U.S. stock futures signal rise on last day of '09

* U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday for the last trading session of the year, with futures for the S&P 500 SPc1 up 0.2 percent, Dow Jones DJc1 futures up 0.2 percent and Nasdaq 100 NDc1 futures up 0.1 percent at 0848 GMT.

* The U.S. is injecting another $3.8 billion into GMAC Financial Services to help cover mortgage losses, in a bailout that makes the government the majority owner of the auto and home finance company.

* American International Group Inc's (AIG.N) Anastasia Kelly will get about $2.8 million as she leaves the insurer, according to a source familiar with the matter.

* City National Corp (CYN.N) said it repurchased $200 million of the preferred shares it sold to the U.S. Treasury under the Troubled Asset Relief program, joining a slew of lenders attempting to come out of restrictions.

* Icahn Enterprises IEP.N, a company controlled by financier Carl Icahn, said on Wednesday it was selling $2 billion in debt and was in talks to acquire a controlling stake in American Railcar Industries Inc (ARII.O) held by another Icahn unit.

* U.S. trucking giant YRC Worldwide (YRCW.O) again stretched the deadline on a crucial debt-for-equity swap offer as it and its union workers pushed banks and bondholders to help keep the company afloat, but its stock fell amid speculation about an impending bankruptcy.

* Crane Co (CR.N) said on Wednesday it resolved claims with Boeing Co (BA.N) and General Electric Co's (GE.N) Aviation Systems unit, resulting in payments that would boost fourth-quarter results.

* European shares were up 0.2 percent in morning trade, while volumes were very low as a number of markets were already closed for the New Year break, including Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

* Oil rose towards $80 on Thursday, extending its rally to a seventh day and poised for the best annual gain in a decade, driven by a drop in U.S. crude and fuel stocks as icy weather stoked demand.

* The U.S. dollar held near 16-week highs on a broadly soft Japanese yen on Thursday, but still looked to end a volatile year with a modest loss against a basket of major currencies.

* U.S. stocks ended a smidgen higher in very light trading on Wednesday as a stronger-than-expected report on Midwest U.S. business activity was offset by investors taking profits in some of the year's better performers.

* The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 3.10 points, or 0.03 percent, to end at 10,548.51 on Wednesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX edged up just 0.22 of a point, or 0.02 percent, to finish at 1,126.42. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC gained 2.88 points, or 0.13 percent, to close at 2,291.28.

The S&P 500 is on track to record a gain of 25 percent in 2009. (Reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by Hans Peters)