Ford to add $3.8B to pension plans this year (AP)

AP - Ford Motor Co. will pump $3.8 billion into its global pension plans this year as it tries to get them closer to fully funding their obligations.

Geithner: Obama seeks 28 percent corp. tax rate (AP)

AP - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the current business tax system is bad for business and for job creation and says a plan by President Barack Obama to reduce corporate tax rates would make the tax system more globally competitive.

Oil flat after four-day rise (AP)

AP - A four-day rise in oil prices has stalled following a weak report on Chinese manufacturing and lingering concerns about Greece's bailout.

Greek lawmakers rush to clear promised austerity (AP)

AP - Greece scrambled Wednesday to push through a batch of emergency laws that will further cut incomes and state spending, a day after securing a new bailout and debt relief deal designed to stave off bankruptcy.

Home sales jump more than 4 percent in January (AP)

AP - Sales of previously occupied homes rose in January to the highest pace in nearly two years, a hopeful sign ahead of the spring-buying season.

JPMorgan, Citi, BofA sued for $949 million by Sealink (Reuters)

Reuters - JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp. and more than a half dozen other major banks are being hit with a new lawsuit over $949 million in residential mortgage-backed securities.

Wall Street flat after housing data; S&P near key level (Reuters)

Reuters - Stocks were little changed on Wednesday as an encouraging U.S. housing report offset soft euro zone data, while the S&P 500 struggled to break through a high not seen since last May.

Existing home sales at 1-1/2 yr-high, supply falls (Reuters)

Reuters - U.S. home resales surged in January to a 1-1/2 year high and the supply of properties on the market was the lowest in almost seven years, pointing to a nascent housing recovery.

Citi, UBS provide keys to interest rate-rigging probe: sources (Reuters)

Reuters - Citigroup Inc and UBS AG , in a series of disclosures to law-enforcement officials, have provided crucial information to investigators in multiple countries as part of inquiries into whether the world's biggest banks manipulated a global benchmark interest rate, according to people familiar with the situation.

Fitch downgrades Greece on debt swap plan (Reuters)

Reuters - Fitch cut Greece's long-term ratings on Wednesday to its lowest rating above a default, becoming the first ratings agency to make the widely expected downgrade after the country announced a bond exchange plan to ease its massive debt burden.

MGM Resorts 4th-quarter loss narrows, revenue up (AP)

AP - MGM Resorts International narrowed its loss in the fourth quarter, as revenue climbed and occupancy improved at its Las Vegas Strip properties.

Consumer-finance watchdog probes overdraft fees (AP)

AP - The government's new consumer-watchdog agency is launching a probe into costly overdraft fees charged by big banks.

A look at Greece's new austerity measures (AP)

AP - Greece's lawmakers are to vote on a bill detailing euro3.18 billion ($4.2 billion) worth of austerity measures, as part of a second euro130 billion ($171 billion) bailout package and euro107 billion ($141 billion) debt relief deal with private creditors.

EU leaders to ask G20 to back higher IMF funds (Reuters)

Reuters - European Union leaders will call at a summit next week for the world's 20 biggest economies (G20) to agree in April to substantially boost funds available to the International Monetary Fund, draft conclusions of the meeting showed.

Holiday spending pushes Macy's 4Q profit higher (AP)

AP - A strong holiday shopping season and hearty online sales pushed Macy's Inc.'s fourth quarter net income up 12 percent. That topped Wall Street's expectations, and the department store chain's stock hit a 52-week high.

Nasdaq looks to Congress to win market reforms (Reuters)

Reuters - Exchange operator Nasdaq OMX is trying to gain support for a legislative proposal that would give it a competitive edge over both rival exchanges and banks that operate anonymous trading venues known as "dark pools."