BRIEFCASE ID THEFT VICTIMS IN OHIO TO GET HELP.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

CHATSWORTH - The National Notary Association announced Tuesday that it has partnered with the state of Ohio to protect identity theft victims from greater financial damage.

With the program, victims in Ohio can input their signature and thumbprint into a police system to receive a document verifying their identity. Merchants can then use the document, called a ``passport,'' to recognize the bearer even if their other forms of identification have been compromised.

The program may be expanded to other states in the next few years.

Symantec shares drop 16% on news

SAN JOSE - Symantec Corp.'s reported interest in acquiring Veritas Software Corp. for more than $13 billion would represent the computer security giant's biggest step yet beyond its core businesses of defending against viruses and thwarting hackers. Investors weren't impressed, though, and Symantec's shares plunged 16 percent.

Symantec, best known for its Norton-branded security programs, has been on an acquisition binge that has extended its reach into security-related areas like intrusion detection, security management, battling spam and consulting.

But with Veritas, the leader in data storage and backup software, Symantec could broaden its reach to include data storage, backup and archiving software. All are elements of a sound network protection strategy, but such offerings are hardly purely security-related.

If a deal is reached, it would be one of the largest in the software industry's history. The New York Times on Tuesday reported talks have been ongoing for more than a month, and that a deal could be announced as early as this week, though some unresolved issues remain.

Fed's latest rate boost is 1/4-point

WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the fifth time since June on Tuesday and signaled it was likely to keep pushing them higher at a ``measured'' pace in the new year.

The latest quarter-point increase raised the federal funds rate, the interest that banks charge each other, to 2.25 percent, more than double the 46-year low of 1 percent in effect when the Fed kicked off its credit- tightening campaign six months ago.

U.S. trade deficit biggest on record

WASHINGTON - America's trade deficit swelled to an all-time high of $55.5 billion in October as imports - including those from China - surged to the loftiest levels on record. Skyrocketing crude-oil prices also contributed to the yawning trade gap.

The latest snapshot of trade activity, reported by the Commerce Department on Tuesday, showed the country's trade imbalance widening by a sizable 8.9 percent in October from the previous month - despite the fact that U.S. exports registered their best month on record.

The growth in imports, however, dwarfed the pace of exports in October, producing another bloated trade gap. The trade deficit was much bigger than the $52.4 billion imbalance economists were forecasting.