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U.S. stocks fell on Thursday for a second day, led by a drop in financial shares amid news of further credit market problems, lower retail sales at J.C. Penney, and Wells Fargo's dour assessment of the housing market.

The dollar fell against most major currencies on Tuesday, resuming a long-term decline after a respite the previous session as investors expected further signs of housing weakness and sluggish consumer spending that could hurt U.S. economic growth.

Wachovia Corp said on Friday it suffered a $1.1 billion loss on subprime mortgage-related debt in October, while Capital One Financial Corp said more customers are having trouble paying their bills as the U.S. credit crisis deepened.

Wachovia Corp, the fourth-largest U.S. bank, said on Friday that it had incurred about $1.1 billion of further losses in October from credit market turmoil.

Visa USA, Inc will pay American Express Co. a total of $2.25 billion to settle allegations stemming from an anti-trust lawsuit filed in 2004 by AmEx, according to a report.

Wachovia Corp posted on Friday a 10 percent decline in third-quarter profit, missing forecasts, as the fourth-largest U.S. bank suffered $1.3 billion of write-downs at its investment banking unit.

Wells Fargo & Co and other U.S. regional banks on Tuesday reported disappointing third-quarter results, hurt by mounting losses from mortgages and other loans as the U.S. housing market slumps.Earnings fell short of analysts' forecasts at Wells Fargo, Regions Financial Corp and KeyCorp U.S. Bancorp's results topped forecasts, though profit fell. All four banks said loan losses rose.

Stocks fell on Tuesday as high oil prices raised concern about the impact of oil prices on the economy's outlook and disappointing bank earnings fueled caution about profit growth.

The surge in the number of millionaires in the world is spawning a fast-growing industry -- wealth psychology.

Big banks try to gird for crises as a matter of course and investors will soon learn how prepared they were for this summer's credit crunch. Analysts and investors are speculating how badly Citigroup Inc, Bank of America Corp, JPMorgan Chase & Co and smaller rivals may have gotten caught by a flight from risk that caused the value of billions of dollars of mortgages and loans to evaporate.

Prices paid to U.S producers fell sharply in August according to data released on Tuesday, painting a gloomy picture for U.S growth.

Home builder sentiment fell for a seventh straight month in September as tougher mortgage requirements hindered sales from bloated inventories, the National Association of Home Builders said on Tuesday.

Two of the largest U.S. banking companies said on Monday that tough credit market conditions may cause higher losses related to lending.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett may buy parts of beleaguered mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp, some investors are speculating, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. mortgage meltdown has crushed dozens of lenders and is causing severe liquidity problems at the largest, Countrywide Financial Corp.

The Federal Home Loan Banks of Chicago and Dallas announced on Wednesday that they have begun preliminary talks about a possible merger as both banks face challenges turning a profit.

The dollar dropped to a record low against the euro on Thursday as troubles in the U.S. mortgage and credit markets continued to dampen the currency's appeal.

Wells Fargo & Co., the fifth-largest U.S. bank, on Wednesday named John Stumpf chief executive, replacing Richard Kovacevich, who will remain chairman.

Shares of financial services company American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP) got a boost from investors on Friday, a day after the company reported that first quarter profit rose 21 percent, beating Wall Street expectations.

Shares of financial services companies fell slightly on Tuesday during noon trading following the release of third quarter earnings reports.

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.

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