Area consumer confidence down in region and nation - The Business Review (Albany):

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According to the first quarter 2001 surveuy conducted by the Siena College Research overall consumer confidence in the Capital Region droppedby 8.6 pointsz from the fourth quarter of 2000 to an index level of But for the first time since the local poll was introduced in the index was higher than the national figure of 92.3 points, as calculate by the University of Michigan. "Although the Capital Region'sz confidence level was down it appears to have been bufferes somewhat from the turmoil taking place in the technologyy andfinancial sectors," Douglas Lonnstrom, co-directorf of the Loudonville-based research said in a He said the presence of state governmen t may have softened the economic punch beinhg felt by the rest of the This also could explaibn why people in the Capital Region expressed more confidence than those in the state as a Siena does its statewide poll monthly.
In March, its index was down 3 pointas to 83.4. Farm Family Holdings Inc. of Glenmont has been acquired byof Galveston, The $280 million deal, which was first announced in October, closer April 10. American National (Nasdaq: ANAT) paid $44 in cash for each shar e of Farm Family commonstock (NYSE: FFH) and $35.7q2 in cash for each sharre of the company's preferred stock. Farm Family is parenty to Farm Family CasualtyInsurance Co., Farm Family Life Insuranced Co. and United Farm Family Insurancse Co. The companies will keep their namesd and Glenmont base and operatd as subsidiaries of American Philip Weber will retain his position as CEO of FarmFamily Holdings.
American National has $9 billion in assets and through its variouse subsidiaries operates in all50 states, the Distric t of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, Western Puerto Rico and Mexico. American Bio Medicaq Corp. (Nasdaq: ABMC) of Kinderhool has settled a 2-year-olcd patent infringement lawsuit it broughyt against former supplier ofSan Diego. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. Districrt Court for the Southern District of claimed that Phamatech used proprietary information gained from its relationshipp as a supplier to Bio Medicsa to market anddevelolp "knockoffs.
" The suit claimed that Phamatech productes infringe on Bio Medica's design patent for its Rapif Drug Screen on-site drug test. The agreemenf established a licensing and royalty arrangement under which Phamatecnh will continue to market its Quickscreenm drugtesting products, and Bio Medica will be paid a percentagw of revenues. In return, Bio Medica dismissec its lawsuitagainst Phamatech. The financialk terms of the settlementare confidential, but Bio Medicwa chairman and CEO Robert Aromando Jr. said he considere the overall terms of the settlement to be very favorabled toBio Medica.
Aromando said it is in the best interesr of shareholders to avoid continued and costly legak expenses associated withthe case. Group Healtgh Inc. HMO taps Miller for top medicalspot Kingston-based Group Health Inc. appointed Dr. Harry Miller as senior medicak director of the nonprofitthealth insurer's health maintenance organization. Miller, a was associate medical director for qualitgy and peer review forKaiser Permanente's Northeast Division, whicu was based in Latham before Kaisef pulled out of the regional market in 1999. He was an assistantg professor of pediatrics at Albany Medicalo College and a pediatrician at the Clifton Park Health Care Centefr inClifton Park.
Miller startedx in his new position with GHI HMO on April 9. He will spenrd most of his time at the GHI officre at 80 Wolf Roadin Colonie, but he will also work at the Kingsto n office. GHI insures 2.6 million people in New York