COMPANIES

An appeals court on Tuesday granted an appeal of a controversial ruling that moved consideration of Bank of America Corp's $8.5 billion settlement over mortgage debt to federal court.

Chevron will have to pay Brazil an additional $5.4 million in fines for its oil leak in November.

Paul Christoforo, a PR rep from Ocean Marketing, is under fire after an incendiary e-mail exchange between he and a customer was posted on Penny Arcade and subsequently went viral.

Shares of BlackBerry developer Research in Motion soared as much as 7 percent Tuesday on speculation it may attract a suitor in 2012 or take steps to improve shareholder value.

Chrysler has officially ended production of the Dodge Caliber, the company said last week, ending the line's rocky run and paving the way for the Fiat SpA-designed Dodge Dart.

Stratfor, the security company which was hacked by a group claiming to be from the infamous hacking group Anonymous on Christmas Eve, warned followers on Facebook not to speak out in support of the company, or face retribution.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) said Monday it was fining the American brokerage unit of Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse $1.75 million for violating rules regarding the controversial market-making practice known as "naked" short-selling.

In what will be the Afghanistan's first international project in a decade, officials in Kabul approved an oil exploration deal with China's state-owned National Petroleum Corporation (CNCP).

Silicon Alley in New York City flourished in 2011--and the outlook is bright for 2012. Funding dollars poured into young companies, and business leaders partnered with them more than ever. There was a real sense of respect and cooperation, said chairman of the New York Angels, Brian Cohen, in a recent interview.

The markets rewarded Apple and Google Tuesday after reports that activations of new iOS and Android devices surged over the weekend that included Christmas.

Samsung Electronics Co, Sharp Corp and five other makers of liquid crystal displays agreed to pay $539 million to settle claims they conspired to fix prices and stifle competition for LCD panels in televisions, notebook computers and monitors, according to a court filing.

GE Capital, the financial services division of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), announced today that its wholly-owned bank affiliate, GE Capital Financial Inc. is acquiring MetLife Inc.'s (MET) U.S. retail deposit business as GE moves into online banking.

Company officials claimed victory over the spill on Christmas day, citing the company's robust response brought a swift end to the spill first reported two weeks ago.

FBR Capital Markets said that according to its store checks over the Christmas weekend, promotions at the mall continue to be aggressive.

Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) said Tuesday it will close as many as 100 to 120 Kmart and Sears Full-line stores after holiday sales of consumer electronics and apparel declined in the U.S.

As early as 2000, U.S. health authorities raised concerns about the French breast implant maker at the heart of a scandal affecting hundreds of thousands of women worldwide. That was almost ten years before the company came under scrutiny from European regulators.

Virgin Group owner, Richard Branson has slammed a $270 million acquisition deal by rival company, International Airlines Group (IAG) saying that the approval of the deal will mean higher prices for flyers.

Italy's antitrust body has fined units of U.S. technology group Apple Inc a total of 900,000 euros for failing to adequately inform customers about their rights to product guarantees and assistance.

A well-known expert on mobile phone security says vulnerability in a widely used wireless technology could allow hackers to gain remote control of phones, leading to new scam.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics aims to raise its global handset sales by 15 percent next year by boosting its smartphone sales, putting it in a closer race with bigger rival Nokia.

A panel reviewing the auditing of Olympus Corp after its $1.7 billion accounting scandal said it had so far not found any problems with the work of Ernst & Young's Japanese arm and questioned the accuracy of a separate investigation critical of auditors.

Shoppers found a mixed bag of bargains and so-so deals on Monday, as a day off for many Americans lured some out for what was likely to be the third-busiest shopping day of the holiday season.

Computer maker ASUS' Eee Pad Transformer Prime is expected to hit the U.S. market in 2012 but a rumor suggests the 32GB Amethyst Gray version could be made available to certain pre-ordered customers after Christmas.

Sony Corp has agreed to sell its nearly 50 percent stake in an LCD joint venture with Samsung Electronics to the South Korean company for $940 million, as it struggles to reduce huge losses at its TV business.

Sony Corp has agreed to sell its nearly 50 percent stake in an LCD joint venture with Samsung Electronics to Samsung for $940 million, the Korean firm said on Monday, as Sony struggles to staunch red ink at its TV business.

GoDaddy, a giant domain name registrar, has announced that it is no longer supporting the Stop Online Piracy Act otherwise known as SOPA, which is now making its way through U.S. Congress.

U.S. security think tank Strategic Forecasting Inc said its website had been hacked and that some of the names of corporate subscribers had been made public.

Sometimes, New York feels like its own country. Even as the rest of the U.S. struggles in the face of a down housing market, the New York of 2011 saw skyscrapers charge ever upwards, with pricing inevitably following. It is truly the global city, with developers, buyers and architects from around the world gathering to shape the future. Here are five of the biggest developments of 2011.

What’s ahead for 2012? Obviously, change, some for the better and others for worse. Fortunately, the Island’s unemployment rate fell to 6.7 percent from 7.2 percent a year ago, the state labor department said. But its principal Long Island economist, Michael Crowell, said that may reflect a declining work force, with too many “discouraged workers” who’ve given up looking.