Business news in brief

DFC Global Corp. said shareholders on Friday approved the sale of the company to Texas private equity firm Lone Star Funds for $9.50 per share, or $367 million. "The transaction is expected to close promptly," DFC said in a statement. DFC, of Berwyn, is a payday and pawnshop lender with 1,500 storefronts in the U.K., Europe, and North America. Shares rose 3 cents, to $9.49. After the market closed, the company said it priced $800 million in notes to, in part, finance the acquisition and redeem existing debt. - Reid Kanaley

Nationwide Insurance is returning to New Jersey to sell auto policies, the state and company announced. The Columbus, Ohio, insurer stopped offering auto coverage in the state in 1981, but has served the market through affiliates such as Scottsdale and Harleysville Insurance, which merged with Nationwide in 2012. Nationwide will begin writing policies in August. - AP

U.S. debt expanded by $26.8 billion in April, up from an increase of $19.5 billion in March, the Federal Reserve said. The result was fueled by auto and student loans, which rose by $18 billion, and credit card debt, which was up $8.8 billion. The upswing in credit card debt represented a 12.3 percent gain, the fastest pace since November 2001, when consumers were being urged to spend to bolster the economy after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. - AP

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has affirmed its "stable" outlook for U.S. government debt and its ratings for short- and long-term U.S. debt, citing the American economy's strength and the government's flexible economic policies. The rating agency said it was keeping its rating for short-term U.S. debt at "A-1+" and for long-term debt at "AA+." - AP

Billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn acquired a 9.4 percent stake in Family Dollar Stores Inc. and may seek talks with the discount retailer's board about ways to boost shareholder value. Icahn and his affiliates bought 10.7 million shares for about $265.8 million, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Family Dollar shares rose as much as 10 percent to $66.69 in late trading in New York after Icahn made the disclosure. The shares had slid 6.8 percent this year through the close of regular trading. - Bloomberg News