Finance Chronicle

Campaign finance reform comes around every once in a while and if lawmakers at every level wanted to make real changes, they could, but don’t. Sometimes the solutions are easy but because the results affect them, they have a problem implementing any change.

The Massachusetts Senate approved a bill Tuesday allowing the city of Lawrence to float up to $35 million in municipal bonds to balance its budget after rejecting a GOP amendment to immediately place the city under a state-appointed finance control board.

NEW YORK — Shares of some top finance companies are up at 10 a.m.: Bank of America rose $.40 or 2.4 percent, to $17.20. Citigroup rose $.14 or 3.7 percent, to $3.96.

NEW YORK — Shares of some top finance companies are up at 10 a.m.: Bank of America rose $.40 or 2.4 percent, to $17.20. Citigroup rose $.14 or 3.7 percent, to $3.96. JPMorgan Chase rose $.57 or 1.3 percent, to $42.99.

Bahrain’s finance minister said adherence to strict Islamic rules helped his country escape the worst of the global recession.

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NEW YORK — Shares of some top finance companies were mixed at the close of trading: Bank of America rose $.06 or .4 percent, to $16.80.

Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou proposed on Tuesday a ban of derivative trading techniques which increase the debt costs of countries which struggle to cut their deficits, such as Greece.

GMAC , the onetime General Motors finance arm that was bailed out by the federal government, said on Tuesday that its chief financial officer, Robert S. Hull, will leave to pursue “another career opportunity.”

The chief financial officer of GMAC, the onetime General Motors finance arm that was bailed out by the government, is leaving the company for a job at the private equity firm Providence Equity Partners.