Reuters - Washington Mutual Inc , the large U.S. savings and loan company beleaguered by mortgage losses, has approached private-equity firms about a potential takeover after a line-up of listed firms showed reluctance, the Wall Street Journal said citing people familiar with the situation. Read more…

AP - Police arrested 11 suspected Basque militants Wednesday in southwest France in two separate investigations, including the financing of terror attacks in France and Spain, officials said. Read more…

AFP - European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso on Wednesday urged the next US president to work with the EU to confront challenges like the financial crisis, ties with Russia and climate change. Read more…

AFP - Europe does not need a US-style bailout plan for the financial sector, top EU officials said Wednesday, limiting their response to the current crisis to calls for tougher regulation. Read more…

AFP - London shares closed lower on Wednesday as jitters from the current financial crisis continued to unnerve traders with energy companies suffering the most. Read more…

AP - German business confidence has hit a more than three-year low as manufacturers in Europe's biggest economy are becoming increasingly pessimistic about their export prospects amid world market turbulence, a closely watched survey found Wednesday. Read more…

Reuters - Applications for U.S. home mortgages retreated to sluggish levels last week as rising interest rates spoiled a spurt in loan refinancing, according to data published from an industry group on Wednesday. Read more…

AFP - A battle over the US government's financial rescue package carries on in Congress Wednesday after top finance officials urged its swift passage and lawmakers dug in their heels, while the FBI reportedly launched a probe of failed banks and mortgage giants. Read more…

AP - Oil prices rose slightly to $107 Wednesday in Asia as investors waited for details of a proposed $700 billion plan to buy bad mortgage debt and stabilize the U.S. financial system. Read more…

Reuters - The FBI is investigating Fannie Mae , Freddie Mac , Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and insurer American International Group Inc. and their senior executives for potential mortgage fraud, CNN reported on Tuesday. The FBI did not provide specifics but said the inquiries were part of a broader probe, CNN said. Read more…

Reuters - The FBI is investigating Fannie Mae , Freddie Mac , Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and insurer American International Group Inc. and their senior executives for potential mortgage fraud, CNN reported on Tuesday. Read more…

AFP - The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is probing allegations of fraud by finance giants Lehman Brothers, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and insurer AIG, US media reported on Tuesday. Read more…

AP - Homeowner advocates weighed in Tuesday on the Wall Street bailout bill, pressing Congress to include bankruptcy court relief for people unable to keep up with their mortgage payments. Read more…

The Motley Fool - Although "till death do us part" is a solemn vow we take in marriage, expecting we'll live happily ever after with our betrothed, we ought to be adding that to our mortgage contracts too. Read more…

Reuters - Resentment is growing on both sides of the U.S. political divide over a plan to use $700 billion of taxpayer money to bail out Wall Street firms with bad mortgage debt. Read more…

AP - The U.S. dollar could be in for a rocky ride in coming days as investors lurch from hope that the worst of the financial crisis is over to fear about the long-term impact that hundreds of billions of dollars in new debt will have on U.S. government finances, analysts say. Read more…

AP - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown faced down critics in his party and the country with a rousing and emotive speech Tuesday, vowing to heed his mistakes and lead the country out of the global economic downturn. Read more…

Reuters - The U.S. Congress gave a new regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stronger oversight powers too late to help steer the companies away from a government takeover, the chief regulator for the mortgage finance companies said on Tuesday. Read more…

Reuters - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told the U.S. Congress Tuesday that financial markets are under severe stress and urged immediate action to buy up hundreds of billions of dollars worth of tainted mortgage assets. Read more…

AFP - The dollar rose against the euro and yen on Tuesday as traders awaited more details on a US government plan to buy mortgage-related assets at the root of a global financial crisis, dealers said. Read more…

Reuters - Those responsible for the crisis that has swept global financial markets should be punished, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said overnight in his first reaction to the latest bout of economic turmoil. Read more…

AP - Oil prices dipped below $109 a barrel Tuesday in Asia in a choppy market driven by uncertainty about whether a $700 billion U.S. plan to buy bad mortgage debt will stabilize the financial system. Read more…

AP - Scrambling for a swift deal on the $700 billion bailout for failing financial firms, key Democrats and Bush administration officials agreed Monday to include mortgage help for beleaguered homeowners but wrangled over other issues, including "golden parachutes" for executives who benefit from the unprecedented rescue. Read more…

Reuters - New York Senator Hillary Clinton said the federal government should establish a special entity that would buy mortgages from Americans and later sell them just as it did during the Great Depression. Read more…

AP - Marek Tomasikiewicz and his family left Poland a few years ago for higher wages and better schools in Britain, but times have changed. Read more…