In the Region

Vivendi to weigh sale of NBCU stake

Vivendi's board will weigh the sale of its 20 percent stake in NBC Universal Inc. today, a decision that could ultimately allow Comcast Corp., Philadelphia, to buy the entire theme park, film, and television company, Bloomberg News reported. The remaining 80 percent stake is owned by General Electric Co. If the deal were consummated, Comcast would own 51 percent of the new private corporate entity and GE would own 49 percent. - Inquirer staff

Emergent shares suspended

King of Prussia's Emergent Health Corp. said it was working to clarify questions about the issuance and trading of its stock that led the Securities and Exchange Commission to order a trading suspension in its shares Sept. 30. The suspension was to last through 11:59 p.m. yesterday. Emergent also said it appointed Richard S. Lane, a lawyer, to its board to assist in corporate compliance. Emergent said Sept. 23 that it was considering a stock split because it believed "there will be a need for increased liquidity for its shares as well as a need to broaden its shareholder base." - Miriam Hill

Southwest to change routes

Southwest Airlines Co. said it would cut one route from Philadelphia to Austin, Texas, and cut one daily departure to Manchester, N.H., and to Providence, R.I. It will add a flight to Tampa, Fla., from Philadelphia in the spring, going from three to four daily nonstop flights. The new schedule covers March 14 through May 7, 2010, and flights can be booked now. - Linda Loyd

Unit closes on $75M funding facility

Marlin Business Services Corp., a Marlton equipment-leasing firm, said a subsidiary had closed on a $75 million, three-year committed-funding facility with Wells Fargo Foothill, part of Wells Fargo & Co. Marlin said the money would be used for business expansion. - Harold Brubaker

Pep Boys acquiring Fla. Tire

The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack, Philadelphia, said it agreed to acquire Florida Tire Inc. for $4.4 million. Florida Tire, with 10 locations in Orlando, is expected to generate annual sales of $14 million and help Pep Boys' earnings in the first year of operations. - AP

Elsewhere

Supreme Court to take Enron case

The Supreme Court said it would take up former Enron chief executive officer Jeffrey Skilling's appeal of his convictions for his role in the collapse of the Texas energy giant. Skilling's appeal stems from his convictions in 2006 on 19 counts of conspiracy, securities fraud, insider trading, and lying to auditors involving the 2001 collapse of Enron. He contends prosecutors did not show that he personally benefited from his allegedly fraudulent actions. - AP

Bank giving up Merrill documents

Bank of America Corp. said it would release relevant information about confidential advice it got from its lawyers about its purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. on Jan. 1, reversing it previous position. The bank laid out its new stance in a letter it sent Monday to New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who released it yesterday. - Bloomberg News

Ford expands vehicle recall

Ford Motor Co. expanded its biggest recall by about 4.5 million vehicles because of a faulty cruise-control switch that may cause fires. The voluntary recall affects models of vans and trucks including Windstars, Rangers, and Explorers, according to a notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Web site. Ford had recalled 9.8 million vehicles, beginning in 1999, because of the same defect, said a Ford spokesman. - Bloomberg News

Bloomberg to buy BusinessWeek

Bloomberg L.P. is buying BusinessWeek magazine in a deal that brings together a financial news service specializing in rapid updates with a print publication struggling to adapt to the Internet. Terms were not disclosed. The sale would end BusinessWeek's 80-year run as part of the McGraw-Hill Cos. Inc. - AP

Sidekick data might be restored

T-Mobile USA Inc. said customers of its Sidekick phone, whose contacts and calendars were deleted after a server disruption this month, may be able to get their information back. T-Mobile said it was hopeful that data would be restored for most subscribers. Customers who have lost personal content will get a $100 credit for T-Mobile products and services, and a free month of data service, the company said. - Bloomberg News

AIG asked not to pay some bonuses

The Obama administration's pay czar has asked American International Group Inc. to withhold some of the millions in bonuses promised to its employees. Kenneth Feinberg, the special master for executive compensation, "has informally advised AIG not to pay the full $198 million" employees expect to receive, according to a report from the special inspector general overseeing the $700 billion financial bailout. - AP

CIT Group says CEO plans to resign

CIT Group Inc., a major business lender that has been devastated by the downturn in the credit markets, said its chairman and chief executive officer would resign at the end of the year. CEO Jeffrey M. Peek is stepping down as CIT continues restructuring efforts to try to avoid bankruptcy. Its shares fell 12 cents, or 11.5 percent, to close at 92 cents. - AP

Colo. minimum wage to drop

Colorado will become the first state to reduce its minimum wage because of a falling cost of living. The state Department of Labor and Employment ordered the wage down to $7.24 from $7.28. Colorado is one of 10 states where the minimum wage is tied to inflation. The indexing is thought to protect low-wage workers from having flat wages as the cost of living goes up. But Colorado's provision also allows wage declines. - AP

Rates mixed on T-bills

The Treasury Department auctioned $30 billion in six-month Treasury bills at a discount rate of 0.150 percent, unchanged from last week. The rate for three-month bills dropped to 0.070 percent, down from 0.075 percent last week. The discount rates reflect that the Treasury bills sell for less than face value. For a $10,000 bill, the three-month price was $9,998.23, while a six-month bill sold for $9,992.42. - AP