Ohio is getting some national recognition for business development and job creation.

The Buckeye State ranked second in the country behind Texas last year for attracting new companies and business expansion. That's according to the annual list compiled by the business trade magazine Site Selection.

The Columbus Dispatch reports that several Ohio cities were recognized, too.

Columbus finished 10th among metropolitan areas with a population of at least 1 million people, and Cincinnati finished eighth.

Dayton finished first among metro areas with a population of 200,000 to 1 million, and Akron was eighth.

Findlay, Wooster and Ashtabula finished in the top 10 among cities in the smallest population category.
  
 

 

Ohio's nonprofit job-creation entity is reporting raising nearly $7 million in donations and contributed services and paying top salaries to some staff last year.

Documents obtained by the Associated Press and other media show half of the 26 salaries paid by the organization were $100,000 or more.

The documents show that JobsOhio's president and chief investment officer drew a $225,000 salary in 2012, far more than Gov. John Kasich's salary of about $149,000.

The $7 million in contributions were made from July 5, 2011 to June 30, 2012, according to information the nonprofit was required to report to the state Development Services Agency.

Fewer Ohioans are going into business for themselves these days, with the number of self-employed in the state at its lowest level since 2001.

The Dayton Daily News reports that Ohio's level of self-employment is one of the lowest in the nation.

The newspaper says it's declined partly because traditional self-employment industries such as construction and real estate were devastated by the recession and have been slow to come back.

Also, some economists say the state's economy and job growth is concentrated in fields that are not ideal for self-employment.

Of the more than 5.5 million people employed in Ohio, only about 5.6 percent of the workers are self-employed. That's a lower rate than all but eight other states.
 
   

A new monitor's report released this week shows that more than 7,000 Ohioans have gotten more than $280 million from the national mortgage settlement a year ago.

The report released this week by the Office of Mortgage Settlement Oversight summarizes data provided by the five mortgage servicers involved in the settlement: Ally, Bank of America, Citi, JPMorganChase, and Wells Fargo.

Settlement benefits included loan modifications, forgiveness and deficiency waivers.

The report says 2,528 Ohioans completed mortgage refinances, with an average rate reduction of just over 3 percent. The providers sent refinancing solicitations to more than 4,700 Ohioans.