PRESS DIGEST- New York Times business news - Sept 3

Sept 3 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

* The European Central Bank's negative rates strategy has not worked as planned, which is why it is under increasing pressure to try something else when it meets on Thursday. The central bank's so-called negative deposit rate has rippled through European markets, reinforced by fear that the eurozone economy is in decline and by nervousness about war, not only in Ukraine but also in the Middle East. (http://nyti.ms/W8Auub)

* Halliburton Co, the company contracted by BP Plc to cement the ill-fated Macondo oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, has reached a $1.1 billion settlement with thousands of businesses, individuals and local governments that suffered losses from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, the company and plaintiffs announced on Tuesday. (http://nyti.ms/1q9xuKF)

* Dollar General Corp is willing to pay more to win the bidding war over Family Dollar Stores Inc. And its takeover effort could go hostile if Family Dollar does not begin sale negotiations. Dollar General offered on Tuesday to raise its bid for Family Dollar to $9.1 billion after the rejection of an earlier offer that would have beaten a rival $8.5 billion deal with Dollar Tree, agreed to in late July. (http://nyti.ms/1pGpH7Q)

* Online fantasy sports site FanDuel, one of the biggest homes for amateur general managers, disclosed on Tuesday that it had raised $70 million from investors led by Shamrock Capital Advisors, NBC Sports Ventures and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co . Existing investors like Comcast Ventures, Pentech Ventures and Bullpen Capital also participated. (http://nyti.ms/1rj6yrJ)

* Compuware Corp has agreed to sell itself to the private equity firm Thoma Bravo for about $2.5 billion, finally bowing out after years under pressure from the activist hedge fund Elliott Management. (http://nyti.ms/1qZv4KL)

* Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd agreed on Tuesday to buy the privately held Prestige Cruises International for $3 billion in cash and stock, including the assumption of debt, to add higher-end trips to its fleet of offerings. (http://nyti.ms/1vLl0Me)

* Home Depot Inc said on Tuesday that it was investigating a report that customer credit and debit card data was stolen from its systems and put up for sale online. The retailer issued a statement after Brian Krebs, an independent security reporter, said that multiple banks had pointed to Home Depot as the potential source of a large data breach. The company said it was working with law enforcement authorities and banks on the matter. (http://nyti.ms/1vLmkyU)

* IEX Group Inc, the stock trading platform created to temper high-frequency traders' advantages and profiled in Michael Lewis's book "Flash Boys" has raised $75 million in a new round of financing. That money will help the start-up become a full-fledged stock market. (http://nyti.ms/1vLrAT1) (Compiled by Rama Venkat Raman in Bangalore)