A G Edwards Sons

Executive Life Muni Bond Buyer Wins Claim: A. G. Edwards & Sons and a former salesman must pay $99,000 to an investor in $1.1 million worth of municipal bonds backed by failed Executive Life Insurance Co., an arbitration panel ruled. The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, a self-regulatory body supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission, awarded the investor, Crawford Maxson, $79,000 from Edwards.

Before there was John M.W. Moorlach, there was Mark J. Robles. Moorlach, who lost in a landslide when he ran against former Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron in last June's election, is expected to be rewarded, as soon as this week, with an appointment to the post he failed to win via the ballot box. Robles will receive no such personal crown. But his firm, A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc.

While Orange County's elected officials insist that new taxes are out of the question, the two investment banking firms hired to help rescue the county from its financial crisis say tax hikes could be critical components of any recovery plan, according to documents released Tuesday. A.G.

While Orange County's elected officials insist new taxes are out of the question, the two investment banks hired to help rescue the county from its fiscal crisis say tax hikes could be a critical component of any recovery plan, according to documents released Tuesday. A.G.

Before there was John M.W. Moorlach, there was Mark J. Robles. Moorlach, who lost in a landslide when he ran against former Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector Robert L. Citron in last June's election, is expected to be rewarded, as soon as this week, with an appointment to the post he failed to win via the ballot box. Robles will receive no such personal crown. But his firm, A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc.

While Orange County's elected officials insist new taxes are out of the question, the two investment banks hired to help rescue the county from its fiscal crisis say tax hikes could be a critical component of any recovery plan, according to documents released Tuesday. A.G.

MCI Communications Corp. and A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. announced a five-year,$27-million agreement under which MCI will provide virtually all long-distance telecommunications serivces for the St. Louis-based brokerage firm and its 428 offices in 48 states. A.G. Edwards & Sons is the sixth-largest brokerage firm in the United States. It provides a range of financial products and services as well as investment banking services.

Pacific Gulf Properties plans to offer 4.25 million shares of common stock to fund acquisitions and repay debt, among other things, the company said in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Prudential Securities Inc. is the lead managing underwriter. Other underwriters are A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc., BancAmerica Robertson Stephens and Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. Pacific Gulf is a real estate investment trust.

* Compaq Computer Corp. (ticker symbol: CPQ) was raised to "buy" from "accumulate" by A.G. Edwards & Sons. * Nextel Communications (NXTL) was rated "buy" in new coverage by Wheat First Union, with a 12-month target price of $36. * Polaroid Corp. (PRD) was downgraded to "hold" from "buy" by Credit Suisse First Boston. * Texaco Inc. (TX) was downgraded to "neutral" from "buy" by Lehman Bros. * US West (USW) was raised to "buy" from "neutral" by Lehman Bros., with a 12-month target price of $68.

While Orange County's elected officials insist that new taxes are out of the question, the two investment banking firms hired to help rescue the county from its financial crisis say tax hikes could be critical components of any recovery plan, according to documents released Tuesday. A.G.

Executive Life Muni Bond Buyer Wins Claim: A. G. Edwards & Sons and a former salesman must pay $99,000 to an investor in $1.1 million worth of municipal bonds backed by failed Executive Life Insurance Co., an arbitration panel ruled. The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, a self-regulatory body supervised by the Securities and Exchange Commission, awarded the investor, Crawford Maxson, $79,000 from Edwards.

Amgen Inc. won Food and Drug Administration approval of a longer-acting version of Neupogen, its $1-billion blockbuster chemotherapy drug. Neupogen is used daily during chemotherapy to prevent a drop in infection-fighting white blood cells. The new form, to be sold as Neulasta, can be taken once during a chemotherapy cycle, which is typically three to four weeks, the company said. Neulasta is designed to prevent infection as well as treat it.

Abbott Laboratories Inc. said U.S. regulators had approved its rheumatoid arthritis treatment, Humira, which the company expects to become a blockbuster because it is easier to administer than rival treatments and may have safety advantages. It will compete with Amgen Inc.'s treatment Enbrel and Johnson & Johnson's Remicade. All three products work by blocking a protein called tumor necrosis factor that causes inflammation that attacks the joints. Jan Wald, an analyst at A.G.