Briefs: Kraft Foods board gets new members

NORTHFIELD -- Kraft Foods Inc. on Friday named Harvard Business School professor Myra M. Hart and CBS Corp. Chief Financial Officer Fredric G. Reynolds to its board. Louis Camilleri, Kraft's former chairman, is stepping down, Kraft said in a statement. Chief Executive Officer Irene Rosenfeld succeeded Camilleri as chairman in March when Altria Group Inc. spun off its 89 percent stake in the foodmaker. Camilleri, who is Altria's chairman and CEO, will oversee the New York-based tobacco company's spin-off of its international unit. Analysts expect the move in 2008. At Kraft, the number of board members increases to 12 from 11. All are independent of the company with the exception of Rosenfeld.

Citigroup may pick new chief soon

NEW YORK -- Citigroup Inc.'s board of directors is planning to meet Monday and Tuesday and is expected to choose a new chief executive next week, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report that cited people familiar with the matter. The people, according to Dow Jones, said the current front-runner for the CEO job is the head of Citi's investment bank and alternative investments businesses, Vikram Pandit. Citigroup spokespeople declined to comment.

TV Guide's future full of static

SAN FRANCISCO -- TV Guide magazine's already fuzzy future looks even more uncertain now the magazine is part of a proposed $2.8 billion sale of Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. to security software specialist Macrovision Corp. Macrovision Chief Executive Fred Amoroso said he didn't know much about publishing and needed more time to assess how TV Guide could fit into his strategy.

Consumers borrow at faster rate

WASHINGTON -- Consumer borrowing rose in October at a slightly faster rate than the previous month as shoppers continued to depend on their credit cards to finance purchases. The Federal Reserve reported Friday consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 2.3 percent in October, faster than the 1.6 percent growth rate for September.