BRIEFLY : ALSO

* Britain’s National Westminster Bank said it was in talks to acquire life insurance and pensions group Legal & General Group in a deal expected to be worth about $17.24 billion. Industry sources said the boards of both companies would meet over the weekend to give final approval to a recommended cash-and-stock offer.

* Jay Jacobs Inc., a clothing retailer that tried to shift its focus from teenagers to young professionals after a brush with bankruptcy in the mid-1990s, is preparing to go out of business. The 58-year-old company filed a Chapter 11 petition along with a plan to liquidate inventory at its 114 stores in 22 states. The company said it has laid off 54 employees at its corporate headquarters. As of July 31, it had about 1,500 employees.

* Newell Rubbermaid Inc., maker of products from cookware to strollers to hairbrushes, lowered its earnings expectations, citing “sluggishness” in retail demand across its business segments. Newell said it expects third-quarter earnings in the range of 43 cents to 47 cents per share and full-year profit in the range of $1.65 to $1.75 a share. Analysts had been expecting 51 cents a share for the quarter and $1.80 for the year, according to research firm First Call/Thomson Financial. Newell’s shares dropped $8.44 to close at $32.88 on the NYSE.

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