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• Mortgage Lender First Magnus Files Chapter 11

  First Magnus Financial, one of the largest independent U.S. mortgage lenders, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, the latest home loan provider to collapse as the housing market slumps and credit crisis widens.

• Gates Discloses Holdings in McDonald's, Progressive, Kodak

  Bill Gates, billionaire chairman and co-founder of Microsoft, disclosed Tuesday that his foundation holds stakes in McDonald's, wireless tower operator Crown Castle International and Progressive, the third-largest U.S. auto insurer.

• Midwest Shares Rise as AirTran Raises Bid to $16.25

  AirTran Holdings Tuesday raised its offer to buy Midwest Air Group by 3 percent, to about $445 million, in a last-ditch bid to win control of the rival airline.

• Asian Financial Stocks Skid on Credit Crunch Worries

  Financial stocks skidded across Asia on Monday as investors, worried that further fallout looms from the global credit squeeze, dumped shares in Mizuho Financial, Macquarie Bank and Shin Kong Financial, among others.

• China's Baidu Reports Profit Leap of 143%; Shares Soar

  

  Chinese Web search company Baidu.com on Wednesday said its quarterly net profit grew 143 percent, reflecting market share gains in the world's second-largest Internet market. Its shares rose 22 percent.

• Anheuser-Busch Reports Profit Grew 6.1 Percent

  Anheuser-Busch, the U.S.' largest brewer, said Wednesday its second-quarter profit rose 6.1 percent, on a 6.1 percent rise in sales. The maker of Budweiser, Bud Light and other beers earned $677 million, or 88 cents per share, in the three months ended June 30; the figures are up from $638 million, or 82 cents per diluted share, in the same period in 2006.

• Texas Instruments Quarterly Profit Falls, Outlook Disappoints

  Texas Instruments posted a lower quarterly profit on weak demand for its calculators and other products, and gave a disappointing revenue forecast for the third quarter, sending shares down 3% on Monday.

• Tellabs Shares Surge on Report of $7 Billion Bid by Nokia, Siemens

  Shares of Tellabs surged 19 percent Monday, after a financial news Web site reported the U.S. telecommunications equipment maker was entertaining a $7 billion bid by a joint venture of Nokia and Siemens.

• Schering-Plough Quarterly Profit Boosted by Cholesterol Drugs

  Schering-Plough on Monday said second-quarter earnings more than doubled, driven by growing demand for its Zetia and Vytorin cholesterol drugs and its treatments for arthritis and allergies.

• Orbitz Stock Falls Below Offering Price After Debut on Big Board

  Shares of online travel agency Orbitz Worldwide  fell 3 percent in their market debut Friday from a lowered initial offering price.

• KBR Shares Hit New Highs on New Business

  Shares of KBR, the military contractor and engineering company, dipped slightly Friday after soaring to new highs earlier in the week amid a flurry of new business, including a contract one Wall Street analyst called a "game-changing win" for the former Halliburton subsidiary.

• DreamWorks Animation Shares Rise on Analyst Coverage

  Shares of DreamWorks Animation SKG, the animation film studio behind "Shrek," rose on Friday after an analyst began coverage of the company with a "Buy" rating, predicting gains from upcoming films