COMPANIES

Nearly half of homeowners getting help through the Obama administration's premier housing rescue program have dropped out through July as many failed to document their eligibility, the U.S. Treasury said on Friday.

Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne is heading for a showdown with powerful industrial lobbies as he pushes for more flexible work practices that could lead to a broader shakeup of rules in the Italian car industry.

Mutual funds and other large stockholders may rebalance auto sector holdings after General Motors Co's initial public offering, but day-to-day stock prices are not the main measure of Ford Motor Co's turnaround

The Federal Reserve's balance sheet shrank in the latest week, partly due to a decline in its holdings of mortgage-related securities, Fed data released on Thursday showed.

J.D. Power and Associates cut its U.S. auto sales forecasts for the remainder of 2010 and 2011 as it expects a slow economic recovery

As mortgage delinquencies climb near historic highs, Wall Street is finding new ways to make hay with the assets.

U.S. mortgage rates fell in the past week to the latest in a series of record lows amid concerns about the state of the U.S. economy, according to a survey released on Thursday by Freddie Mac, the second-largest U.S. mortgage finance company.

Homeowners were less confident about the value of their homes in the second quarter, with one-third believing home prices had not yet reached a bottom, real estate website Zillow.com said on Thursday.

More than a quarter of Americans currently renting houses and apartments have no intention to ever buy a home, according to a survey published on Wednesday.

For local governments in the United States, the housing crisis is far from over.

General Motors Co took a big step toward repaying a controversial taxpayer-funded bailout by declaring plans for a landmark stock offering that represents a critical test for the Obama administration.

Toyota Motor Corp plans to introduce a start-to-finish manufacturing system for midsize hybrid vehicles made by a Kyushu subsidiary to meet growing consumer demand for hybrids.

German automaker Volkswagen AG struck a deal with workers at its Mexican plant to avoid a strike threatened by the factory's union

General Motors and China's SAIC Motor Corp deepened their ties to include the joint development of small engines and transmissions as the U.S. automaker seeks to draw on the allure of the fast-growing China market ahead of a highly anticipated IPO.

U.S. safety regulators have opened a preliminary investigation into a potential problem with the Kia Soul after a driver reported a complete loss of steering and limited braking in a two-month-old car.

General Motors Co will recall more than 243,000 model year 2009/2010 crossover sport utilities, mainly in the United States, to inspect safety belts for possible damage.

Mazda Motor Corp will recall 215,000 Mazda 3 and Mazda 5 vehicles sold in the United States because of the risk that they could lose power steering without warning.

General Motors Co will list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange after its initial public offering, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

In March of 2000, American homeowners got a scare.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be abolished rather than reformed as part of the Obama administration's planned overhaul of the government's role in housing finance, Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services committee, said on Tuesday.

Mortgage applications leaped last week as rock-bottom rates lifted demand for home refinancing loans to its highest level in 15 months, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday.

Home building increased at a much weaker pace than expected in July, though sturdy growth in industrial output implied the embattled economy has enough strength to keep growing.

Influential bond investor Bill Gross dispensed more policy advice than the U.S. Treasury bargained for on Tuesday, calling for a massive program to refinance mortgages at low rates to boost the flagging economy.

The U.S. government's role in housing finance should undergo fundamental change, but it should still provide some guarantees in the mortgage market, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday.

General Motors Co has added Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Citigroup Inc to the slate of its lead underwriters for its initial public offering

Porsche AG will meet strict U.S. fuel economy standards of 35.5 miles per gallon when they go in force by 2016, Detlev Von Platen, the German automaker's North American president

When it comes to Indian businesses, The Tata Group is the oldest and best-known: the conglomerate owns the luxury Jaguar car brand, it's made the world's cheapest car, and its chairman, 72-year-old Ratan Tata, oversees an empire that ranges from salt to software.

Home-builder sentiment unexpectedly fell for a third straight month in August to its lowest level in nearly 1-1/2 years, according to a survey on Monday that pointed to a weak housing market.

The Federal Reserve and other top regulators said on Monday reverse mortgages pose compliance and reputation risks for lenders, and offered guidance to financial firms on how to avoid such pitfalls.