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Borrowing by U.S. companies to buy equipment jumped in January from a year ago, though it slid from December's rush to close loans before year-end, and credit quality improved to pre-recession levels, the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association said on Friday.

The World Bank announced on Friday a global alliance to better manage and protect the world's oceans, which are under threat from over-fishing, pollution and climate change.

The World Bank announced on Friday a global alliance to better manage and protect the world's oceans, which are under threat from over-fishing, pollution and climate change.

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) raised $1.9 billion, a much-needed piece of capital, from the sale of its entire stake in Indian's giant mortgage lender Housing Development Finance Corp.

Citigroup sold its stake in Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC) for $1.9 billion, as global banks focus on shoring up their balance sheets to meet stricter capital requirements.

The Bank of America Thursday said that it would no longer provide new mortgages to Fannie Mae following the escalation of disagreement over who should be bearing the cost for defective mortgages.

Lloyds will bear brunt of writedowns and restructuring costs, as it sells non-core businesses and cuts thousands of jobs.

Japan's Nikkei share average extended its rally and rose to a 6-1/2-month high on Friday above 9,600, heading for its best February performance in two decades.

Some people think the value of Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) stocks is zero. Others think it is as high as $30.

The move is expected to increase anger that the bank is still paying large salaries while thousands, including more than 30,000 layoffs at the bank in the last three years, lose their jobs in a weakening global economy.

While Wall Street slashes pay and freezes cash awards, Goldman Sachs Group's top five executives may reap special bonuses of $10.5 million apiece if the firm hits historically easy profit targets over the next two years.

U.S. home resales rose to a 1-1/2 year high in January, pushing the supply of properties on the market to the lowest level in almost seven years in a hopeful sign for the housing sector.

A series of technology companies, including security software maker Palo Alto Networks, are preparing to go public on the heels of Facebook's $5-billion filing, sensing a window of opportunity as the stock market rallies.

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday with the S&P 500 stalled near a 10-month-old high after weak data on Europe's business activity raised concerns about a recession.

Shares of Los Gatos, Calif.-based Netflix were down more than 4 percent Wednesday following a day earlier announcement that Comcast was jumping into the online streaming foray.

Bank of America's Merrill Lynch has launched a more aggressive recruiting campaign for top-tier brokers, including a bonus paid for transferring client assets after six months at the firm, two sources familiar with the new plan said Tuesday.

Real estate mogul Sam Zell's Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR) has raised its minimum bid for a 26.5 percent stake in the long-running battle for control of Archstone, owner of more than 70,000 U.S. apartment units. Earlier this week, the minimum bid was raised to $1.48 billion from $1.32 billion by Bank of America Corp. and Barclays Plc, which own the minority stake in the company. The banks also extended the deadline for Equity's option to buy the stake to April 19 from Feb. 19.

TransUnion Corp., the third largest provider of credit information to banks and consumers, said Advent International Corp. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s private equity arm agreed to buy the company from Chicago's billionaire Pritzker family and local private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners LLC for over $3 billion.

Gas prices in the U.S. have gone past $3.50 a gallon, the highest price this time of the year, ticking panic among people who have begun to see the price rises as oppressive.

Now that President Barack Obama must nominate a new President of the World Bank, he’s keeping his mouth shut, especially in an election year.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.76 percent to 12,884.75 by early afternoon trading, while the Nasdaq rose 1.01 percent to 2,945.17. The S&P 500 rose 0.83 percent to 1,354.37.

Moody's Investors Service placed 114 financial firms , as well as 17 banks and securities firms with global capital markets operations, under ratings review due to the ongoing Eurozone crisis.

Wall Street stocks were set to open little changed on Thursday as concerns about a possible downgrade of global banks by Moody's were offset by upbeat U.S. data on the labor and housing sectors.

Stock index futures fell on Thursday after a Moody's warning of a possible downgrade of global banks and a further holdup in a bailout for debt-laden Greece.

Stock index futures fell on Thursday as a Moody's warning of a possible downgrade of global banks and a further holdup in a bailout for debt-laden Greece kept investors nervous.

Moody's warned on Thursday it may cut the credit ratings of 17 global and 114 European financial institutions in another sign the impact of the eurozone government debt crisis is spreading throughout the global financial system.

Moody's Investors Service placed the ratings of Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on review for possible downgrade because it says the business' profitability will be diminished longer term.

Moody's Investor Service warned Thursday it could downgrade the credit ratings of 17 global banks and securities firms due to more fragile funding conditions, increased regulatory burdens and a more difficult operating environment.

Legal wrangling over the proposed $8.5 billion settlement of some of Bank of America Corp's mortgage-backed securities liability could drag through the courts for years, a top appeals court judge said during arguments in the case.