In brief: U.S. durable goods orders jump in November

WASHINGTON – Businesses stepped up their orders for long-lasting manufactured goods in November. And a key category that signals business investment plans climbed at the fastest pace in 10 months.

The surge in orders for durable goods, which are products expected to last at least three years, was the latest evidence of a rebound in manufacturing. The gains will likely provide support for the economy into 2014.

The Commerce Department said Tuesday that orders for durable goods jumped 3.5 percent last month compared with October, when they had fallen 0.7 percent. The increase was led by a 21.8 percent surge in demand for commercial aircraft, which can be volatile.

Target issues warning about scam emails

ATLANTA – Target said it has learned of some incidents of scam emails related to its recent data breach and is setting up a section of its corporate website to post copies of all official communication. The company said it is aware of “limited instances” of scam emails.

The Minneapolis retailer said last week that data connected to about 40 million credit and debit card accounts was stolen between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15.

American Express settles over marketing claims

NEW YORK – American Express has agreed to pay at least $75.7 million to end an investigation into what regulators said was misleading marketing of some discontinued card products.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Tuesday that American Express led consumers to believe that an account protection product would work for up to two years when the benefits usually lasted no more than three months, and it didn’t properly explain the enrollment process for a product intended to protect against identity theft. It said 85 percent of consumers who signed up didn’t complete the enrollment process, but they were billed anyway. The agency also said the company misrepresented the terms of a “lost wallet” product that was offered to Spanish-speaking customers in Puerto Rico.

The FDIC said the programs were marketed to customers between 2004 and 2012. It said American Express will pay restitution to 335,000 customers.

Feds expand probe of Mercedes rear light failures

DETROIT – U.S. safety regulators have expanded an investigation into rear light failures in Mercedes-Benz C-Class luxury vehicles.

The probe now covers nearly 253,000 cars from the 2008 through 2011 model years.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the stop, tail and turn signal lights can fail because of a melted electrical connector. The agency and Mercedes have received 402 complaints, including five fires and one injury.