Also . . .

* The Justice Department approved a plan by family-owned funeral homes to cooperate by joining together to buy caskets at bulk discounts so that they can compete better with direct-retail sellers of caskets and corporate funeral home chains that have obtained quantity discounts from casket manufacturers.

* Aetna Inc. said it will buy the biggest health maintenance organization in Argentina for $100 million in cash and assume $20 million in debt to expand in Latin America. Closely held Asistencia Medica Social Argentina concentrates on the middle-income market in the Buenos Aires region.

* Associates First Capital Corp. agreed to buy Shell Oil Co.’s credit card portfolio for an undisclosed amount in a deal that would solidify its No. 1 position in the proprietary gasoline credit card market.