B R I E F LY HEDGE FUND OFFER TO BUY TRIBUNE:

DAIMLER FINED FOR

SLOW RECALLS: Failing to recall vehicles quickly enough could cost Daimler Trucks up to $30 million in fines and other costs. In penalties announced Thursday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Daimler also failed to comply with other reporting requirements. They include an upfront fine of $10 million, another $5 million the automaker must spend on safety enhancements, and a deferred $15 million penalty, which may or may not have to be paid. The order stems from several recalls between 2017 and 2018. Daimler said there have been no known accidents or injuries related to what it called “voluntary recalls.”

Hedge fund Alden Global Capital is looking to buy Tribune Publishing and take the newspaper company private in a deal valued at $520 million. Alden sent a letter to Tribune on Dec. 14, according to a regulatory filing posted Thursday, offering $14.25 per share for the stock of Tribune it doesn’t already own. Alden owns 31.6 percent of Tribune shares. The hedge fund said it had not received “any feedback” to its letter, which it described as a “preliminary inquiry.”

MORTGAGE RATES SLIGHTLY HIGHER:

After tumbling to historic lows throughout the month, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate rebounded slightly heading into the new year. According to the latest data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate average ticked up to 2.67 percent with an average 0.7 point. It was 2.66 percent a week ago and 3.72 percent a year ago.