Government And Institutions

JPMorgan Chase & Co. reported a 7 percent decline in fourth-quarter earnings Wednesday, hit by legal costs and lower trading revenue.

Officials say farmers in California now have to abide by the nation's strictest rules for a widely used pesticide.

Global stock markets drifted Tuesday as oil extended its slide, falling below $45 a barrel, while better-than-expected Chinese trade figures countered recent gloom over the slowdown in the world's No.

The Treasury Department releases federal budget data for December.

The Obama administration is putting the energy industry on notice that it intends to curb methane emissions by nearly half through regulations affecting oil and gas production.

The University of Kentucky and Lorillard Inc. have settled a trademark dispute after the school opposed the tobacco company's use of "Blu Nation" for its e-cigarette loyalty program.

Be prepared for the tax man to get even more personal this year — with questions about your health insurance.

President Barack Obama's signature health care law will bring a new twist to tax-filing in 2015, a year in which much else will seem familiar when you're working on your return.

The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday issued three rulings limiting some sales tax exemptions for construction activities by businesses.

MetLife will ask a federal judge to review its government designation that it is "too big to fail" because it would pose such a risk to the economy.

Connecticut is the latest state to consider allowing Tesla Motors to sell its electric cars directly to consumers, bypassing the traditional system of franchised dealerships that are often family-owned businesses.

A federal judge will rule next week on a union's antitrust lawsuit that seeks to block the sale of a Maine paper mill to a Canadian metal recycler.

The newly bulked-up Republican majority in the House is aiming to soften the bite of legislation that grew out of the 2008 financial crisis and put banks and Wall Street under the most sweeping rules since the Great Depression.

Congressional Republicans are attacking President Barack Obama's agenda from all sides and ignoring veto threats.

Germany says that in 2014 it achieved its first balanced budget since 1969, a year earlier than planned, thanks to low interest rates, higher tax revenue and other factors.

The federal deficit for the first three months of the budget year is up slightly from the same period a year ago, reflecting the absence of a special payment from mortgage company Freddie Mac that helped narrow the gap in 2014.

Entergy Corp. acknowledged Tuesday that it didn't follow some radiation safety monitoring procedures during a refueling of its Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in southwestern Michigan last year but says federal regulators should treat it as a low-level violation.

California regulators are trying to suspend the mortgage license of Ocwen Financial Corp., saying the company failed to provide information that shows it complies with the state's laws to protect homeowners.

Asian shares meandered Wednesday following a volatile session on Wall Street as investors remained edgy over the slump in oil and metal prices.

Labor unions are trying to stop a major trade pact dead in its tracks, just over two decades since they failed in a bid to stop the North American Free Trade Agreement.