In the Region

Comcast weighs limits, fees on data downloads

Comcast Corp., Philadelphia, is considering a limit on the amount of data that subscribers can download and charging a fee for those who go over. A report that Comcast was considering limits appeared online at BroadbandReports.com and was confirmed yesterday by the company. One option is to cap bandwidth usage at 250 gigabytes per month - enough to handle about 50 high-definition movies, 250 standard-definition movies or more than 6,000 songs. Users exceeding the cap could be charged $15 for every 10 gigabytes they went over. The plan is in its early stages, and Comcast still may change the details or decline to impose any caps or charges. - AP

Chief executive to step down at Quaker Chemical

Ronald J. Naples will step down as chief executive officer of Quaker Chemical Corp. in October, the company announced. For 13 years, Naples has headed the Conshohocken firm that develops, produces and markets specialty-chemical products for heavy-industrial and manufacturing applications. Naples, 62, will remain chairman and CEO until October and then serve as chairman for a limited time, the company said. Michael F. Barry, 50, senior vice president and managing director-North America, will take over as chief executive in October. Company shares closed down 53 cents at $29.55. - Roslyn Rudolph

Hill International's net income sets a record

Hill International Inc., Mount Laurel, said first-quarter net income rose to a record $6.8 million, or 17 cents a share, on sales of $80.9 million, up from earnings of $2.5 million, or 8 cents a share, on sales of $62.9 million a year earlier. That beat the median of 14 cents a share forecast by five analysts polled by Bloomberg. The construction consultant and project manager has grown through acquisitions and signed new management deals in the Middle East. Shares closed down 57 cents, or 3.92 percent, at $13.98. - Joseph N. DiStefano

Former Pep Boys CEO joining luxury-auto venture

Jeff Rachor, who stepped down last month as chief executive officer of Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, Philadelphia, is joining forces with Michael Dell's private-investment firm to form a luxury-car dealership, according to a news release. Rachor, 49, had been CEO of the auto-parts-and-service company for a little more than a year. He said in April that he was planning to return to Tennessee and to his first love, the auto-dealership business. He had joined Pep Boys in March 2007. Rachor is teaming up with MSD Capital L.P., which manages money for Dell, the founder of Dell Inc. Their joint effort will be called MSD Automotive Partners L.L.C. - Roslyn Rudolph

Westrum to auction 11 properties in East Falls

To quickly generate sales, Westrum Development Co., Fort Washington, plans next month to auction 11 units in its development in the East Falls section of Philadelphia. The builder then plans "to bring in new designs that are more conducive to what the buyers are asking for," company spokeswoman Leslie Balzer said. The original asking prices for the properties being auctioned were as high as $749,990. Westrum has sold 19 units so far, Balzer said. - Harold Brubaker

Stradley Ronon adds securities-litigation specialist

The Philadelphia law firm of Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young L.L.P. has announced that Paula D. Shaffner, a former executive committee member of the Saul Ewing L.L.P. law firm, has joined Stradley Ronon's securities-litigation practice group. Shaffner, who is based in Stradley Ronon's Philadelphia office, represents brokerage firms and brokers, particularly in litigation matters. - Chris Mondics

Checkpoint Systems reports drop in earnings

Checkpoint Systems Inc., Thorofare, reported earnings of $4.8 million, or 12 cents a diluted share, for the first quarter, down slightly from $5 million, or 12 cents a share, in the same period a year earlier. The company, in a release, cited restructuring and other onetime charges. This was achieved on revenue of $209.6 million, up 22.4 percent from the $171.2 million reported in the same period a year earlier. The company, which develops and markets radio-frequency identification tags and other products that help reduce shoplifting and aid with inventory management, predicted that 2008 earnings from continuing operations would range from $1.65 to $1.75 a share. - Henry J. Holcomb

Parkway22 condo-sales center suspends activities

The sales center for Parkway22, a planned 35-story condominium complex behind the Rodin Museum, will suspend activities tomorrow because of "uncertain market conditions," according to the developer, V&H Hotel Associates. Dalia Shuster, longtime owner of the property and Parkway22 principal, said the sales center would be back in action when market conditions returned to normal. In the meantime, she said, design and site preparation would continue. - Harold Brubaker

Bio-Imaging Technologies reports higher net income

Bio-Imaging Technologies Inc., Newtown, said its net income in the first quarter was up 108 percent to $823,000, or 6 cents a diluted share, compared with $395,000, or 3 cents a share, in the same period a year earlier. Revenue was $11.1 million, up 27 percent from the $8.7 million reported for the same period in 2007. Bio-Imaging provides services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical-device industries. - Henry J. Holcomb

RCM completes acquisition of MBH Solutions

RCM Technologies Inc., Pennsauken, said it had completed its acquisition of MBH Solutions Inc., a Teaneck, N.J., specialty enterprise business-services company. RCM said 2007 annual revenue for MBH was about $13 million. - Rhonda Dickey

Elsewhere

Worker productivity up more than expected

Worker productivity rose a better-than-expected amount in the first three months of the year. The Labor Department reported that productivity, the amount of output per hour of work, increased at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the first quarter. That was slightly higher than the 1.5 percent increase that had been expected. Labor-cost pressures slowed a bit. Unit-labor costs rose at an annual rate of 2.2 percent, down from a 2.8 percent increase in the final three months of last year. - AP

Increase in consumer borrowing accelerates

Consumer borrowing rose in March at the fastest pace in four months, more than double the increase of the previous month. The Federal Reserve reported that consumers increased their borrowing at an annual rate of 7.2 percent, compared with a 3.1 percent rate of increase in February. The gain was much larger than economists had been expecting and reflected strong borrowing on credit cards and in the category that includes auto loans. - AP

Yields mixed on money market funds

The average seven-day yield on taxable money market funds fell to 1.95 percent this week from 2.01 percent last week, according to iMoneyNet Inc. The average yield on tax-free funds rose to 2.13 percent from 1.95 percent last week. - Rhonda Dickey