business - "credit"

The U.S. government is signaling it won't throw a lifeline to struggling financial companies - except for mortgage linchpins Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - marking a shift to a new and potentially more volatile phase of the credit crisis.

For consumers already squeezed by tightening credit standards, the approach could mean getting a loan will become even harder.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The White House and the Federal Reserve moved Sunday to prevent Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from failing. In a statement, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the global reach of Fannie [s:FNM] and Freddie necessitated unprecedented action. The Treasury has asked Congres to increase the existing line of credit to Fannie and Freddie. In addition, Treasury asked Congress for the power to buy the two companies stock. In a separate vote, the Fed board of governors voted to open its discount window lending facility to Fannie and Freddie. In return, Paulson asked Congress to give the Fed a formal role to work with the new GSE regulator on capital standards for Fannie and Freddie. [clarifies that Treasury asking Congress to take these steps.]Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

Wall street banks are coming under growing pressure from US regulators to help unfreeze the market for auction-rate securities, one of the biggest casualties of the credit crunch

With the mortgage giants' survival threatened, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the government is planning to expand its current line of credit to the companies should they need to tap it.

The U.S. government is signaling it won't throw a lifeline to struggling financial companies _ except for mortgage linchpins Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac _ marking a shift to a new and potentially more volatile phase of the credit crisis. Such an approach could...

Swiss bank credit Suisse will not withdraw from investment banking despite the losses caused by the credit crisis, the bank's chairman said in an interview published on Saturday.

AUSTRALIAN stocks were lower in early trading after wall street tumbled late last week amid fresh fears in world capital markets.

THE world financial crisis has lurched into a new and menacing phase that threatens a further cut to the availability of credit worldwide.

The Farnborough International Airshow opens Monday with expectations for orders as damp as a British summer thanks to high fuel prices and the credit crisis. Farnborough is still a key date on the industry's calendar, and more than 300,000 people are expected...