Government regulators will break up institutions whose failure would bring down the entire financial system, under an amendment Rep. Paul Kanjorski will introduce today.

Four boats seized by U.S. authorities from imprisoned swindler Bernard Madoff and his right-hand man, Frank DiPascali, sold for nearly $2 million at auction on Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

A senior House Democrat says the government didn't force Bank of America to take over Merrill Lynch, but a bank board member said much pressure was applied and Republicans charged that a committee inquiry was covering up the role of an Obama administration official.

Some 14,700 rich Americans worried about a U.S. government crackdown on offshore tax cheats came forward to participate in a tax amnesty program, the top U.S. tax official said on Tuesday.

The most important new antidiscrimination law in two decades — the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act — will take effect in the nation’s workplaces next weekend, prohibiting employers from requesting genetic testing or considering someone’s genetic background in hiring, firing or promotions. The New York Times explaines the ramifications.

The U.S. Federal Reserve stepped up its consumer protection efforts for the second time in less than a week Monday, proposing to limit the ability of gift card issuers to impose excessive fees.

National Liquidators handled the successful sale of  Bernard Madoff's three boats, a Mercedes convertible, and a fourth boat once owned by Madoff's right-hand man Frank DiPascali. All totaled, the auction raised more than $2 million for Madoff's victims.

Significant weaknesses still have to work their way through the US economy, coupled with a rising level of debt, Kansas City Fed President Thomas Hoenig said Monday.

Google and book publishers are expected to show a federal judge in New York a new settlement in the copyright lawsuit over Google's book-scanning project.

No bank should be too big to fail, according to JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who includes his own institution on the list.

The U.S. Federal Reserve Thursday banned overdraft fees on automated-teller-machine and debit-card transactions unless consumers have actively selected an overdraft protection service.

Bill Gates said on Wednesday he believes Wall Street pay is "often too high" and that U.S. government ownership of American International Group worries him because it has devalued the giant insurer.

In a memo to the company's employees, AIG CEO Robert Benmosche said Wednesday that he and the board remain "totally committed" to leading AIG.

Sen. Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, told CNBC Wednesday that his version of the financial reform bill is a "discussion draft," and there is still room for debate over whether to create a single federal regulator, as well as whether to make an independent consumer protection agency.

McGraw-Hill is committed to its Standard & Poor's unit, and welcomes tougher regulation aimed at further transparency and accountability in the credit ratings industry, its chairman said on Wednesday.