Some news items for you this morning...

Unless you were under a rock or the victim of an alien abduction yesterday, you already know about the Dow's historic plunge after the U.S. House rejected the proposed bailout plan. The drop took out $1.2 billion in value from the market. Now lawmakers are back to square one on plans to fix the financial crisis.

Despite a freeze in the global credit market, some Utah banks are still lending. But it's very hard to get a loan. Some residential and industrual projects are in "pause mode," while others are finding it difficult to get a loan or mortgage without a good credit history.

Another bank is no more due to the current market crisis, as Citigroup scooped up the remains of Wachovia for $2.2 billion. Citigroup will acquire Wachovia's $600 billion in deposits.

If you're looking for a silver lining in the current mess, oil prices are still falling due to the unrest. Crude prices are under $100 as investors fear the global economic situation will reduce demand for oil.

A judge has ordered Hexion Specialty Chemicals to honor it's $6.5 billion buyout of Huntsman Corp. The judge says Hexion had no grounds to back out of the deal. If Hexion doesn't honor the judge's order, Huntsman officials say they'll seek $3 billion in damages.