Business news in brief

Unisys Corp. the Blue Bell computer services and systems company, said it had named Peter A. Altabef as president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1. Altabef, 55, most recently was president and CEO of Micros Systems Inc. from January 2013 until the completion in September of that company's acquisition by Oracle Corp. The Unisys board ousted chairman and CEO J. Edward Coleman in October after a six-year tenure. Paul E. Weaver, interim chairman of the Unisys board, will become chairman, also Jan. 1. Unisys shares surged 7.8 percent, or $1.88, to $26.10. - Reid Kanaley

Comcast Corp.-owned NBCUniversal began live streaming of NBC network broadcasts, joining other major broadcasters that offer such content via computers, smartphones, and tablets. The Wall Street Journal reported the offering Tuesday. Unlike CBS and some others, NBC isn't selling separate online access to customers. Viewers at www.nbc.com/live instead were being asked to verify their pay-TV subscriptions. The Journal said mobile platforms will be available next year. Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia.
- Inquirer staff

Local real estate firm Arden Group, founded by Craig Spencer, sold the 19-story Center City office building at 1635 Market St. to New York real estate investment firm Nightingale Properties for an undisclosed price. Nightingale's CEO, Elie Schwartz, has committed $5 million to renovations, starting immediately. Real estate agents with CBRE in Philadelphia, Kevin Maloney, Mark Adzick, George Cauffman, and Joe Wolff will market the property. Nightingale also owns 1835 Market St., which it purchased this month for $100 million, 1700 Market St., and 1500 Spring Garden St. - Erin Arvedlund

Self-storage purveyor CubeSmart, of Malvern, said it raised its quarterly dividend to 16 cents per common share from 13 cents. The dividend is payable Jan. 15 to shareholders of record Jan. 2. CubeSmart says it owns or manages 592 self-storage facilities across the United States. Shares rose 12 cents, to close at $21.47. - Reid Kanaley

Construction of new homes fell slightly in November, reflecting weakness in construction of single-family homes. Builders started construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.03 million homes and apartments last month, the Commerce Department reported. That was a decline of 1.6 percent from October, when construction activity posted a 1.7 percent gain. The weakness last month came from a 5.4 percent fall in construction of single-family homes, which offset a 6.7 percent rise in the more volatile apartment sector. - AP

Regulators plan to fine Sprint Corp. $105 million for billing phone customers for unwanted services including horoscopes, in the latest U.S. action against a large carrier for so-called cramming, two officials said. The penalty against the third-largest U.S. mobile provider was proposed by Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler, said the agency officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the action has not been announced. The five agency commissioners must vote on the proposed fine. Kim Hart, an FCC spokeswoman, declined to comment. - Bloomberg News

T-Mobile US Inc. is allowing customers to roll over high-speed data allotments, in the fourth-largest U.S. wireless carrier's latest marketing push to lure subscribers. For up to a year, customers will be able to utilize unused data from prior months to help them from exceeding their allotment and incurring penalties, T-Mobile said, calling it a "data stash." Subscribers will start with a reserve of 10 gigabytes of data for free. Previously, instead of charging fees for going over a high-speed data amount, T-Mobile would slow service. - Bloomberg News

Saying Southwest Airlines is neglecting workers and customers, baggage handlers are bringing attention to the company's slide in on-time performance as they seek a new contract. Workers picketed and handed out leaflets at 16 airports Tuesday, including Denver, Seattle, and Los Angeles-Ontario. For years, Southwest was the most punctual of big U.S. airlines, but it stumbled after trying to squeeze in more flights. It has backed off and says it is seeing improvement. Union president Charles Cerf says there's often only one worker pulling bags out of Southwest's new larger planes, contributing to delays. Southwest says the number of bags handled by its workers has declined. - AP

Chrysler Group, as a corporate name, is history. The company said its name has been changed from Chrysler Group to FCA US L.L.C. The company said the name change "does not affect the company's headquarters location in Auburn Hills, Mich., its holdings, management team, board or brands." The change bolsters the company's ongoing integration into its global parent, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. - Detroit Free Press