Basic banking rules have changed in recent weeks as regulators have moved to bolster investor confidence both in the financial system and the economy. The changes include higher limits on deposit insurance and the government purchasing shares in banks including Bank ... [full story]

SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- As the economy weakened during the third quarter, venture capitalists continued to rein in investments in U.S.-based companies, according to the Quarterly U.S. Venture Capital Report from Dow Jones VentureSource (www.venturecapital.dowjones.com). ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters neared full containment Thursday of the smoldering remnants of deadly Southern California wildfires that destroyed more than 50 homes and forced thousands of residents to flee. The notorious Santa Ana winds continued to diminish, but weather ... [full story]

He came, he saw, he fizzled? Hurricane Omar, a powerful storm capable of inflicting yet more damage near the tail-end of a hurricane season that has already produced sweeping devastation, sliced through the southern Caribbean on Thursday, stirring up panic and ... [full story]