British ministers in talks with financier over possible rival bid for HBOS

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British ministers will hold talks with a leading Scottish businessman over a possible rival bid for mortgage lender HBOS, which has been hit hard by the subprime crisis, the government confirmed Saturday.

Consumers curb spending, deepening recession fears
Sharp falls in consumer spending in the United States and Germany deepened fears of a global recession as stock markets ended one of their most traumatic months in history with mixed results.