The United States begins a lawsuit against McGraw Hills Companies Inc.’s (NYSE: MHP) S&P for its role in the mortgage-backed paper debacle. (Reuters)

BP PLC’s (NYSE: BP) fourth-quarter profits are strong though it faces civil suits in the U.S. over the Gulf oil spill. (Reuters)

Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) requests that the FAA allow the 787 be allowed to fly. (Reuters)

Virgina Media Inc. (NASDAQ: VMED) says Liberty Global Inc. (NASDAQ: LBTYA) approached it about a buyout. (Reuters)

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) moves into the low price server range. (Reuters)

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) is close to a board vote on an LBO by Michael Dell and other parties. (Reuters)

Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) profits are hurt by its Chinese operations. (WSJ)

The average household spent $2,912 on gas last year — about 4% of total earnings before taxes. (WSJ)

The Super Bowl draws 108.4 million people, the third largest audience in TV history. (WSJ)

A political scandal in Spain and a bank scandal in Italy hit European markets. (WSJ)

The Energy Department is the target of hackers. (NYT)

China’s central bank moves $72 billion into money markets because of demand for cash ahead of the country’s new year holiday. (FT)

Indonesia’s GDP growth reached 6.2% last year. (FT)

The European Central Bank will sharply increase staff as it takes a larger role in European Union finances. (FT)

A gain in apps for Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android hurts Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) former advantage in the business. (Bloomberg)