More than 160 million Americans would be able to learn their all-important credit scores at no charge — and with no strings attached — under a settlement by credit reporting giant TransUnion Corp. of a long-running class-action lawsuit. The agreement would entitle consumers to at least six months of a TransUnion monitoring service, giving them access to the latest information in their credit reports as well as their current scores at any time. The service also would notify consumers by e-mail of significant changes to their files, including reports of late payments or accounts opened in their names. The latter information could help thwart attempted identity theft. For the full story visit http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-credit30-2008may30,0,1312903.story

Regional bank stocks aren’t the haven that investors hoped they would be — as shares of Cleveland-based KeyCorp demonstrated Wednesday. KeyCorp stunned investors late Tuesday by warning that loan losses would surge this year. Its shares plunged $2.29, or 10.4%, to $19.66 on Wednesday, their lowest since 2000. The news also walloped shares of other regional banks, including Atlanta-based SunTrust Banks, which slid 4%; Birmingham, Ala.-based Regions Financial, down 5%; and Comerica Inc. of Dallas, down 3.8%. Beverly Hills-based City National Corp. fared better but still lost ground, off 2.4%. For the full story visit http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-banks29-2008may29,0,4282692.story

A bill that would require California employers to pay sick leave to every worker passed through the Assembly on Wednesday and now heads to the Senate. The 45-33 vote on AB2716, authored by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco), was straight down party lines, with zero support from Republicans. Two cities, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. have passed similar legislation, but California would be the first state to do so if the bill clears the Senate.

WASHINGTON – Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket items besides autos and airplanes showed surprising strength in April, raising hopes that manufacturing can help the economy shake off the slumping housing market and credit crisis. Overall, orders for durable goods dipped by 0.5 percent in April, reflecting steep declines in commercial aircraft and autos, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The decline, however, was just one- third of what experts expected. Take out the volatile transportation sector and orders rose 2.5 percent, the largest gain in nine months. This reflected strength in areas ranging from heavy machinery and primary metals such as steel, and to a record surge in demand for electrical equipment and appliances. For the full story visit http://www.dailynews.com/ci_9407626

Countrywide Financial has announced June 25 as the date when stockholders will vote on the Bank of America buyout. Only shareholders on record as of April 28 are eligible to attend the special meeting at Countrywide’s corporate headquarters in Calabasas.

IHOP Corp. announced a change of its corporate name to DineEquity Inc. to reflect its ownership of multiple restaurant brands. The change was necessitated following the acquisition of the Applebee’s chain, said Julia A. Stewart, chairman and chief executive officer of Glendale-based IHOP Corp. “With Applebee’s and IHOP, we have brought together two great brands, and we are beginning to demonstrate how we are more successful together, than we could ever have been apart,” Stewart said. “Our name change to DineEquity reflects the promise of our newly combined company.”

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists early this morning reached a new contract with Hollywood studios, increasing pressure on the larger Screen Actors Guild to secure its own agreement as negotiations resume today. The tentative accord, coming after nearly three weeks of negotiations, was modeled on a pact that ended the 100-day writers strike in February. If the contract is ratified, AFTRA would become the third Hollywood union to accept a deal based on the contract negotiated by directors last year, making it tougher for SAG to argue that its members deserve significantly better terms. “This is a challenging time in the entertainment industry, and this was a tough negotiation,” said AFTRA President Roberta Reardon. “Our ability to achieve these crucial breakthroughs for performers was a direct result of AFTRA members’ pragmatic approach to collective bargaining.” For the full story visit http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-aftra29-2008may29,0,5396803.story

NEW YORK – Not since George H.W. Bush ran the White House have consumers felt so downbeat about the economy. And the catalyst for much of the gloom – the housing slump – shows no signs of abating, new data showed. With Americans losing sleep over rising inflation and tight credit, the housing market is unlikely to rebound soon, spelling more pain for the economy. “The consumer has no more money to spend,” said Dan Alpert, managing director at the investment bank Westwood Capital. “The only way the economy is not going to recede is if someone cooks the books.” For the full story visit http://www.dailynews.com/ci_9396485

Barbara J. Desoer will take over as head of mortgage operations at Countrywide Financial Corp. after acquisition of the struggling lender by Bank of America closes later this year. Desoer is currently chief operating and technology officer for Bank of America and a member of the management operating committee. She will relocate to Calabasas for her new position. Desoer replaces Countrywide Financial President David Sambol. Bank of America acquired Countrywide in January in a deal worth $4 billion. The move makes Bank of America the nation’s largest mortgage lender and loan servicer. Countrywide operates more than 1,000 field offices and has a sales force of nearly 15,000. Countrywide’s financial condition has deteriorated since January, with the company posting an $893 million loss first-quarter loss this year following a loss of $1.6 billion in the second half of last year, the Los Angeles Times reported.

RIVERSIDE – The rights to the popular Bratz doll franchise belong to Mattel Inc., not a rival toymaker that stole the concept that became a global darling among consumers, a lawyer for Mattel said. Attorney John Quinn made the claim during his opening statement in the federal copyright infringement trial pitting Mattel against MGA Entertainment Inc., the maker of the urban-themed Bratz dolls. Quinn contended that Mattel, the world’s largest toymaker, owns the rights to the fashion dolls because designer Carter Bryant created the concept while employed at Mattel. For the full story visit http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_9396469