Delta prepares order for 100 Boeing jetsDelta Air Lines Inc. plans to order 100 Boeing 737 single-aisle jets, a rebuff to Airbus SAS, as Delta refreshes its fleet with planes valued at $8.58 billion, two people familiar with the matter said. Directors at Atlanta-based Delta will vote this week on the purchase of the 737-900 extended-range model, said one of the people, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly. A decision on buying smaller narrow-body jets, such as Bombardier Inc.'s CSeries, has been delayed past this week, three people said. Winning the Delta deal is a boost for Boeing Co., which lost its exclusive ties to American Airlines July 20 as that carrier divided a 460-plane order between the U.S. company and Toulouse, France-based Airbus. Delta had flown only Boeing jets until adding hundreds of Airbus planes by buying Northwest Airlines in 2008.
Bank of America to pay $5 million fineBank of America Corp.'s credit card unit agreed to pay $5 million and suspend arbitrations of consumer debt collections in California for two years to settle San Francisco's lawsuit over its collection practices. The agreement, filed Monday in state court in San Francisco, resolves a 2008 lawsuit alleging that Bank of America's FIA Card Services unit used an arbitration service that was biased in favor of the bank and against consumers. The National Arbitration Forum Inc., based in Minneapolis, employed unfair business practices while administering arbitrations for consumers who owed credit-card debt to the unit, according to the lawsuit.
Skype buys GroupMe messaging serviceSkype is expanding even before it gets absorbed by Microsoft Corp. The online communications service said Monday that it plans to buy GroupMe, which provides group text messaging. Privately held Skype, which did not say how much it will pay for GroupMe, is itself being bought by Microsoft for $8.5 billion.
Percentage of home loans in arrears risesThe percentage of homeowners who have missed at least one mortgage payment has risen for the second straight quarter, the Mortgage Bankers Association says. The second-quarter delinquency rate for loans on one- to four-unit residential properties increased to 8.44 percent of all U.S. mortgages as of June 30, up from 8.32 percent on March 31 and 8.25 percent on Dec 31.
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