PuroClean, one of the fastest growing franchise systems in America, specializing in business-to-business property damage mitigation and restoration services, announced today that it received certification as a World Class Franchise™ by FranSurvey® based on favorable franchisee ratings.

Smartphone maker reports loss of $9.6 million for fiscal second quarter, from profit of $12.8 million in the year-ago period.

The automaker says hourly workers represented by the UAW will receive buyout offers, retirement incentives.

Money Central Fast-food chain Burger King Corp. said Thursday it agreed to let a franchisee group open Burger King restaurants in Colombia.

Anba The revenues of franchises installed in Brazil should grow 18.3% in the fourth quarter of this year, according to forecasts by the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF).

Orlando Sentinel Recalling its hamburger-stand past, McDonald’s is building a store in Orlando that evokes its original arch-adorned buildings. The eye-catching restaurant on East Colonial Drive is slated to open Wednesday. It will be the first of its kind in Metro Orlando and among a handful of 1950s-style stores throughout the country.

The Web search titan unleashed a tool that lets users write authoritative online articles. Can it compete with Wikipedia?

Fannie Mae chief executive tells shareholders he sees no recovery in housing before 2009 - blames unaffordable prices for current housing woes.

Legislation that allows federal agencies to back refinanced loans for delinquent borrowers receives near-unanimous approval.

Dallas-based 7-Eleven has been named America’s best franchising opportunity by Entrepreneur magazine in next year’s Franchise 500 ranking.

A new report reveals the large disparities which exist between the perceptions and realities of starting up and running a small business in the UK. The survey - "Age of The Entrepreneur" provides an interesting insight into the world of business startups in 2007 Britain.

Top tax preparer H&R Block said Thursday that borrowing capacity under its committed lines of credit may not be enough to meet its financing needs and it may have to issue additional debt or equity securities to meet future requirements.

Novartis will cut 2,500 jobs worldwide by 2010 in an attempt to save $1.6 billion, the drugmaker said Thursday, becoming the latest major pharmaceutical company to announce layoffs.

t isn't easy for Masoud Alikhani to check on his investment. The Iranian-born Briton owns a facility in Mozambique that turns jatropha, a hardy, drought-resistant plant, into biodiesel.

If a face-off between Qualcomm and Nokia were a boxing match (and the longest-ever boxing match went on for 110 rounds), Dec. 12 would have marked round 50. Punch – and Nokia serves Qualcomm a black eye. But Qualcomm is by no means knocked out.

At all levels of employment, 75% of companies plan to maintain levels of incentive payouts like year-end bonuses.

German airline buys 19 percent of the New York-based carrier. JetBlue shares spike more than 14 percent.

Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) has unveiled a new organizational model in its technology development organization that will optimize the company's ability to drive development of new communications technologies.

A completely new retailing concept for the Middle East will welcome in the New Year by opening its doors at the new Times Square Center Mall, off the Sheikh Zayed Rd, Dubai.

McDonald’s said Monday sales at restaurants open at least 13 months rose 8.2% in November, sending its shares to an all-time high.

Whenever investors get serious jitters about the U.S. economy or seek a refuge from a drop in the dollar, they turn to gold. Given the current state of their psyches, it's no surprise that gold, long viewed as a safe haven, closed recently just a shade below its all-time high of $850 an ounce in 1980.

Sony's chairman hints he'll let other content providers and gadget makers piggyback on the PlayStation Network if they use Sony's DRM technology

Online retailer to buy stake in site that lets customers buy items online or on the phone without using credit cards.

Gas prices fall below $3 a gallon for first time since Nov. 4, extending downward trend.

The Honda Odyssey is on course to top perennial market leader Dodge Caravan in sales this year.

Toshiba will start making flash-based solid-state drives for laptops, the company said Monday.

Donald Trump has a fan base in the residents of his Scottish mother's tiny birthplace, and they're waiting for his homecoming

The chipmaker revises projected earnings for the fourth quarter; shares gain 5 percent after hours.

Stocks gain as investors weigh a better-than-forecast pending home sales index and await Tuesday's Federal Reserve rate-cut decision.

Americans struggling with bad credit records may have a new route to a better score: For as little as $1,199, a San Diego company is offering the chance for customers to add their names to already-paid-off loans in order to boost their rating, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Makers of two green technologies—hydrogen fuel cells and plug-in electric hybrids—are racing to become the alternative energy of choice for buyers thinking beyond gasoline.

Froots Smoothies, a US based smoothie cafÉ chain, has sold its regional franchise for the Washington, D.C., Maryland and parts of Virginia regions. David Kim, a banker, has bought the regional franchise and is currently looking for suitable sites in the area to open Froots Smoothies outlets.

Comments by finance minister in Beijing come in advance of trade meetings with U.S. officials.

`Dunkin' Donuts a US based coffee shop chain has become a client of Fish Consulting to strengthen its franchising division. Fish Consulting, a US national communications consulting firm, will create and implement an integrated public relations and marketing program to drive Dunkin' Donuts franchisee recruitment in its developing markets. Dunkin' Donuts is aiming to increase its franchises in the US to 15,000 by 2020.

CompUSA has been sold to a restructuring company and will be ending retail operations after the holidays, AP reports.

Is a neighborhood you're interested caught up in the housing bust? How do the schools rate? This information is a few clicks away.

The debate over the Alternative Minimum Tax isn't nearly as gripping as an episode of "24," but like Jack Bauer, Congress is under the gun.

The Senate has voted overwhelmingly to shield 23 million Americans from tax increases imposed by the alternative minimum tax—without replacing $50 billion in lost revenue.

Picket lines are offering a rare opportunity for fans to get in touch with their favorite striking screenwriters. In LA, "Heroes" buffs and aspiring filmmakers are trekking alongside some of the 12,000 members of the Writers Guild of America to lend their support, network—or just get an insider's peek at the industry.

Two of Rupert Murdoch's senior hands in the viciously competitive British newspaper business will assume the top posts at Dow Jones and Company.

Steve Jobs is sitting on a massive pile of cash. So how's he going to spend it? Fortune's Jon Fortt has a few ideas.

Toyota Motor Company does a better job than any car company in America of keeping its customers coming back, according to data from J.D. Power and Assoc. General Motors ranks second in customer retention.

The Brew Thru drive-thru convenience chain, which originated here in 1977 and boasts five locations, gained its first franchisee in John Childers, resident of Tybee Island, Ga., the Outer Banks Sentinel reported.

Qsr Web The Winning Team, a North Carolina-based Arby’s franchisee, will switch its 33 restaurants from conventional natural-gas hot water heaters to solar-powered ones.

McAfee has teamed up with cable provider Cox Communications to deliver the Cox Security Suite powered by McAfee to all Cox High Speed Internet residential and small-business customers beginning in early 2008.

More than half of Americans think the economy is performing poorly, and 71% predict a recession within the year, a new Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll shows. Energy prices in particular are contributing to the grim outlook and cautious spending, Bloomberg reports.

New head of troubled automaker says expenses will almost certainly exceed revenues for 2007, marking the second straight annual loss: Report.

The Pet Butler franchise chain has no registered trademark. It never did. And now the franchisor of some 80 poop-scooping franchises is trying to register with the United States Patent and Trademark Office but having considerable difficulty.

Donnchadh McGinn, the owner of 3 Chem-Dry franchises in Kildare, was named as Franchisee of the year, in the service category, at the Irish Franchise awards 2007, formal black-tie awards ceremony in Dublin on 22nd November.

Dunkin' Donuts a US based coffee shop chain has become a client of Fish Consulting to strengthen its franchising division. Fish Consulting, a US national communications consulting firm, will create and implement an integrated public relations and marketing program to drive Dunkin' Donuts franchisee recruitment in its developing markets. Dunkin' Donuts is aiming to increase its franchises in the US to 15,000 by 2020.

Here's a surprising estimate: Consumers will pay sales tax on half of their online purchases this Christmas. Avoiding sales taxes has long been one of the lures of shopping online. After all, the combined state and local sales tax levy now averages more than 8.5%, the highest ever, according to Vertex, which sells tax collection software.

Add one to the number of lawsuits Apple’s iPhone has been hit with. Klausner Technologies yesterday said it filed a $360 million suit against Apple and AT&T for infringing on its patents for “Visual Voicemail,” Reuters reports.

American companies should sleep with one eye open: These firms may not be familiar right now, but they're poised to "reshape global industries," the Boston Consulting Group says.

T-Mobile regained the right to sell iPhones in Germany that use their network exclusively, in a reversal of an injunction last month that forced them to start selling an unlocked version, the AP reports.

The dollar’s continued weakness against the euro has European companies such as Airbus and VW looking to move production to the US, reports Der Spiegel. “We don’t have a choice,” said the CEO of Aribus parent company EADS.

Stocks tiptoe higher after Paulson's comments, but gains are limited in a shaky start to the week. Oil prices slide.

Dem lawmakers vow to finally rein in credit card companies after years of consumer complaints, the Washington Post reports. They want lenders to scrap random rate hikes and inscrutable fees, and plan to tackle it in a hearing next week; one rep has already drawn up legislation. But industry lobbyists are crying foul. “They’re getting oversight, and they don’t like it,” said one advocate.

Vivendi, producer of mega-hit World of Warcraft, today announced plans to merge operations with Activision, forming an independent video game behemoth to rival EA. Vivendi will buy 52% of Activision for $1.7 billion and $27.50 per share, the Times reports, a premium on Friday’s $22.15 closing price. Then Activision, re-dubbed Activision Blizzard, will take in all Vivendi’s game operations

Pepsi and Amazon aren’t music producers, but they may inspire large-scale changes in the industry, Reuters says. The two companies will launch a music download promotion of MP3 songs during the Super Bowl next year, a deal pushing music titans like Warner Music and Sony BMG to consider distributing songs in the same format, which bypasses digital rights management technology.

Computer giant Dell has chosen WPP to handle all of its global advertising and marketing - bringing to one agency $4.5 billion worth of billings that had been spread among an astonishing 800 agencies world wide.

he famously frenetic NYSE trading floor is rapidly becoming history as more efficient computer trading replaces human traders. With most of the exchange's trading rooms shuttered, only two trading halls stay open to the 1,500 remaining traders, whose numbers are dwindling, AFP reports.

8x8 (NASDAQ:EGHT) 's Packet8 MobileTalk international VoIP calling service is now compatible with close to 450 different mobile phone models, including Blackberry, Nokia, Palm, Motorola, Samsung and other popular brands.

CIGNA (NYSE:CI) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the healthcare division of Great-West Life & Annuity (AMEX:GWL) in order to expand its offerings to small and midsize businesses. Great-West Healthcare's competitively differentiated portfolio of products has particular appeal among companies seeking financial flexibility through a variety of funding options.

VeriFone Holdings (NYSE:PAY) has introduced merchant hosted services for managing electronic payments, beginning in Mexico. VeriFone teamed up with Tienda-kit, a Mexican third-party acquirer and merchant services provider, to launch VeriFone Access.

The computer maker says third-quarter profit jumped 27 percent, but shares fall nearly 8 percent after hours.

New home prices were down 13% in October, yet sales pace still falls well short of forecasts. August and September sales reading cut.

Markets waffled for most of today's session and ended slightly up, after a big dip in the morning. "We've had an awful lot of upside, and [stocks] are entitled to some rest," one strategist tells the Wall Street Journal. The Dow was up 22.28 to 13311.73, the Nasdaq was up 5.22 to 2668.13, and the S&P was up 0.70 to 1469.72.

Volkswagen is attempting to break in to the Russian auto market by opening a major factory in the town of Kaluga, 100 miles southwest of Moscow. They are not alone: Der Speigel reports that Volvo and Renault already produce cars there, and GM, Ford and BMW have all grabbed substantial pieces of the Russian auto market.

Prosecutors withdraw a subpoena for the identity of 24,000 Amazon customers after judge rules it infringes on First Amendment rights.

Texas oil man Oscar Wyatt was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to a year in prison for his part in a scheme involving kickbacks paid to the former Iraqi government to participate in the United Nations' oil-for-food program.

Airbus's first A380 superjumbo jet is making calls a long way from its home base in Toulouse, France—in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Sydney—as representatives make another push for orders for the slow-selling 555-seater. Northwest Airlines executives plan to look over the aircraft, despite having already ordered rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, USA Today reports.

NBC Universal will begin using viewership data gleaned from TiVo digital video recorders beginning in January, making it the first of the major networks to have access to second-by-second ratings of programming and commercials from TiVo, reports the Wall Street Journal. The network hopes TiVo will help it develop effective ways to target viewers who use DVRs to skip commercials.

Wall Street has the recession jitters: Markets are down 10% since October, the S&P 500 is down as analysts predict depressed earnings, and T-bills are down on anticipated Fed rate cuts. But there’s a flip side: Holiday sales gained 8.3% over 2006, unemployment is at 4.7%, and a slowdown doesn’t mean recession, reports the Washington Post.

The housing slump deepened in September as home prices plummeted, posting a record 4.5% decline from third quarter 2006 to third quarter 2007, Marketwatch reports. The 1.7% decline from the second to the third quarter was also a record in the 21 years the bellwether index has been in use. "There is no real positive news in today's data," said Robert Shiller, who co-developed the index.

Nissan is recalling 686,500 Altima and Sentra passenger cars to fix problems with a sensor that could lead to engine stalling.

BEIJING (AP) -- The head of China's central bank says Beijing wants a strong U.S. dollar, a government news agency said Thursday. Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China, made the comment to U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson at a conference in South Africa, the Xinhua News Agency said. "Zhou said he told Paulson China hopes to see a strong dollar," Xinhua reported. It said Zhou was responding to Paulson's prediction of a long-term recovery of the weakening dollar, which fell to another record low against the euro Thursday.

NEW YORK — It didn't happen Wednesday, it may not happen Thanksgiving day, but the price of oil seems destined to burst through the $100 mark sometime soon, leaving higher pump prices and rising heating fuel costs in its wake. Energy futures balked on that drive Wednesday after the government reported that supplies at a key oil terminal in the Midwest rose for the first time in weeks. Analysts said it was a pause, not a retreat for energy futures that reached as high as $99.29 in electronic trading overnight.

NEW YORK — It didn't happen Wednesday, it may not happen Thanksgiving day, but the price of oil seems destined to burst through the $100 mark sometime soon, leaving higher pump prices and rising heating fuel costs in its wake. Energy futures balked on that drive Wednesday after the government reported that supplies at a key oil terminal in the Midwest rose for the first time in weeks. Analysts said it was a pause, not a retreat for energy futures that reached as high as $99.29 in electronic trading overnight.

NEW YORK — Stocks resumed their slide Wednesday as unease about the wilting mortgage market and the broader economy triggered selling ahead of the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. The Standard & Poor's 500 index and the Dow Jones industrial average each fell more than 1.5%, with the Dow giving up more than 210 points. ` The decline in the S&P 500 left the index in negative territory for the year. Many investments such as mutual funds either track or are measured against the S&P. The worries over the economy sent investors rushing to the safety of government securities. The yield on the Treasury's 10-year note for a time fell below 4% for the first time since 2005. The shift into bonds came as the Dow briefly sank below the lows seen in the market's August pullback.

Let me just say before I go into this that Toyota, because of its emphasis on quality and “green” technology, the company has a target on its back when it falls short in either department. At this week’s LA Auto Show, Toyota took the wraps off its new Sequoia SUV. It is bigger and thirstier than the old model. Huh? Toyota? The SUV weighs 500 pounds more than the old version, in addition to being larger. Fuel economy for the 4.7 liter V8 engine has slipped to an estimated 13 mpg during city driving and 16 mpg on highway, compared with 15 mpg and 17 mpg on highway for the old model. The behemoth also comes in a 5.7 liter V8 that gets 13 city/19 highway in the 2-wheel model. That noses ahead of Ford’s Expedition, which gets 12/18 and an average of 14. But let’s face it…in a vehicle that big, that’s a wash. The Chevy Tahoe gets 14/20, and the new hybrid version gets 21/22. That’s a big difference on a percentage basis.

HONG KONG - China has reached for its customary tools to curb a surge in domestic liquidity, issuing directives restricting bank lending to business customers and consumers. In the stealth administrative style preferred by China’s policymakers, the China Banking Regulatory Commission has since late September quietly instructed domestic banks not to hand out loans to industries now widely known as the “Two Highs, One Surplus.” The “two highs” are industries consuming high levels of energy or producing high pollution, while the ”one surplus” generally refers to industries suffering from excess capacity, top among them being real estate developers.

In the spirit of the holiday, we'll put a sweet glaze on the current half-baked state of the federal estate tax law: It gives family members an opening to talk this Thanksgiving about what would happen if one of them were incapacitated or died. Under the current law, the federal estate tax disappears in 2010, for just one year, and then reappears in 2011 in its 2001 incarnation. That's absurd and no one believes it will happen. Indeed, just last week the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing, with Berkshire Hathaway's (nyse: BRKA - news - people )Warren Buffet as the star witness, on what should be done about the estate tax.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Some users of the online hangout Facebook are complaining that its two-week-old marketing program is publicizing their purchases for friends to see. Those users say they never noticed a small box that appears on a corner of their Web browsers following transactions at Fandango, Overstock (Charts) and other online retailers. The box alerts users that information is about to be shared with Facebook unless they click on "No Thanks." It disappears after about 20 seconds, after which consent is assumed.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks ended a rocky day by closing just above their opening levels, as buyers returned to the market to scoop up troubled financial stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average (Charts) gained 51 points, or 0.4 percent, according to early tallies. The S&P 500 (Charts) gained 0.5 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite (Charts) rose 0.1 percent.

NEW YORK (Dow Jones/AP) -- Tiffany & Co.'s top executive said Tuesday that pursuing litigation against eBay Inc. was more effective and economical at stopping counterfeit sales of its products than targeting individual sellers on the online auction site. At a hearing in federal court in Manhattan, Michael J. Kowalski, the jewelry retailer's chairman and chief executive, said it has been very difficult to pursue individual sellers who list knockoffs on eBay, with little economic return. He described the counterfeit sellers as "phantasms," who have adopted new identities and returned to selling on the Web site.

(Fortune) -- Any smoker knows what a bummer it is to quit, but Pfizer's new smoking cessation drug may trigger depression or suicidal thoughts, the Food and Drug Administration said today. The FDA this afternoon asked doctors to begin closely monitoring patients who are taking Pfizer's stop-smoking pill, Chantix. Agency officials say they have received a number of reports from patients and doctors that Chantix is responsible for depression, severe mood swings, abnormal dream states, and thoughts of suicide.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Natural foods grocery chain Whole Foods said Tuesday that its fiscal fourth-quarter profit fell 15 percent from a year ago, as it spent more on opening new stores and ran up legal fees in its fight to acquire rival Wild Oats. Whole Foods said sales jumped 35 percent, helped by the addition of Wild Oats. Sales at stores open at least a year - a key measure in retailing - rose 8.2 percent in the quarter ended Sept. 30. That was far less than the days when Whole Foods routinely posted double-digit gains, but it was better than the 7 percent increase in the previous three months.

ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) -- Swiss Reinsurance Co., the world's largest reinsurer, reported a 981 million Swiss francs ($878 million) after-tax loss on Monday because of its exposure to the subprime mortgage crisis. Swiss Re, in a trading statement, said the loss, which occurred in October, stems mainly from its so-called credit default swaps. But the company said it will still post a full-year net profit for 2007 and the year-end return on equity would be above its 13 percent target.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that OPEC's members have expressed interest in converting their cash reserves into a currency other than the depreciating U.S. dollar, which he called a "worthless piece of paper." His comments at the end of a rare summit of OPEC heads of state exposed fissures within the 13-member cartel - especially after U.S. ally Saudi Arabia was reluctant to mention concerns about the falling dollar in the summit's final declaration.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks could face more headwinds Monday as subprime worries hit overseas stocks and oil prices jumped. At 7:45 a.m. ET, Nasdaq and S&P futures were weaker. Volatile trading is expected ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. Dragging on European stocks and futures early Monday was news that Swiss Reinsurance (Charts), the world's largest reinsurer, had a $878 million after-tax loss because of its exposure to the subprime mortgage crisis. Shares were down 6 percent in Zurich trading, helping to spark a sell-off across major markets in Europe. Most stock indexes in Asia also closed lower.

million ($330 million) in cash. Baccini is a supplier of automated metallization and test systems for making solar cells. "With this acquisition, Applied will become a leading provider of [crystalline silicon] cell manufacturing solutions to the [photovoltaic] industry," said Mike Splinter, president and chief executive of Applied Materials (Charts, Fortune 500), in a statement.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- You probably don't know what your federal tax liability will be for 2007, and Congress certainly isn't helping. Lawmakers have yet to pass a temporary fix to the Alternative Minimum Tax, to prevent 21 million of us from having to pay the so-called wealth tax. But that doesn't mean you can't take a number of steps now to reduce your bill, whatever it turns out to be.

Northern Rock PLC's (NRK.LN) newly streamlined board met Sunday to consider indicative proposals for all or part of its business, in the initial stages of a sale process that could still leave the U.K. government with a long-term interest in the bank. Advisers for Northern Rock, which was forced to go to the Bank of England for emergency funding in September after turmoil in lending markets, received proposals over the weekend. Media reports suggest there are at least eight potential bidders, but a spokesman for Northern Rock wouldn't confirm this.