Silicon Valley Bancshares News

With many Americans still spooked by the stubbornness of the Great Recession, hesitant to splurge while the economy remains so iffy, Black Friday this year seemed to fall into a real gray area.

How low can they go? Try 4.78. Word this week that average rates for 30-year fixed mortgages had fallen to that sweet spot, matching a record low set last spring, prompted a warning from Realtors and brokers across Silicon Valley that it looks like it's all up from here.

Rediff Business Desk Indians have played a significant role in building the Silicon Valley as the technology and innovation hub of the world, according to a 3,000-page report published by Bay Area Council Economic Institute.

Milo.com , the free Web site that enables shoppers to research online and buy local, today announced that the company has raised $4 million in Series A financing.

Despite a rocky three years, Yahoo is moving forward with plans to build a new campus that would house up to 12,000 workers in Santa Clara, potentially the largest single real estate development in the city's history.

SVB Financial Group, the holding company for SVB Silicon Valley Bank, announced Tuesday the closing of a $300 million public stock offering.

VCs are focusing on less risky, later-stage companies. Sand Hill Road makes big bets and has done well funding very nascent technologies.

The City of Santa Clara and Ameresco today unveiled an innovative clean energy project that will capture and put to use gas created naturally at the city's closed municipal landfill.

Five weeks ago, the largest insider trading case of recent years exploded into view with the arrest of the head of New York's Galleon Group hedge fund, and five senior business and high-tech executives, including three in the Bay Area.

Here's some news you may have missed last week. Monday What do Al Gore, Jimmy Fallon, John McCain, Martha Stewart and professional skateboarder Ryan Sheckler have in common? They're all on Twitter's suggested user list.

Educational Park and Las Plumas Avenue, 3:25 p.m. Thursday A student leaving Independence High School was assaulted and robbed by two people.

Today: Grocery chain Whole Foods will offer discounts to encourage employees to improve their health.

A pro-Santa Clara stadium group stocked with former civic leaders has fired the first salvo in the ballot-box battle over moving the San Francisco 49ers to Silicon Valley - sending out a mailer this week even though an election date for the proposed stadium hasn't been set.

For the first time in nearly two years, the median price of Santa Clara County houses is higher than a year ago, a surprisingly strong signal that the battered housing market may be stabilizing.

Today: Dell and Intuit report earnings. Silicon Valley house prices rise year-over-year for the first time in nearly two years.

SVB Financial Group said it intends to offer about $300 million of common stock.

Jeff Jordan, center, chief executive of OpenTable, rings the NASDAQ Opening Bell in May.

Hewlett-Packard Co .'s $2.7 billion deal to buy 3Com Corp. this week has led to speculation about what other companies HP might look to buy as it beefs up its offerings in the data center market and some of those potential deals would have a direct impact on the Raleigh-Durham market.

DJM Capital Partners, Inc. has signed Harris Stratex Networks, Inc. to a 10-year lease for a 128,500-square-foot building in the Great America Place office campus in Santa Clara, Calif.

Today: Intel hires a new general counsel. Realtors expect prices and sales will both rise in 2010.