Mary Tomkins is a freelance writer located in Spartanburg, SC, with emphasis on economic news and research on the financial industry.
New jobless claims rose unexpectedly last week to 465,000, up 12,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 453,000, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. The four week moving average, which smooths out weekly volatility,…
The poverty rate in the U.S. rose to 14.3% in 2009 – its highest level in fifteen years, the Census Bureau reported on Thursday. Up from 13.2% in 2008, this was the second statistically significant…
American consumers are keeping big spending in check by putting off buying cars, furniture, electronics, and appliances, but the back-to-school season fueled the second monthly retail sales increase in a row and slightly beat analysts’…
American consumers have been responsibly managing their checking accounts and keeping the costs of banking to a minimum. Most bank customers paid no overdraft fees over the past year, according to a report released on…
AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile are working on a program that could make smartphones a source of payment – taking the place of credit and debit cards, according to a report released last week by Bloomberg.…
Refund anticipation loans (RALs) have always been a bad idea for taxpayers due to the high cost of getting a tax refund only a few days sooner than if the taxpayer had efiled and opted…
Are you juggling payments on high-interest credit cards and wondering how to finally get ahead of your debts? A popular offer with both card holders and card issuers is a balance transfer to a 0%…
Consumers will soon be protected from paying advance fees to telemarketing companies who promise to help alleviate debt problems, the Federal Trade Commission reported on Thursday. The FTC’s new rules apply to for-profit companies that…
Americans have been working hard to keep their debts paid on time – bringing down the rate of consumer loan delinquencies for the third straight quarter, according to a report released on Wednesday by the…
The unemployment rate edged down from 9.7% to 9.5% despite the economy losing 125,000 jobs in June, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Friday. Temporary Census jobs coming to an end…