Christmas in September? Retailers including Macy's and Target are getting a head start on what's expected to be a mediocre holiday shopping season. A reader of The Consumerist blog spotted a Merry Christmas countdown clock at one Target store. Macy's has also unpacked the tree lights and ornaments, the Associated Press reports.

Will AIG's loss be Travelers' gain? An analyst says St. Paul-based Travelers Companies and two other large insurers should reap benefits from AIG's failure, the Star Tribune's Gene Walden reports in his Minnesota Investor column. Travelers has maintained a flexibility and integrity that make it look solid compared to AIG.

Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich calls himself a "serial acquirer," and that has some wondering whether he's trying for another merger before his retirement, Reuters reports. The California-based bank merged with Minneapolis-based Norwest bank in 1998 and remains one of the state's largest employers. Its name continues to surface as a possible bidder for the strained Washington Mutual bank.

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