News

2008

April

10

• Poll fnds Americans feel more squeezed. Offering the gloomiest assessment of economic well-being in close to half a century, a new survey has found that most Americans say they have not made progress over the past five years as their incomes…

• White House plan to aid subprime borrowers. The Bush administration yesterday unveiled a plan to rescue 100,000 homeowners at risk of foreclosure by relaxing eligibility standards for government-backed loans and encouraging lenders to forgive a portion of their debt. The proposal was…

• Exit of college lenders sets off scramble to fill breach. Nearly 50 student lenders, including some of the industry's biggest names, have stopped issuing federally guaranteed loans in recent weeks because of paralysis in the credit markets, confronting students with higher borrowing costs just as…

09

• Airline passengers see even more fees. Airline passengers, already enduring persistent flight delays and other customer service headaches, are confronting another aggravation: mounting fees for everything from checking a second bag to sending a child alone on a trip. Carriers are…

• Drive for rewards pushes gas cards in ditch. A generation ago, gas credit cards issued by oil companies were widely used by American drivers. For many people, the gas card was their first venture into the world of credit cards. Today, those limited…

• Bush to offer more mortgage aid. The Bush administration is expanding a government program to help homeowners head off foreclosure as it scrambles to counter Democratic calls for a broader federal housing rescue. The plan would let more low- to moderate-income…

• Credit reforms a must, AmEx's Chenault says. ITHACA, N.Y. — This seems to be a year when all lines lead to American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault. He had a connection to the presidential race, although not a personal role, through the failed…

• Report: IRS not chasing ID theft. Fraudulent tax returns filed as a result of identity theft jumped more than sixfold over the past five years, but the Internal Revenue Service rarely pursues or prosecutes such cases, a Treasury Department watchdog said…

08

• Health care businesses take off at airports. Reluctant to deal with the hassles of airport security, sales executive Michael D'Souza generally packs the syringes he needs for his daily medication in a bag that he checks when he travels. The strategy backfired…

• U.S. House to offer housing plan. House Democrats are crafting a response to the nation's housing crisis that would offer tax breaks to homeowners, first-time home buyers and developers of low-income housing but would not provide tax relief to the struggling…

07

• Avoid headaches when switching banks. With their bank accounts tethered to online bill paying, automatic debits and direct deposits of paychecks, most consumers cringe at the thought of closing a bank account to move to another financial institution. "There is…

• Credit woes may hinder college-bound. The credit crunch will make it harder for many families to pay for college this fall, particularly if their children plan to attend high-cost private or out-of-state schools. Federal student loans remain available, but the…

04

• Late payments on consumer loans at 16-year high. More Americans have fallen behind on consumer loans than at any time in nearly 16 years, as credit problems once concentrated in mortgages spread into other forms of debt. In a quarterly study, the American…

03

• Retailer to pay millions more for lost data. Discount retailer TJX has set what could be an expensive precedent for anybody who loses sensitive data to hackers or insider thieves. The company on Wednesday agreed to pay MasterCard $24 million for losing records…

• Housing accord puts builders first. Senate Democratic and Republican leaders rushing to address the nation's housing crisis reached agreement yesterday on a package that would provide billions of dollars in tax rebates to the slumping home-building industry while offering little…

• Caja de seguridad virtual. Lo peor no era haber perdido la tarjeta de crédito, sino darse cuenta de ello a la hora de pagar la cena de negocios a la que había invitado a un cliente. "Conseguí salir airosa…

02

• Distressed owners frustrated by housing help. Every day more than 4,500 people call Hope Now, the White House-backed group formed to help struggling homeowners. But few of them appear to be getting the relief they are hoping for. One reason is…

01

• Final report on tax refund loans released (Positive improvements for tax refund loans but still pose risks and costs to consumers). As tax season draws to a close, another year has passed in which tax preparers and their partner banks drained hundreds of millions of dollars from refunds by selling refund anticipation loans (RALs), mostly to…

• El seguro gap de automóvil. Si creías que pagando el seguro normal de tu auto estabas cubierto de la “A” a la “Z” respecto a cualquier problema en la carretera, te equivocas, pues en esa cobertura queda un gran vacío…

March

31

• Repo man? More like repo Big Brother. When the light starts to flash, you had better have the cash. That's the reality for millions of subprime borrowers whose used car purchase is contingent upon having an unusual option: a little box mounted…