Reuters - Britain's Prudential confirmed it is in advanced talks to buy the Asian arm of AIG in a deal that would make the insurer the undisputed leader in one of the world's fastest-growing financial services markets.

AP - Small business owners who compile their own income tax returns can find themselves falling into some common quicksand pits. The mistakes can be costly if they raise a company's tax bill unnecessarily or subject it to penalties and interest in the future.

The Motley Fool - Warren Buffett described Berkshire Hathaway's (NYSE: BRK-A - News; NYSE:BRK-B - News) acquisition of Burlington National Railroad as a long-term bet on the American economy. In his book The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, author Joel Kotkin presents data that supports Buffett's thesis, arguing that despite its current economic woes, the U.S. will remain an economic powerhouse over the next four decades.

AP - BORROWING UP: Consumer credit rose by $4.96 billion in January, breaking a record string of 11 consecutive declines.

AFP - US life insurance giant MetLife said on Monday it will acquire American International Group unit American Life Insurance company (ALICO) in a deal worth 15.5 billion dollars.

The Motley Fool - The first Friday of every month brings the all-important employment report. February's numbers were better than anticipated. The United States lost only 36,000 jobs, versus the 68,000 that experts expected. This compares with 651,000 jobs lost in February 2009. Still, the unemployment rate held steady at 9.7%, with the unofficial rate stuck around a whopping 16%.

Reuters - U.S. mortgage foreclosure filings dropped for a second straight month in February, and notched the smallest annual increase in four years as housing-rescue efforts contained activity, a report released on Thursday showed.

Reuters - House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday the final version of a broad healthcare overhaul would include a revamp of the student loan program but not a government-run health insurance option.

The Motley Fool - The Nasdaq 100, a tech-heavy index, finished last week up 1.89% to close at 1,924.43. Techs are rallying at a notable time: Wednesday marked the 10-year anniversary of the bursting of the dot-com bubble.

The Motley Fool - Just like the chocolate purist in those old ads who protested the delectable combination, coal investors protested CONSOL Energy's (NYSE: CNX - News) deeper dip into natural gas Monday with a 10% sell-off, dropping shares beneath $49 apiece. Although swallowing fossil fuels is never a good idea, investors may wish to 'taste' this unique combination of fuels before protesting themselves.

Reuters - Korea Life Insurance Co (088350.KS) shares closed up 8 percent in heavy trading on their debut on Wednesday, signaling keen demand ahead of bigger rival Samsung Life's planned $4 billion IPO in May.

The Motley Fool - If you're a fan of Austin-based Stratfor, the highly regarded global intelligence firm, as I am, you'll likely have an interest in a report put out recently by the firm's founder and CEO George Friedman entitled 'Thinking About the Unthinkable: A U.S.-Iranian Deal.'

U.S. News & World Report - Today's guest post is from The Digerati Life, a personal finance site that offers ideas and resources on saving money, investing and money management.

AP - The PMI Group Inc. on Tuesday said its main subsidiary received approval from Freddie Mac to be a direct issuer of mortgage guaranty insurance. Its shares climbed almost 17 percent.

U.S. News & World Report - Buried deep in the controversial healthcare bill are provisions that promise to make big changes to the student loan industry. The reforms were passed by the House and now await Senate passage and the president's signature. Because the provisions require only a simple majority, lobbyists said they had a good chance of becoming law.

Reuters - Serious delinquencies among U.S. mortgages jumped in the fourth quarter from the previous quarter, led by a sharp increase in serious delinquencies by the most creditworthy borrowers, U.S. banking regulators said on Thursday.

The Motley Fool - If you're not growing, you're dying, according to more than a few investment theorists. That's one reason so many investors are preoccupied with growth, particularly when it comes to countries. No measure of aggregate growth garners more attention than gross domestic product, but we don't want just any GDP growth, we want the right amount of growth.

AP - President Barack Obama told Americans on Saturday his student loan overhaul should help drive college graduation rates back to the top worldwide and save money in the process.

AP - The National Association of Mortgage Brokers spent $425,000 in the fourth quarter to lobby the federal government on housing and other issues, according to a disclosure report.

AP - Real estate investment trust Health Care REIT Inc. said Tuesday it has priced an offering of $300 million of senior unsecured notes.

The Motley Fool - Do you remember when Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - News) didn't have any competition? It's hard to believe such a time existed. Those were the good old days for Mr. Softy, but they're gone now -- and the company's feeling the heat from all sides.