Debra Neyland

Two major U.K. banks suffered computer glitches Thursday, the latest payments debacle to hit British bank customers this summer.

The National Grocers Association, one of the plaintiffs suing Visa Inc. (V) and MasterCard Inc. (MA) over credit-card transaction fees, said Thursday it opposes the $7.25 billion settlement reached in the case earlier this month.

Ford Motor Co. (F) is recalling about 485,000 small sport utility vehicles for the model years 2001 through 2004 to fix sticking gas pedals, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

The scandal over manipulation of the London Interbank Offered Rate, or Libor, has reignited pressure to toughen regulation of oil price benchmarks and prompted the EU to suggest European regulators may need to have a larger role in overseeing pricing mechanisms in the oil market.

Wall Street rallied on Thursday as traders reacted to positive developments from the embattled eurozone and upbeat data on the U.S. economy.

Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.'s (DPS) second-quarter earnings rose 3.5%, with higher prices helping to lift sales higher as volume slumped, especially on some of its non-carbonated drinks such as Hawaiian Punch and Mott's.

The Treasury Department sold $29 billion in 7-year notes [: 7_year] on Thursday at a yield of 0.954%, the lowest on record.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY) Chief Executive Steve Chazen said during a conference call that the company will spend 10% more on capital projects in 2012 than it previously planned.

Most Americans don’t consider asset protection in the normal course of living. Most of us will buy homeowners insurance to protect our homes from loss or buy car insurance to protect our cars and ourselves while driving. However we do very little about protecting our other assets.