US STOCKS-Index futures lower, data eyed

* Second-quarter final GDP data on tap

* New York ISM, Chicago PMI due

* Investors eye Bernanke testimony

* Futures down: Dow 4 pts, S&P 2.6 pts, Nasdaq 3.75 pts

* For up-to-the-minute market news see [STXNEWS/US]

NEW YORK, Sept 30 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks index futures dipped on Thursday ahead of key data on business activity and jobs, while investors looked ahead to testimony from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke on implementing financial regulation.

The September Institute for Supply Management-New York report and September's Chicago PMI data are seen as early indicators ahead of national surveys on Friday and later next week, while weekly data on claims for jobless benefits will provide an insight into the state of the labor market.

Bernanke will testify before a Senate Banking Committee hearing on implementing the recently passed financial regulation act and investors will be on the look out for any reaction in financial shares.

"We're going to be watching the banks pretty closely," said David Lutz, managing director of trading, Stifel Nicolaus Capital Markets in Baltimore. Lutz said that uncertainty over the regulation may have been weighing on financial stocks in recent days.

Investors will also monitor the final estimate on U.S. second-quarter GDP. Economists in a Reuters survey forecast a 1.6 percent annualized pace of growth, a repeat of the second estimate.

S&P 500 futures fell 2.6 points and were below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures lost 4 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 3.75 points.

The S&P 500 has gained over 9 percent so far this month, helped by signs of stabilization in the economy and hopes the Federal Reserve will take extra steps to spur the recovery.

Performance chasing at the end of the quarter also could help lift indexes as fund managers attempt to dress up their portfolios by adding to wining stocks and selling losers.

In corporate news, Shares of American International Group Inc rose 3.9 percent to $38.90 in premarket trading after the company and the U.S. government agreed on a plan that would see the insurer repay taxpayers fully for bailing it out at the height of the financial crisis.

Shares of Prudential Financial Inc fell 3.4 percent to $54.58 after the company agreed to buy two Japanese life insurance units from AIG for $4.2 billion.

Car rental company Avis Budget Group Inc said on late Wednesday it would be willing to include a break-up fee in its offer for Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group if rival Hertz Global Holdings walks away from its own takeover bid for Dollar Thrifty. [ID:nN29252486]

Wall Street took a breather from a month-long rally on Wednesday, with investors bracing for higher volatility going forward as the best quarter in a year nears its end.

The ISM-New York report, the weekly jobless claims data, as well as the second quarter GDP number are due at 8.30 a.m. (1230 GMT)

Chicago PMI data is due at 9.45 a.m. (1345 GMT), while Bernanke testimony is slated to start 10 a.m. (1400 GMT)

(Reporting by Edward Krudy; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio)