WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) announced on Monday it is issuing a new rule to make it easier for regulators to move faster to protect airline customers from unfair and deceptive practices.

The dollar rose to a two-week high on Monday against a basket of currencies, lifted by rising geopolitical risk over Ukraine and a likely hawkish stance from the Federal Reserve at its policy meeting this week.

The U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) will announce on Monday that it is issuing a new rule to make it easier for regulators to move faster to protect airline customers from unfair and deceptive practices, sources told Reuters.

UniCredit is weighing around five non-binding offers for parts of its leasing operations, two people close to the matter said, as CEO Andrea Orcel focuses on businesses that don't tie up much capital.

Swiss-based shipping group MSC and German carrier Lufthansa want to buy the majority of Alitalia successor ITA Airways and have asked for an exclusivity period of 90 days to study the deal, MSC and ITA said on Monday.

U.S. consumers expect their monthly spending to grow above pre-pandemic levels this year but people are becoming less likely to spend big on vacations and other non-essential items - a sign that more households may be more concerned about rising prices, according to a survey released Monday by the New York Federal Reserve.