Biz Buzz

Long Island

Mortgage seminar on Friday

Homeowners in foreclosure and those at risk of foreclosure can get information on loan modification programs and other assistance from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday in Lindenhurst, the state Department of Financial Services said. The department's mortgage foreclosure prevention specialists will be available in a mobile command center across from the Lindenhurst Memorial Library, at One Lee Ave. The specialists assess where homeowners are in the process, and advise them about loan modification programs and ways they can file complaints about abusive practices by lenders and mortgage servicers. Homeowners should bring any relevant documents, such as records of mortgage payments or letters from lenders or mortgage servicers. For information: dfs.ny.gov or 800-269-0990. -- Maura McDermott

NATION

Homebuilders more confident

Homebuilders are growing more optimistic that sales could pick up in the coming months, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo said Monday. Builders expressed more confidence in sales over the next six months, with an index measuring the outlook rising for the sixth straight month, from 34 to 36. Still, home prices continue to fall, and builders keep slashing their prices to stay competitive. Last year was the worst for new-home sales on records dating back to 1963.

UPS to acquire TNT Express

United Parcel Service Inc. said Monday it will buy Netherlands-based TNT Express NV for $6.77 billion in a cash deal. Atlanta-based UPS is the world's largest delivery company, while TNT, headquartered in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, is the second-biggest express mail company in Europe behind Germany's DHL. The combination will have 475,000 employees worldwide and increase UPS' international sales to around 36 percent of its total.

United launches 'free' Wi-Fi

United Online Inc. announced on Monday that it will offer free wireless Internet service under its NetZero brand, the one that started the free dial-up phenomenon in 1998. United Online isn't offsetting its costs by making users look at advertising, so the "free" users will be money-losers that it hopes to win over to paying plans, which start at $9.95 a month. To take advantage of the free offer, consumers need a $50 antenna stick that plugs into a laptop, or a $100 "mobile hotspot" that allows any Wi-Fi equipped device to connect to the Internet. The devices will be for sale on the NetZero website. The free accounts are limited to 200 megabytes of data per month -- enough for some email and Web surfing, but little else. Half an hour of full-screen streamed video will eat up the whole month's allotment. When the monthly traffic allotment is exhausted, NetZero cuts off Internet access until the start of the next month, and users are prompted to upgrade to the paid plan. NetZero will only let users ride free for a year. If they switch to a paid plan, they won't be able to switch back to the free one. The $9.95 plan will provide 500 megabytes of traffic for a month. For $50 per month, subscribers get 4 gigabytes of data per month. That's enough for some video watching, but not enough to replace a household's cable or DSL modem.

Oprah's OWN cutting 30 jobs

Oprah Winfrey's television network, OWN, said Monday it is laying off one-fifth of its workers and restructuring its operations in Manhattan and Los Angeles. The decision to let 30 employees go is a "tough" one, but the economics of a start-up cable network didn't fit with OWN's cost structure, Winfrey said. "I have a responsibility to chart the course for long-term success for the network. To wholly achieve that long-term success, this was a necessary next step." OWN launched Jan. 1, 2011.

World

Chinese writers sue Apple Inc.

A group of prominent Chinese writers have demanded millions of dollars in compensation from Apple Inc. for allegedly selling unlicensed versions of their books in its online store, a lawyer said Monday. The case is a departure from the usual pattern of U.S. artists or companies going after Chinese copycats. Three lawsuits have been filed on behalf of 12 writers who allege 59 of their titles were sold unlicensed through Apple's iTunes online store, said Beijing lawyer Wang Guohua. Carolyn Wu, an Apple spokeswoman, said the company respects intellectual property and responds to complaints quickly.-- AP