BUSINESS

If valuers “get it wrong” they will often find themselves being sued by Lenders Mortgage Insurance companies who may be out of pocket after selling a property to recover funds lent on a loan that went bad.

Virgin Australia has announced plans for additional capacity over the next two weeks, adding 64 domestic services to meet increased demand.

In recent months, direct lender MyRate Home Loans has seen a number of valuations coming in below borrower expectations, and in some cases, they even come in lower than the purchase price paid only weeks earlier.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is in a position to give the Australian retail sector the Christmas present it’s been asking for, a cash rate cut next week, according to the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) . The comments come after the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released consumer price index (CPI) for the September quarter, showing a slow in inflation.

Benchmark spot iron-ore prices crashed deeply on Tuesday to its lowest level since July 2010 by a substantial 7.2 per cent fall - the biggest one-day drop in more than 26 months - to $128.50 a tonne. For over six weeks now, iron ore prices have been falling by more than 30 per cent.

Beginning next week some patients in South Australian hospitals will have bedside touch screen computers under a $36.7 million deal between Telstra and the medical institutions.

Intel is working with suppliers and manufacturers to bring down production cost for ultrabooks and make the price of the thin and light notebooks lower than Apple's MacBooks and various tablet PCs.

Australia’s bestselling sedan, the Holden Commodore, will soon meet its fiercest competitor yet by November though the local carmaker surprisingly remains unperturbed by the prospect.

Millions of mobile phone owners pampered for years by numerous Nokia model handsets could soon expect the release of new smartphones from the Finnish firm powered by Microsoft’s mobile platform, reports said.

Vector, the operator of the natural gas pipeline in New Zealand's North Island, reported a rupture on its Maui pipes. The rupture happened at a considerable distance south of New Zealand Steel's Glenbrook and Taharoa operations.

Gold futures hit $1,700 an ounce on Wednesday after reaching almost 3 per cent in the previous session as investors and global markets await results if the eurozone leaders can indeed come up with a credible plan to end the euro zone debt crisis at a summit later in the day

Alkane Resources (ASX: ALK) has committed 100 per cent the niobium production of its Dubbo Zirconia Project (DZP) in central west New South Wales (NSW) to a joint venture (JV) with a European firm.

Copper futures' strong two-day rally faced yet again a blank wall as hopes that Eurozone leaders will meet Wednesday to discuss and plan for a strategic action to curb Europe's debt crisis was cancelled at the last minute.

- ResMed quarterly falls short on flow generator sales- Company exiting less profitable market segments- Stockbrokers cautious as move may impact on top line growth- Opinions on ResMed remain dividedBy Chris ShawSleep disorder group ResMed ((RMD)) lifted 4Q sales by 12% to US$315 million but this re...

ArcelorMittal has decided to pull out from its joint venture with U.S.-based Peabody Energy for Macarthur Coal after issues of management control arises.

Jeff Robbin, the man who worked on Apple's iconic iPod and changed the music industry with Apple's online music store and player iTunes, is now in charge of developing Apple's integrated television set.

About 48 per cent of home seekers in Australia are still set to buy a first home according to a new first time buyer survey by RAMS Home Loans.

AusGroup announced Tuesday its construction, integrated services and fabrication company AGC Industries has been chosen to construct a low grade pilot plant at the Rio Tinto-operated Brockman 4 mine site located in the Pilbara region, Western Australia.

Forgotten and unclaimed money amounting to AU$636 million is waiting for its rightful owners to follow simple step-by-step procedures to claim their money, says the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Through the MoneySmart website, the Aussies are encouraged to determine if any of the state governments has their money, and if so, lodge a claim.

TRUenergy is seeking development approval for two high-efficiency gas-fired power stations in Queensland to meet forecast increases in electricity demand in the state.

Funds manager Securcorp Ltd has delivered the final touches to its residential apartment project undertaken in the Townsville CBD, the $40 million Altitude in Walker Street.

- Oil market outlooks adjusted- NAB updates base metal price expectations- Stable thermal coal prices expected in coming monthsBy Chris ShawIn the view of Citi, the oil market at present continues to be torn between current fundamental strength in the market and macroeconomic-pessimism, as well as b...

Walter Isaacson's biography on the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is an unstinting view of what many claim to be the visionary of our age. "Steve Jobs" is a rare view of a deeply private man who inspired other and drove Apple to change the world.

Despite predictions of more strength on the local share market today, it appears fear and volatility remain at play. After a 2.7pct gain yesterday, the All Ordinaries Index (XAO) fell 25.9pts or 0.6pct today to 4287.7.

The Australian Beverages Council, representing the Australian non-alcoholic beverage industry, has criticised the recent US study attempting to link increased soda consumption with violence.

Apple very quietly upgraded its entire MacBook Pro lineup with faster processors and better internal storage but keeping previous prices. The upgrades come just in time to capitalize on the holiday buying season.

Despite the inconvenience suffered by Australian travelers because of the Qantas series of strikes, public opinion still appears to favor the unions that represent the air carrier's workers, instead of Qantas management.

Many Australians may be unaware that significant amount of their money are sitting idly and waiting to be claimed, according to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), which added that majority of these funds are either forgotten bank accounts or other financial assets.

Apple is insistent on closing all doors for rival Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 to enter Australia - even through online retailers.