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WASHINGTON — The House voted Wednesday to immediately impose tough new rules for credit card companies after voters complained of increased interest rates and steep new fees. The bill, approved 331-92, would accelerate the enactment date of legislation passed this spring that limits when and how banks can charge borrowers. But a vote in the Senate was considered highly unlikely because of lingering concerns by many senators that the bill could restrict credit when Americans need it most.

WASHINGTON — JPMorgan Chase & Co. has agreed to a settlement worth more than $700 million over federal regulators’ charges that it made unlawful payments to friends of public officials to win municipal bond business in Jefferson County, Ala. The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday announced the settlement with JPMorgan, which canceled interest-rate swap contracts with the county worth $700 million in March.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Chrysler plans to overhaul its cars with technology from its new Italian partner, Fiat SpA, and says it has the cash to pay for it, helped by the U.S. government and lower costs. CEO Sergio Marchionne, who also runs Fiat, began unveiling Chrysler’s new five-year business plan Wednesday. The plan includes new vehicles for the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands. He said the troubled company’s cash has grown by nearly $2 billion since it exited bankruptcy protection in June, and its operations broke even in September because of savings from job cuts and factory closings.

CHICAGO — Advice about soft drinks and health from one of the nation’s largest doctors groups will soon be brought to you by Coke. The American Academy of Family Physicians has prompted an outcry and lost members over its new six-figure alliance with the Coca-Cola Co. The deal will fund educational materials about soft drinks for the academy’s consumer health and wellness Web site, www.FamilyDoctor.org.

CHICAGO — There’s talk of infighting among its founder’s heirs and a sluggish appetite for hotel reservations around the globe. But Hyatt Hotels Corp. still hopes investors will snap up shares in its initial public offering, expected this week. The deal, which could raise as much as $988 million, is leaving some with lingering questions about whether investors will feel confident enough to snatch up the 38 million shares of the iconic hotel chain.

NEW YORK — New York’s attorney general hit Intel Corp. with an antitrust lawsuit Wednesday, claiming the company used "illegal threats and collusion” to dominate the market for computer microprocessors. Following a similar case in Europe, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo claimed that the world’s biggest computer chip maker paid billions of dollars in kickbacks to computer manufacturers and retaliated against those that did too much business with Intel’s competitors, namely Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

NEW YORK — The U.S. service sector grew for a second straight month in October, but at a slower pace than in September, as a broad economic recovery creeps along. The Institute for Supply Management said Wednesday that its service index dipped to 50.6 last month from 50.9. Any reading above 50 signals growth. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had expected a 51.5 for the index that tracks the country’s hospitals, retailers, financial services companies and truckers. But new orders, an augur of future activity, rose to 55.6, from 54.2 in September.

NEW YORK — GMAC, the main lender for GM and Chrysler customers and dealers, reported another quarterly loss Wednesday as bad loans continued to haunt its mortgage unit. Though its third-quarter loss narrowed from a year ago and its auto lending division profited, the results indicate the GMAC still has work to do at its mortgage unit. GMAC Financial Services said its net loss was $767 million during the third quarter versus a loss of $2.52 billion last year.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

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