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Out of 1,273 whistleblowing complaints filed with the United States Department of Labor since 2002, only 17 have had a favorable ruling and 841 have bee dismissed. A large number of dismissals were made because whistleblowing employees worked at a company subsidiary, and the Department of Labor maintains that the whistleblower provision, part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, does not cover company subsidiaries.

Despite state laws that require companies to tell their customers when credit card information is stolen, prosecutors reported last week that over 40 million numbers had been stolen from nine retailers. Just four of those nine companies told their customers about the theft.

The country's credit and housing woes have given rise to a new scam. Borrowers who are unable to obtain a loan through regular channels are being victimized by companies offering loans, but which require 'advance fees' for costs and insurance. The applicant is then told after the fees have been received that the loan was not approved. The company keeps the money.

Peter Lynch, advisor to Fidelity Investments, has settled a case with the Securities and Exchange Commission in which he received gifts of tickets to sold-out sporting events. Fidelity will pay a penalty of $8 million. Lynch denied any wrongdoing.

Fighting to control spiraling health care costs, many states are now asking citizens to purchase long-term health care insurance for possible future nursing-home care. Many the premiums costly and an unnecessary expense.

State Street Corp. has skirted the subprime loan crisis, reporting a 30% increase in 2007 revenue, earning $4.54 to $4.54 per share. The stock rose to a high of $86.46 in response.

Bank of America Corp.'s Columbia Management Co. and State Street Corp.'s State Street Global Advisors Inc. are making major changes to their investment teams, as they respond to the recent credit market downturn.

Bear Stearns Companies Inc. reports a fourth-quarter write-down of $1.2 billion related to mortgage-backed securities. It is also facing accusations by regulators in Massachusetts of improperly trading of mortgage-backed securities.

Although Fidelity Investments' current chairman and chief executive officer Edward C. Johnson III has no immediate plans to retire, succession-planning is ongoing, with daughter Abby Johnson, considered, although there are some who think her possibly too young and inexperienced for the posts. The possibility of separating the posts is also being considered.

Regulators in Massachusetts are investigating the possibility that Bear Stearns Companies Inc. improperly traded with two of its in-house funds during the summer. The funds collapsed, incurring additional losses for investors.

Unisystems Inc. has filed a class-action lawsuit against State Street Corp. over losses incurred in fixed-income funds. The suits alleges that bond funds classed as conservative by the company were invested in high risk instruments.

Fidelity Magellan Fund, once an industry loser, has made significant gains under the leadership of its new manager Harry Lange, surpassing 83% of other similar growth funds and ranking third in the management of stock-and-bond fund assets.

Fidelity Investments president of distributions and operations Ellyn McColgan, a highly-regarded rising star in the company, resigned suddenly, leaving questions of executive succession. Fidelity has had to deal with a rapidly decreasing market share and diminishing reputation over the last few years.

Fidelity Investments, like many other Texas firms, keeps cattle on land it owns in order to take advantage of tax exemptions offered under the state's property-tax laws.

PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P. will pay $225 million in a settlement of auditing malpractice claims as a result of the activities of Tyco International Ltd. executives. The settlement covers Tyco investors and Tyco itself.

CTW Investment Group, which claims to represent six million union members, will protest the elections of two board members of CVS Caremark Corp. in objection to the way the company was sold. They also allege the two directors, C.A. Lance Piccolo and Roger L. Headrick, were possibly involved in stock-option backdating.

Fidelity Investments is reorganizing its money-management unit, Fidelity Management and Research Co. and will expand the role of manager Ellyn McColgan.