Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, October 14, 1994                   TAG: 9410140098
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-13   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN BUSINESS

Signet Banking Corp. has changed the name of its new credit card subsidiary. The unit will be called Capital One Financial Corp.

The Richmond-based bank said in July the subsidiary would be called OakStone Financial Corp.

Signet plans to spin off its credit card subsidiary and offer the public an opportunity to buy stock for a minority interest in the unit. The initial public offering is expected to be made in November.

- Staff report

Conventions help fill valley's coffers

Convention delegates and tourists to the Roanoke Valley boosted Roanoke Valley food and lodging tax revenue by more than $411,000 in the fiscal year ended June 30 over the previous year, according to a report released Thursday by the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Most of the increase came in Roanoke County, where tourism tax revenues rose from $2.1 million to $2.5 million.

The number of people who requested information on the Roanoke Valley also rose, to 62,078 from 39,000 a year earlier, the bureau said. Even with severe winter weather, visitation was up 17 percent, from 29,858 to 34,945, from January through September.

Despite the increases, the Roanoke Valley needs to spend more money on promotion, bureau President Gerald Carter said.

The bureau's budget was $694,794 in 1993-94, compared with $600,220 in 1992-93. Its budget for its 1994-95 year, however, is only slightly above last year's.

- Staff report

Briefly ...

Penn Virginia Corp. of Philadelphia, which holds mineral rights and land in Southwest Virginia, announced Thursday a one-time extra dividend of 20 cents per share, payable Dec. 16 to shareholders on Nov. 25. The company also declared a regular quarterly dividend of 45 cents.

America Online Inc., Vienna, Va.-based computer bulletin board, said Thursday it has added the magazine Business Week to its media offerings. The new service, Business Week Online, is scheduled to debut later this year. It will include the weekly North America story lineup plus stories that are exclusive to Business Week's international editions.

America Online subscribers will receive the current issue on line in advance of the magazine's newsstand or subscription delivery.