Business Highlights

___

How gov't aims to protect low-income users of 'payday' loans

WASHINGTON (AP) — Each month, more than 200,000 needy U.S. households take out what's advertised as a brief loan.

Many have run out of money between paychecks. So they obtain a "payday" loan to tide them over. Problem is, such loans can often bury them in fees and debts. Their bank accounts can be closed, their cars repossessed.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed rules Thursday to protect Americans from stumbling into what it calls a "debt trap." At the heart of the plan is a requirement that payday lenders verify borrowers' incomes before approving a loan.

___

Co-pilot was 'very happy' with Germanwings job

On Thursday, French prosecutors said Lubitz, the co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525, "intentionally" crashed the jet into the side of a mountain Tuesday in the French Alps.

Members of his hometown flight club in Montabaur, where he renewed his glider license last fall, told The Associated Press that the 27-year-old Lubitz appeared to be happy with the job he had at the airline, a low-cost carrier in the Lufthansa Group.

___

Perfection doesn't last: Muni bond returns to be more muted

NEW YORK (AP) — Conditions were nearly perfect for municipal bonds last year, leading to sizeable returns. Perfection never lasts, though, and managers of municipal-bond funds are forecasting more modest returns in upcoming years.

___

Puerto Rico prepares for luxury shopping amid recession

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A pair of nearly 5-inch black satin heels with a large gold alligator that serves as the front strap retails for almost $1,600 at the first Saks Fifth Avenue store to open in Puerto Rico, more than what the average person here earns in a month and where nearly half the population lives in poverty.

While a nearly decade-long recession has forced many Puerto Ricans to seek a more affordable life on the U.S. mainland, some of the world's priciest retailers have stores at The Mall of San Juan, a $475 million shopping center opening Thursday alongside one of the island's most crime-ridden public housing projects.

___

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer people sought U.S. unemployment benefits last week, evidence that strong hiring should continue despite signs of slower economic growth at the start of 2015.

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications for jobless aid fell 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 282,000. The decrease suggests that a recent slowdown in manufacturing, housing starts and retail sales have not trickled into the job market, a possible indication that economic growth will rebound after a harsh winter.

The four-week average, a less volatile measure, tumbled 7,750 to 297,000. Over the past 12 months, the average has dipped roughly 7 percent.

___

Average US rate on 30-year mortgage falls to 3.69 percent

Mortgage giant Freddie Mac said Thursday the national average for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage declined to 3.69 percent from 3.78 percent last week.

The average rate for a 15-year mortgage, popular with homeowners who refinance, eased to 2.97 percent from 3.06 percent last week.

___

Oil council: Shale won't last, Arctic drilling needed now

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. should immediately begin a push to exploit its enormous trove of oil in the Arctic waters off of Alaska, or risk a renewed reliance on imported oil in the future, an Energy Department advisory council says in a study to be released Friday.

___

Toyota: Both hands back on the wheel after recall spinout

TOYOTA, Japan (AP) — After extended introspection at the world's biggest automaker, Toyota says it has put its massive recalls behind it and is preparing to re-engage its growth engine once again.

The Japanese company outlined a new "architecture" Thursday centered on product development and manufacturing initiatives it hopes will be more fail-proof against quality problems, and allow it to keep growing in a sustainable way.

The first cars under the system, medium-sized front-wheel drive cars, will roll out later this year, and will be expanded to half its lineup by 2020, Toyota Motor Corp. said.

Thai lawmakers move against human trafficking

BANGKOK (AP) — Lawmakers in Thailand have approved a measure creating tougher penalties for violating the country's laws against human trafficking.

The legislation had been under debate for several weeks. But its passage comes in the wake of an Associated Press investigation published this week. It found that fish caught by slaves has entered the supply chains of major supermarkets, restaurants and even pet stores in the United States. Seafood that was caught by hundreds of men trapped on a remote Indonesian island was tracked to exporters in Thailand who sell to America.

___

FINRA fines Oppenheimer $3.75M in employee fraud case

FINRA ordered Oppenheimer to pay a $2.5 million fine and $1.25 million in restitution for failing to investigate Mark Hotton before hiring him, failing to supervise him after he was hired, and overlooking "red flags" like transfers of large sums out of his clients' accounts.

Hotton is now serving a 34-month prison term for two different frauds, one of which involved the producers of a musical version of the psychological thriller "Rebecca."

___

FDA to scrutinize unproven alternative remedies

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials plan to review the safety and evidence behind alternative remedies like Zicam and Cold-Eeze, products that are protected by federal law, but not accepted by mainstream medicine.

___

Diet sodas fall in US; Pepsi takes back No. 2 spot

NEW YORK (AP) — Americans bought less soda for the 10th straight year in 2014, with diet sodas shrinking more than their sugary counterparts, according to a report released Thursday.

An annual report by the industry tracker Beverage Digest found that overall soda volume slipped 0.9 percent last year, moderating from the decline of 3 percent the previous year.

___

WASHINGTON (AP) — A nationwide crackdown on auto dealers has turned up widespread evidence of false ads, deceptive loans and fake odometer readings, the government said Thursday.

The investigation led by the Federal Trade Commission and law enforcement resulted in 252 enforcement actions and $2.6 million in consumer refunds and fees.