Business software company SAS said today that its revenue increased 5.2 percent last year as IT spending picked up and more corporations turned to analytics to improve performance.

SAS, which makes business intelligence and analytics software that is used to analyze operations and forecast trends, said 2010 revenues totaled $2.43 billion.

The growth was largely driven by the company's business analytics group, which saw revenue increase 26 percent.

SAS is a private company and doesn't release detailed financial information. The company typically releases its annual revenue numbers.

Revenue growth in 2010 was more than double that in 2009.

SAS' workforce in North Carolina increased 4.2 percent -- the company now employs 4,611 at its Cary headquarters. Global head count grew by 2.4 percent to 11,489.

"We are seeing corporations loosening up their budgets," said Jim Davis, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, in an interview this morning. "The economy feels very differently than it did 12 to 18 months ago."
 

Citco Fund Services, a company that provides services to hedge funds and financial firms, plans to create 258 jobs in Charlotte over the next four years.

State officials this morning promised the international firm incentives worth as much as $4 million if it meets its hiring milestones. The jobs will pay average annual salaries of $78,256, well above the Mecklenburg County average.

N.C. Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco will join Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and other officials this morning in Charlotte to announce the new jobs.

Citco, which also has offices in New York, San Francisco, Miami and Toronto, is a boost for Charlotte, which has bled high-paying financial jobs in recent years.

Dale Carroll, deputy secretary of the commerce department, said Citco's connections with other types of financial firms, including hedge funds and private equity firms, could mean more jobs for Charlotte in the future. 

"This brings into Charlotte a new type of financial services company," he said.

Citco has until Dec. 31, 2014 to create the jobs. The state grant will be awarded over a nine-year period if the company meets its job creation requirements. 

BB&T has joined other big banks in reducing overdraft fees.

The Winston-Salem bank will eliminate fees for debit card and ATM transactions when customers overdraw their accounts by less than $5. BB&T also will limit overdraft fees to four a day.

The bank also will begin to alert ATM customers when they are making a withdrawal that would overdraw their account.

The changes, which take effect in the first quarter, comes as lawmakers and regulators have criticized the fees as excessive and consider ways to crack down on banks that charge too much.