International Business News - financial http://www.ibtimes.com All articles are copyrighted by IBTimes.com 400 100 http://www.ibtimes.com/ http://www.ibtimes.com/images/top_logo_ibt2_3.gif Caribbean leaders said Saturday that they will push regional banks to provide more loans to builders and exporters, boosting jobs and trade to counter the world economic crisis. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081122/caribbean-leaders-look-to-fight-financial-crisis.htm Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:54:38 EST Fidelity National Financial Inc. has canceled its plans to acquire title insurer LandAmerica Financial Group Inc., citing its "contractual due diligence termination right." http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081122/landamerica-fidelity-national-deal-terminated.htm Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:22:26 EST Amcore Financial Inc., the holding company for Amcore Bank N.A., said Friday its board of directors suspended the quarterly dividend. The suspension is temporary. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081121/amcore-financial-board-suspends-dividend.htm Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:42:57 EST Financial Institutions Inc. on Friday said its board reduced its quarterly cash dividend by 33.3 percent to 10 cents per share. The company paid a 15-cent dividend in the previous quarter. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081121/financial-institutions-cuts-quarterly-dividend.htm Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:37:09 EST The U.S. shoulders a major chunk of the blame in triggering the global financial crisis, Japanese Finance Minister Shoichi Nakagawa said Friday. Nakagawa also said it was understandable that developing nations would be angry that their economies are being hurt by economic problems that originated outside their borders. He was referring to the collapse of the U.S. housing market and ensuging credit crisis that spread around the world. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/179444-japan-financial-meltdown.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081121/japan-minister-financial-crisis-mainly-us-fault.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081121/japan-minister-financial-crisis-mainly-us-fault.htm Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:21:39 EST Federal regulators will guarantee as much as $1.4 trillion in U.S. banks' debt in a bid to get the distressed financial system pumping again. They also took steps Friday to make it easier for private investors to buy failed banks seized by the government. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/180077-jobless-claims-yrs.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081121/congress-sends-jobless-benefit-extension-to-bush.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081121/congress-sends-jobless-benefit-extension-to-bush.htm Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:57:53 EST Members of a U.S. financial industry group visiting China this week to push for more open capital markets said they found officials here alarmed by the credit crisis, but eager to work together to resolve problems. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081121/us-financial-lobby-urges-open-markets-for-china.htm Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:49:51 EST Among the premarket stories for Thursday, Nov. 20, from AP Financial News: NEW YORK (AP)--U.S. financial companies need an additional $1 trillion to $1.2 trillion in capital to restore confidence and improve liquidity, according to a Friedman, Billings, Ramsey analyst. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081120/premarket-roundup-financial-cos-limited-brands.htm Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:38:46 EST U.S. financial companies need an additional $1 trillion to $1.2 trillion in capital to restore confidence to the and improve liquidity, according to a Friedman, Billings, Ramsey analyst. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081120/ahead-of-the-bell-financial-services.htm Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:54:04 EST Ambac Financial Group Inc.'s agreement to reduce its exposure to troubled collateralized debt obligations late Wednesday led an analyst to reduce her projected losses for the struggling bond insurer. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081120/ahead-of-the-bell-ambac-financial-group.htm Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:28:47 EST Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin used a meeting of his powerful political party to take center stage Thursday, casting himself as an indispensable leader even as the global financial meltdown threatens the achievements of his boom-time presidency. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/178910-russia-financial-crisis.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081120/putin-russia-will-come-out-stronger-from-crisis.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081120/putin-russia-will-come-out-stronger-from-crisis.htm Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:24:38 EST Jarred by new jobless alarms, Congress raced to approve legislation Thursday to keep unemployment checks flowing through the December holidays and into the new year for a million or more laid-off Americans whose benefits are running out. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/179275-paulson-meltdown.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081120/fed-sees-economic-woes-persisting-into-next-year.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081120/fed-sees-economic-woes-persisting-into-next-year.htm Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:11:00 EST Shares of Principal Financial Group Inc. fell to new lows on Wednesday as stock in many life insurers tumbled over debt concerns involving commercial mortgage-backed securities. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081119/principal-financial-shares-drop-18-pct-to-new-low.htm Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:02:24 EST A senior International Monetary Fund official has praised Kazakhstan, an early victim of the global credit crunch, for its handling of the crisis. The oil-rich Central Asian nation has taken drastic measures to minimize the impact of the international economic crisis, including investing state funds in the country's top banks and loosening monetary policy. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081119/imf-kazakh-economy-on-the-right-path.htm Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:12:54 EST Russia's finance minister sought Wednesday to reassure investors and citizens that the economy will survive the global financial turmoil, saying Russia's rainy day fund will last for at least 7 years under the worst-case scenario. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081119/russia-spent-57-5-bln-in-sept-oct-to-back-ruble.htm Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:52:32 EST A growing fear of economic deflation helped take the air out of the stock market Wednesday, and another white-knuckle final hour on Wall Street pushed the Dow Jones industrials under 8,000 to their lowest close since the financial meltdown began. http://www.ibtimes.com/data/articleimgs/177833-aptopix-financial-meltdown.jpg http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081119/a-rare-ray-of-sunshine-for-shoppers-lower-prices.htm http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081119/a-rare-ray-of-sunshine-for-shoppers-lower-prices.htm Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:15:50 EST Retirement, insurance and financial services company Principal Financial Group Inc. said Tuesday it plans to apply to the U.S. Treasury for participation in the capital purchase program. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081118/principal-to-participate-in-treasury-program.htm Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:09:35 EST Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc. said Tuesday it applied to receive up to $95 million as part of the government's $700 billion bank investment program. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081118/pinnacle-financial-applies-for-government-funds.htm Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:39:55 EST Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. on Tuesday said it named Michael R. Chesman senior vice president, associate general counsel and director of tax law. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081118/hartford-financial-names-director-of-tax-law.htm Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:52:11 EST Democratic leaders in Congress on Tuesday threw their weight behind a proposal to use $24 billion in government funds to help struggling borrowers, a move opposed by the Bush administration. http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20081118/fdic-chief-presses-for-govt-action-on-mortgages.htm Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:01:56 EST