AP - Banks have stepped up their actions against homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments, setting the stage for a fresh wave of foreclosures.

Attendees of Microsoft’s BUILD developer conference got a surprise Wednesday during a talk on cloud servers. Company chief executive Steve Ballmer made an unannounced appearance to tell them that 500,000 people have already downloaded Windows 8.

Despite being thrilled about the early interest in the product, the exec was careful to say that the system still had a long way to go, reported All Things Digital’s Ina Fried.

Reuters - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Wednesday urged European leaders to act more forcefully to solve Europe's escalating debt crisis and said they have the financial and economic capacity to do so.

Forty-four percent of directors reported relying on the CEO to manage risk, while one third of respondents listed the CFO.

Robert Monks recently told the International Corporate Governance Conference that the losses shareholders incurred during the economic crisis prove investors must be more assertive in exerting their ownership over corporations.

Shareholders rejected executive compensation at 37 companies, or less than 1.3 percent of the companies that held votes before Sept. 3 this year.

The Justice Department is investigating whether eBay wrongfully used confidential information from Craigslist in building its own classifieds site.

British politicians recalled James Murdoch for questioning after two NewsCorp employees contradicted his claims of innocence.

Staples' board has authorized a $1.5 billion share buyback plan.

Morgan Stanley says Apple is "more likely than ever" to pay shareholders dividends or offer stock buybacks.

Dell has designated $5 billion for stock repurchases, in addition to the $2.16 billion remaining from previous buyback plans.

Despite continued demand, airlines such as Delta Air, Southwest Airlines and United Continental plan to maintain or decrease capacity.

One secret to Richard "Ted" Weschler's success is that he reads a lot of annual reports, just like Warren Buffett.

European leaders closed ranks on Tuesday to insist that Greece will not default on its bonds, trying to quell speculation that divisions within the euro area are becoming irreparable.

Speaking in Washington, Christine Lagarde, the International Monetary Fund’s managing director, said she was “very, very hopeful” that Greece can stick to the plan laid out under a bailout agreement with the IMF and other European countries. The IMF this month broke off talks with Greece over budget cuts and other measures required for the IMF to release the next installment of loans to the country.

Boston Scientific said it has hired a top Johnson & Johnson executive to succeed Chief Executive Ray Elliott, who previously disclosed his plan to retire.