Saving green

Coca-Cola Co. has re opened bottle-washing plants in Latin America, the Philippines, Russia and Turkey as it uses more returnable glass containers to lower prices amid the global recession. Reusing glass bottles is less ex pensive than making one-use plastic or alu minum packaging.

Jumbo woe

The housing reces sion is creeping up ward, new data show. Luxury homeowners are falling behind on mortgage payments. About 2.57 percent of prime borrowers who took out jumbo loans last year were at least 60 days delinquent within 10 months, according to LPS Ap plied Analytics, a mort gage data service in Jacksonville, Fla. Delin quencies haven’t run that high since 1992.

Saab story

General Motors Corp.’s Swedish-based subsidiary Saab sought court protection from creditors yesterday so the unit can be spun off or sold by its struggling US parent, officials said. A GM spokesman said $1 billion was needed to keep Saab running, and GM was ready to put up $400 million.

Lowe’s blow

Lowe’s Cos. said earnings fell 60 percent to $162 million, or 11 cents a share, for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 30, compared with $408 million, or 28 cents a share, last year. The recession has forced Lowe’s to mark down prices, but sales fell 3.8 percent to $9.98 billion.