Since the housing bubble burst, many Americans have found their finances underwater. They're paying on homes that are worth much less than the mortgages against them. More than a few have chosen to walk away from these debts.

NEWYORK -- Dominion Resources Inc. said Friday it swung to a fourth-quarter profit of $250 million, or 43 cents a share, from a loss of $9 million, or a penny a share, in the year-ago period. The Richmond, Va. company's fourth-quarter operating earnings were flat at 63 cents a share. Revenue rose to $3.67 billion, from $3.18 billion. Wall Street analysts expected Dominion to earn 65 cents a share, on revenue of $3.74 billion, according to a survey by FactSet Research. Dominion said it expects first-quarter operating earnings of 85 to 95 cents a share, compared to the Wall Street target of 95 cents a share. Dominion raised its annual dividend by 7.7% to $1.97 a share. Dominion continues to expects 2011 operating earnings of $3 to $3.30 a share, compared to the Wall Street target of $3.17 a share. It plans to buy back between $400 million and $700 million in stock.

WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Two U.S. House Republicans are asking financial regulators to projecthowmuch it will cost to implement thenewDodd-Frank financial overhaul law, taking aim at what they see as an unnecessary expansion of government.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Verizon Communications Inc. said late Thursday that it will buy Terremark Worldwide Inc. for $19 a share, equivalent to a total equity value of $1.4 billion. The offer values Terremark at a 35% premium of its Thursday's closing price of $14.05 a share. Verizon plans to operate Terremark as a wholly owned subsidiary and retain the Terremark brand.

The end of a black hole’s evolution may be a mind-bending kind of space-time independent of time. Anewstudy proposes a method to tellhowfar any black hole is from reaching this end state.

Growing your savings account is an admirable goal, but it can be difficult to decide where to start. To get your creative juices flowing, here are 12 ideas to save money over the course of a year whether you start in January, June or just in time for the holidays.