U.S. stocks rebounded heading toward the close of trade on Monday as financial shares surged to session highs, helping the broader market reverse an earlier slide.

* With less than 30 minutes left in the session, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 49.35 points, or 0.56 percent, to 8,812.48. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> gained 5.80 points, or 0.62 percent, to 945.89. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 8.32 points, or 0.45 percent, to 1,857.74.

(Reporting by Ellis Mnyandu; Editing by Jan Paschal)