PITTSBURGH — Authorities say the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has agreed to pay nearly $1 million to settle a case of Medicare billing errors.

The Department of Justice says in a Wednesday release that UPMC told authorities about the billing errors connected with a home health care affiliate and the case was settled without litigation. The settlement of about $956,000 ends the case.

The case concerned Medicare billings for home health care services that didn't include a documented face-to-face encounter with a physician, as required by regulations.

WASHINGTON — A federal judge has struck down a rule setting a cap on the fees that banks can charge merchants for handling debit card purchases. He said the Federal Reserve didn't have the authority to set the limit the way it did in 2011, improperly including data that made the cap too high.The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon on Wednesday handed a victory to a coalition of retail groups — which are seeking a lower cap — and a setback to banks. The retail groups had sued the Fed over its setting the cap at an average of about 24 cents per debit-card transaction.The previously unregulated “swipe” fee averaged 44 cents.The Fed now must craft a new rule. The current one will remain in effect in the meantime.

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bill that would lower the costs of borrowing for millions of students is awaiting President Barack Obama's signature.The House on Wednesday gave final congressional approval to legislation that links student loan interest rates to the financial markets. The bill would offer lower rates for most students now but higher rates down the line if the economy improves as expected.The measure passed 392-31.Undergraduates this fall would borrow at a 3.9 percent interest rate for subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans. Graduate students would have access to loans at 5.4 percent, and parents would borrow at 6.4 percent. The rates would be locked in for that year's loan, but each year's loan could be more expensive than the last. Rates would rise as the economy picks up and it becomes more expensive for the government to borrow money.

PITTSBURGH — EQT is using a new state law to sue scores of landowners in Allegheny County and force them to allow new shale gas drilling because the properties have older oil and gas leases.The Pittsburgh-based company accuses 69 individuals and one golf course of blocking the company from conducting surveys to determine where to drill. A Pittsburgh newspaper reports this appears to be the gas industry’s first attempt at using the new powers contained in the controversial law.