BANK OF AMERICA TO PAY NEARLY $17 BILLION IN JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SETTLEMENT 

Bank of America Corp. is expected to pay nearly $17 billion to settle U.S. Department of Justice accusations it packaged shoddy mortgages into securities and sold them to investors in the run-up to the financial crisis, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. (published 1847 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
TARGET LOWERS OUTLOOK, NEW CEO STRESSES URGENCY TO FIX ISSUES -- 3RD UPDATE 

Target Corp. cut its outlook for the second time this year as traffic at its stores fell again, even though the discounter ramped up promotions to bring shoppers in. (published 2324 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
CARL ICAHN TAKES 8.5% STAKE IN HERTZ -- 2ND UPDATE 

Activist investor Carl Icahn on Wednesday disclosed an 8.5% stake in Hertz Global Holdings Inc. and said he may seek board representation. (published 2322 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
H-P POSTS SURPRISE REVENUE INCREASE -- 2ND UPDATE 

Hewlett-Packard Co. investors have been waiting for a long-promised revival. They finally got a glimmer of reward. (published 2316 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
PRIVATE-EQUITY FIRMS PURSUE BUYOUT OF AMERICAN TIRE -- UPDATE 

A handful of private-equity firms are vying to buy American Tire Distributors Holdings Inc. in an auction that could fetch more than $3 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. (published 2239 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
UPS WARNS OF DATA BREACH AT UPS STORES -- UPDATE 

United Parcel Service Inc. said Wednesday that a data breach at 51 of its UPS Stores may have compromised data on approximately 105,000 customer transactions between January and August. (published 2313 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
ORIGIN ENERGY ANNUAL PROFIT HIT BY WEATHER 

Origin Energy Ltd., Australia's biggest electricity retailer by customers, posted weaker annual earnings after unseasonably mild weather crimped household energy use and intensifying competition eroded margins. (published 2357 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
ASX PROFIT JUMPS ON IPO SURGE 

ASX Ltd.'s full-year earnings rose 10% thanks to a rebound in capital raisings as private-equity firms and others floated assets on Australia's main stock exchange, while the global economic recovery continued to gather pace. (published 2348 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
TREASURY WINE RESULT TAKES HEAT OUT OF BID BATTLE 

Australia's Treasury Wine Estates Ltd. (published 2335 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
JA SOLAR SWINGS TO PROFIT ON SURGE IN SHIPMENTS -- UPDATE 

JA Solar Holdings Co. said rising sales of solar panels made it profitable in the second quarter, but the company's results still missed analysts' expectations and the stock price fell more than 6%. (published 2334 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
ALUMINA LOSSES WIDEN ON SMELTER CLOSURE, WEAK PRICES 

Alumina Ltd. said losses widened in its fiscal first half as it faced one-off costs from the closure of the Point Henry smelter in Australia's Victoria state and sustained weakness in alumina prices. (published 2314 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
PANAUST SAYS TAKEOVER TALKS ONGOING, PROFITS FALL 

PanAust Ltd., reporting a 28% fall in half-year profit, said takeover talks with China's Guangdong Rising Assets Management were continuing but that it had yet to receive a formal offer it could recommend to shareholders. (published 2313 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
ASCIANO PROFIT DROPS ON RESTRUCTURING COSTS 

Australian rail-and-ports operator Asciano Ltd. said full-year profit fell 24% as restructuring costs and a cooling mining-investment boom more than offset an increase in the volume of items from coal to cars that it helped transport. (published 2249 GMT Wednesday)

 
 
PORT OF TAURANGA 2014 UNDERLYING NET PROFIT NZ$78.3M, +1.3% ON YEAR 

Port of Tauranga Thursday said its full-year net profit was lower due to a one-off gain in the prior year but its underlying net profit hit a net record. (published 2239 GMT Wednesday)