American Express Inc. said Thursday it is starting a consulting unit to help business clients analyze customers' spending trends.

About one quarter of the companies that cut contributions to their employees' 401(k) retirement-savings plans recently have restored the match or plan to do so over the next year, a study by Fidelity Investments has found.

American Express will acquire AOL co-founder Steve Case's Revolution Money Internet-based payment platform for $300 million, the credit card company and network said Wednesday.

American Express Co. is buying Revolution Money for about $300 million to keep up with trends in electronic payments, where new security features and online transaction options are shaking up traditional models.

The value of loans held by the largest banks who received the largest amounts of government bailout support fell for an eighth consecutive month in September, according to the Treasury Department.

American Express has seen a consistent improvement in write-off rates and 30-day past due, Kenneth Chenault, American Express chairman and Ceo, told CNBC Tuesday.

Credit card defaults fell more than expected in October, but delinquencies rose in a sign that consumers remain under stress and the sector can expect more pain ahead, credit card companies reported on Monday.

U.S. credit card defaults fell more than expected in October, but delinquencies rose in a sign that consumers remain under stress and the sector can expect more pain ahead, credit card companies reported on Monday.

By Juan Lagorio

Dun & Bradstreet Corp. CEO Steven Alesio will retire next year and the company on Thursday named the chief operating officer, Sara Mathew, his successor.

Banks are struggling to make money in the credit card business these days, and consumers are paying the price. Interest rates are going up, credit lines are being cut and a variety of new fees are being imposed on even the best cardholders. The New York Times reports.

As CEO and primary shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK), Warren Buffett, the world's most famous investor, has developed a well-known reputation of buying big stakes in companies he believes in. When Buffett buys shares of a company for BRK, the markets translate his moves as a vote of confidence for a firm's continued success. Although Berkshire Hathaway's holdings change, the company's most recent SEC filings* reveal where the Oracle of Omaha is most heavily invested. Here are the 15 publicly traded stocks, by value, that are the biggest holdings of Berkshire Hathaway.

Not only have credit card companies continued to use practices that will be outlawed under a strict law due to take effect in February.

Several employers suspended 401 (k) matches to reduce costs during the recession, but a few are beginning to reinstate them.

Stocks relinquished earlier gains Friday as investors began to lock in some profits after an earnings-fueled rally this week.