Mortgage plan aid to be built up

WASHINGTON » The Obama administration is soon expected to unveil additional protections to ensure homeowners are treated fairly and consistently under its mortgage relief program.

The policies, outlined in a draft Treasury Department document, address long-standing complaints from housing counselors.

Lenders would be banned from continuing with foreclosures while homeowners were being evaluated. Borrowers who are rejected would have 30 days to appeal. In that time, lenders could schedule a foreclosure sale but not conduct it. And mortgage companies would be required to consider applications from homeowners in bankruptcy.

Man razes home to avoid foreclosure

MOSCOW, Ohio » An Ohio man says he bulldozed his $350,000 home to keep a bank from foreclosing on it.

Terry Hoskins says he has struggled with the RiverHills Bank over his home in Moscow for years and had problems with the Internal Revenue Service. He says the IRS placed liens on his carpet store and commercial property, and the bank claimed his house as collateral.

Hoskins says he owes $160,000 on the house. He says he spent a lot of money on attorneys and finally had enough. About two weeks ago he bulldozed the home 25 miles southeast of Cincinnati.

JAL seeks fuel surcharge increase

The JAL Group has requested approval from the Japanese government to raise the fuel surcharge on all international passenger tickets issued from April 1 to June 30, 2010.

JAL said the increase was due to the increased price of Singapore kerosene-type jet fuel, which averaged $84.66 during the period from November to January.

The fuel surcharge on Japan-Hawaii flights will rise to $64 from $39 outside Japan and Yen6000 to Yen4000 inside Japan.

The surcharge applies to flights operated by Japan Airlines, which is in bankruptcy, and its subsidiaries, including JAL code-share flights operated by other airlines.

Ward office building sold for $2.3M

Hawaii Commercial Real Estate LLC represented a local orthodontist in the purchase and financing of 1210 Ward Ave., a 15,000-square-foot office building, for $2.3 million. The orthodontist will renovate the property, relocate her office to about half of the building and lease out the balance. The building is the former office of Val Ossipoff, renowned as “;the master of Hawaii modern architecture,”; and is the result of nearly two years of searching.

Jamie Brown handled the real estate transaction, and Ted Ketcham arranged the financing. Hawaii Commercial Real Estate is managing and leasing the property for the new owner.

New communication package offered

Hawaiian Telcom has introduced “;Business All-in-One”; for small-business customers. Based on Voice over Internet Protocol technology, the service unifies all communications services on a single IP infrastructure, rather than paying for voice and data services separately.

One feature, Remote Office, allows employees to work from anywhere while using their main business number.

Martin & MacArthur store to open

A new, 1,700 square-foot Martin & MacArthur showroom will open Friday in a free-standing building at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

It is the company's third store on Oahu and fifth overall. As part of its agreement with Hilton, the store will host regular events, such as demonstrations and hands-on crafting classes, including kapa pounding and feather lei and jewelry making. Store No. 6 will open in the spring at the St. Regis Princeville Resort on Kauai.

ON THE MOVE

» The Hawaii Medical Service Association has hired Hilton R. Raethel as senior vice president. He has served as vice president of contracting and decision support at Hawaii Pacific Health, director of contracting at Straub Clinic & Hospital and director of contract reimbursement at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

The Farmers Insurance Hawaii Family of Companies has announced the following executive and management team promotions:

» Phillip J. Ogata to vice president of American Pacific Insurance Co., a commercial lines subsidiary of Farmers Insurance Hawaii, from assistant vice president of risk management. He has more than 30 years of experience in the local insurance industry, including managing the risk management and safety services at HIH Insurance Co. of Hawaii and serving as regional manager of AIG Consultants in San Francisco.

» Frances Sugai-Obata to vice president of American Pacific Insurance Co., from assistant vice president of workers' compensation. She joined the company as a workers' compensation claims manager in 2001 and also worked at HIH Insurance Co. of Hawaii, Argonaut Insurance and Fireman's Fund.