Crisis CEOs Sullivan and Peek find new jobs (Reuters)

Reuters - Two former chief executives who were criticized during the financial crisis for driving their firms to the brink have found new homes.

GM testing voice command to update Facebook status (AP)

AP - General Motors Co. is testing software that would let drivers talk to their cars to update status messages on the Facebook social media website, as well as listen to Facebook messages, the company said Wednesday.

AeroVironment narrows loss for fiscal 1Q (AP)

AP - AeroVironment Inc., which makes small, unmanned aircraft for the military, said Thursday it narrowed its loss in the fiscal first quarter, as aircraft sales edged up but contract services revenue declined.

Governor Rendell: Natural Gas Severance Tax Needed to Continue Protecting Environment, Aid Impacted Communities (PR Newswire)

PR Newswire - CHESTER COUNTY, Pa., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A proposed severance tax on the natural gas industry could help to continue Pennsylvania's investments in important environmental projects well into the future and help affected communities deal with the impacts of drilling, Governor Edward G. Rendell said today while addressing a coalition of organizations dedicated to protecting the state's natural resources.

Bankers urge government to pull plug on Fannie, Freddie (Reuters)

Reuters - The federal government should take mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac off life support sooner rather than later, the Mortgage Bankers Association urged on Wednesday.

Wall Street climbs in low-volume session (Reuters)

Reuters - Stocks rose on Wednesday, as investors latched onto positive news out of Europe in the latest in a string of low-volume sessions suggesting little confidence in market direction.

Obama: U.S. can't afford to extend tax cuts for rich (Reuters)

Reuters - President Barack Obama, fighting to keep Democrats in charge of Congress, said on Wednesday the United States could not afford to extend Bush-era tax cuts for the rich and accused Republicans of being fiscally irresponsible.

Obama's tax break for business: Will it put Americans to work? (The Christian Science Monitor)

The Christian Science Monitor - A new round of tax incentives for US businesses could have some positive impact on the job market, but it's not likely to ignite massive employment.

BP and partners trade blame for oil spill (Reuters)

Reuters - A BP Plc investigation of the Gulf of Mexico disaster played down its own role in the world's worst offshore oil spill and pointed the finger at what it said were failures by contractors.

(AP)

AP - Consumer borrowing falls again in July as credit card use falls for 23rd straight month.

Google seeks to speed up Web searches (Reuters)

Reuters - Google Inc unveiled a set of enhancements to its Internet search engine on Wednesday that predict search queries as users type, promising to speed up the time it takes to find information online and to generate more searches on the website.

Summary Box: Ireland to split Anglo Irish Bank (AP)

AP - SPLIT: Ireland plans to split its most troubled financial institution, Anglo Irish Bank, into a "good" deposit bank and a "bad" toxic-debt bank. The move comes as the nation seeks to reassure international lenders that it is dealing with the Irish debt crisis.

Freddie Mac to issue new 5-year note due 2015 (AP)

AP - Government sponsored mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Wednesday it plans to issue new five-year notes due on Sept. 10, 2015.

Summary Box: Mortgage lending falls 1.5 pct (AP)

AP - MORTGAGE APPLICATIONS SLIP: Applications for home loans dipped last week as mortgage rates ticked up slightly from the lowest level in decades, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Tight inventories hurt Talbots sales (Reuters)

Reuters - Women's clothing retailer Talbots Inc posted lower-than-expected quarterly sales and its shares fell 11.6 percent as efforts to keep inventory lean and preserve margins left it short of items to sell.

How the major stock indexes fared Tuesday (AP)

AP - Stocks closed lower Tuesday following new worries about Europe's debt problems. News reports said European banks may have more risky government debt on their books than was disclosed during "stress tests" earlier this year. That could mean fees from regulators and more capital-raising by the banks to bolster their balance sheets.

The Treasury's New Research Office (BusinessWeek)

BusinessWeek - Don't expect an Elizabeth Warren-style campaign for the first director of the Office of Financial Research, yet another agency set up under the financial system overhaul. Unlike the pending decision over who will lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has prompted online petitions and a viral rap video in support of the Harvard law professor, the competition over who will be the head of the research office is a wonks-only affair. ...