The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 12

The Courier-News cut-r Rivalry brings man in brief Thursday's business customers. It's roughly equal to what banks themselves pay to raise the money they lend. "It's a marketing cost," said First USA spokesman David Webster. Such lenders are betting that cheap credit will help build their market share and future profits. If you prefer your cash up front, Philadelphia-based Sunoco and Bank of America are giving $50 to selected customers who drop rival cards for their joint card.

The discounters are proliferating even as rates at the biggest issuers have risen, to a median 18.3 percent from 16.9 percent last June, according to RAM Research Corp. of Frederick, Md. Central Jersey banks that issue credit cards were offering rates, as of June 16, ranging from 14.15 to 18.9 percent. That overall increase masks a fragmented market. Faced with rising competition and falling profit margins, big issuers are zeroing in on high-spending borrowers with decent credit records.

But the best deals aren't always yours for the asking. By JOSEPH N. DISTEFANO Gannett News Service Credit card companies want customers so bad, they're giving money away. Selected new borrowers are paying less than 6 percent on their card loans at fast-growing First USA Bank of Wilmington and Capital One Financial Corp. of Virginia.

These banks are dumping money on the market. That rate is one-third less than the current prime rate of 9 percent what banks charge their best users use their cards to borrow. First USA, MBNA America Bank and other big lenders say more than 90 percent i of their customers borrow. For all the "teaser" rates they promise, banks are also hiking rates and fees for veteran customers, and trying to drop users who don't borrow enough, said Robert B. McKinley, who runs RAM Research and publishes its CardTrak newsletter.

The industry's motto, according to McKinley: "Do whatever you can to get the customers, then hope they fall asleep." HUNTERDON COUNTY ShopRite to offer i local produce at movies will make you buy results Dow Jones Industrial Average CLOSE: 4,589.64 NYSE advances: 1,536 NYSE declines: 745 NYSE Index: 294.93, 3.32 Nasdaq Index: 940.09, 10.90 Index: 495.97, 1.90 551 .07, 7.09 jg. 30-year Treasury bond yield: 6.47, NYSE most active Name Vodfne Hanson BkrsLH MicrnT UHlthCr Volume 8,943,500 8,523,800 5,862,100 5,127,000 4,529,900 Last 38 18Va 19 57 44 Chg. -78 Vs -78 2V4 2V2 Nasdaq most active Name Intel Lotus SEEQ CptConc Anadigc Volume 8,874,800 6,584,900 6,491,300 5,760,200 26,800 Last Chg. 65 1332 6334 l6 378 34 316 318 22 ARiEX most active Name ViacB Amdhl CheySoft Viae vrt GaylCn Volume 1,548,800 1,273,700 920,500 836,800 627,300 Last 4434 11V2 1978 11V16 11V2 Chg. V8 V8 34 Precious metals Gold: 390.20,-0.10 -Silver: 5.354, 0.076 Stock Hotline You can get the latest stock prices, updated every 15 minutes, by using The Courier-News' Stock Hotline.

Call (908) 253-3360. Enter 7865 for the hotline. Enter the codes to match the symbol of the stock you want. Press The table below gives the code for each letter of the alphabet. For example, to get IBM, you'd press: 43-22-61.

There are no per-minute charges, but local nhone charges apply. Don't know he symbol for a stock? Call us at 07-3H4 Monday through Friday, and we'll give you the symbol. "It's by invitation only," said Liz McLean, a vice president at Capital One, of her company's no-fee, 5.9 percent MasterCard offer. By contrast, First USA issues its own no-fee, variable-rate 5.9 percent card to any applicant with a good credit history. The rate goes to 13.9 percent after six months; that's when the bank starts making money as long as the customer is among the three-quarters of U.S.

card customers who use their plastic not merely to spend, but also to borrow. Nationally, three-quarters of card featuring customers it has dubbed "Great American Heroes," including shots of parents and other regular folks. "We wanted to play off the images in the film of people overcoming adversity and people being heroes," Ms. Abram says. Omega Watch also hopes to capitalize on the heroism of the "Apollo 13" crew.

Its Omega Speedmas-ter Chronograph, which was the first watch on the moon, will appear in four-page magazine ads in Vanity Fair and GQ. In addition to a chronology of Omega's role in the space program, the ads feature an entire page of scenes from the movie, including shots of the movie's stars, Tom Hanks and Ed Harris. Universal Pictures Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton and Kevin Bacon star as astronauts temporarily lost in space when their mission went awry in the film "Apollo 13," which opens June 30. Omega Watch is advertising expensive watches based on timepieces they wear in the film. By FARA WARNER The Wall Street Journal Now that you've bought Batman action figures and Pocahontas sandals for your kids, isn't it time you treated yourself to the new BMW Roadster that James Bond drives in the upcoming movie Taking their cue from the enormous success of marketing tie-ins with children's movies like "The Lion King," movies aimed at adults are getting into the act, too: Already this summer, a fragrance marketer is selling Bridges perfume tied to the romantic hit "The Bridges of Madison County," and Omega Watch is advertising expensive watches based on timepieces worn in the film "Apollo 13," which opens June 30.

The new James Bond film which introduces actor Pierce Bros-nan as the new agent 007 this fall appears to take the prize for the biggest marketing extravaganza for adults. Its marketing partners include BMW, Citgo gas stations, Perrier and Yves Saint Laurent. "This will help us put the Roadster on the map," says Rich Brooks, BMW's corporate communications manager. The company is expected to use scenes from the Bond movie in its commercials, as well as create special dealer promotions pegged to the movie. But selling $30,000 cars to adults is a lot harder than tempting a child with the latest movie-inspired trinket.

"These certainly aren't impulse purchases," says marketing consultant Allen McCusker, president of the Canaan Parish Group. "They will get their products out in front of a lot of people, but that doesn't mean they will sell anything even with all that awareness." Taking it a step further Traditionally, adult-targeted movies have stuck mostly with product placements, where a company pays a fee to get its brand shown in the film. But movie studios Lockheed may face cutbacks SUNNYVALE, Calif. (AP) With a deadline for an announcement looming, Lockheed Martin 170,000 workers across the country including the 3,200 people employed at the East Windsor, N.J., plant are bracing for word on how plans to cut back the work force by 15 percent will affect them. The plan is expected to call for layoffs at the defense giant's missile and satellite factory in Sunnyvale, and could mean complete closure of that plant, the San Francisco Examiner reported Wednesday.

The consolidation effort also could mean cutbacks at the Orlando, facility and the closing of a division headquartered in East Windsor, industry analysts told the newspaper. The East Windsor plant has a history of production problems that might make it a more likely choice for elimination, he said. have decided to go a step further in part to stretch their own marketing budgets and let consumer-product companies plug the movies along with the brands in advertising and promotions. The Bond movie, in particular, needs all the publicity it can get. "We haven't had 007 for six years, and we've got a new James Bond as well," says Karen Sortito, vice president of promotions for MGM-UA, whose United Artists unit will distribute the film.

Yves Saint Laurent, which is doing its first movie tie-in with the Bond film, professes not to be worried about the direct impact on sales. The film fit with a previous plan to come out with a spy-inspired line of cosmetics, the company says. A 21 51 B. ..22 C. ..23 D.

..31 .83 E. ..32 F. ..33 0...63 G. ..41 P. ..71 H.

..42 I ...43 Somerset Valley Bank is set to offer small business loans Safeguard your investments Yves Saint Laurent will use the name 007 on a bright red lipstick, and its entire fall collection was inspired by James Bond films. "We saw it as a perfectly wonderful tie-in, and 007 is still the most famous spy around," says Ariel de Ravenel, the company's world-wide public relations director. Staking a niche Hardee's fast-food chain is betting a tie-in with Universal Pictures' adult-oriented "Apollo 13" will help differentiate it from rivals. "We don't need to jump into the competition for kids between McDonald's and Burger King," says Nancy Abram, senior vice president of marketing development at Hardee's. Hardee's will run advertising securities agency about an adviser's background.

Approach your broker with realistic goals. Monitor transactions; and keep good records take notes of any dealings or conversations with brokers. Keep a signed copy of your new account form. If you have a problem, ask your broker in writing to resolve it. If that doesn't work, try the branch manager, then the firm's compliance department, then your state securities department.

Gannett News Service STOCK MMKET F.EFC3T Comp Symb Vol Dayhl Daylo By KIA MORGAN Courier-News Staff Writer ShopRite supermarkets in Flem-! ington and Clinton will devote a sec-! tion in the produce department for vegetables and fruit grown only a few miles away at Whistle Stop Farm Nursery in East Amwell. Whistle Stop has arranged harvest-! ing and delivery schedules to provide both stores with twice daily deliver-. ies. "As the produce comes in from the fields, it will be washed, packaged and put on the truck for immediate delivery," said Greg Scibilia, who op- erates the family-owned Whistle 1 Stop. Whistle Stop has supplied ShopRite with produce in past years, but the new arrangement gives the farm ex- elusive rights to sell farm-fresh pro-1 duce to the two supermarkets and brand-name recognition.

That sec-; tion will be marked with the slogan "ShopRite Whistle Stop Jersey I Fresh." Whistle Stop produce to be sold there will include sweet corn, tomatoes, several varieties of pep-1 pers, cucumbers, pickles, eggplants, zucchini, melons, strawberries, win-: ter squash and pumpkins. This reflects the store's commit-! ment to support local business, said Joe Logan, produce manager of Sho-; pRite in Flemington. "It's a commitment to supply us with quality and people know the name (Whistle Stop)," Logan said. "When people come in, they know they are buying from someone close to home." This new concept "will provide a good marketing outlet," said Whistle Stop co-owner Dena K. Scibilia.

backed by the Small Business Administration during the first six months of the agency's fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. By comparison, 136 of the loans were made during all of fiscal 1994, said Harry Menta, a spokesman in the agency's Newark regional office. Bank president Robert Corcoran' said the designation puts Somerset" Valley in a better position to meet, the needs of its business customers, "Financing for small business and particularly new business has always been a challenge for both the borrower and the lender," he said, "SBA's low documentation pros grams will make loans more acces-J sible to small business who don't usually need more than $100,000." I Vol Dayhl Daylo Dlv PE Close Chg 34 20 6996 28749 10431 21667 5361 1059 21 1 47 4572 597e 35 1172 21 21 1 463A 447e 5872 34 1072 21 .52 1.65 1.16 1.60 1.00 .84 21 16 1 17 A4774 18 A45 12 A58 14 34 1174 26 2172 74 27s: -to; 78 -ve, 79 488 60 35 662 476 9 6 66 'Vie 57e 32V4 3Via 13 6Ve 6678 ie 4 31 2 1378 17 6 18 66 63 5Ve 24 3274 26 A3V18 26 137e 2.24 .64 .26 2245 13596 786 3 12507 9847 30 114 6485 3036 41 131 5 3234 11 V4 160 3272 2174 29 '40 13074 5 32 10 15972 31 2072 1.16 2.14 3.92 .75 3.20 1.08 .08 12 29 13 41 15 13034 60 5 9 32 1174 A15972 10 32 54 20 -V 1V4. Ve 34 -V8 -V 65 31730 8637 15 100 3605 24 27 86 1074 'Vie 15 23 26 85 9 15 1.00 .20 2.60 .50 .15 12 2334 22 A26 16 86Vs 9 9 V16 1538 1 Vl New record low ma Nordstrom debut at Short Hills near Nordstrom will open its store at The Mall at Short Hills Aug.

18. Barbara Kirk, who managed the Nordstrom store at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, has been appointed manager of the new store. For job information call, (800) 966-3814. The store will employ 500. EOT A TIP? For questions or comments, you may reach Business Editor Marilyn Ostermiller at (908)707-3148 When people lose money investing, sometimes the blame belongs with an investment adviser.

"What Every Investor Needs to Know," a videotape and brochure, suggests guarding against fraud and abuse by recognizing problem areas. Things to look for include: Unsuitable investments (a conservative investor being sold high-risk stocks); unauthorized trading by your broker; misrepresentation; or excessive trading to generate commissions. To protect yourself: Check with your state CENTRAL JERSEY HAIIY ULillltAL UUiitll UMU By LUTHER TURMELLE Courier-News Business Writer Somerset Valley Bank has been granted Certified Small Business Administration lender status by the federal agency, becoming the 13th New Jersey bank to receive that designation. As a certified lender, the Somer-ville-based bank can guarantee a decision within three business days on small business loans. Even without the designation, Somerset Valley was doing business at a brisk pace, having made 17 of the loans worth $3.7 million through the end of last month.

Nearly 120 businesses in Somerset, Hunterdon, Middlesex and Union counties have received loans Dlv PE Close Chg Comp Symb RaritnBc Rheomt SBC Com SchrPI Sears Sprint SubMicr SumitB RARB RHEM SBC SGP FON SUBM SUBN TCI Int ThmBet Tofutti TopsApl Tosco Trnsnt TrnsTec TCII TNB TOF TOPS TOS TRNT TT UJBFn USWst UnlNV Unlmed UCarb Unisys UCount UNBNJ US Surg UJB USW UN UMED UK UIS UCTC UNBJ USS VlyBcp WalMart WarnL Wedco Weldtrn Wolwth VLY WMT WLA WEDC WLD A New record ri gh Comp Symb Vol Dayhl Daylo Dlv PE Close Chg Dataram DTM 38 5Ve 5 5Vs -Vie Disney DIS 9122 59 58 .36 25 59V2 DuPont DD 7801 68 66 2.08 15 68V2 2 DunBrd DNB 4721 54 53 2.64 15 54'A ETown ETW x74 27Ve 26 2.04 14 27Vs EKodak EK 7042 62 62Vs 1.60 33 6234 Eaton ETN 1854 57 56 1.60 12 563A EnglhCp EC 4606 42V 41 .54 33 41 Enzon ENZN 163 ZVt 2 23b -Ve Exxon XON 19869 6918 68V2 3.00 15 69 -V Federss FJQ 727 6 5 8 6 Ve FedExp FDX 2473 6212 61 12 6212 1Vs Ferro FOE 83 27 26 .54 16 26 FFB FFB 5169 59 57 2.00 11 58' FlemgBT FLNB .40 31Va FordM 30584 31 Ve 303, 1.24 30 -14 FostWh FWC 2992 3474 33V2 .78 18 34 V2 GTE GTE 20724 34 33 1.88 13 33 Gannett GCI 3392 553 5412 1.36 17 55 y2 GenElec GE 29390 57 577e 1.64 19 5774 Ve GnMotr GM 19136 48 47 1.20 7 48 GPU GPU 3428 30 293A 1.88 30 29 GaGulf GGC 6957 3074 28 .16 8 3074 Grace GRA 3824 62 61 1.40 64 62 GlAtPc GAP 2712 26 243, .20 25 174 GthFn GRFC 19 11 11 .61 19 11 Harris HRS 1233 5172 5174 1.24 15 51 -Ve HmeDep HD 34347 393A 383A .20 29 3972 HoopHI HH 60 8 874 .04 35 85Ae -Vv Hospos HOSP 674 HovnEn HOV 374 51Nia 534 5'3ie -Tie Comp Symb Vol Dayhl Daylo Dlv PE Close Chg ATT Cap TCC 223 27 26V2 .40 12 26 7e 23899 53V2 52 1.32 17 53 AirWat AWT 336 614 5 6Ve Akzo AKZOY 316 60 60 2.14 60 Aldsignl ALD 5591 41 41 Ve .78 15 41 AmHes AHC 3483 49V4 48 .60 48 AHome AHP 7494 77 75 3.00 16 76 AmStdn ASD 697 28V4 27 27V4 Ameritch AIT 6671 4714 45 2.00 A46 1 ABioscI APBI 338 5 SVs 514 -Vb Asarco AR 2099 31 30 .60 10 30 34 BcpNJ BCNJ 127 44 44 V2 .80 22 A44V2 -Vs Bard BCP. 3121 31Ve 29Vt .60 20 A30 BedBath BBBY 12634 23 21 Vn 26 23 BellAtl BEL 7128 58 57Ve 2.80 18 A58 2 BellSo BLS 7060 6412 63V8 2.76 15 A63 BenelCp BNL 998 44 43Vi 1.72 1 5 443 iye BlessngsBCO 30 12 1214 .40 13 1214 Ve BrMySq BMY 11660 69 68 2.96 18 A69 CCHA CCHIA 100 I6V2 15 .70 31 16 CTEC CTEX 538 2512 25V 25V4 Vb Calton CN 280 Vn 4 Vis Celgene CELG 1740 8V2 712 8Vw V18 ChartFdl CHFD 75 1212 12V .28 8 12V4 Chubb CB 2700 82 82 1.96 12 82 34 ChrDwt CHD 134 20 203A .44 84 20 ColgPal CL 8085 7512 74V2 1.64 19 7512 1 CoreStF CFL 4793 36 35 1.36 25 A35 CrmpKnl CNK 17650 14'4 13 .54 14 T14Ve -2Vs Custmd CUS 8 2 2 11 2 -Vie Cytec CYT 1043 403 39 10 40V Datflx 533 7 714 17 'fc 4 ITTCp ITT 3767 11972 117 1.98 15A11874 -V2 Imunmd IMMU 204 2 2 2 -Ve IngerRd IR 3579 387e 37 .74 18 3734 -7e Inttrn IFSC 40 2 113ie 2 3ie IBM IBM 43442 99Ve 973, 1,00 15 A9772 IntFlav IFF 1254 527e 5134 1.24 24 51 3, JRIver JR 2294 277e 26 .60 26 JohnJn JNJ 10870 717e 6972 1.32 22 A71Ve 172 KCS KCS 194 21 20 .12 11 21 Ve -74 Kmart KM 21033 15 1472 .48 48 14 74 LockhM LMT 3753 64 6372 1.40 63 -74 MCI MCIC 32590 2174 2072 .05 16 20 ManBagelBGLS 169 14 1474 1472 -7e Manvlle MVL 904 13 13Ve 26 13 V4 McDnlds MCD 13858 3834 37 .27 22 A38V2 72 Merck MRK 39332 50 48 1.20 20 49 34 MerrLyn MER 12744 53 51 V2 1.04 13 A5234 1 MdsxWat MSEX 124 15 15Vt 1.08 1 2 1 534 MidlCp MIDL 2540 40 3972 1.28 8A39'Vie 14 Mobil MOB 12781 97V4 953 3.70 21 9714 Motorola MOT 38499 677e 64 .40 24 A66 1 NUI NUI 46 16 16 .90 32 1674 -74 NtPatnt NPD 791 274 23ie 274 NtWstmin NW 328 5534 557e 2.56 9 A5574 34 Nycor NYCO 23 213ie 234 2'Vie Vie Nynex NYN 11270 42 42 2.36 24 423, 3 PacTel PAC 15546 2774 263, 2.18 10 277e Pentch PNTK 339 3 234 8 2 -Ve PhlVH PVH 1788 14 14 .15 13 14 74 Praxair PX 6426 24 24 .32 1 5 243, ie PrestFn PRFN .10 874 PgEG PEG 5144 28 27 Z.Q 10 27 72.