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Stocks rose on Wednesday, led by bank shares, after solid quarterly earnings from Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo.

The dollar rose from a 14-month low against a basket of currencies on Friday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the U.S. central bank will be ready to tighten monetary policy as a recovery takes hold.

American Express Co President Alfred Kelly will leave the company early next year to seek an opportunity as a chief executive elsewhere, the credit card issuer said on Monday.

Stocks were headed for an opening bounce on Monday, with investors scooping up shares beaten down in last week's selloff, while a report that Brocade Communications Systems Inc put itself up for sale may fan deal optimism.

Finisar Corp, which makes high-speed network gear, said it has agreed to establish a new $70 million credit facility with Wells Fargo Foothill.

Johnson & Johnson said on Friday U.S. regulators approved its new treatment for psoriasis, called Stelara, for patients 18 years or older with moderate to severe psoriasis.

JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) said on Wednesday they are eliminating some overdraft fees altogether and trimming others, after Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) announced a similar move on Tuesday.

Wells Fargo & Co said on Tuesday former Chief Executive Dick Kovacevich will retire as chairman on January 1 and current Chief Executive John Stumpf will take on the added role.

Business development company Fifth Street Finance Corp said it began a public offering of 4 million common shares and expects to use most of the proceeds to make investments in small and mid-sized companies.

Wells Fargo Securities cut Starwood Hotels & Resorts IncGaylord Entertainment Co and Host Hotels & Resorts Inc to underperform from market perform on valuation.

U.S. homebuilder sentiment rose in September to its highest level since May 2008, the National Association of Home Builders said on Wednesday, bolstering the view that the battered housing market is stabilizing.

Some of the largest U.S. banks will remain caught in the government's financial bailout program for months, as officials do not expect to grant the next wave of exit approvals until near the end of the year, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Wells Fargo & Co has fired a senior vice president after investigating reports she held lavish parties at a foreclosed beachfront Malibu house owned by the bank.

American Express Co announced on Monday a new line of certificates of deposit as part of the largest U.S. credit card company's plan to diversify funding sources as the financial crisis tightened lending.

Reports that a Wells Fargo & Co executive used a bank-owned, beachfront Malibu home as her own private party pad reignited outrage over unbridled excesses at firms that received U.S. bailouts.

A community watchdog group expressed outrage and Wells Fargo said it was launching an investigation after a newspaper reported that a senior exec threw lavish parties at a beachfront Malibu house owned by the bank.

New applications for jobless benefits in the United States fell last week, while activity in the services sector was at its strongest in nearly a year in August, suggesting a modest recovery from recession had started.

Reports that Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) is in talks with the U.S. Treasury to repay $20 billion of its federal bailout was met by the market with joy -- and a little skepticism.

Banks that were deemed

WASHINGTON - U.S. drug reviewers questioned findings from biotech company Allos Therapeutics Inc (ALTH.O) on the effectiveness of its proposed drug for an aggressive type of lymphoma, documents released on Friday showed.

U.S. Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke on Friday offered his clearest signal yet that he thinks a global recovery is at hand, but warned growth would be sluggish and unemployment stubbornly high.

A family earning the nation's median income of $64,000 a year could afford to buy 72.3 percent of all homes sold in the United States during the second quarter of 2009, according to the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo.

U.S. homebuilder sentiment in August rose to its highest level in over a year, a private survey showed on Monday, adding to mounting evidence that the housing market and economic recession were leveling out.

U.S. homebuilder sentiment in August rose to its highest level in over a year, a private survey showed on Monday, adding to mounting evidence that the housing market and economic recession were leveling out.

The euro hit a two-week low against the dollar and neared a one-month trough against the yen on Monday as world stock markets fell and doubts about a U.S. recovery prompted investors to cut exposure to risk.

Health insurer Humana Inc posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit as an improved performance in its Medicare plans for the elderly offset a decline in earnings from its business serving employers.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed suit on Friday against Wells Fargo & Co , accusing the second-largest mortgage lender of steering blacks and Latinos into high-cost subprime loans.

Health insurer WellPoint Inc posted higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday, but its shares dropped 4.1 percent as revenue missed analysts' estimates and the company failed to increase its full-year earnings forecast.

U.S. home prices rose in May for the first time in three years, suggesting the housing market is stabilizing, but a weakening job market hit consumer confidence in July and could prevent near-term economic recovery.