If you have been reading my columns over the past year, you know I am very big on reading business books. September is like the beginning of a new year, because the summer is over and the kids are back in school. Many companies begin their fiscal years in September.

When I look for books to read, I basically stay away from the self-congratulating biographies of Fortune 500 CEOs and focus on books that will provide me with: new business concepts; new businesses; information on businesses I know nothing about; or information on accounting and legal issues that would affect my business.

I believe the following nine books will get your creative juices flowing and increase your knowledge of business.

Finding Foreclosures, by Danielle Babb and Bill Nazur. Although the Federal Reserve is lowering the interest rates, the number of people losing their homes is still growing quickly. There are tremendous opportunities for people who want to own real estate and have a long-term view of the real estate market.

Masters of Sales, by Ivan Misner and Don Morgan. Ivan Misner is the founder of Business Network

NEW YORK (AP) -- The nation's three largest banks said Monday they are teaming up to create a rescue fund of sorts -- potentially as large as $100 billion -- to help bail out troubled global credit markets.

Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp., and JPMorgan Chase & Co., at the prodding of the Treasury Department, will buy distressed debt from markets roiled during the summer's financial crisis. The joint effort is the result of more than a month of talks mediated by the government.

The plan is designed to inject more confidence into the market and increase investor appetite for the short-term debt known as commercial paper. The market for commercial paper, which is crucial for companies to fund short-term borrowing needs and which has historically been considered very safe, locked up this summer.

That followed a crisis in the mortgage industry, as people defaulted on their home loans at a skyrocketing rate. It caused a widespread aversion to risk and led the Federal Reserve to pump money into the financial system, though the latest plan relies more heavily on the banks themselves.

It was not known how much money would be put into the fund, but there have been reports it could be

NEW YORK (AP) -- Citigroup Inc.'s report of a 57 percent drop in third-quarter profit didn't surprise anyone. What did sound some alarms was the biggest U.S. bank's somber take on current conditions -- suggesting that a hoped-for industry rebound may not come so easily.

Investors responded by sending Citigroup's stock down more than 3 percent, and analysts made it clear that shareholders' displeasure with CEO and Chairman Charles Prince is escalating.

Citigroup took mortgage-backed security losses of $1.56 billion in the third quarter, more than the bank estimated two weeks ago, because home loan delinquencies accelerated in September, CFO Gary Crittenden said. And with consumer credit continuing to deteriorate, the bank's $2.24 billion boost in loan-loss provisions was also higher than previously estimated.

Though Prince said Oct. 1 he foresaw a more "normal" profit environment in the fourth quarter, Citigroup's comments Monday were not quite as upbeat. Crittenden said in a conference call with analysts that parts of its fixed-income holdings have weakened: "We are not optimistic they will regain a foothold in the

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A deepening housing slump probably will be a "significant drag" on economic growth into next year and it will take time for Wall Street to fully recover from a painful credit crisis, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Monday.

Bernanke once again pledged to "act as needed" to help financial markets -- which have suffered through several months of turbulence -- function smoothly and to keep the economy and inflation on an even keel.

"Conditions in financial markets have shown some improvement since the worst of the storm in mid-August, but a full recovery of market functioning is likely to take time, and we may well see some setbacks," Bernanke said in a speech to the New York Economic Club. A copy of his remarks were made available in Washington.

It was Bernanke's most extensive assessment of the country's current economic situation since the August turmoil unhinged Wall Street.

The ultimate implications of the credit crunch on the broader economy remain uncertain, the Fed chief