A partner in Country Club Plaza says the recent closure of Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse isn’t a sign of trouble at the largely vacant shopping center at Watt and El Camino avenues.

Plans to remodel and update the mall are still underway, said Jerry Wise of Los Angeles-based Brad Management, which is one of the partners in Country Club Plaza.

“Part of that updating requires us to empty out stores that don’t fit with our plan in areas we plan to remodel and reconfigure. Off Broadway just didn’t…

Ohio OKs $5M downtown Dayton building conversion

Ohio has given the go-ahead to a $5 million project to rehabilitate a downtown building.

The Ohio Controlling Board approved Monday $4 million toward the proposed rehabilitation project at Sinclair Community College, which also is fronting $1 million from its own reserves to convert Building 13 into a training and testing facility for unmanned aerial systems, also known as drones.

The funding greenlights construction for the facility, which will be a major upgrade to Sinclair’s growing UAS programs,…