Mercantile Bancorp Inc. has received regulatory approval to combine its two Missouri-chartered banks, Perry State Bank, with HNB National Bank, a subsidiary of HNB Financial Services Inc., all entities owned by Mercantile.

Two casino companies with ties to St. Louis have reopened their southern casinos after suffering minor damage from Hurricane Gustav. (PNK)

A permanent increase to $150 per oil barrel by the end of 2008 could have a “significant negative effect” on the rate of gross domestic product, according to an analysis released Thursday from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Masterchem Brands recently opened a new facility in Chesterfield.

Allied Healthcare Products Inc. said Thursday its profit dropped 21 percent in the fourth quarter due to slight delays in manufacturing and higher material and labor costs.

Flights operated by the largest carriers in the nation arrived on time at a higher rate in July than in both the previous month and the same month last year, according to the monthly Air Travel Consumer Report released by the Department of Transportation.

An iPhone customer has sued Apple Inc. and its exclusive U.S. wireless partner AT&T Inc. for selling too many of the smart phones, according to a report from Bloomberg News. (AAPL)

A Sigma-Aldrich company announced details Thursday of a $30 million expansion to its Madison, Wis., facility.

Despite customers lining up for back-to-school buys, Target Corp. said its same-store sales fell 2.1 percent in August. (TGT)

Southwest Airlines Co. recorded a drop in passenger traffic during the month of August. (LUV)

Monsanto Co. has received regulatory approval in China for the importation of its Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans, the company said Thursday. (MON)

Fifty-nine percent of companies intend to keep down rising health-care costs in 2009 by raising workers' deductibles, copays or out-of-pocket spending limits, according to a survey by the Mercer consulting firm. (MMC)

Family Dollar Stores Inc. reports a 5.9 percent increase in sales to $523.7 million for the four weeks ended Aug. 30. (FDO)

CEO confidence rebounded in August, growing 10 percent according to the monthly Chief Executive magazine CEO Index.

St. Louis is among the nation’s top 25 “Fall Allergy Capitals,” cities that prove the most miserable for allergy sufferers.

A national recall for “deadly” bassinets that can suffocate babies has been expanded in the wake of a probe by the Illinois attorney general.

The U.S. General Services Administration has awarded a development contract to Barry Real Estate Cos. Inc., of Atlanta, to complete a build-to-suit lease for a new National Archives and Records Administration building at 1829 Dunn Road in northeast St. Louis County.

Chamberlain College of Nursing appointed DeLois Weekes dean of its St. Louis campus.

InBev said its shareholders will vote Sept. 29 on whether to back the Belgian brewer’s acquisition of Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion.

Macy’s Inc. has put the high-rise building that houses the downtown Macy’s department store on the sale block. The retailer said it has no plans to shutter the store when the building is sold.

The property tax rate for the St. Louis Community College district will rise.

Boeing’s machinists union voted Wednesday night to strike for a second time in three years, according to published media reports. (BA)

Enterprise Rent-A-Car said Thursday it’s enhanced its partnership with Europcar, Europe’s top rental car company, to include Enterprise, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands in North America, creating the largest car rental network in the world.

Bryan Cave hired Terry Brummer as chief operating officer and promoted Connie Hoffman to chief information officer, the law firm said Wednesday.

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. reiterated Tuesday its third-quarter revenue outlook but said it saw increased softness in demand from semiconductor applications customers.

St. Louis got one step closer Wednesday to winning its bid to host another Men’s Final Four basketball championship at the Edward Jones Dome.

Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers voted Wednesday on whether to accept the Boeing Co.’s latest contract offer. Results of the vote should be known later Wednesday night. (BA)

Pfizer Inc. will pay $225 million upfront in a development and commercialization deal for San Francisco-based Medivation Inc.’s late-stage Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease treatment. (MDVN) (PFE) (PFE)

Steve & Barry’s University Sportswear is closing its Northwest Plaza store in St. Ann. No date has been given for the store closure.