Managed care provider Cigna Corp., which has a major office in the Hartford area, said the slumping economy has forced it to cut roughly 1,100 jobs, as it deals with employer customers who also are making cuts and reducing the number of people covered by insurance.

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate in Connecticut rose last week, ending the week at 5.06 percent, compared to 5.02 percent the week prior, according to online mortgage tracker Zillow.

Former Hartford Mayor Mike Peters, a longtime firefighter who served four terms in office, died Sunday from complications of liver failure, family members said. He was 60.

As companies increasingly look for ways to cut costs and drive productivity, Stamford professional services firm Towers Perrin says rather than cutting jobs, employers can add more to their bottom lines by increasing the engagement of their existing employees.

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is seeking as much as $310 billion in tax cuts as part of a massive stimulus plan to counter what senior policymakers warned could be a prolonged period of economic stagnation and deflation.