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.

The R&D Dept.: Local Patents for 2.16.11

A wearable hooded towel, plus a neat new phone program to help companies when they put callers on hold and a patent at Capital One.

Xteriors files for bankruptcy protection

A Hanover manufacturing company that produces concrete blocks used in homebuilding lists liabilities of more than $7 million.

Monday Q&A: From the ball field to the film biz

Rich Prado hasn’t been in school for almost a decade, and he’s still on the academic calendar, running his own business that creates recruiting videos for high school athletes.

Local bank’s parent again misses TARP payment

The recent troubles of a Richmond bank are once again preventing a West Virginia holding company from paying a dividend to one of its most powerful shareholders – the federal government.

DealFlow: Investment Banking roundup for 2.11.11

Welcome to DealFlow, a new monthly BizSense data section that tracks the recent deals that local firms had a hand in, whether by brokering a capital raise, advising on an IPO or helping close an M&A deal. This week, lots of deals from Harris Williams, Wunderlich and BB&T Capital Markets.

Lawsuit brings out the stingers

Suing a law firm is a lot like smacking a hornet nest. After being hit with a $45 million legal malpractice lawsuit, one of the area’s largest law firms has fired back.

Inside the SEC filings for 2.9.11

A local REIT is looking to buy almost $100 million worth of hotels; struggling bank-holding companies showed at least some signs of a turnaround; and dividends are being paid by several local public companies.

‘There are massive pools of capital out there’

One of the co-founders of the M&A firm Harris Williams told a business school gathering that he’s optimistic about post-recession deal flow but that there are some warning signs far off in the distance.