Banks borrow more, investment firms less from Fed (Washington Post)

WASHINGTON -- Commercial banks borrowed more, while investment firms drew less over the past week from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program.

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Barclays Hires 10 People for Japan Investment Banking (Update2) (Bloomberg)

Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Barclays Plc hired 10 people in Japan, including former bankers at Nomura Holdings Inc. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., boosting its local business even as other foreign investment banks cut back.

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Publicly Held Investment Firms See Stock Boost in 2009 (New York Times)

For publicly held buyout firms and hedge funds, the new year seems to have brought a positive fresh start to their stock prices. As of Thursday morning, shares in Fortress Investment Group , the Blackstone Group and GLG Partners are up by double-digit percentages.

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Barclays Hires 10 Staff for Japan Investment Banking (Update1) (Bloomberg)

Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Barclays Plc , the U.K.’s third biggest bank, said it hired 10 staff, including former bankers at Nomura Holdings Inc. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., to expand its investment banking business in Japan.

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Kuwaiti investment bank in default (International Herald Tribune)

Global Investment House was the first of several expected casualties among Kuwaiti financial companies because of the global credit crunch.

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SEC Charges Pa. Investment Manager in $50 Million Ponzi Scheme (Law.com)

The SEC has accused a Philadelphia-area investment manager of a Ponzi scheme that swindled some $50 million from as many as 80 investors. Investigators say Joseph Forte admits he used as much as $20 million in investor funds to repay other clients and withdrew up to $12 million in so-called fees for himself. Account statements given to Forte's investors show he actually pocketed $28 million. The ...

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George Gund Foundation to cut donations to agencies after investment losses (The Cleveland Plain Dealer)

The George Gund Foundation announced Thursday it is likely to hand out less money to social-service and community agencies this year because its investment portfolio has lost about $200 million. Gund, which has seen its assets drop below $400 million,...

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