Michael Schwartz

Michael Schwartz is the editor of Richmond BizSense, and covers banking, lawsuits, finance, M&A and golf. He can be reached at [email protected] or 804-855-1037.

Coup attempt backfires

Commonwealth Biotechnologies removes its board chairman.

Trading Day: Inside the SEC filings for 3.17.11

It’s our favorite time of year — Proxy season — when publicly traded companies reveal how much their executives make. It’s good to be the kings at Media General and Owens & Minor.

‘You can’t get any financing’

Part of a massive mixed-use development in Ashland tied to one of the area’s largest real estate developers is going into foreclosure and will be auctioned off this month.

The R&D Dept.; Local Patents for 3.16.11

Capital One has a new invention to help people get more credit. Plus, the brains at Afton Chemical are at it again; and a local inventors teams with a group in India on a complex invention.

‘It happened by accident’

Local investment research firm Dorsey Wright & Associates has acquired a stake in an online startup in India.

He has had enough

Bill Guo wants shareholders of a bankrupt local biotech firm to change the size of its board to a single director. And you can probably guess who he wants to be No. 1.

Two local banks didn’t make the grade

Although Richmond is still home to two of the lowest rated banks in the state, one bank managed to work its way out of the cellar, according to ratings released last week. Central Virginia Bank and Virginia Business Bank were among the five banks in Virginia to receive a zero rating for the fourth quarter… Read more »

Direct mail company goes bankrupt

With hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal judgments hanging over its head, ICM Inc. will be liquidated.

Deal Flow: Investment banking roundup for 3.11.11

Welcome to DealFlow, a new monthly BizSense data section tracking all the recent deals (IPOs, M&A or capital raises) that local firms — investment banks, private equity, venture capital, etc. — had a hand in. DealFlow also highlights local businesses that have raised capital on their own or been party to a merger or acquisition.