AP - American International Group Inc. will receive a termination fee of $230.6 million if the sale of its Asian life insurance business to Britain's Prudential PLC falls through.

AP - Consumer borrowing broke a record stretch of declines with a small increase in January as a boost in auto loans offset continued weakness in credit card borrowing.

Reuters - Total U.S. consumer credit rose $4.96 billion in January, its first rise in a year and the largest for any month since mid-2008, Federal Reserve data showed on Friday.

AFP - Borrowings by Americans rose for the first time in a year in January, the Federal Reserve said Friday in a sign that the US economic recovery is on track.

AP - The Treasury Department was forced Friday to reiterate its financial support for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after a key lawmaker rattled investors by pointing out that their debt does not enjoy the explicit guarantee of the federal government.

Reuters - Stocks jumped and the Nasdaq hit an 18-month closing high on Friday as U.S. employers cut fewer jobs than expected last month and consumers showed signs of shedding their penny-pinching ways.

AP - BORROWING UP: Consumer credit rose by $4.96 billion in January, breaking a record string of 11 consecutive declines.

AP - A key lawmaker is working with banks, regulators and the Obama administration on a new way to boost the government's struggling foreclosure prevention effort by encouraging banks to reduce the total amount borrowers owe.

Reuters - Sentiment of U.S. households in the top fifth of the income distribution improved in early 2010 compared with 2009, but worries over personal finances persist, a survey showed on Friday.

BusinessWeek - In Mint.com's creation story, as recounted on its Web site, founder Aaron Patzer started the free online personal finance service after a tedious session with Intuit's (NasdaqGS:INTU - News) Quicken budgeting software in 2005. It's a measure of Mint's success that any new complaints about Quicken should now be directed to Patzer himself. Tired of getting its clock cleaned by Mint, Intuit bought the site in 2009 and put Patzer in charge of its entire consumer finance operation. He must figure out how all the pieces will fit together -- while rejuvenating Intuit's aged Quicken franchise.