INVESTMENT

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC), one of the nation's largest banks by assets, has confirmed an $8.5 billion settlement with high-profile investors over mortgage loans, and would report a second-quarter loss in the range of $8.6 billion to $9.1 billion.

Time was, you could 'bank on' certain trends in the United States: ample career positions for new college graduates, rising incomes, and rising home prices. Times have changed, and regarding the latter, today's unforgiving U.S. housing sector makes due diligence all-the-more important for prospective home buyers.

Internet search engine giant Google has launched an offensive on Facebook by taking the wraps off its very own social networking service (SNS) called Google+.

An analyst says the U.S. government should not yet sell its shares in General Motors. The government wants out for political reasons.

On the final stop of a five-day visit to Europe, the Prime Minister of China Wen Jiabao has signed a huge multi-billion euro trading agreement with Germany.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Westport Innovations, ICAgen, SIGA Technologies, Spreadtrum Communications, and OmniVision Technologies. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Swisher Hygiene, JA Solar Holdings, Logitech International, ASML Holding, and Aixtron.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: SIGA Technologies, Sky-mobi, Northwest Bancshares, Shanda Games, and Cytori Therapeutics. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Life Partners Holdings, Achillion Pharmaceuticals, China Recycling Energy, Zhongpin, and SciClone Pharmaceuticals.

If your adjusted gross income is under $250,000, you may get a reprieve, if the Obama administration's latest deficit reduction proposal becomes law after debt ceiling talks have concluded. The administration is now said-to-be seeking to increase taxes on a narrow slice of the mega-rich, such as owners of private jets.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, an early frontrunner for the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nomination, defended his work at a private equity firm, saying that he wants people with extensive private sector experience in his cabinet.

Ratings agency Moody's says Japan's debt level may lead to the country's third consecutive lost decade.

Private equity and real estate firm Blackstone Group was recently asked by the Securities and Exchange Commission to provide extra information about how it remunerates its executives, according to regulatory filings made public on Monday.

Industry analyst says Bank of America shares are undervalued for the long term.

Bank of Montreal's BMO Capital Markets, fresh from a two-year hiring spree, is further staffing up its U.S. investment bank to take advantage of a surging market for merger advisory.

British Prime Minister David Cameron asserted that he will push Chinese premier Wen Jiabao on the contentious issue of human rights in China, as the two nations have signed a huge trade deal valued at £1.4-billion.

China faces a housing bubble crisis and $1.6 trillion in debt owed by local governments that threatens global economic powers, including the U.S.

President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that France will be investing one billion euros ($1.4 billion) for nuclear power development.

The location-based social networking website, Foursquare Labs Inc., based on software for mobile devices has raised $50 million in new venture capital. Now, the New York-based company is valued at approximately $600 million according to TechCrunch report.

Mobile location based start-up Foursquare raised $50 million in a round of financing lead by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, the company said on Friday.

Maker of Blackberry under scrutiny.

One of the many problems hampering the speed and strength of the economic recovery has been the very restrictive lending guidelines that have arisen since the start of the financial crisis.

Perhaps the time has come to turn the page on Warren Buffett's leadership role