AFP - Troubled British bank HBOS, the country's biggest home loan provider, said Wednesday it was in advanced talks that could lead to a takeover offer by its domestic rival Lloyds TSB.

Reuters - New rules aimed against abusive naked short selling of stock in all publicly traded companies were issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday.

Reuters - Insurance rivals stand to reap the benefits from the woes of American International Group , snapping up assets AIG is forced to sell while gaining greater pricing power as AIG pulls in its claws.

Reuters - General Electric Co shares tumbled 7 percent on Wednesday as investors panicked about how its massive financial arm was faring in the wake of the troubles at top financial institutions.

Reuters - Shares of Wall Street firms Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs plummeted on Wednesday and Britain's biggest mortgage lender neared a sale in the latest signs of extreme distress in the financial industry.

Reuters - Wall Street's woes continued on Wednesday as a spike in inter-bank lending rates fanned fears about the supply of credit in global markets, pushing stocks lower. The Nasdaq index fell more than 4 percent.

Reuters - Anxious investors continued to hack away at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc Wednesday, sending the two largest investment banks' shares lower and boosting default-insurance prices higher amid lingering worries about their ability to remain independent.

AP - Best Buy Co. said Tuesday that its second-quarter profit slid 19 percent as it spent money to boost cell phone sales by completing the rollout of its Best Buy Mobile concept to nearly 1,000 North American stores.

Reuters - The U.S. Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday said the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will lend up to $85 billion to the American International Group in a plan aimed at saving the insurer from a "disorderly failure" that could wreak economic havoc.

Reuters - The Toronto Stock Exchange's main index rebounded late Tuesday to end down slightly, after sliding to its lowest level in almost two years, as investors fretted over the fate of U.S. insurer American International Group and the price of oil fell to a seven-month low.

Reuters - A U.S. banking group is pressing securities regulators to clamp down on illegal short-selling after weeks of heavy selling pressure on shares of financial companies.

Reuters - A record rate of foreclosures probably kept many U.S. home builders off the job last month, pushing the rate of groundbreaking for new homes to its lowest level in more than 17 years, a Reuters poll showed.

Reuters - Investment bank Morgan Stanley is weighing whether it should remain independent or merge with a bank, give the recent turbulence in the company's share price, broadcaster CNBC reported on Wednesday.

Reuters - Japan, Australia and India pumped $33 billion into money markets on Wednesday as a U.S. government rescue of insurer AIG failed to soothe frayed nerves and ease a funding squeeze triggered by the crisis engulfing Wall Street.

Reuters - U.S. authorities engineered an $85 billion rescue of insurance giant American International Group Inc , staving off bankruptcy and bringing a measure of calm to shell-shocked global markets.