News

2010

September

02

• US Treasury to offer low-cost bank accounts. Some U.S. taxpayers will soon be able to have their tax refunds directly deposited into a low-cost bank account, under a new pilot program the Treasury Department announced Thursday. The initiative is one of several…

• California's safety-net health insurance premiums rise. As state leaders blast giant health insurers for raising rates, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has quietly allowed hefty increases for thousands of sick or jobless Californians who must rely on expensive safety-net coverage -- if…

• Communities get first shot at foreclosed homes. Major mortgage lenders will now give state and local governments the right to buy foreclosed properties before they go on the market, giving them "a leg up" on speculators who have often thwarted local redevelopment…

• Apple pushes TV toward Internet delivery. The slow-moving struggle to unplug TV viewing from its traditional business model just got more interesting -- and messier. Over the past few years, companies big and small -- from name brands Microsoft and Google…

01

• Tax cuts that make a difference. It’s time to start talking about a tax cut. The economy is struggling mightily. Some 15 million people remain unemployed. The Federal Reserve has been slow to act and still is not doing much. The…

August

31

• Be skeptical of health-care credit cards. These days, you may leave your dentist's office with more than a toothbrush and dental floss in your bag. Thousands of dentists are offering patients health-care credit cards to cover the work that needs to…

• Time to refinance? Rates hit record lows. For anyone under the age of 57, mortgage rates are at the lowest point ever in their lifetime. This fact isn't lost on a growing number of homeowners who have started a new wave of…

• Filthy conditions at egg producers. Federal officials investigating conditions at the two Iowa mega-farms whose products have been at the center of the biggest egg recall in U.S. history found filthy conditions, including chickens and rodents crawling up massive manure…

• Thinking of raiding your 401(k)? Don't. It's no secret that millions of Americans haven't saved enough to finance a comfortable retirement. Now comes even more worrisome news: Thousands of workers are raiding their retirement-savings plans to pay their bills. In the…

• Survey: Mortgage closing costs 37% higher. A new federal rule this year requiring mortgage lenders to give borrowers reliable estimates of closing costs appears to be working — whether it's also costing borrowers more money is uncertain. A recent survey by…

30

• Banks help more homeowners than Obama. Remember how everyone complained that banks weren't doing enough to help troubled borrowers? Well ... Banks have realized that foreclosing on home after home after home may not be in anyone's best interest -- least…

• Microloan is big help for small businesses. Like many small businesses caught in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, Tri-State Biodiesel was struggling to find capital last year, in the middle of a credit crunch. The Bronx company, which converts…

• Would-be interns pay thousands for coveted spot. Each year, thousands of college students descend on Washington for unpaid internships. It can be a nerve-racking process: sending out résumés, trying to make contacts, interviewing again and again. Increasingly, many of them are finding…

29

• New rules slash card fees. Don't look now but a funny thing is happening to the plastic in your wallet: It's getting safer and easier to understand and use — at least if you're the right type of customer. The…

• Retargeting ads follow surfers to other sites. The shoes that Julie Matlin recently saw on Zappos.com were kind of cute, or so she thought. But Ms. Matlin wasn’t ready to buy and left the site. Then the shoes started to follow her…

26

• Quest for the perfect credit score. A major league pitcher dreams of throwing a perfect game. High schoolers eyeing the Ivy League study furiously in hopes of earning 2400 on the SAT. Meanwhile, Chris Peplinski is pursuing his own brand of…

• U.S. credit card debt drops to 8 year low. The amount consumers owed on their credit cards in this year's second quarter dropped to the lowest level in more than eight years as cardholders continued to pay off balances in the uncertain economy. The…

• Hackers invade iTunes accounts. Cybercriminals are stepping up the hijacking of Apple iTunes accounts, often leaving consumers distraught. Hijackers buy iTunes logons from e-mail phishers expert at tricking you into typing your credentials at spoofed websites. ITunes logons also…

• SEC gives shareholders more power. For years, the nation's largest companies - from FedEx and Macy's to AT&T and IBM - have opposed proposed federal rules that would make it easier for shareholders to oust directors on corporate boards. These…

• Equity in your home doesn't translate to net worth. I have my own spin to put on the news that sales of existing homes plunged 27 percent in July: Stop thinking of your home as your cash cow. In the past few decades, borrowers…