News Summary (BP, BAC, SBUX, KFT, NSRGY)

BP BP gas station owners in the US are trying to convince the company to change the brand on their gas stations to "Amoco." With the change in brand, they hope to avoid the public backlash from the spill. Countrywide Financial, a part of Bank of America BAC, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle several class-action lawsuits. In these lawsuits, the company has been accused of hiding risks at the time it was loosening its standards for loans during the housing boom. This settlement by Countrywide is the largest ever payout made from the mortgage meltdown. Starbucks SBUX has said global sales of its Via Ready Brew have touched the $100 million mark within ten months of its debut. The company now plans to expand the sales of the brand to China within the next year. This will help turn Via into a billion dollar business. Via is directly competing with Nescafe of Nestle NSRGY and Sanka of Kraft KFT. Read more from Benzinga's Company news.