News

2008

September

29

• What's next for WaMu customers?. These are nail-biting times for bank customers. On Thursday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. seized the assets of Washington Mutual, the nation's largest savings and loan, and brokered the sale of the company to

• Economy: Poll finds Americans gloomier, for now. As people on Wall Street and Main Street hold their breath to see if a federal bailout of the nation's financial institutions will work, Americans are starting to speak — not whisper — the word "depression." In

27

• Two families find a little change can save a lot. Bruce and Jennifer Pivnick slashed their insurance costs without reducing their coverage. Mitzi and Jimmie Walker discovered that food cooked at home tastes as good as take-out and costs a lot less. And in the

26

• WaMu sold to Chase. In the biggest bank failure in U.S. history, Washington Mutual Bank was seized late Thursday by federal regulators and immediately sold to JPMorgan Chase & Co. for $1.9 billion. Customer deposits will be secure, regulators said,

23

• Aetna to let outside doctors decide. Aetna Inc., the third-largest U.S. health insurer, will let outside doctors decide whether to cancel coverage for sick customers suspected of obtaining policies through false or incomplete information. The Hartford, Conn., company will give

• Registry for wrecks back on track. On Monday a federal judge ruled in favor of consumer groups and gave the government a deadline to finally implement a law Congress passed in 1992. Three consumer groups sued Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey in

• The Crisis and your pocketbook. The government's complicated financial intervention has left many everyday consumers and investors curious about the impact on their pocketbook. Today, The Post is starting a feature that attempts to answer some timely personal finance questions.

22

• Seguros de salud privados. En un mercado muy competitivo, en el que los prospectos de los seguros de salud usan un lenguaje complicado y técnico (y los vendedores sólo van a decirte el mínimo requerido), vale

20

• Wall St. credit turmoil felt on Main St.. Credit for consumers and companies alike was choking to a halt as the crisis on Wall Street intensified earlier this week. But when word of a government bailout for financial institutions began to circulate yesterday,

18

• AIG Insurance: How am I affected?. The financial problems at American International Group Inc. may be causing you great concern if you hold an AIG life, health, home or auto insurance policy, or have an annuity with the company. Insurance industry

• How safe is your money fund?. The strains on the Reserve Primary Money Market Fund have prompted investors to ask whether their own money-market funds could be at risk. Money-market funds are not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance

16

• What market tumult means for us. The stunning events rattling the financial markets are raising a lot of questions about the average person's finances. We talked to several experts to find some answers. Q: What if I have a life insurance

• New website on medication safety. Amid the deluge of drug advertising and news about safety issues, plenty of patients are bewildered over how to weigh the risks and benefits of a medication, or even how to find out what they

• Qué hacer después de un huracán. Todos sabemos que un huracán arrasa. Pero también es cierto que, después de su paso, es mucho lo que podemos hacer para recuperarnos de los daños, reorganizar la casa y la

15

• What changes in financial world mean to customers. One clear implication of the tumult in the financial world is that some of the biggest brains in the business, from the Federal Reserve to Wall Street, have no idea what will happen next or

• The effects of credit crisis at home. The turmoil sweeping through the financial markets has left many people worried about their own stocks, bank accounts, and retirement funds. The tottering of investment bank Lehman Brothers, the weakening cash position of AIG, and

14

• FHA loans enjoy a boom. It was the mortgage of last resort when home sales were booming. Buyers balked at the paperwork. Sellers hated the home-repair rules. What a difference a housing bust makes. "Now, it's almost automatic that it's

12

• Cómo ahorrar dinero en tus seguros. En una época de aumento sustancial de precios necesitas una mejor arma para luchar contra la economía tambaleante. Y para eso el Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) recomienda a los consumidores, como una

11

• New car accident database lacking. Long-awaited information on serious vehicle accidents was released to the public Wednesday by the federal government, but crucial data on tires and child-safety seats was withheld. In July, the U.S. Court of Appeals for

09

• Will drivers trade privacy for discounts?. Of all the things that seem unfair about auto insurance, this is perhaps the worst: Infrequent drivers who log less than 5,000 miles a year, are charged roughly the same as long-distance commuters who cover 30,000 miles