U.S. Bank profits are down, but deposits are up. The Minneapolis-based bank has fared better than most of its peers in recent weeks. However, third-quarter profits were down 47 percent, below analysts expectations. Deposits increased $14.4 billion, or 12 percent, however, as bank customers apparently pulled money from institutions most associated with the financial mess.

Every day there seems to be an uptick in the numbers of people who are online and interested in connecting with friends, family, colleagues or others where even a digital relationship might end up as meaningful.

Wells Fargo still has a bumpy trail ahead in its merger with Wachovia. The latest obstacle: Rival banks are aggressively wooing Wachovia customers, many of whom are angry and distrustful after watching their bank nearly fail, Bloomberg reports. One regional bank in the Southeast attracted $1.2 billion in deposits from former Wachovia customers during the third quarter, and it expects more to follow.

Not a day goes by when I don't think about how much the Internet has changed our lives. I think it's the most amazing development I'll see in my lifetime.

The nonprofit Animal Humane Society is romping into the for-profit world Nov. 19, when it plans to open its new pet boarding and grooming facility near the airport. The venture carries the risks and rewards of any business.

One cardiologist calls the results of a new safety study "sobering" for Medtronic's drug-coated Endeavor stent. The large-scale Danish study was presented Thursday at a cardiovascular conference in Washington, D.C., Bloomberg reports. It found patients implanted with the Medtronic device were more likely to suffer heart attacks or serious blood clots than those with a rival device made by Johnson & Johnson. A spokesman for Fridley-based Medtronic said the results are "interesting" but "far from extraordinary proof." The Wall Street Journal reports that other studies this week appeared to bolster claims of Endeavor's safety.

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Wells Fargo experienced a $14.5 billion spike in deposits during the three months ending Sept. 30. That, despite lowering the rate of interest it pays on retail accounts. The Wall Street Journal says the deposit jump appears to be part of a "flight to quality" by bank customers, who are withdrawing money from the banks most associated with the financial crisis. If that's the case, we should see a similar deposit gain at U.S. Bank when it releases its quarterly results on Tuesday.

There should be no environmental impact statement on a controversial ethanol plant in Eyota, Minn. That recommendation — to be announced Friday by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) — has already touched off a firestorm of protest.

Panhandling on Wall Street

As we approach the Nov. 4 election and start peeking beyond, here are a few electoral innovations and reforms to ponder.

Banking bailout: 'We'll never know what we've been saved from'

The corny joke about economists is that if you laid a thousand of them end to end, they would not reach a conclusion. So, that outcome was to be expected Tuesday night, when the University of Minnesota arranged a row of four economists on stage at the Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs.

An airline analyst says Southwest will have room to grow at MSP. Daniel McKenzie of Credit Suisse notes the Humphrey Terminal has 10 gates but was built to expand to 29 gates. Don't get too excited, though. Historically, Southwest hasn't grown much in Northwest hub markets, the analyst points out. At Detroit, for example, Southwest's market share has hovered around 4 percent since 1994.

The U.S. government will soon own a $20 billion stake in Minnesota's second-largest private employer. The Treasury Department announced this morning that it intends to buy equity in nine large banks, including Wells Fargo. It's a largely symbolic move, says the Washington Post, meant to help unfreeze credit markets and spur banks to boost lending.

Nothing happens without a vision. It's been said that we create and achieve what we focus on — whether that focus is on the positive or on something negative — and if we invest our conscious hours in focusing on positive visions, we'd be healthier and, most importantly, far more likely to realize our dreams and live a life aligned with our strengths, purpose and passions.

Hopping on Vikings bandwagon can help drive economy, profs say — that is, if they win

REUTERS/Eric MillerHappy Vikings fans

Wells Fargo's merger with Wachovia Corp. has received fast-tracked approval from the Federal Reserve. The central bank's board of governors unanimously voted on Sunday to approve the acquisition, which will turn Wells Fargo into the nation's largest retail bank. Antitrust regulators OK'd the deal on Friday.

We live in an over-communicated society. Every day, we're bombarded with more information, taxing the ability of our brains to absorb it all. How do we deal with it?

The economic meltdown is generally blamed on lax regulation of the financial sector's real-estate dealings. Christopher Leinberger lays further blame on the real-estate industry itself, especially on his fellow developers.

This may come as a shock, but when Congress passed the $700 billion financial bailout bill and the other special interest add-ons, it forgot the part about helping volunteers who do lots of charity driving.

Markets, presidential candidates welcome central banks' interest rate cut