Rim shot

Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, climbed amid speculation the company may have hired an investment bank to explore strategic options. RIM rose 50 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $21.

BofA bopped

Bank of America should face fraud charges after the firm’s Countrywide unit submitted incorrect data on borrowers for government-insured loans, HUD’s inspector general said.

Ford bonus

Ford Motor Co. will pay most of its UAW-represented employees a $6,000 signing bonus and $3,700 in additional profit-sharing this year under a new four-year tentative agreement, the union said yesterday.

AMR bump

After tumbling 33 percent on Monday, American Airlines parent AMR climbed 41 cents, or 21 percent, to $2.39 yesterday, as Avondale Partners LLC and Capstone Investments raised their ratings.

Big Easy Benz

The home of the New Orleans Saints will be renamed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.