An industry group says a record 9.2 percent of American homeowners with a mortgage were either behind on their payments or in foreclosure at the end of June, as damage from the housing crisis continues to mount.

As part of its new $300 million marketing campaign and image makeover, Microsoft Corp. plans to deploy its own customer-service representatives at retailers like Best Buy and Circuit City to help people with their PC purchases.

Federal aviation officials said Friday they are investigating 17 cases in which 11 air carriers did not comply with government safety directives. The FAA has been under fire from members of Congress who say it hastreated the airlines it oversees

Target says August same-store sales fell 2.1 percent as consumers shopped cautiously, mainly for essentials like food.

The Food and Drug Administration ordered stronger warnings Thursday on four medications widely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other serious illnesses, saying they can raise the risk of possibly fatal fungal infections.

Sony Corp. is recalling 440,000 Vaio laptop computers worldwide because of a wiring flaw that could cause overheating. Sony has received 209 reports of overheating worldwide, including seven cases in which people received minor burns.