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Bank of America hired energy investment banker Oscar Brown away from Barclays Capital to be a managing director and head of its Houston investment banking office.

Lloyds , Britain's largest retail bank, suffered another big loss last year as it took a 24 billion pounds ($37 billion) hit from loans that soured, mostly assets inherited from its controversial takeover of rival HBOS.

Lloyds , Britain's largest retail bank, shrank its losses in 2009, despite a 24 billion pound ($37 billion) hit from loans that soured, mostly assets inherited from last year's takeover of rival HBOS.

Lehman Brothers Holdings has agreed with JPMorgan Chase & Co to settle about $7.68 billion in collateral obligations that were pending following Lehman's bankruptcy filing in 2008, court documents showed.

Bharti Airtel (BRTI.BO) may finalise by Friday what could be the largest acquisition loan for an Indian borrower, as it readies a $9 billion purchase of the African assets of Kuwaiti telecoms firm Zain (ZAIN.KW), people familiar with the deal said.

BlackRock Inc may not be interested in hedge fund manager Man Group after all, according to a source.

Asian shares leapt to a three-week high on Wednesday, powered by financial and resource shares after investors bought commodities on a weaker dollar, while Hong Kong shares shrugged off China's latest move to temper robust lending.

Barclays Plc beat forecasts with a near doubling of profits in 2009 to 11.6 billion pounds ($18.2 billion), cheering investors with an improved balance sheet and boosting shares across the sector.

U.S. stocks rallied on Monday on gains in the financial and energy sectors, despite the lack of a detailed plan for a Greece bailout from European finance ministers.

Stock index futures rose on Tuesday as corporate earnings fueled investors' optimism on their return from a 3-day holiday.

European shares gained on Tuesday after UK bank Barclays beat profit forecasts, and the euro rose against the dollar as European finance ministers put more pressure on Greece to resolve its fiscal problems.

Barclays Plc said it had started the year well after beating expectations with 2009 profits of over 11.6 billion pounds ($18.18 billion), on the back of a strong performance at its investment banking unit.

European shares rose on Tuesday at midday, led by the banking sector as Barclays (BARC.L) posted stronger than expected results.

The trio of top executives at British bank Barclays , including Chief Executive John Varley and President Bob Diamond, will forgo a cash bonus for 2009, a person familiar with the matter said.

U.S. stocks finished slightly lower on Friday as China took another step towards monetary policy tightening and Europe reported a weaker than expected Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Firming expectations of a Greek bailout lifted world stocks, the euro and commodity prices on Wednesday, and sent Greece's borrowing costs lower.

Barclays Wealth, the private banking arm of British bank Barclays , has hired another three bankers from UBS , adding to the 10 who were recruited in August last year.

Not all the derivative contracts American International Group Inc wrote on complex securities backed by now-toxic mortgages have ended up being a disaster.

Barclays Plc urged a judge to throw out a lawsuit by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc's bankruptcy estate alleging that it reaped a secret $5 billion profit from its rushed September 2008 purchase of the company's U.S. brokerage.

BlackRock Inc said on Friday that Kendrick Wilson, a former Treasury Department adviser and veteran investment banker, will join the world's biggest asset manager as vice chairman and member of the chairman's office.

Barclays Plc urged a judge to throw out a lawsuit by Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc's bankruptcy estate alleging that it reaped a secret $5 billion profit from its rushed September 2008 purchase of the company's U.S. brokerage.

U.S. stocks were lower in mid-day trading on Thursday as technology stocks led the declines.

Credit Suisse is spreading the pain of a UK tax on bonuses across bankers globally and Goldman Sachs has delayed announcing payouts to staff as a row over remuneration heated up on Tuesday.

LaBranche & Co Inc said on Wednesday it agreed to sell its New York Stock Exchange specialist business to Barclays Plc for $25 million in cash, reflecting the difficulties standalone market makers face in a shrinking industry.

Barclays Capital Research said on Wednesday that it remains cautious about a consumer recovery in 2010 but still sees U.S. light vehicle sales increasing to 11.7 million units this year.

(Deletes incorrect references in paragraphs 1 and 4 to Barclays winning a larger role as a Kraft adviser, as Kraft has denied that has happened)

Barclays Capital, one of the banks providing $9.2 billion of loans to help fund Kraft Foods Inc's hostile bid for Britain's Cadbury Plc , has suspended coverage of Cadbury because of its role.

Barclays Capital, one of the banks providing $9.2 billion of loans to help fund Kraft Foods Inc's hostile bid for Britain's Cadbury Plc , has won a bigger role as one of Kraft's financial advisers.

A U.S. bankruptcy judge said Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc could inject another $100 million into its Aurora Bank unit so that it does not fall below the required regulatory capital level.