AFP - Troubled US mortgage giant Freddie Mac planned Monday to sell off three billion dollars in securities in a test of investor reaction to a bold rescue plan by the US Treasury.

AP - Oil prices hovered near $145 a barrel Monday, swinging between gains and losses as traders weighed global supply concerns and a mixed dollar against worries about the health of the U.S. economy.

AFP - European stocks were firmer on Monday but Asian markets fell as investors digested measures to bolster US mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac amid a raft of major company takeover news.

AP - World markets were mixed Monday as investors took in news of U.S. government moves to prop up ailing mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

AFP - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stocks wobbled Monday after a near-meltdown last week, as the market mulled a weekend plan offering a lifeline for the mortgage finance firms from the US Federal Reserve and Treasury.

AP - The Federal Reserve has adopted rules to give home buyers more protection from the types of shady lending practices that have contributed to the housing crisis and propelled foreclosures to record highs.

AP - Scrambling to bolster eroding investor confidence, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department announced unprecedented steps to brace slumping mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Reuters - Shares of mortgage finance firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could not hold the gains they made early on Monday as questions remained over what the U.S. government's sweeping rescue plan means for shareholders.

Reuters - The Federal Reserve Board on Monday approved new rules to ban misleading and deceptive practices in mortgage lending, including prepayment penalties for many subprime loans.

AFP - The dollar was slightly stronger but coming off gains made early Monday after Washington moved to bolster US mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, dealers said.

Reuters - Shares of National City Corp and Washington Mutual plummeted more than 25 percent each, leading financial stocks lower on Monday amid fears about bank stability and the future of the mortgage market.