Freddie Mac’s new chief financial officer, lured from the banking industry this month, is receiving a pay package worth up to $5.5 million.
The government-controlled mortgage finance company tapped Ross Kari for the position on Sept. 22. He had previously been serving as

continue reading.....

Japan’s exports in August were down 36% in August from the same month last year due to a lack of demand from the rest of the world economy. Exports fell for the 11th straight month to 4.5tn yen ($49bn; £29.9bn), the finance ministry said.
But it was the seventh consecutive month that Japan’s exports

continue reading.....

Shares in Nomura Holdings have fallen 16% in Tokyo following the announcement of a share issue to raise up to 510bn yen ($5.6bn; £3.5bn). The issue by Japan’s biggest brokerage is designed to help meet the expected tougher new capital requirements.
Nomura also said it would use the money to strengthen its businesses

continue reading.....

South African and Indian officials are holding talks in Mumbai to discuss the planned merger between mobile phone firms MTN and India’s Bharti Airtel. A merger would create the world’s third-largest mobile phone group.
Under the proposal MTN would take a 36% stake in Bharti, while Bharti would get a 49% stake in the South African [...]

continue reading.....

US consumer prices rose in August from July – as petrol prices spiked but analysts said the risks of inflation in the economy remained low.
The Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% last month having been flat in July.
Meanwhile, separate data showed that the US current account, the

continue reading.....

The software company said it is buying Web analytics firm Omniture for about $1.8 billion in an effort to make itself more competitive in the world of online commerce.
The maker Photoshop and Acrobat products said it will offer Omniture $21.50 per share in cash. That’s a 24% premium to

continue reading.....

Michigan-based Pulte Homes and two subsidiaries swept the top three rankings for customer satisfaction in the Sacramento region as part of a J.D. Power and Associates study announced Tuesday.
The study ranked Pulte Homes first in the region based on factors of workmanship and materials, price and location, home readiness

continue reading.....

Many banks are finally back on their feet. The question now is how to keep them there for good.
So after propping up lenders with billions of taxpayer dollars, the Obama administration is contemplating long-term measures aimed at preventing, or at least minimizing, any future financial crisis.

continue reading.....

The International Monetary Fund is making loans available to Zimbabwe for the first time in a decade, the BBC has learnt. The $500m (£305m) will be used to replenish Zimbabwe’s dwindling foreign currency reserves.
The money has been released on the condition that Zimbabwe’s

continue reading.....

The HSBC bank is trying to gain an even larger share of the mortgage market by launching a new deal at just 1.99% for borrowers with a 40% deposit.
The low rate lasts for two years and is set at a 1.95% discount to the bank’s standard variable rate of 3.94%.

continue reading.....