CHARLOTTE – Wachovia announced that it has launched Remote Deposit Capture, a new receivables service that allows Wachovia’s Treasury Services clients to electronically deposit checks by sending check images and deposit information to Wachovia.

CHARLOTTE – Wachovia Corporation announced today that it is establishing a strategic focus on the commercial beverage/bottling industry in the U.S. and named Christopher Reynolds the Commercial Banking strategy manager for the industry.

CHARLOTTE – Wachovia Corp. (NYSE: WB) today agreed to purchase Irvine, Calif.-based Westcorp (NYSE: WES) for $3.42 billion to expand its auto finance group into a national business with offices in 47 states.

SANFORD – Todd Rivenbark & Puryear, a rapidly growing regional firm of independent Certified Public Accountants with offices in Fayetteville, Dunn and Raleigh, has expanded into Sanford with its merger and association with Nolan E. Williams, CPA, PA.

RALEIGH – North Carolina’s Touchstone Energy cooperatives have sent line crews to Mississippi to assist with power outages caused by Hurricane Katrina. Katrina, a category four hurricane when it reached landfall, caused widespread power outages in Mississippi and other Gulf states.

RALEIGH – Time Warner Telecom Inc. (Nasdaq: TWTC), a leading provider of managed voice and data networking solutions for businesses, today announced it has been awarded a second multi-year contract to deliver comprehensive voice, video and Internet services to Coastal Federal Credit Union.

SANFORD – The Pantry, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTRY), the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern U.S., today announced that it has completed the acquisition of 13 convenience stores in Alabama from Chatham Oil Company, Inc., which has been operating the stores under the Speedmart Food Stores banner.

ERWIN – The Harnett Forward Together Committee, a private, nonprofit organization that promotes economic development in Harnett County, has completed renovations to the 306,500-square-foot former Swift Denim Weave facility in Erwin.

ASHEBORO – Snavely Forest Products has purchased the former Trussway facility in Liberty in Randolph County, where it plans to relocate and expand its Browns Summit operation.

FAYETTEVILLE – The Rose Group, a Fayetteville-based consulting firm specializing in water resources, site development, surveying and geographic information management, has been purchased by McKim & Creed of Wilmington.

RANDLEMAN – The Replacement Parts Department of the Rheem Air Conditioning Division has officially introduced its new 180,000-square-foot Parts Distribution Center.

RALEIGH – Progress Energy Carolinas is mobilizing hundreds of company personnel in preparation for possible impact from Hurricane Ophelia.

RALEIGH – Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN) has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index and Dow Jones Sustainability United States Index, which list companies that lead their industries in sustainability, a business approach for managing economic, environmental and social issues.

PINEHURST – The readers of Travel + Leisure Golf have spoken, ranking Pinehurst Resort as the “Best U.S. Golf Resort” in the 2005 World’s Best Golf Resorts reader survey.

SANFORD – The Pantry, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTRY), the leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern U.S., today provided an update on the impact of Hurricane Katrina on its business.

MOUNT GILEAD – McRae Industries, Inc. (Amex: MRI.A; MRI.B) has declared a dividend of 8 cents per share on the company’s Class A Common Stock payable on Sept. 30 to shareholders of record on Sept. 19.

ABERDEEN – Forest City Land Group Southeast has purchased 405 acres surrounding Legacy Golf Links in Aberdeen to develop a new master-planned community called Legacy Lakes.

GRAHAM – United Financial, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: UTDF) today announced that its shareholders approved the merger of United with FNB Corp. (Nasdaq: FNBN), a bank holding company headquartered in Asheboro.

ASHEBORO – FNB Corp. (Nasdaq: FNBN) and Integrity Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: IFCB) today announced the signing of a definitive agreement for the merger of Integrity into FNB to create a new bank holding company to be known as FNB United Corp.

ASHEBORO – The Board of Directors of FNB Corp. (Nasdaq: FNBN) has declared a regular quarterly dividend of 15 cents per share, which is the same rate as paid in the prior quarter.

TROY – The board of directors of First Bancorp (Nasdaq: FBNC), the parent company of First Bank, has announced that Jerry L. Ocheltree has been named president of First Bank, the company’s principal subsidiary.

WASHINGTON – State and federal officials from North Carolina and three other states have warned that a bill in Congress would weaken laws against predatory mortgage lending in 36 states, especially the 24 states with major anti-predatory lending laws on their books.

CARY – Crescent Financial Corporation (Nasdaq: CRFN), the holding company for Crescent State Bank, today announced that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-2 with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to a proposed underwritten public offering

RALEIGH – The Biotechnology Industry Organization has announced the selection of Biolex, Inc., of Pittsboro, and two other private companies from North Carolina to present at the BIO Mid-America VentureForum.

PITTSBORO – Biolex Therapeutics, a venture backed, clinical stage protein therapeutics company, today announced that it doubled manufacturing capacity at its Pittsboro facility.

WINSTON-SALEM – In an ongoing effort to reach the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, BB&T today released the eighth installment in a groundbreaking series of Spanish-language educational audiotapes.

LAURINBURG – USDA Rural Development has provided St. Andrews Presbyterian College with a $9 million loan for the construction of a covered equestrian arena and the renovation of buildings on campus.

RALEIGH – Businesses in the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, which includes Chatham, Harnett, Lee and Moore counties in the Sandhills, now have easy online access to comprehensive information on funding to support their growth.