Biz Buzz

LONG ISLAND

Marchon, Nine West ink deal

Melville-based Marchon Eyewear Inc., has added another high-fashion partner, its third such deal in the past four months. Marchon said last week that it has a new, exclusive worldwide agreement with Nine West to create, produce, market and distribute frames for prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses. The Nine West deal follows similar deals in June with Salvatore Ferragamo SpA and Valentino SpA. -- JOSEPH MALLIA

Church council receives grant

The Long Island Council of Churches has received a $2,500 grant to help support its financial literacy program designed to educate consumers on how to make home-buying decisions and avoid predatory lending practices. It was one of 23 grants to New York nonprofits awarded by the TD Charitable Foundation, TD Bank's giving arm. In all, the bank awarded $102,000 from May through July, according to a release. Since 2008 the Long Island Council's educational initiative has received a total of $20,000 from the bank. The council's program was started about eight years ago to address lending scams, finding it useful also to educate consumers on their options so they were less likely to jump at what they saw as their only choice, said Rev. Thomas W. Goodhue, executive director. In recent years the program has been addressing ways to keep people who are already in trouble in their homes. Visit liccny.org for details. -- PATRICIA KITCHEN

Tiffen releases editing software

Hauppauge-based Tiffen Co., a maker of accessories for professional photo, video and broadcast production, has released a new version of its digital filter editing software, Tiffen Dfx. The software will help take "still and moving image editing to the next level of visual brilliance," the company said Friday in announcing the release. Dfx 3.0 improves the range of visual effects for filmmakers and photographers, with new filters and "enhanced multiprocessor acceleration" for creative control. Optical filters introduce special effects to an image or video and improve or modify image contrast, sharpness and color. -- JOSEPH MALLIA

NATION

Netflix renaming DVD unit

Netflix Inc will rename its DVD-by-mail business and split it off to a separate website, sparking a new round of customer complaints and concern by some analysts that customers might drop the service. Chief executive Reed Hastings said Netflix was changing the name of its DVD-by-mail business to Qwikster and offer video games. The company's online streaming service will retain the Netflix name. The announcement came a week after Netflix said it was adding fewer subscribers than forecast because of a price increase as high as 60 percent, or $6 a month, for joint streaming and DVD rental service. -- Reuters

Home builders gloomier

The U.S. home builders' outlook worsened in September, as foreclosures and anxious buyers hurt construction and sales activity. The National Association of Home Builders said Monday that its index of builder sentiment in September fell to 14 from 15. The index has been below 20 for all but one month during the past two years. Any reading below 50 indicates negative sentiment about the housing market. It hasn't reached 50 since April 2006, the peak of the housing boom. Builders are struggling to compete with foreclosures, which have made the price of resale homes more competitive. Many buyers are having difficulty obtaining loans or meeting higher down payment requirements. David Crowe, the group's chief economist, said a weakening U.S. economy and high unemployment has made the short-term prospects for the home building industry "fairly bleak." The low indexes reflect "builders' awareness that many consumers are simply unwilling or unable to [make] a home purchase in today's uncertain economic climate." -- AP