Industry - Banking latest news

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- As companies like Intel Corp., IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. have made moves in the solar power space, many have wondered if these high-tech heavyweights could use either their manufacturing or intellectual muscle to push down costs and thereby lower the price of solar power.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Thursday's abbreviated session are Nvidia Corp., Abbott Laboratories, and AMR Corp.

GMAC Commercial Finance has agreed to sell 100% of its shares in GMAC CF Poland to North European financial group Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken. CF Poland is a factoring and promissory note discounting operation based in Warsaw, Poland.

Remember "Runaway Bride," the 1999 movie starring Julia Roberts, about a woman who couldn't commit to a marriage with any of her suitors? Now the technology industry is bringing us a twist on the theme with the Runaway Deal, starring Yahoo and Microsoft.

Standard Life Investments has announced that German investors will be able to gain access to the company's entire Luxembourg-domiciled SICAV fund range via Frankfurter Fondsbank's broker platform in Germany.

VocaLink, provider of transaction services to banks, their corporate customers and government departments, has announced that Halifax/Bank of Scotland and Sainsbury's Finance have joined its cash machine pre-pay mobile phone top-up service available through most Link cash machines.

CIT Group, a commercial finance company, has agreed to sell its home lending business, consisting of $9.3 billion in assets and related servicing operations, to Lone Star Funds for $1.5 billion in cash and the assumption of $4.4 billion of outstanding debt and other related liabilities.

Irish Life & Permanent and Merrill Lynch have concluded a transaction which sees Irish Life & Permanent acquire the 50% stake held by Merrill Lynch in the niche mortgage lender Springboard Mortgages.

At the beginning of the second half of 2008, the dollar is mostly down but it remains above its lows against major rivals, signaling potential for a rebound.

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Among the companies whose shares are expected to see active trade in Monday's session are Marshall & Ilsley Corp., VeriSign Inc., and certain airlines.