MARKETS / FINANCE

Toyota Motor Corp said on Tuesday it will recall some 3.8 million vehicles -- including its popular Prius hybrid -- because of the risk a floormat could keep the accelerator pedal forced down, a problem suspected in a recent fatal crash.

After dismissing complaints that might have uncovered Bernard Madoff's $65 billion fraud, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission must reform how it reviews tips and conducts examinations, the SEC's internal watchdog said on Tuesday.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday proposed tough new credit card rules to protect consumers from potentially costly practices by lenders and moved to implement legislation enacted in May.

Spending on Internet advertising in Britain grew 4.6 percent in the first half of 2009, outperforming the wider ad sector, which slumped 17 percent, and making it the country's biggest ad medium ahead of TV.

U.S. securities regulators are eyeing new restrictions on the multi-trillion dollar securities lending market used by short-sellers after the credit crisis revealed the industry was anything but low risk.

Home prices fell at a slower rate in July, continuing a six month trend earlier in 2009, but concerns about longer term stability remain, according to the latest report of the S&P Case Schiller Home Price Indices.

CIT Group Inc shares surged on Tuesday following a newspaper report that hedge fund Paulson & Co wants to combine the cash-strapped lender with a Paulson-affiliated bank once known as IndyMac. But a person familiar with the matter denied the report.

After dismissing complaints that might have uncovered investor Bernard Madoff's $65 billion fraud, experienced U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission staffers must have a procedure in place to review tips and complaints, the SEC's internal watchdog said on Tuesday.

Warner Music Group and Google Inc's YouTube said on Tuesday they have reached a deal which will see music videos from artists such as Madonna and Green Day once again feature on the popular website.

U.S. banking regulators proposed on Tuesday that banks prepay three years of fees to help cover the rising cost of bank failures, now put at $100 billion through 2013.

Bento, the database application for Mac OS X, was updated to version 3 on Tuesday, bringing new features of iPhoto integration, security options, multi-user sharing and more.

U.S. chief executives are not ready to step up hiring or capital spending, though a majority expect sales to rise over the next six months, according to a Business Roundtable survey released on Tuesday.

U.S. chief executives are not ready to step up hiring or capital spending, though a majority expect sales to rise over the next six months, according to a Business Roundtable survey released on Tuesday.

Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard Fisher said on Tuesday that the winding down of the Fed's accommodative monetary policies needed to start as soon as the economy shows convincing signs of traction.

U.S. banking regulators proposed on Tuesday that banks prepay three years of fees to help cover the rising cost of bank failures, now put at $100 billion through 2013.

Businesses relying on consumers, which make up the vast majority of U.S. economic activity, may have to tread cautiously in the coming holiday season, as results of a new household survey are seen as “not very encouraging news.”

JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said on Tuesday he is starting to look for a successor, and he named Jes Staley, current head of the No. 2 U.S. bank's asset management unit, to the key post of investment bank CEO.

U.S. banking regulators proposed on Tuesday that banks prepay three years of fees to help cover the rising cost of bank failures, facing a $100-billion cleanup bill through 2013.

Nearly half of all the photographs Europeans take end up online, according to a survey, with Russians the keenest on taking snaps of themselves, just ahead of the Austrians.

U.S. bank regulators are expected to propose on Tuesday that banks prepay three years of regular assessments to replenish the dwindling deposit insurance fund, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp staff recommended on Tuesday that the agency get banks to prepay three years of fees to help cover the cost of bank failures, expecting a $100-billion cleanup bill through 2013.

U.S. consumer confidence fell unexpectedly in September as the worst job prospects in 26 years fueled worries over personal finances, according to a report released on Tuesday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co's co-chief executives of its investment bank have been replaced by Jes Staley, current head of the No. 2 U.S. bank's asset management unit, possibly putting him in a position to succeed CEO Jamie Dimon.

U.S. single-family home prices in July rose from the previous month, surpassing forecasts and bolstering the case for housing market stability after a three-year plunge, Standard & Poor's said on Tuesday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co said on Tuesday its co-chief executive of investment banking is leaving, one of several management changes that are part the bank's succession plan.

Hedge fund manager John Paulson is considering merging troubled U.S. finance company CIT Group with failed mortgage lender IndyMac Federal Bank , the New York Post said, citing people familiar with the matter.

UBS chief executive Oswald Gruebel said Paine Webber, the bank's U.S. wealth management unit, is non-core but the bank will not sell at present, the Financial Times quoted him as saying.

BNP Paribas, France's biggest bank by market capitalization, on Tuesday joined the rush to pay back governments for their financial support during the credit crisis.

Xerox Corp plans to buy Affiliated Computer Services Inc for $5.5 billion to move into the outsourcing business, but shares of the printing company plunged on concerns that it was gambling on a major shift in strategy.