Requests for U.S. jobless aid roseWASHINGTON — More Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week. But claims are still at low levels that point to greater job security.The Labor Department said Thursday that applications for jobless aid rose by 17,000 to a seasonally adjusted 268,000. The less-volatile four-week average ticked up 500 to 251,500. The overall number of people collecting unemployment checks was 2.08 million, down more than 5 percent from a year earlier.Weekly claims are at historically low levels that suggest a stable environment for jobseekers.

Fargo splits CEO, chairman rolesNEW YORK — Wells Fargo said it will split the jobs of chairman and CEO and will make other major changes to the composition of its board of directors in an effort to make the bank more accountable following a scandal over its sales practices.The bank said Thursday it was amending its corporate bylaws to require that separate people fill the job of chairman and the job of CEO. The chairman and vice chairman will have to be independent directors who don’t own shares in the company, the bank said.

Black Friday deals lift U.S. auto salesDETROIT — Black Friday deals and postelection confidence helped pull November U.S. auto sales out of their recent slump — and increased the chances that 2016 could set a record for new vehicle sales.Total U.S. sales rose 4 percent for the month to 1.38 million units. That makes it the highest November on record, beating the previous record of 1.32 million set in 2001, according to Kelley Blue Book.Toyota Division General Manager Bill Fay said November sales were so good that the industry may even break last year’s sales record of 17.47 million.

Feds to appeal ruling on OT payAUSTIN, Texas — The Obama administration says it will challenge a court’s decision to block implementation of a regulation that would make an estimated 4 million more higher-earning workers eligible for overtime pay.The U.S. Labor Department filed a notice of appeal Thursday, the same day the rule had been set to take effect nationwide.Twenty-one states sued to block the rule, arguing it would unduly burden the public and private sectors.Last week, a federal judge in Texas issued an injunction suspending it to allow for further scrutiny.