CHARLOTTE – Wachovia Corporation (NYSE: WB) announced today that it priced a preferred stock issuance of $3.5 billion yesterday.

RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley announced today that Scotland County and four other counties in North Carolina have been selected to participate in the 21st Century Communities program.

WASHINGTON – President Bush today announced a proposed FY 2009 budget for the U.S. Small Business Administration that increases small business lending capacity by 37 percent, increases funding for SBA’s ongoing operational reforms and supports a steady staff of more than 2,100 full-time employees.

FAYETTEVILLE – Advanced Internet Technologies announced today that 2007 was one of its best years for partnering with resellers.

RALEIGH – The State Board of Community Colleges has approved a contract for a major study to help identify the best ways for community colleges to respond to North Carolina’s urgent shortage of nurses.

RALEIGH — Over the next five years, thousands of military personnel are expected to transition to civilian life from North Carolina-based military installations.

ASHEBORO – FNB United Corp. (NASDAQ: FNBN) announced that CEO and President Michael C. Miller will speak Monday at the 2008 Southeast Super-Community Bank Conference in Atlanta.

DUNN – The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks have approved the application for merger submitted by New Century Bancorp (NASDAQ: NCBC) to merge its two subsidiary banks – New Century Bank and New Century Bank South.

CHARLOTTE – For 3rd quarter 2007, the Carolinas AGC Construction Barometer rose 0.3 percent, with virtually every indicator remaining stable. There are very few periods in business history when a banker would rather be a contractor, but this is one, offering commercial contractors a remarkable set of conditions for 2008.

LAURINBURG – The Board of Directors of the Laurinburg / Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce has voted to hire The Ewart Group of Spartanburg, S.C., to assist in the search for its next president.

FAYETTEVILLE – Web Hosting provider Advanced Internet Technologies and tyBit, AIT’s new client-side search engine, announced today their joint sponsorship of the N.C. Bar Association’s Justice 4ALLcampaign.

FAYETTEVILLE – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that Cumberland County has met the established federal ozone guidelines and is in attainment of air quality standards.

ASHEBORO – CommunityONE Bank, N.A. and Capital Bank have mutually agreed to terminate the letter of intent for CommunityONE to acquire the Greensboro office of Capital Bank located at 1702 Battleground Avenue.

GREENSBORO – An overwhelming majority of about 235 workers at the UPS Freight (formerly Overnite Transportation) terminals in Greensboro, Raleigh, Fayetteville, Kinston and Wilmington, in North Carolina, have signed authorization cards to become Teamsters, bringing the total number of drivers and dockworkers seeking to join the union to nearly 6,100 since January 16, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa announced.

ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding businesses that March 27 is the filing deadline for federal economic injury disaster loans that are available to small businesses located in the State of North Carolina as a result of damages and losses to crops caused by abnormally low temperatures, frost and freezing conditions April 6 - 9, 2007.

WINSTON-SALEM – The board of directors of BB&T Corporation (NYSE: BBT) today declared the 2008 second-quarter dividend of $0.46 per share, a 9.5 percent increase over the $0.42 paid in the second quarter of 2007.