BRIEFCASE HOUSEHOLD SETTLES LENDING LAWSUIT.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Reports

DES MOINES, Iowa - All 50 states and the District of Colombia have given final approval to a $484 million settlement with Household International, a lending company which is accused of duping tens of thousands of poor home buyers with hidden and unnecessary costs.

Overall, it is the largest restitution amount in a state or federal consumer case, said Tom Miller, Iowa Attorney General and lead prosecutor in the case.

A preliminary agreement of the settlement was reached in October after officials from 19 states and Washington, D.C., accused the company of misrepresenting loan terms and keeping cost information from home buyers. Many borrowers lost their homes or nearly lost them because their monthly payments were higher than expected, the officials alleged.

In the preliminary settlement, Household did not admit to wrongdoing, but apologized and agreed to new lending practices and better monitoring of real estate loans.

United working out bankruptcy

CHICAGO - United Airlines' unions met with their advisers Monday to review the bankrupt carrier's proposal for severe cuts, which one union said would more than double the previous targeted concessions.

The flight attendants' union told its members that at the demand of the lenders who are enabling United to keep flying in bankruptcy, the carrier is seeking to slash labor costs by $2.4 billion annually within the next two months. That compares with approximately $1 billion in yearly cuts that unions agreed to this fall as part of United's failed bid for a government loan guarantee.

Blue light fades on stock market

Kmart's shares will stop trading on the New York Stock Exchange before the markets open Thursday, another symbol of dimming fortunes at the company that gave Americans the Blue Light special.

While the stock exchange's announcement Monday was expected, the delisting is another blow for the 103-year-old discounter in the months since Kmart filed the largest retail bankruptcy in history.

The company sought Chapter 11 protection from its creditors on Jan. 22. Since filing for bankruptcy, Kmart's stock has spiraled below a dollar and closed Monday at 58 cents, up a penny or 1.75 percent from Friday's close.

Money firms make deals for clients

Millions of Mexican immigrants who sent money back home soon will be able to receive modest discounts from wire-transfer companies that were accused of hiding fees for the transactions.

Class-action suits against the companies - Western Union, its subsidiary Orlandi Valuta, and MoneyGram - alleged they collected hidden charges for years from customers sending money from the United States to Mexico. The companies also were accused of failing to clearly disclose the charges in their advertising.

The suits were settled two years ago, but a final round of legal wrangling delayed some claims. Forms are now being mailed out, a process that will play out over the next month.

Those who sign the forms will get a choice of two $4.25-coupons or one $6-coupon for each transaction between 1993 and 1999. Customers can receive another coupon for every 10 transactions conducted before then.