Headline News Archive

2008

December

22

• Hospital debt collections: No charity. Every Wednesday at noon, debt collection lawyers take their seats behind a thick wooden table in a downtown Baltimore courtroom for a ritual they call

18

• Homeowners face foreclosure limbo. She may live in an epicenter of the U.S. housing crisis, but Vickie Lewis is far from any stereotype conjured up in coverage of

15

• Cremation on rise in tough economic times. When Dorothy Anderson died in late September at age 87, her grandson would have preferred burying her at Woodlawn Cemetery. But money was tight for Edward

• Families move to 529s to lock in tuition rates. As the stock market swoons and tuition costs soar, more families are deciding to pay for college in advance through their 529 plans. For years, families

14

• Consumer movement at a crossroads. Since 1989, all new cars sold in the United States have had an air bag on the driver's side. It's estimated they save almost 3,000 lives a

• Boost your variable annuities future benefit. A popular type of variable annuity - the one with guaranteed "living benefits" - may be the riskiest product ever sold by the insurance industry.

• Lost money? Counting more than pennies. If you have been checking coat pockets or under sofa cushions for spare change, you know that every cent counts these days. Yet a big

13

• How much house can you afford?. The past two years have demonstrated in dramatic fashion what can happen to people who overreach to buy the home they want. The lesson: Qualifying

09

• Mortgage modifications show limited success. A new government report released yesterday underscored the limited success of industry efforts to reduce foreclosures by modifying mortgage loans, offering fuel for both sides

07

• Burglaries may increase during downturn. They're holiday rituals of the Grinchy sort, annual warnings from local police telling us how to protect ourselves from burglary and theft during the dark,

04

• Treasury weighs action on mortgage rates. The Treasury Department is strongly considering a plan to intervene directly in the mortgage industry to dramatically force down rates and stimulate the moribund housing

November

30

• US not getting health care we 'pay for'. Talk to the chief executives of America's preeminent health-care institutions, and you might be surprised by what you hear: When it comes to medical care,

25

• The car of the future -- but at what cost?. Many members of Congress believe they know what the car company of the future should look like. "A business model based on gas -- a

24

• More firms offering health services for workers at office. Even as employers push a greater share of rising medical costs on to workers, a growing number of companies also are providing services like free

23

• How new bank deposit coverage may affect you. If the beaten-down stock market has got you seeking a haven for your cash, there's some good news. The financial system bailout legislation enacted last

• Banking regulator played advocate over enforcer. When Countrywide Financial felt pressured by federal agencies charged with overseeing it, executives at the giant mortgage lender simply switched regulators in the spring of 2007.

21

• Buscan ahorro en el seguro del auto. El 27 por ciento de los hispanos en EU planea reducir el gasto de sus seguros de automóvil el próximo año, tres veces

20

• Health insurance deductibles march higher. Employers are dramatically shifting healthcare costs onto workers, so much so that the average annual deductible for an individual surpassed $1,000 for the first time this

• Treasury's Bailouts Are Getting Us Chumped. I usually don't enjoy watching congressional hearings. They are often packed with blustering, long-winded, self-serving speeches that are nap-inducing. But a recent hearing before the

16

• What happens if your insurer goes under?. Ever since the problems at the American International Group burst into the consciousness of everyday consumers two months ago, a sort of low-grade fear has

• Keeping your cash safe. Many depositors feel safer now that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has, at least through 2009, raised insurance limits from $100,000 to $250,000 per individual account. Joint accounts

• Know before you borrow mortgage money. Exotic mortgages, as well as some lenders, are a thing of the past. But the need to borrow to buy a home is very much

12

• New plan for at-risk mortgages. Who is participating: Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and many major lenders and mortgage servicers, effective Dec. 15. The servicer is the company to which you send

10

• Government to grant AIG larger bailout. The federal government today announced an expanded effort to bail out American International Group, including a partial government takeover of the company, as the troubled

04

• La guía para manejarte en la crisis. Cuando preguntamos a los norteamericanos sobre su mayor preocupación actual, nos respondieron fuerte y claro: tener suficiente dinero para jubilarse, el valor de sus