Benefits Manager

United Continental Holdings Inc. said on Thursday that it will issue notes to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. under a series of payouts that could eventually total $500 million.

Echoing President Barack Obama's warning, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says Social Security payments would stop if there is no deal to raise the government's borrowing limit by Aug. 2.

Until recently, the Minneapolis-based discounter largely had avoided the labor disputes and public relations challenges that have plagued Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer. But now Target could face the same union opposition as its much bigger rival.

With time running short to keep the NFL's preseason completely intact, owners and player representatives met Thursday at a Manhattan law firm to try and overcome the remaining obstacles to ending the fourth-month-long lockout.

Fewer people sought unemployment benefits last week, an encouraging sign the job market may be slowly improving.

As companies battle strained budgets during the recession, more and more are offering innovative perks to keep employees engaged, particularly as traditional employee benefit costs continue to rise.

Think back four months to that disappointing day in March when the NFL lockout began. The general opinion was the owners and players would reach a new labor agreement long before training camps opened.

Hope dimming for a broad debt-limit deal, Congress and the White House scrambled Wednesday to salvage deficit-reduction talks while top congressional Republicans said the nation cannot afford to default on its obligations — for economic reasons and their party's own good.