Utah history
Long reads on how Utah got here.
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How Salt Lake paid for the 2002 Olympics
Salt Lake's organizers finished with a surplus, after years of public investment, commercial fundraising and budget cuts. The financing story spans several different sets of accounts.
Geneva Steel: a $110 million rescue, then another shutdown
A $110 million loan helped Geneva emerge from bankruptcy in 2001. Its Utah mill was idled that November and back in court the following January; a second financing plan failed, leaving equipment sales and cleanup obligations.
RaPower-3: the solar lenses that sold tax benefits before electricity
A Utah solar venture sold lenses with promises of tax deductions and credits. Civil court findings, an upheld $50 million disgorgement order and separate investor tax cases exposed the gap between the sales pitch and a functioning energy business.
SunFirst Bank: how online-poker payments reached a small Utah lender
SunFirst’s search for capital drew it into illegal online-poker processing. Its closure, a banker’s guilty plea and the receivership’s later termination show how payment access, bank solvency and customer protection intersected.
UTOPIA’s growing fiber network and the debt its cities still carry
Utah’s municipal fiber system has expanded and its financing partner has strengthened. Original city-backed debts remain, making UTOPIA a case study in the difference between operational progress and fiscal recovery.
First Security’s two merger paths: How Wells Fargo acquired a Utah banking leader
First Security’s failed combination with Zions and its 2000 acquisition by Wells Fargo show how shareholder decisions and local competition shaped Utah banking consolidation.