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Move is one in a series of tightening steps aimed at keeping inflation under control.

Citigroup Inc., the largest U.S. bank, said on Friday that strong international growth fueled a higher-than-expected 18 percent increase in quarterly profit. Revenue rose faster than expenses for a second consecutive quarter, as Chief Executive Charles Prince continued to emphasize controlling costs.

Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis pledged on Thursday to complete the $21 billion acquisition of all of LaSalle Bank from ABN AMRO Holding NV early in the fourth quarter.

Bank of America Corp., the second-largest U.S. bank, said on Thursday quarterly profit rose 5 percent, as private equity and investment banking gains offset lower retail banking earnings and worsening loan quality.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. said on Wednesday it tripled the amount it set aside for loan losses as home equity borrowers missed payments, hurting the bank's second-quarter net income growth.

Discount brokerage Charles Schwab Corp. posted a 16 percent increase in second-quarter profit on Tuesday as new policies to attract clients paid off.

The takeover battle for ABN AMRO heated up on Monday with the Royal Bank of Scotland consortium boosting the cash element of its 71.1 billion-euro ($98 billion) offer. The offer is above a rival all-stock bid from Britain's Barclays that is worth about 64 billion euros, which has been recommended by ABN's board.

Dutch bank ABN AMRO can proceed with its sale of U.S. unit LaSalle, the Dutch Supreme Court said, boosting the prospect Barclays will succeed in its near $90 billion takeover bid for ABN.

The Dutch Supreme Court will issue its ruling on ABN AMRO's suspended sale of its U.S. unit LaSalle on Friday and the decision could sway an acrimonious takeover battle for the Dutch bank.

Milan judge has ordered Bank of America to stand trial for alleged market-rigging by some of its employees in connection with Italian dairy firm Parmalat's collapse.

Shares of Hilton Hotels Corp. skyrocketed in Thursday trading after the hotel firm said late Tuesday to be acquired by private equity giant Blackstone Group for $26 billion, including debt.

Discount brokerage Charles Schwab Corp. said on Monday it is undertaking a $3.5 billion capital restructuring program following completion of the sale of U.S. Trust Corp., sending its shares up more than 7 percent.

Bank of America Corp. said on Monday it completed its $3.3 billion purchase of the U.S. Trust business from Charles Schwab Corp., and is defying analyst concern that it would have trouble retaining many of U.S. Trust's ultra-wealthy clients.

The earnings prospects of Chinese commercial banks are clouded by their excessive reliance on interest income and sub-standard internal controls, top domestic and overseas bankers said on Saturday.

KB Home, the No. 5 U.S. home builder, posted a quarterly net loss on Thursday, partly on land value-related charges that reflect the continuing decaying U.S. housing market.

Dutch Advocate General says ABN can sell its U.S. bank, LaSalle, without a shareholder vote.

Yahoo Inc. is merging the two main parts of its U.S. advertising business after veteran sales executive Wenda Harris Millard resigned, the latest in a string of executive departures.

Visa, the world's largest credit card network, unveiled details of a planned restructuring on Friday as it prepares by early next year to follow smaller rival MasterCard Inc. in becoming a public company.

U.S. stocks edged higher on Tuesday as a dip in Treasury bond yields tempered investors' interest-rate worries and boosted financial stocks. Shares General Electric Co., the second largest U.S. company rose more than 3 percent.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. barely managed to show a rise in quarterly profit as a sharp drop in fixed income trading revenue offset record investment banking fees and strong equities income.

Global stocks surged ahead on Thursday led by overnight Wall Street gains as bond markets settled down after more than a week of losses.

Barclays has drawn up contingency plans for a big cash sweetener to strengthen its all-share offer for Dutch bank ABN AMRO, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Investment bank and brokerage Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc (NYSE: MER), announced Monday that that it will purchase a minority stake in investment management firm GSO Capital partners LP.

Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C) unveiled a $50 billion initiative to address global climate change by supporting the commercialization and growth of alternative energy and clean technology.

Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) announced on Monday that it has formed an advertising distribution alliance with seven companies representing more than 150 newspapers across the United States.

How much does terrorism affect stock prices?To find the answer, economists have parsed market reaction to events dating back to the 1915 sinking of the Lusitania, academics have studied how attacks on McDonald's restaurants have affected the company's stock price and researchers in Israel have chronicled what 13 years of suicide bombings did to stocks there.

The surprise timing of China's latest interest rate rise partly reflects political pressure and shows the central bank falls short of the transparency and predictability that are the hallmarks of its rich-country peers.

Employment in Europe appears to be rising in earnest following years of sluggish economic growth when companies either cut staff or shunned new recruits to safeguard profits.

Profits at large U.S. banks are up, but not as much as they could be. This week and next, banks are reporting their earnings as Wall Street investors cautiously note the factors that could mean lower earnings.