Stay updated on financial news, market trends, and economic changes that affect your money. From interest rate hikes to government policy shifts, we break down what’s happening now—and what it means for your finances.
Most consumers are aware that they have access to a free credit report from all three major credit reporting bureaus each and every year, entitled by federal law. But sometimes that’s just where the confusion…
More than one out of every nine home loans in the U.S. is delinquent, according to a report released by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) on Friday. The rate of residential mortgage delinquencies fell in…
The number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time unexpectedly rose last week, the Department of Labor reported on Thursday. For the week ending February 13, 473,000 initial claims were filed, up…
Existing home sales were strong across most states during the fourth quarter of 2009 with many metro areas showing price increases from a year earlier, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported on Thursday. Fourth…
The unemployment rate fell in January from 10% to 9.7% in January, and the number of unemployed people fell to 14.8 million in January, the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS) reported on Friday. However,…
The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis on Friday released the advance estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) for the fourth quarter of 2009. Real GDP rose 5.7% at an annual rate, the second…
Sales of existing homes fell in December after a rising surge from September through November. The drop was expected after a rush of buyers raced to meet the original tax credit deadline in November, the…
A mortgage broker, who was charged in December 2008 by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for throwing consumer’s credit reports and other sensitive documents in a publicly-accessible dumpster, was ordered to pay a $35,000 civil…
The percentage of employees who were members of a union was 12.3% in 2009, virtually unchanged from the rate of 12.4% in 2008, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. The number…
Initial claims for unemployment benefits rose by 1,000 to 434,000 for the week ending January 2, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. The four-week moving average, which smooths out weekly volatility, was 450,250, a decrease…