Citigroup Inc., Wells Fargo & Co. and Wachovia Corp. have agreed to halt litigation until noon Wednesday, in an effort to reach a resolution on Wachovia’s sale, the Orlando Business Journal reported. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced a week ago that Citigroup would buy Wachovia’s banking operations for $2.16 billion, but Wells Fargo announced a surprise deal last Friday to buy the entire company for $15 billion. Citigroup filed a lawsuit against Wells Fargo in New York state court yesterday, seeking more than $60 billion in damages, and Wachovia has filed a suit in federal court to stop Citigroup from derailing the Wells Fargo deal. The Wall Street Journal reported that the companies are now working with regulators on a new deal that would divide Wachovia’s assets between the two companies.

The 2008 Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium, “Confronting Crisis: Agriculture and Global Development in the Next Fifty Years,” will take place Oct. 15-17 at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown. The symposium is held each year in conjunction with awarding the World Food Prize, bringing together international experts and policy leaders to address cutting-edge issues in food security and nutrition. A free public forum featuring the 2008 World Food Prize laureates, Bob Dole and George McGovern, will be held Wednesday, Oct. 15, at 6:30 p.m. at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust St., Des Moines. Learn more at www.worldfoodprize.org.

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.’s chief operating officer will likely retire next year, an announcement that comes two weeks after DuPont said Ellen Kullman will replace Charles Holliday Jr. as CEO in January, the Associated Press reported. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday, DuPont said it expects Richard Goodmanson to retire as executive vice president and COO in 2009, when his contract expires, but remain with the company on a three-year consulting agreement that will give Goodmanson a $200,000 annual retailer and $2,000 a day when actively involved in litigation support and other business projects for the company. Meanwhile, shares of the parent company of Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. hit a five-year low yesterday as the Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 3.6 percent. DuPont’s shares fell 3.5 percent to $37.46.

Principal Financial Group Inc.’s shares hit a 52-week low yesterday as stock markets fell on fears of a global economic crisis, the Associated Press reported. Principal shares dropped 9.4 percent to close at $29.47 after hitting a 52-week low of $27.20 earlier in the day. Its shares have traded as high as $70.85 in the past 52 weeks. Nigel Dally, a Morgan Stanley analyst, downgraded Principal last Thursday, saying the company could face investment losses and a potential shortfall in capital of as much as $1 billion. John Nadel, an analyst at Sterne, Agee & Leach Inc., initiated coverage of Principal last Thursday with a “hold” rating. Though the company is well positioned for strong growth, he said, earnings sensitivity to domestic and global equity markets could affect short-term results. He expects the Des Moines-based insurer to fall short of third-quarter estimates.

Waste Management of Iowa has won initial approval to be the contract hauler for Metro Waste Authority’s new recycling program. An evaluation panel was appointed by the agency’s board of directors to consider proposals from solid waste haulers who wanted to participate in the single-stream recycling program, in which residents of some Greater Des Moines communities will receive 96-gallon rolling containers in which to dispose of recyclable materials. The products do not have to be sorted. Because of their large capacity, the containers will be emptied every other week. Representatives from Altoona, Ankeny, Bondurant, Clive, Johnston, Urbandale and West Des Moines participated on the panel. Metro Waste said the program should save communities about $300,000 a year. The Waste Management proposal of $2.39 per household per month was 55 cents lower than its nearest competitor and 39 cents less than the current monthly per household fee for the authority’s soon-to-be replaced recycling program. The Metro Waste board will vote on the panel’s recommendation Oct. 15. The single-stream program is scheduled to begin July 1.

Iowa Public Television is hosting the 15th annual Iowa DTV Symposium today through Thursday at the Hotel Fort Des Moines. Nearly 400 people in the digital television industry are expected to attend. Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, will speak at a luncheon today, giving the latest update on DTV consumer education initiatives, the success of the DTV converter box program and a road map for DTV’s next 10 years. The event also includes a Broadcast/Cable Summit, an opportunity for cable operators and broadcasters to examine the technical issues related to digital transition. For more information, go to www.iptv.org/dtv.