Economy Briefs

BANKS

Volcker defends ban on proprietary trading

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker on Monday issued a broad defense of a federal rule bearing his name that would prohibit banks from trading for their own profit.

Commercial banks backed by government deposit insurance shouldn’t be able to engage in speculative trading, Mr. Volcker said in a letter supporting the so-called Volcker rule.

“Proprietary trading is not an essential commercial bank service that justifies taxpayer support,” he wrote.

The letter was sent to the five regulatory agencies that have approved a draft version of the rule, including the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The rule is expected to be finalized by summer. Banks will then have until July 2014 to comply.

AUTO

U.S. probes door fires in TrailBlazers

DETROIT | Federal safety regulators are investigating fires in the driver’s side doors of Chevy TrailBlazers, the second such probe in a week.

The latest inquiry involves more than 309,000 TrailBlazer SUVs from the 2006 and 2007 model years. The fires began in the power window switch or related electrical parts, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday.

The agency opened the first probe last week into similar problems with the 2007 Toyota Camry sedan and RAV4 small crossover SUV. The TrailBlazer investigation began Thursday.

All three of the vehicles under investigation are popular. None has been recalled.

CALIFORNIA

Europe approves Google’s $12.5B Motorola Mobility deal

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