BANGALORE (Reuters) - Wachovia Corp (WB.N) ousted its chief executive, following growing legal troubles and loan losses tied to the purchase of a big mortgage lender just before the housing market imploded.

LOS ANGELES -- Countrywide Financial Corp. said Tuesday it lost $893 million in the first quarter, as rising loan defaults amid a deepening housing downturn forced the nation's largest mortgage lender and servicer to sharply increase its provision for loan losses and book other credit-related charges.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Wells Fargo & Co.'s first-quarter profit fell 11 percent as the nation's fifth-largest bank wrestled with rising loan losses and braced for more trouble ahead.

SEATTLE -- Washington Mutual Inc. secured $7 billion in new capital Tuesday, an injection that is aimed at reviving the company despite ballooning loan losses but which may also push it to rethink its strategy, slim down and revamp the management.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), the largest U.S. retail bank, may set aside a record $6.5 billion in the first quarter to cover possible future loan losses, including in its mortgage and home equity portfolios, according to a banking analyst.

The mortgage crisis and meltdown in the housing market led to significant increases in loan delinquencies and reserves for loan losses for California state-charted commercial banks and credit unions, according to a quarterly report for the fourth quarter from the California Department of Financial Institutions.

The mortgage crisis and meltdown in the housing market led to significant increases in loan delinquencies and reserves for loan losses for California state-charted commercial banks and credit unions, according to a quarterly report for the fourth quarter from the California Department of Financial Institutions.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. banks and thrifts set aside record amounts of money last year in anticipation of higher loan losses, driving down their earnings, as the housing and credit markets soured, U.S. regulators said on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - American Express Co (AXP.N) and Capital One Financial Corp (COF.N), the largest independent U.S. credit card companies, projected profits below analyst forecasts on Thursday, citing mounting consumer loan losses as the U.S. economy slows.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - American Express Co (AXP.N) and Capital One Financial Corp (COF.N), the largest independent U.S. credit card companies, projected profits below analyst forecasts on Thursday, citing mounting consumer loan losses as the U.S. economy slows.