Citigroup's board was locked in talks in an attempt to halt a crisis of confidence in the troubled financial services group that has seen it lose more than half its market value in three days

Under a 'shelf charter' system, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency would grant conditional preliminary approval of a national bank charter to non-bank investors, thereby expanding the pool of potential qualified buyers available

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, surprised investors with the announcement that Lee Scott, chief executive since 2000, would retire in February as the retailer flourishes amid the broad economic downturn

Business faces the threat of administration as lenders fail to give their support for a refinancing deal that would save the high street group from a bleak future

The US discount retailer said a proposal on its real estate structure from Bill Ackman, the activist shareholder, is "highly speculative" and not worth pursuing

Ireland's three largest banks are coming under mounting government pressure to merge with their smaller rivals as Brian Lenihan, the Irish finance minister, seeks to strengthen the sector

Two men call an end to their campaign following a government statement which raised 'hurdles' and that sent a clear message independence would not be supported

Carmakers' chiefs may have to accept some big sacrifices if they hope to get a $25bn capital injection from Congress for their struggling companies during a time when their workers face further job losses

La Caixa, the Spanish bank, confirmed it was in talks with Russia's Lukoil about selling its stake in Repsol. However, any deal would be contingent on Sacyr also agreeing to sell its stake in the Spanish energy group to the Russian group

The Dutch government announced plans that amounted to a phoenix-like revival of a large part of ABN Amro, the Dutch bank acquired and broken up by an RBS-led consortium last year

Japanese carmaker suspends production at its UK plant in Swindon in February and March as part of a fresh round of production cuts prompted by slumping worldwide sales

The state-controlled oil company has found additional reserves in the Espírito Santos Basin in Brazil.

It is the first collapse to hit Indonesia since the Asian financial crisis and the takeover is an attempt by the Bank Indonesia governor to 'make it more professional' until a buyer is found

The world's second biggest PC maker suffers an unexpectedly steep decline in revenue in its latest quarter as the economic downturn hits corporate demand for technology

The investment banking unit of JPMorgan Chase began to reduce by what is believed to be 10% of its workforce amid the massive cutbacks in the financial services industry