IBT Staff Reporter

Alternative finance firms, from credit unions to online and pawn lenders, are gaining traction as banks turn off the tap for easy cash and start charging fees for services that customers have had for free.

Chinese Internet firm Shanda Interactive said it received a cash offer of about $2.33 billion from its chief executive and key shareholder Tianqiao Chen to take the company private.

A new Web site, iflybags.com, is hoping to take the guesswork out of the ever-changing and confusing checked luggage policies.

Canada's Research In Motion Ltd will offer free premium apps worth more than $100 to appease BlackBerry customers frustrated by last week's global disruption of smartphone service.

For the first time in its history, luxury conglomerate LVMH has provided a peek into its exclusive workshops, design showrooms and wine cellars -- to reveal the hundreds of hands and delicate workmanship behind its expensive brands.

Citigroup Inc reported higher third-quarter earnings on Monday, helped by rising income from Asia and an accounting gain banks can take in turbulent markets.

European leaders are running out of time to prevent euro zone debt problems turning into a full-blown global crisis, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Monday after Germany warned a breakthrough was unlikely at a summit this weekend.

Shares of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion fell more than 5 percent in morning trade on Monday after the company sought to appease disgruntled customers by offering free apps and technical support.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Monday that it had filed for sales bans on Apple Inc's iPhone 4S in Australia and Japan, escalating a legal battle with its archrival and biggest client.

Harold Camping now says the world will end on Friday, Oct. 21, 2011.

Halliburton Co , the world's second-largest oilfield services company, posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday as more drillers tapped its expertise in extracting gas from U.S. shale rock.

Citigroup Inc reported higher third-quarter earnings on Monday, helped by rising income from Asia and an accounting gain banks can take in turbulent markets.

Wall Street stocks fell more than 1 percent on Monday as Germany's finance minister dampened expectations an upcoming summit would produce a breakthrough in Europe's debt crisis.

The U.S. economy needs its mojo back -- not just consumer confidence but a greater willingness to compete for business -- in the eyes of General Electric Co Chief Executive Jeff Immelt.

Danica Patrick ended her IndyCar racing career on Sunday, the same day that Dan Wheldon was killed in a horrific crash. She plans to compete full-time in NASCAR.

British security firm G4S Plc will buy ISS in a 5.2 billion pounds ($8.2 billion) deal pulled off by the Danish company's private equity owners after a failed IPO and against the backdrop of a slump in global takeover activity.

A tourist bus overturned in Southern China Sunday afternoon, killing 10 people and injuring 33.

The iPhone 4S doesn't seem to have half as much charm as it should have had; the iPhone 5, it seemed, was what all the buzz should have been about! However, if that was the case, then what was the overcrowding outside stores all about?

Lowe's Cos Inc is closing 20 of its U.S. locations and eliminating nearly 2,000 jobs, and the home improvement retailer is slashing its store-opening plans to improve profitability.

In a goal-filled week of Spanish league football, which strike, do you think, is the best of the week?

Confidence will be key to sparking higher growth in the U.S. economy and easing tensions about the financial system that have sparked a global wave of protest, said General Electric Co Chief Executive Jeff Immelt.

Industrial production rose 0.2 percent in September, in line with expectations, as a gain in manufacturing offset a drop in utility output, a Federal Reserve report showed on Monday.

Wall Street stocks were set for a lower open on Monday after the market's best two-week run since 2009 as Germany's finance minister said a forthcoming summit would not yield a definitive solution to Europe's debt crisis.

Hasbro Inc's quarterly results fell short of analysts' expectations, hurt by a dip in sales in its home market just as the second-largest U.S. toy company gears up for the all important holiday shopping season.

Dan Wheldon died on Sunday after a fiery IndyCar crash at the Las Vegas Indy 300.

Lowe's Cos Inc said on Monday it is closing 20 of its U.S. stores, eliminating nearly 2,000 jobs, and the home improvement retailer now plans to open far fewer locations in the future, citing the need to improve its profitability.

Toy maker Hasbro Inc's quarterly results fell short of analysts' expectations as a dip in sales in the company's home market offset strong international growth.

Citigroup Inc reported higher third-quarter earnings on Monday as the bank set aside less money to cover bad loans and recorded an accounting gain banks can take in turbulent markets.

The manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson's doctor has been put on hold for one day due to a death in the family of one prosecution witness, a court official said on Sunday.