AFP - Bear Stearns said Wednesday it had slashed its exposure to the US subprime credit crisis and would write off some 1.2 billion dollars in the fourth quarter in mortgage-related investments.

FT.com - In a chat shortly after Citigroup (NYSE:C) bought his Old Lane hedge fund, the soft-spoken and affable Vikram Pandit brushed off questions about whether he considered himself a future chief executive of the giant global bank.

FT.com - A slide in home sales expected to close in the next few months combined with a much higher than expected quarterly loss at one of the biggest US homebuilders set a gloomy tone for the New Year in the beleaguered housing industry.