BANK OF AMERICA

Top Bank of America Corp lawyers knew as early as January that American International Group Inc was prepared to sue the bank for more than $10 billion, seven months before the lawsuit was filed, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Bank of America Corp. was sued by the trustee of a $1.75 billion mortgage pool, which seeks to force the largest bank to buy back all of the loans in the trust because of alleged misrepresentations.

Hong Kong-listed shares of China Construction Bank Corp, the world's No.2 lender, rose more than 4 percent on Tuesday after news that Bank of America Corp will sell about half of its stake in the Chinese lender.

China's central bankers have found a new way of keeping banks from lending too much, a step Beijing hopes will help it tackle the country's persistent inflation woes.

Hong Kong shares could edge lower at Monday's open, with turnover likely to stay low though U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's comments on Friday could boost cyclicals, limiting losses.

Bank of America shares rose more than 6 percent after the banking company announced it agreed to sell Chinese Construction Bank Corp.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Friday are: Banco Santander, Brookfield Office Properties, Jaguar Mining, Sandridge Energy, Radioshack, Toll Brothers, General Growth Properties, Endeavour Silver Corp, Bank of America and CVR Energy.

The Bank of America (BAC.N) is completing plans to sell over half of its shares in the China Construction Bank (0939.HK), with a group of Asian and Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds negotiating to buy, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Bank of America could strike a deal as early as Monday to sell about half of its 10 percent stake in China Construction Bank, CNBC reported Friday, citing an anonymous source.

Billionaire Warren Buffett would invest $5 billion in Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC), expressing his biggest vote of confidence in the banking giant.

Legendary investor Warren Buffett made a phone call to Bank of America CEO Brian T. Moynihan on Aug. 24 and offered to invest a staggering $5 billion in the bank. The Bank of America shares had been in doldrums amid questions over its liquidity situation and rumors that it would need a massive capital injection.

Warren Buffett showed again this week that his name and money is enough to give a struggling company instant credibility in the market. But the legendary investor also demonstrated his canny command of that reputation means that such deals can immediately generate profits.

Gold prices fought off an early drop to post modest gains Thursday as investors thought better of the yellow metal's value as a safe haven.

Bank of America's shares skyrocketed 25 percent on Thursday after announcing Warren Buffett's $5 billion investment in the company.

Bank of America shares surged more than 11 percent on Wednesday after J.P. Morgan predicted the company would raise capital in the near future.

China's factory sector is likely to slow slightly for a second consecutive month in August as sluggish overseas demand saps new orders, HSBC's China Flash PMI showed on Tuesday.

Economic growth is stagnating in Europe and cooling slightly in China, according to surveys of business activity released on Tuesday, fuelling concern about the risk of a global slump as Western governments struggle to cope with their debt problems.

Stocks shot three percent higher on Tuesday on speculation Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke this week would signal new help for the economy, giving investors hope a four-week rout was nearing an end.

As Bank of America's stock dropped to a 52-week low in trading Tuesday and UBS became the latest bank to announce jobs cuts there's good news from the financial services industry -- a quarterly report from the FDIC shows that banks' finances are improving.

UBS announced cuts of 3,500 employees on Tuesday, mostly in its investment banking division, as the layoff trend continues in the banking industry.

Bank of America shares dropped to a 52-week low during early trading on Tuesday, as the company saw its stock drop more than 5 percent at times.