Jonathan Heller joins CBL’s board of directors
CBL Properties announced Friday that Jonathan Heller has been appointed to the Chattanooga-based shopping center company’s board of directors.
“As we move towards emerging from bankruptcy on November 1st, we believe Jonathan’s involvement in, and knowledge gained through, the restructuring negotiations will help provide a smooth transition to our new post-emergence board. In addition, Jonathan’s extensive investment experience will be of tremendous value to the company and our shareholders going forward. I am excited to work closely with Jonathan as CBL moves forward into this exciting new chapter,” said Stephen D. Lebovitz, CBL’s chief executive officer.
Heller is a partner who oversees the New York office at Canyon Partners and is a member of the firm’s investment committee. He is responsible for the firm’s investments in companies in a wide range of industries, including REITs, retail, financial institutions, technology and consumer. He has significant experience in various asset classes including stressed and distressed corporate debt, real estate securities, equities, municipal fixed income and structured products.
Unum quarterly dividend stays at 30 cents this fall
Unum Group said Friday it will pay a quarterly dividend of 30 cents per share for its common stock, payable on Nov. 19 for shareholders of record as of Oct. 29.
The Chattanooga-based insurer boosted its quarterly dividend this summer from 28.5 cents to 30 cents per share.
Unum is an international provider of workplace benefits and services which generated revenues of $13.2 billion last year. Through its Unum and Colonial Life brands, the company offers disability, life, accident, critical illness, dental, vision and stop-loss insurance; leave and absence management support and behavioral health services.
Economists expect annual job growth of 4.1 million
The U.S. job market is expected to keep improving over the next 12 months, but it won’t be as booming as it was before the coronavirus pandemic began, according to the nation’s top economists.
Experts polled for Bankrate’s Third-Quarter Economic Indicator survey see joblessness sinking to 4.23 percent a year from now. That compares with the 3.5 percent unemployment rate that prevailed before the pandemic, a 50-year low.
Meanwhile, economists forecast that U.S. employers will add an average of 340,000 new positions each month over the next 12 months. If that comes to fruition, it means the job market will add roughly 4.1 million new jobs over the course of the year, welcomed improvement after the coronavirus pandemic cratered 22.2 million positions.
“If those conditions materialize, along with further progress with vaccinations and the pandemic, many Americans should see some benefit to their own household bottom line with respect to their personal finances,” says Mark Hamrick, Bankrate senior economic analyst and Washington bureau chief.