DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) may be a $2 stock, but the company looks the strongest of the three U.S.-based automakers and has options for raising more cash if needed to buy time ... [full story]

Wells Fargo on Thursday night looked set to acquire Wachovia in a $11.7bn all-share deal after Citigroup pulled out of the bitter battle for the US sixth-largest bank because it did not want to buy the lender’s bad assets portfolio ... [full story]

BATON ROUGE, La. — The federal government has agreed to cover all the recovery costs in 14 parishes affected by Hurricane Ike through most of October, a move that saves the state and parishes millions. "This is good news and a ... [full story]

Months after the stocks of big Wall Street financial firms first came under attack, insurance companies are now being battered, suggesting that a similar round of consolidation and recapitalization may be in store for that industry. Insurance stocks have plunged ... [full story]