Federal officials say they engineered the rescue of Bear Stearns because its failure could have undermined the nation's financial system. But if you're a client of Bear or another tottering brokerage, you likely have a more mundane matter on your mind: Is your money safe?

NEW YORK -- Merrill Lynch & Co., the world's largest brokerage, on Thursday said it would cut another 3,000 jobs after more than $6.5 billion of fresh write-downs pushed it to a loss for the first quarter.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose on Thursday after a brokerage upgrade of chip makers lifted technology stocks and on optimism that poor March sales may have been the low point for retailers this year.

Investors gain hope after Standard & Poor's says the end of big bank and brokerage write-downs of sub-prime bonds may be in sight. The Dow, which skidded 235 points, finishes up 36 to 12,145. The stock market closed higher Thursday after a steep morning slide, as hopes were again raised that the bottom might be near in the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Citigroup said on Tuesday it would merge its brokerage and investment banking units in Japan, as the faltering U.S. bank looks to bulk up in the world's second-largest economy, despite cutbacks elsewhere.

Century 21 Real Estate has been sued by a Silicon Valley firm that contends the national company allowed a brokerage in San Jose to tarnish the brand name, damaging other local franchises.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks dropped sharply on Thursday as data showing a plunge in regional factory activity and news of a hefty loss by brokerage Merrill Lynch fanned worries about the economy.

NEW YORK -- Merrill Lynch & Co. on Thursday recorded its biggest quarterly loss since being founded 94 years ago after the world's largest brokerage took almost $15 billion worth of write-downs from bad subprime mortgage bets.

The likelihood of a bankruptcy filing is gauged at 15%. The online brokerage says it's well-capitalized. Could the sub-prime mortgage crisis push a large online brokerage into bankruptcy?

AUGUST HOUSE INVENTORY A report from real estate brokerage Movoto shows inventory of homes for sale by county as of Aug.