US stocks drop as debt talks near collapse

Stocks are taking a sharp fall in early trading Monday amid reports that a congressional committee will fail to agree on a plan to cut the U.S. government’s budget deficit. The Dow Jones industrial average is down more than 200 points.
A 12-member bipartisan panel is supposed to agree on at least $1.2 trillion in budget […]

Financier Theodore Forstmann dies

Theodore J. Forstmann, a longtime financier who counted the iconic baseball card company Topps and business jet company Gulfstream Aerospace among his buyouts, died Sunday at the age of 71.
The cause was brain cancer, according to a statement from sports agency IMG. Forstmann was the chairman and CEO of IMG and was the senior founding […]

Olympus denies wrongdoing as groups urge reforms

The new president of embattled Olympus Corp. on Thursday denied the company’s $687 million payment for financial advice was excessive, while foreign business groups urged Japan to bolster its lagging corporate governance rules to avoid more high-level scandals.
Shuichi Takayama, who was named president Wednesday following the abrupt resignation of Chairman and President Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, sought […]

Bigger pensions better performers

Bigger is better, at least when it comes to pension funds.
The largest— funds with $37 billion in assets on average — outperformed smaller plans — with an average of $1 billion — by 45 to 50 basis points, or 0.4 per cent each year, according to a new study.
Researchers at the University of Toronto’s Rotman […]

IBM putting Watson to work in health insurance

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.

Gert weakens, Fernanda forms well away from land

Tropical Storm Gert continues to weaken as it heads northeast into the open waters of the Atlantic after skirting past Bermuda.
The storm’s maximum sustained winds had decreased to 40 mph (64 kph) as of late Tuesday morning. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami says additional weakening is forecast and Gert will likely lose its […]

Consumers take painful steps to steadily pay down debt

When the Croy family’s income shrunk by half, they saw only one way out

Greek deputies to begin debate on austerity bills

Greek lawmakers begin debating new austerity plans Monday that must pass this week if the debt-ridden country is to receive the critical next installment of loans from its international bailout plan and avoid default.
The deeply unpopular spending cuts and tax hikes in a midterm austerity bill and an additional implementation law are expected to be […]

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Checking accounts set for unwelcome transformation

Free checking accounts may be one step closer to extinction.
Regulatory changes to be issued July 21 are expected to sharply limit the fees that banks can collect from merchants whenever customers pay with debit cards.
An attempt to delay implementing the rule by a year was narrowly defeated this week, meaning banks will be looking in […]