New York SBDC Research Network

From the IRS : The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) (H.R. 8) extends the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) for hiring certain workers through Dec. 31, 2013. The VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 made changes to the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), including adding new categories to the qualified veterans targeted group and expanding the WOTC to make a reduced credit available to tax-exempt organizations for hiring qualified veterans. The VOW Act also extended the WOTC for qualified veterans hired before Jan.1, 2013. The other targeted group categories were not extended by the VOW Act and expired for targeted group members other than qualified veterans hired after Dec.31, 2011. ATRA extends the WOTC for qualified veterans hired before Jan. 1, 2014. ATRA also extends the WOTC for targeted group members, other than qualified veterans, hired after Dec.31, 2011, and before Jan.1, 2014.

From NewMoney.gov : The redesigned $100 note will begin circulating on October 8, 2013. Will you know how to authenticate it? Protect yourself by using the security features included in the redesigned $100 note. We've added two new security features to the redesigned $100 note, the 3-D Security Ribbon and the Bell in the Inkwell. Both of these features can be found on the front of the note and offer a simple and subtle way to check that the note is real. In addition to the two new security features, three highly effective security features from previous designs have been enhanced and retained in the redesigned $100 note: the portrait watermark, the embedded security thread, and the color-shifting 100. To see these and other security features in action, you can explore the Interactive Note .

The folks at the U.S. Census Bureau released a new and improved version of the America’s Economy mobile app this week. The America’s Economy app provides real-time updates for 19 key economic indicators from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, and Bureau of Economic Analysis. Three indicators from BLS were added to the app this week: nonfarm payroll employment, the Producer Price Index, and the Consumer Price Index. These indicators join the unemployment rate and 15 others that were already available. This free app is now available in the App Store and Google Play. For more information, see here .

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting small businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations to participate as SERs for an SBAR Panel that will explore changes to existing uses of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This panel will focus on the agency’s development of a proposed rule to revise or end the existing authorized uses of PCBs as appropriate if the conditions under which they were authorized more than 30 years ago have changed. This rulemaking may address existing liquid-filled PCB use authorizations, PCBs in fluorescent light ballasts, PCBs in natural gas pipelines, and regulatory language clarifications. SERs will be selected by the SBAR Panel to provide comments on behalf of their company, community or organization and advise the panel about the potential impacts of the proposed rule on small entities. EPA is seeking self-nominations directly from the small entities that may be subject to the rule requirements. Other representatives, such

During the initial stages of starting a business, choosing the right name of your company can be a difficult task to say the least. It may surprise you but even the name of your business can trigger a red flag with some lenders and creditors. Unfortunately, many business owners don’t take this simple step into consideration, especially when it comes to the business credit building process. MORE from SBA here .

From MoneyWatch : According to VeriSign (VRSN), more than 6 million domain names were added to the Internet in the fourth quarter of 2012, bringing the total number of registered domain names to more than 252 million worldwide. Somewhere in those hundreds of millions of names may be one you really want, one that appears to be unused or for sale. Countless domains are bought and "stocked" by aftermarket resellers, and others are bought by prospective users who never wind up doing anything with them. The aftermarket domain business can be tricky and frustrating -- sometimes you can't even get as far as finding and contacting the current owner. So what do you do when you see a URL out there that you'd like to buy and know or believe might be for

This annual report reviews the small business lending activities of institutional depository lenders, including commercial and cooperative banks, federal and state savings banks, and savings and loan associations. The lenders are ranked on their overall small business lending nationally and on a state-by-state basis. Small business loans are defined as business loans under $1 million; micro business loans are those under $100,000; macro loans are those between $100,000 and $1 million. Two data sources are used—Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income or “Call Reports” and reports required under the provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act—CRA reports. Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Victoria Williams at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov