North Carolina has the eighth-lowest auto-insurance rates in the country and the lowest in the South, according to a report from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

N.C. Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin said yesterday that the state’s drivers pay an average of $591.11 a year for auto insurance.

North Dakota had the lowest auto-insurance rates, Iowa was second and South Dakota third.

North Carolina is the most populous state among the 10 states with the lowest auto rates.

Icahn begins a hostile bid for movie studio in Vancouver

NEW YORK — Activist shareholder Carl Icahn raised the stakes in his yearlong dispute with Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. yesterday, beginning an all-out bid to take over the movie studio after disagreements over its spending.

The hostile bid comes a week after Lions Gate rejected Icahn’s offer to buy a larger minority stake and rewrote its bylaws to make such a takeover attempt more difficult in the future.

The new offer for all outstanding shares also raised the specter of Canadian government involvement because Icahn, an American, could own the company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and cause friction with the country’s cultural policies.

Icahn owns almost 19 percent of Lions Gate, and his new offer for the remainder was unchanged from the $6 a share he offered last month when he sought to increase his stake to just under 30 percent.

Shares rose 6 cents, or 1 percent, to close at $6.03 yesterday, but fell 8 cents to $5.95 in after-hours trading.

Clemmons company expands its ‘Get Hired’ workshop series

CLEMMONS — The Wooden Group said yesterday that it is expanding its free series of “Get Hired” workshops to a second day, beginning Thursday.

A workshop will be held at noon Thursdays at its office in the Broyhill Office Suites on Clemmons Road.

Randy Wooden, the operator of the outplacement-services company, will conduct the workshops, and continue the ones at 10 a.m. Saturdays.

The workshops are aimed at people 18 and older. In recent weeks, topics have included tips on resume development, networking, utilizing LinkedIn and ways of handling difficult interview questions.

Seating is limited. Reservations can be made at 793-8040, or by e-mailing randy@woodengroup.com.

For more information, go to www.woodengroup.com.

Triad Guaranty reports that Countrywide has filed a lawsuit

Triad Guaranty Inc. said in a regulatory filing yesterday that it is being sued by Countrywide Home Loans Inc.

In the lawsuit, Countrywide accuses Triad of breach of contract.

The company filed the lawsuit in the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California.

Triad said it plans a vigorous defense.

BB&T, Atlas Cos. join forces with an open-house promotion

BB&T Corp. and The Atlas Cos. will hold “Score Your Home” open houses from 1 to 5 p.m. today and Sunday and March 27-28 throughout the Triad.

The open houses will have a basketball-conference theme and will focus on 10 new communities in Forsyth, Guilford and Alamance counties. Offerings include condos, town houses and new houses.

BB&T and The Atlas Cos. are working with local real-estate agencies Coldwell Banker Triad, Re/Max, Lewis & Clark, Allen Tate and Ed Price & Associates ..

T. Shane Shuler, a commercial-real-estate-development officer for BB&T, said that for every home sold during the open houses, the bank will make a donation to the Habitat for Humanity affiliate in the area where the home was bought