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Foreign and U.S. banks warned lawmakers on Wednesday that broad application of U.S. swaps rules could undermine U.S. competitiveness abroad, increase the cost of hedging and even provoke brinkmanship among international regulators.

Wall Street has been lashing out against the Volcker rule since it was proposed, but a senior Goldman Sachs executive said on Wednesday the trading restriction might actually help the investment bank's profitability.

A broad settlement with major banks over mortgage servicing abuses that would bring relief to distressed U.S. homeowners could be announced as early Thursday, two people familiar with the matter said.

As the nation's five largest mortgage lenders edge close to a $25 billion settlement over foreclosure abuses, it's becoming clear that the deal will have little or no impact on their future bottom lines.

Delaware stands to leave up to $40 million in homeowner relief on the table, if it does not join a multi-state mortgage settlement, according to a letter from the state's banking commissioner seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

A multi-state mortgage settlement in the works for more than a year will likely be pushed back again as dissident U.S. states continue to press specific concerns and ignore a Monday deadline to decide whether they will sign it.

In the weeks leading up to Facebook's $100 billion initial public offering, Mark Zuckerberg reportedly told Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase and the other banks involved in the action to stop leaking information to the media.

California and New York may join a settlement between states and major lenders over foreclosure fraud, potentially boosting the banks' aid to homeowners to $25 billion from $19 billion.

Almost every major global economy showed positive momentum in the manufacturing sector during January, according to data compiled by various economic-research organizations.

The lawsuit accuses banks of creating a registry service that fails to accurately track mortgage ownership and lacks any legal authority to initiate foreclosures.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Thursday were: Sony Corp, PerkinElmer, Genworth Financial, Covanta Holding, Neustar, Iamgold Corp, Investment Technology Group, Netsuite and Weyerhaeuser Co.

Stock index futures pointed to slight gains at the open on Thursday after jobless claims fell more than expected, boosting optimism about the upcoming January payrolls report.

Stock index futures were little changed on Thursday as investors looked ahead to weekly jobless claims data, one last clue about the state of the labor market before Friday's key non-farm payrolls report.

JPMorgan Chase & Co surprised Wall Street by winning a leading role in Facebook's much anticipated public offering, besting other banks that have competed for months for the coveted position.

A proposed settlement to resolve mortgage abuses by top U.S. banks will give states broad authority to punish firms that mistreat borrowers in the future, according to documents seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co has agreed to drop almost all of a $710 million claim against Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc's bankruptcy estate, freeing up more money to be distributed to creditors, Lehman said on Wednesday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co has agreed to drop almost all of a $710 million claim against Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc's bankruptcy estate, freeing up more money to be distributed to creditors, Lehman said on Wednesday.

A proposed settlement to resolve mortgage abuses by top U.S. banks will give states broad authority to punish firms that mistreat borrowers in the future, according to documents seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

Investment bank JP Morgan is bulking up its metal warehousing facilities in Rotterdam and Chicago, industry sources say, in a business that consumers complain deliberately delays delivery of metals to boost revenues from rent.

JPMorgan on Tuesday said its global co-head of emerging markets and head of fixed income for Asia would be leaving the company.

Facebook's initial public offering is likely to set a new standard for how low investment banks are willing to go on advisory fees to win big business.

A tumultuous 12 months that saw revolutions in the Middle East, a worsening debt crisis in Europe and a tsunami in Japan has set the tone for corporate activity in 2012.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Friday announced the formation of a task force focused on probing residential mortgage-backed securities following President Barack Obama's call for a unit to probe the finance industry's conduct leading up to the financial crisis.

Bank of America Corp was the fourth-biggest U.S. mortgage lender in the fourth quarter of 2011, continuing its descent in the rankings after it stopped buying loans made by smaller banks.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said President Barack Obama's decision to expand investigations into home lending and sales of mortgage securities could stop settlement talks with the states over foreclosure practices.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has been a leading critic of a deal with the nation's largest mortgage servicers over improper foreclosure practices.

European shares and the single currency held firm on Wednesday as investor focus switched to the broader economic outlook and some strong results from leading U.S. companies, and away from worries about the stalemate in Greek debt talks.

Asian shares rose on Wednesday, underpinned by strong earnings from U.S. technology giant Apple, stabilizing European money markets and falling eurozone debt yields, with investors shifting their focus from Europe to the U.S. Federal Reserve.

As state and federal officials near a deal with top banks to settle claims of foreclosure abuses, left-leaning activist groups have stepped up pressure on the officials to reach a deal that demands more from the banks.