Better here than Nebraska
More than a few residents who thought they were calling to re-register their phone numbers with Pennsylvania's do-not-call list yesterday were instead connected to a travel agency in Nebraska. The agency said it was inundated with calls from perplexed residents, who apparently dialed the correct number for the registry, but somehow had their calls routed to Nebraska by the phone company. A spokesman for the state Attorney General's office, which runs the do-not-call program, said late yesterday afternoon that officials were working to fix the glitch.

Ansys shares soar on profit
Shares of Ansys Inc. soared to a 52-week high yesterday after the Cecil engineering software firm posted quarterly earnings that easily beat analysts' estimates. Ansys posted second-quarter net income of $18.3 million, or 23 cents per share, vs. a loss of $19.4 million, or 27 cents, a year ago. Excluding stock-based compensation and other fees, the company reported adjusted earnings of $24.6 million, or 30 cents per share, vs. $16.5 million, or 21 cents per share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had forecast earnings of 24 cents a share. Revenue rose 48 percent to $92.2 million. Shares closed up $3.48, or 13 percent, to $30.04.

Carbon sales lift Calgon
Calgon Carbon Corp. reported second-quarter net income of $4.5 million, or 9 cents per diluted share, vs. $2.4 million, or 6 cents, a year ago. Analysts had forecast earnings of 5 cents a share for the most recent quarter. Buoyed by an 11 percent increase in revenue in the activated carbon and service segment, net sales rose to $88.4 million from $80.5 million a year ago. Sales for the most recent quarter included a gain of $1.8 million from a favorable currency exchange.

Treehouse best analysts
TreeHouse Foods Inc. reported second-quarter net income of $9.4 million, or 30 cents per diluted share, vs. $6.6 million, or 21 cents, a year ago. Profit was aided by a 12.4 percent increase in operating earnings in its soup and infant feeding business. Analysts had forecast earnings of 28 cents a share. In the year-ago quarter, TreeHouse acquired the baby food and private label soup businesses from Del Monte Foods for $275 million. The acquisition included the North Side plant that H.J. Heinz had sold to Del Monte in 2002. Net sales rose to $256 million from $232.1 million a year ago.

Sony recalling cameras
Sony said yesterday it was recalling 416,000 Cyber Shot DSC-T5 digital cameras because the case may warp, creating an edge that can cut or scratch the user's hands. The company will replace the bottom casing, where the problem occurs, at no cost. Most of the recalled cameras were sold in the United States, Europe and China. Customers can go to Sony's support Web site at esupport.sony.com for more information or call Sony support at 1-877-573-7669.

Mortgage rates slip
Mortgage rates around the country edged down this week, with rates on 30-year home loans sinking to their lowest point in a month, good news for prospective buyers. Freddie Mac yesterday said 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.68 percent, down slightly from 6.69 percent last week. In mid-June, rates on 30-year mortgages had climbed to 6.74 percent, an 11-month high. Rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped to 6.32 percent from 6.37 percent last week.

Also in business ...
Fiserv Inc., a provider of information management systems and services, is buying online banking company CheckFree Corp. for about $4.2 billion in cash, the companies said ... Ubics Inc., the Canonsburg-based provider of information technology services, said it sold its Boeing 727 aircraft to United Breweries Holdings Ltd. for $4 million.