New Zealand’s Westpac bank commits second million-dollar blunder in just one month

October 8th, 2009 Dollar weaker after ECB holds rates steadyNEW YORK — The dollar remained lower versus the euro after the European Central Bank and Bank of England left interest rates unchanged Thursday. The euro had been up before the ECB's decision and didn't move much after Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the central bank, said the eurozone economy was "stabilizing and is expected to recover at a gradual pace." His comments also suggested the bank does not see a threat from inflation, while the recovery would be "uneven," signaling that interest-rate increases would probably not come any time soon.

October 7th, 2009 Dollar climbs ahead of ECB, BoE rate decisionsNEW YORK — The dollar edged higher against major currencies Wednesday as investors looked ahead to upcoming European Central Bank and Bank of England interest rate decisions on Thursday. The 16-nation euro slipped to $1.4666 in New York trading from $1.4710 late Tuesday, while the British pound fell to $1.5876 from $1.5911.

October 7th, 2009 Australian jobless rate posts surprising dropCANBERRA, Australia — Australia's unemployment rate surprisingly dropped to 5.7 percent in September, the government said Thursday, news that caused the Australian dollar to surge to a 14-month high. Economists had forecast a rise to 6 percent, but the Australian Bureau of Statistics said 40,600 new jobs were created last month.

October 1st, 2009 CEO of NC-based RBC Bank to retire next monthRALEIGH, N.C. — The chief executive of North Carolina-based RBC Bank is retiring.

September 8th, 2009 HONG KONG - A bank Wednesday marked its 150th anniversary in Hong Kong by launching what it claimed to be the world's first 150-dollar bank notes. Standard Chartered Plc, one of three note-issuing banks in the wealthy city of seven million, has printed 1 million of the 150-Hong-Kong-dollar notes, worth $19.35 each.

August 5th, 2009 TORONTO - The Canadian dollar - the only among the major global currencies - is on the rampage, reaching its highest level against the US dollar in 2009 Tuesday. The loonie, as the Canadian dollar is called, reached almost 94 cents US for the first time since October 2009, raising concern about its impact on the country's economic recovery.

August 4th, 2009 Euro slightly lower against dollarBERLIN — The euro took a breather against the dollar Tuesday, slipping back a little from gains it had made as economic optimism pushed down the U.S. currency. The British pound briefly hit a 10-month high.

August 3rd, 2009 TORONTO - The Canadian economy is yet to get back on the revival path and the runaway Canadian dollar is threatening to thwart any hopes of recovery. The loonie, as the Canadian dollar is called, has already reached 92.5 cents US after having sunk as low as 77 cents US in March this year.

July 25th, 2009 Regulators shut small bank in NYWASHINGTON — Regulators have shut Waterford Village Bank, a small bank in New York state, boosting to 58 the number of federally insured banks to fail this year. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

July 21st, 2009 Dollar edges up on Bernanke commentsNEW YORK — The dollar edged higher Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke assured investors that the central bank will be able to reel in its economic stimulus and prevent a flare up of inflation once a recovery is firmly rooted. The 16-nation euro slipped to $1.4195 from $1.4221 late Monday after trading near seven-month highs against the dollar as optimism about corporate earnings have fueled investors' appetite for risk.

July 2nd, 2009 SYDNEY - Tech Mahindra, the new owner of the troubled Indian IT services firm Satyam, has officially written to the World Bank seeking an end to the eight-year ban against Satyam Computer Services for allegedly providing improper benefits to bank staff. The company has rebranded itself as Mahindra Satyam.

June 29th, 2009 Dollar up after China says reserve policy 'stable'BEIJING — The dollar gained against the yen and euro on global markets Monday after China's chief central banker said there will be no sudden changes in its policy on foreign exchange reserves. "Our foreign exchange reserve policy is always quite stable.

June 4th, 2009 Canada keeps interest rate at record lowTORONTO — Canada's central bank is keeping its trendsetting interest rate unchanged at a historic low of 0.25 percent and says the rise of the Canadian dollar is threatening the country's economic recovery. The Bank of Canada reiterated Thursday its conditional commitment to hold the rate at a record low through June 2010.

June 3rd, 2009 Gold prices fall sharply as dollar reboundsNEW YORK — Gold prices have fallen sharply as the dollar rebounds against the euro and the British pound. The dollar's gains come ahead of Thursday's interest rate decisions from the European Central Bank and the Bank of England.

January 8th, 2009 TORONTO - Though prices of two main Canadian resources of oil and commodities continue to slip, the Canadian dollar has risen appreciably against the US dollar in the new year. Thanks to the weakening US dollar, the loonie - as the Canadian dollar is called - rose as high as 84.85 cents US, gaining 1.31 cents against the greenback Thursday.