RJ and Makay

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5.4 million U.S. workers will get prepaid payroll cards from their employers by 2014, which doubles the number of today’s employees that are compensated in this manner, according to market research firm Aite Group.

In an important sign that the economy is beginning to expand, companies are increasingly seeking loans and banks are more frequently saying "Yes."

In the last three months of 2010, for example, U.S. Bancorp wrote $8 billion in new business loans — its largest volume in two years — and JPMorgan Chase added 400 midsize companies to its client list. According to the Federal Reserve, bank loans overall grew for the first time in two years. "Companies are talking about growth in ways they haven't for three years," relates Perry Pelos, head of Wells Fargo's commercial banking unit.

As year-end earnings reports come in, one thing seems clear. Large U.S. corporations generally did very well in the fourth quarter and 2010 as a whole. Furthermore, 2010 is shaping up as the best year for large corporations in more than a decade, with especially good results occurring in the telecommunications, energy, and financial sectors.

Roughly half the Standard & Poors (S&P) 500 companies have reported fourth-quarter and year-end earnings so far. Based on those reports, earnings in the S&P 500 were up 17% last year on a weighted basis. Sales were up about 9% for the year and rose 7% in the fourth quarter, far more than the third quarter's meager 0.9% increase.