Yes, it’s the name of a cigarette brand ,and yes, It’s a British term for a kind of overstuffed couch. Now it’s also the name of a disgraced and injuncted King County investment firm.

The state Department of Financial Institutions has announced that on Wednesday its Division of Securities obtained a preliminary injunction in King County against the Seattle-based Chesterfield Mortgage Investors, Inc.

A receiver, Mel R. Codd, was appointed for CMI, according to an agency release.

CMI and its president, Charles Chesterfield, entered into a consent order with DFI in which, among other things, CMI agreed to the revocation …

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In a practice that’s become almost a habit for Boeing, the company today announced another delay for a new airplane program.

The company said it won’t be delivering its first 747-8F until mid-year next year instead of late this year.

The new version of the venerable 747 was first set for delivery in 2009,

Boeing blamed the most recent postponement on two issues that emerged in flight testing of the jumbo jets: a low-frequency vibration that occurred during cruising under some circumstances and a problem with the plane’s aileron acctuator.

Those problems can be corrected without major structural …

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Karen Lee, commissioner of the state Employment Security Department, announced earlier today that more than 1,000 different online Microsoft computer courses are now available – free – to Washington residents who want to improve their skills.

According to a release, the agency has signed a contract with Microsoft to make online courses available to people who register with the state’s WorkSource career-development system.

“Microsoft has made our state the computer software capital of the world, and together we want to give workers in our state the opportunity to excel,” Lee said. “When you look at what this means for …

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American Airlines is beefing up its flight schedule to Mexico in the wake of Mexicana Airlines’ bankruptcy both by adding new frequencies and by code-sharing with SeaTac’s Alaska Airlines.

American will label some Alaska flights to Mexico from the West Coast with its own flight number, an industry practice known as code-sharing.

Alaska itself is increasing its own Mexican connections, recently announcing new flights to Guadalajara from both Sacramento and San Jose in California. Alaska hopes to fill the vacuum left when Mexicana quit flying two weeks ago.

Alaska is based in SeaTac.

Boeing Co. won orders this week for 11 new 737s, 10 of them from a Chinese airline and for two 777 freighters from FedEx.

Another order for a single 737 was marked up on Boeing’s orders and deliveries website, but the airline was not identified.

Those new 737 orders were offset by cancellation of three 737 commitments from an undisclosed buyer.

Xiamen Airlines will buy 10 737s, the airline’s parent company revealed. That order is worth nearly $700 million at list prices.

Flying high above Seattle today is a new flag, a specially-designed Space Shuttle banner, waving from the roof of the Space Needle.

The flag is part of a campaign to demonstrate to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration the local fervor for attracting one of the three remaining Space Shuttles for display at Boeing Field’s Museum of Flight.

NASA is retiring the Space Shuttle fleet, and cities from across the country are competing to house one of the three shuttles.

Seattle’s Museum of Flight is mounting a full court press to convince NASA that its worthy to have one of …

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Looking for a millionaire to invest in your business?

Your chances are best in Hawaii if the density of rich people is your main standard.

A new survey from consulting firm Phoenix Marketing International shows the 50th State tops the charts for millionaires. 6.93 percent of the population there has net worths at or exceeding $1 million.

Washington ranks 13th among the states and the District of Columbia with 5.18 percent of its households meeting the millionaire standard. That rank is the same as it was in 2009.

Hawaii has topped the list for five years. Washington dropped to 18th …

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Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways has signed a new codesharing agreement with SeaTac’s Alaska Airlines, Cathay said today.

The new agreement will allow Alaska Airlines’ domestic flights flown from Cathay’s three West Coast gateways, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, B.C., to carry Cathay Pacific flight numbers.

The code-sharing arrangement will begin Oct. 7.

The new arrangement will allow Cathay to extend its network via Alaska code-shared flights to a broader geography.

Cathay Pacific was founded in 1946. It offers long distance flights to North America, Europe and throughout Asia from its Hong Kong hub. The airline flies Boeing …

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