Ally Financial Inc., the government-owned auto lender, will pay $201 million in dividends on preferred stock, including $134 million to the U.S. Treasury Department.

AT&T is introducing a new type of family plan option that comes with as much as a four-fold increase in its fees for data services.

of ZAWYA DOW JONES DUBAI (Zawya Dow Jones)--The central bank of the United Arab Emirates is looking for an international bank to replace Barclays PLC (BCS) on the 12-lender panel that sets benchmark interbank interest rates in the country, but may face difficulties in finding a suitable candidate,

The risk of another wave of global food price inflation is growing fast, Barclays plc (BCS) said Wednesday, as U.S. grains and soybeans prices trade within touching distance of all-time highs, due to the nation's worst drought in 56 years, which is massively reducing harvest expectations.

U.S. home building rose in June to the highest level in nearly four years, confirming that the housing market has finally started to boost the struggling economy after a prolonged bust.

Data storage equipment maker EMC Corp's move to replace the CEO of its software unit VMware Inc underlined the unit's rising importance in EMC's growth story, analysts said.

German utility RWE AG (RWE.XE) said Wednesday it has signed an agreement on the sale of its minority stake in a water utility to the city state of Berlin for 618 million euros ($759 million).

Trading in crude oil was choppy Wednesday morning ahead of the release of U.S. oil-inventory data and before the latest round of congressional testimony by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

There was one stock that gapped down today with an opening price significantly lower than the previous trading day's close: Harte-Hanks (NYSE:HHS) opened at $8.07, gapping down from its previous close of $9.25.

Grainger Inc. shares popped up over 8% in early trade Wedensday after second-quarter earnings beat analyst expectations, making it the third largest gainer on the S&P 500 .