Following Reggie’s Footsteps

Oakland A’s slugger Jose Canseco, known for his love of fast cars, doesn’t take much time getting from one place to another. But getting his candy bar to market fast proved a challenge.

After more than a year of planning, the “Canseco! 40/40” candy bar is being introduced into stores by Los Angeles-based Latin Foods International.

The peanut-flavored candy bar, which gets its name in part from the 1988 season in which Canseco became the first player in major league history to steal 40 bases and hit more than 40 home runs, was to be introduced during spring training this year.

But developing the candy bar took longer than expected. Appropriately, Latin Foods Vice President Gus Dominguez says some 40 different flavors were tested.

What Do They Know?

Southern California has a disturbingly high unemployment rate. Commercial real estate is as soft as ever. Officials are scrambling to keep companies from moving operations out of state.

Maybe it’s time for a contrarian view: “Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest city, has yet to succumb to the recession blues.” And how about another view that Southern California “continues to lure people and companies.”

Who said all that? Big Apple-based American Express in a “Doing Business in Los Angeles” section of its recent travel newsletter sent to corporate cardholders.

No doubt a lot of people would disagree with that view, but probably not as much as they would with another one expressed in the newsletter. It describes Los Angeles International Airport as “pleasant.”

A Penny Saved May Cost You

Home Savings of America used to advertise years ago that no one had ever lost a penny there.

That may still be true, but under a relatively new policy the thrift is charging some people who want to deposit large amounts of the coin.

Elizabeth Shanov of Monrovia found that out when she took seven rolls of coins--two of dimes, two of nickels and three of pennies--into her local branch.

She says she was told that the first five rolls can be deposited free, but it would be 10 cents a roll after that. “It’s not like I’m depositing deutsche marks or yen. I’m depositing American coins,” she complains.

Home spokeswoman Mary Trigg said that the policy is supposed to apply to people such as merchants who frequently deposit large amounts of coins. She added that Home doesn’t charge the occasional coin depositor or children.

She said the charge is to cover costs involved in shipping the rolled coins to correspondent bank Security Pacific, adding that Home is one of the last institutions to adopt the charge.

Briefly. . .

A lot at stake: Investment banker Morgan Stanley, which has already been paid $4 million for its work in the BankAmerica-Security Pacific merger, will receive $5 million more if the deal goes through, SEC documents show. . . . A lot at stake (cont.): First Boston, which is advising Security Pacific, could receive an estimated $8.9 million total. . . . That’s entertainment: A Los Angeles law firm, citing the growing number of bankruptcy filings by entertainment companies, sponsored a seminar last week on dealing with troubled Hollywood firms.