BRIEFCASE.

Byline: Staff and wire reports

Lincoln highest in dealer service

WESTLAKE VILLAGE - With a score of 915 on a 1,000-point scale, Lincoln ranks highest in customer satisfaction with dealer service, according to a study released Wednesday.

Lincoln received a record-setting high score for the second consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Customer Service Index Study.

The study, now in its 25th year, measures customer satisfaction of vehicle owners who visited the dealer service department for maintenance or repair work during the first three years of ownership, which typically represents the majority of the vehicle warranty period.

Overall customer satisfaction is based on six measures: service initiation, service adviser, in-dealership experience, service delivery, service quality and user-friendly service.

Lincoln, the first domestic make to rank highest in CSI for two consecutive years, was followed in the rankings by Cadillac, Saturn and Lexus, respectively.

Shares of Amgen at 52-week high

THOUSAND OAKS - Shares of Amgen Inc. surged to a new 52-week high Wednesday after the biotechnology titan reported Tuesday that its profit rose sharply, beating Wall Street expectations for the second quarter, and increased its already rosy financial outlook for the year.

Shares of Amgen, which reported earnings after financial markets closed Tuesday, rose $10.65, or 15 percent, to close at $81.17 Wednesday on the Nasdaq Stock Market. It traded as high as $79.27 on Wednesday morning, well above its previous 52-week high of $72.

The Thousand Oaks company reported a profit of $1 billion, or 82 cents a share, an increase of 38 percent from the previous year's second-quarter profits of $748 million, or 57 cents a share. Revenue rose 23 percent to $3.2 billion.

Microsoft to buy FrontBridge Tech

Microsoft Corp. announced Wednesday it is buying Los Angeles-based FrontBridge Technologies, a provider of managed services that address corporate e-mail security, compliance and availability requirements.

With the acquisition, Microsoft will deliver a service for enforcing compliance through archiving, minimizing spam and viruses, and ensuring e-mail availability in the case of a disaster, according to the company.

Terms of the deal were not announced.

FrontBridge has offices in London, Paris, and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Enron executives are acquitted

HOUSTON - A federal court jury Wednesday acquitted three former Enron Corp. broadband executives of some charges but deadlocked on the remaining charges involving them and two other executives.

The five were on trial for their alleged roles in making the failed broadband venture appear strong to investors to boost the company's stock price.

U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore declined requests from attorneys to identify the nature of the jury split. She issued an order barring jurors from discussing the case, which she said would have to be retried.

Former broadband CEO Joseph Hirko was acquitted on insider trading and money laundering counts, and former strategist Scott Yeager was acquitted of conspiracy and security and wire fraud counts. In addition, software engineer Rex Shelby was acquitted of insider trading.