Cuomo: Some U.S. banks 2008 bonuses exceeded income
Several large, troubled banks that received government assistance paid hundreds of employees bonuses of at least $1 million last year, according to New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo criticized the top U.S. banks for paying boom-time bonuses in an era of economic peril. At least 4,793 bankers and traders were paid more than $1 million in bonuses last year.

Jobless claims rise above forecasts
In the past week the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose to numbers slightly above the expected numbers according to government data on Thursday. Initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits rose 25,000 to a seasonally adjusted 584,000 in the week ended July 25.

Disney 3 Q earnings plunge 26 percent
The Walt Disney Co. on Thursday reported earnings for the third fiscal quarter plunged 26 percent and revenues down 7 percent. Third-quarter revenue fell 7 percent to $8.59 billion from the same period a year ago. The entertainment firm, whose earns income from media properties, amusement parks and consumer products, said the economy had an impact on results.