Business Highlights

Banks eye higher fees to boost declining revenue

NEW YORK (AP) — Big banks facing big drops in revenue are looking to Main Street to make up the difference.

Checking accounts, bank statements, even popping into your local bank branch could carry a hefty cost as the nation's mega-banks scramble to offset expected damage from the sweeping financial overhaul. The uncertain future has overshadowed otherwise strong second-quarter earnings at JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp.

All three companies beat expectations this week with profitable results. Yet their stocks tumbled, helping send the wider market sharply lower Friday.

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Less-confident consumers could stall recovery

WASHINGTON (AP) — A report released Friday showed that consumer confidence fell in July to its lowest point in nearly a year. A volatile stock market, near-double-digit unemployment, lackluster wage gains and a stalled housing market have raised fears that the recovery is on the verge of stalling.

Americans reacted by clamping down on their spending in May and June. Many cut back after the stock market lost about 10 percent of its value over the past three months, as Europe's debt crisis shook Wall Street. The resulting loss of household wealth has left many Americans less inclined to spend.

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Stocks drop on weak consumer sentiment, bank earns

NEW YORK (AP) — Investors are finding disappointment everywhere and taking out their frustration on stocks.

Stocks slumped Friday after banks' second-quarter earnings fell short of expectations and a new survey found that consumers are becoming more pessimistic. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 261 points, and all the major market indexes dropped more than 2.5 percent. Interest rates fell in the Treasury market as investors once again sought the safety of government securities.

For the week, the Dow is down 1 percent, the S&P 500 is down 1.2 percent, and the Nasdaq is down 0.8 percent.