Business newsmakers

Gregg Daly has been named director of sales at Onset Computer Corp., a supplier of battery-powered data loggers and weather stations. Mr. Daly brings more than 20 years of sales management experience to Onset's senior management team, having most recently served as the company's sales manager. Before joining Onset in 1997, Mr. Daly worked for 12 years in the international management consulting field. Onset Computer Corp. has been producing small, inexpensive, battery-powered data loggers and embedded controllers since 1981. It has sold more than 1 million loggers that are used throughout the world by more than 50,000 customers. The company manufactures a broad range of data logger and weather station products that are used to measure temperature, humidity, light intensity, voltage and a broad range of other parameters.

Jay Gonsalves recently was named vice president of ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals. The announcement was made during ACA's 67th annual Convention and Exposition in San Diego. Mr. Gonsalves continues his term on the ACA Executive Committee, which includes one year in each of five executive positions. ACA is the largest trade group serving credit and collection agencies. Mr. Gonsalves holds a bachelor's degree from UMass Dartmouth and a master's in health services administration from Salve Regina College. He has been a professional in the credit and collection industry for more than 20 years, and is president of Action Collection Agencies Inc. in Middleboro. Mr. Gonsalves has been involved in the association at the local and national levels for several years. He serves on the board of directors for the New England Collectors Association and was a past president of that association. He has served the association on the national level as chairman of the ACA Interstate Collections Committee and as a member of the ACA board of directors. In addition to his involvement with ACA, Mr. Gonsalves is active in his community. He was a longtime coach and former commissioner of Rochester Youth Baseball, and a deacon of First Congregational Church of Rochester. Mr. Gonsalves resides with his wife, Connie, and their three children in Rochester.

For more information about ACA International, visit http://www.acainternational.org.

David R. Borges has been appointed assistant director of the Center for Policy Analysis at UMass Dartmouth. Mr. Borges has been employed as a senior research associate at the center since March 1996, where he has conducted research for more than 100 applied policy reports. In addition to his continuing duties as a senior research associate, Mr. Borges will assume all responsibilities for personnel management at the center. Mr. Borges earned a bachelor's degree in political science in June 1992 at UMass Dartmouth and his MPA in May 2004 from the University of Central Florida. He served as an assistant to the city manager of Ormond Beach, Fla., before returning to his native Fall River.

Suzanne Catraio has joined Fall River Municipal Credit Union as business development/marketing manager. A marketing professional with more than eight years of credit union knowledge and experience, Ms. Catraio will manage the production of media advertising and sales collateral, develop marketing plans, and design and manage marketing pieces for the credit union. Ms. Catraio holds a master's degree in business administration from Bryant University and a bachelor of science degree from UMass Dartmouth. She resides in Dartmouth.

Joseph ("Jay") Canute has joined Bank of Canton as regional lending manager for its newest office at 145 Barnstable Road, Hyannis. Mr. Canute is responsible for serving residential customers throughout Cape Cod and the surrounding South Shore towns, including Wareham. His duties include originating mortgages, assisting customers in their home buying and refinancing decisions and managing the flow of the loan process for customers, from application to closing. Mr. Canute has strong roots in the community. Before joining Bank of Canton, he was sales and finance manager at Atlantic Subaru in Bourne for more than three years. Previously, he held the same title at Showcase Isuzu, also in Bourne. He is involved in many regional events, including the Junior Basketball Association of Wareham; Wareham Tiger Pop Warner Football; acting as golf tournament director for Relay for Life; and involvement in the Cape Cod Dining Club and the Traveling Vineyard Wine Club. Mr. Canute lives in Falmouth with his wife, Kimberly, and their two sons.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.