[naviga:h3]Lenders taking more borrowers to court[/naviga:h3]

HARTFORD, Conn. — Fall behind on your student loans these days and you could end up getting more than hectoring phone calls and threatening letters. Some lenders are taking more people to court, attorneys say.

The number of lawsuits filed over delinquent student loans that were made by private lenders has increased significantly in the past two years, lawyers told The Associated Press, even though borrowers are missing payments much less often than they did during the height of the recession.

While no one tracks exactly how many such lawsuits are brought, an AP review of court websites in several states found several thousand, an overwhelming number of them filed since 2013.

[naviga:h3]Minutes show Fed pondering rate hike[/naviga:h3]

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials believed last month the economic conditions needed to trigger the first interest rate hike in nearly a decade could “well be met” by their next meeting in December.

Minutes of the October discussions released Wednesday revealed Fed officials’ view that the job market would improve further and inflation would begin to move toward their 2 percent annual target.

They took note of the U.S. economy’s resilience through a summer of financial market turbulence and felt that global threats had “diminished.”

The Fed has kept its benchmark for short-term rates near zero since late 2008.

[naviga:h3]Target profit climbs, but shares decrease[/naviga:h3]

MINNEAPOLIS — Target says its sales rose 1.9 percent at established locations in the third quarter as it worked to revive its business by strengthening flagship categories like clothing and children’s products.

Still, the uptick was a slowdown from the previous quarter, when sales rose 2.4 percent at established locations. Growth of digital sales also slowed to 20 percent, and fell short of the company’s expectations. Previously, Target had forecast digital growth of 30 percent for the period.

Its shares fell more than 4 percent.

[naviga:h3]Sprint promises to cut bills in half[/naviga:h3]

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Wireless provider Sprint said Wednesday that new subscribers who switch to its service will pay half what its competitors are charging.

However, the promotion wasn’t a hit with investors, who sent Sprint’s shares down 9 percent.

Sprint, the No. 4 wireless provider, is in the midst of a turnaround effort and has been making a range of promotional offers to lure customers.

In August, it offered DirecTV customers one free year of cell phone service in a bold move aimed at the satellite TV company’s new owner, AT&T.

Sprint now says it will cut in half the price of most Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile plans, though some unlimited plans are excluded.

[naviga:h3]Highest risk models getting top priority[/naviga:h3]

DETROIT — Cars and trucks from the 2008 model year or older that were originally sold or registered in high humidity areas along the U.S. Gulf Coast are getting top priority for repairs as the government commences the massive Takata air bag inflator recall.

Honda leads all automakers with nine models designated as having the highest risk from air bag inflators that can explode with too much force, spewing metal shrapnel into drivers and passengers.

On Nov. 3, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration took control of the recall, which covers 19.2 million vehicles and is the largest in U.S. history. The agency wants to speed up the repairs and make sure the limited supply gets to vehicles with the highest risk.

Even with government management, it could take as long as four years to replace all 23.4 million potentially faulty inflators that are now on U.S. roads.