News round up: Standard Chartered plc, Google Inc, Apple Inc, Barclays plc, Libor, FSA, HMV Group plc.

Standard Chartered plc (LON:STAN) would allow US regulators to audit its New York operations independently as part of a resolution of the money-laundering case against it, the bank told the Daily Mail. The New York Department of Financial Services ordered Standard Chartered to open its doors to an auditor of the regulator’s choosing on Monday as it laid charges that the bank illegally laundered £160 billion for Iran.

The news comes as US regulators scramble to establish a joint negotiating position before they begin settlement talks with Standard Chartered. The bank’s chief executive Peter Sands said he has not yet agreed to an audit, but could do so as part of a settlement of the charges.

It is expected that Standard Chartered will ultimately negotiate a deal with US regulators, although it could also counter-claim for damage to its reputation, writes the Daily Mail.

Google Inc and Apple Inc

Google will pay $22.5m (£14.4m) to settle charges it bypassed the privacy settings of customers using Apple's Safari browser, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said. The deal ends an FTC probe into allegations that Google used computer code known as "cookies" to trick the Safari browser on iPhones and iPads so the Internet search company could monitor users who had blocked such tracking.

The practice was in violation of a 2011 consent decree Google had negotiated with the FTC over botched rollouts of the social network Buzz, which is now defunct, the Telegraph reports.

Barclays plc

Sir David Walker, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, and described by The Times as 'a veteran City grandee', has been named as the new Chairman of scandal-hit bank Barclays. His arrival caps a career that has included stints at the Treasury, Lloyds Bank, Legal & General and latterly Morgan Stanley.

Walker joins a bank that has been accused by its own regulator of suffering an endemic cultural weakness. As well as being forced to pay a record £290 million in fines over the LIBOR rate-fixing scandal, the bank fell foul of shareholders over its bumper bonus deals for investment bankers and confidence among consumers was dented by mis-sold payment protection insurance, the Times says.

Libor

On the subject of LIBOR - the London Inter-bank Offered Rate - Martin Wheatley, the financier who has been asked by the Government to head an inquiry into how the key benchmark borrowing rate is set, will publish an initial discussion paper on Friday.

The Telegraph said it will include suggestions on how to restore trust in the system following the recent rate-rigging scandal that saw Barclays hit with a £290m fine for LIBOR manipulation. Quoting the Press Association news-wire, the Telegraph said stakeholders such as banks will have four weeks to submit written responses to the proposals.

FSA

Tracey McDermott, described by The Independent as the 'nemesis' of former Barclays Chief Executive Officer Bob Diamond, has been named as the Financial Services Agency's (FSA) new prosecutor. McDermott is the new head of enforcement at the FSA. The City watchdog cited McDermott's 'impressive work' over the past 16 months as its acting director of the enforcement and financial crime division, the Independent notes.

HMV Group plc

HMV’s outgoing chief executive Simon Fox has said the troubled music retailer will return to profit next year, but would not bet his house on the business being around in a decade. The group, which started trading in 1921, has struggled in recent years as more and more consumers give up buying physical CDs and DVDs in favour of digital downloads of music and films.

"The last year has been a difficult and challenging one," said Mr Fox, who will leave the company next month. Asked whether he would bet his house on the chain being around to celebrate its centenary in 2021, he added: "That’s a big bet. I’m not betting my house on that....I don’t think my wife would be happy," writes the Telegraph.