Annuities

So, should you buy an annuity or not? It's not an easy question to answer. Your personal financial situation, your age, your health and the number of dependents, if any, for whom you must provide are all factors in the decision, as is the type of annuity that's right for you.

Joan E. Lisante, an attorney knowledgeable in elder law and personal finance, tackles the topic in Annuities: Fool's Gold or Fiscal Smarts?

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Texan Sentenced to 20 Years in Oil-Gas Ponzi Scheme Raised $7 million from investors who thought they were buying oil, mineral interests

Bank of America Fined $1 Billion for Mortgage Fraud Feds charged bank defrauded the FHA by underwriting loans to unqualified borrowers

It Pays To Carefully Read Your Bank Statements Ask questions when there are fees and transactions you don't understand

Are You Eligible for Assistance Under the Mortgage Servicers Agreement? The deal is complicated and will take several years to be completed

Feds, States Reach $25 Billion Settlement With Mortgage Servicers Deal includes restitution and reforms in lending and servicing practices

What's On Your Mind? Suntrust Bank, Sunscape Travel, Discountbooksale.com Our daily look at consumer reviews

Older Homebuyers Showing Slightly More Confidence 55+ crowd still worries about selling existing homes, tighter lending criteria

Banks Lost 600,000 Customers in Fee Protests But report minimizes the effect, calling it relatively modest

States Reach Agreement With Debt Collector NCO Financial Company agrees to change its policies and provide restitution to some consumers

Bankruptcy Filings Down 14% From Last Year Tennessee, Nevada, Georgia have highest rates

Common Cause Projects the Winner of the Presidential Election Hint: Follow the money to find the real winners

Nearly Half of U.S. Families Are One Crisis Away From Poverty Study finds number of "asset-poor" families is up 21% in two years

Asset Acceptance to Pay $2.5 Million for Deceptive Practices Debt buyer must not falsely tell consumers it will sue them to collect old debts

Is The Economy At The Mercy Of Oil? Two scientists argue that it is

New Rule Protects Consumers Sending Money Overseas Exchange rate, fees must be disclosed in advance

Bank of America Should be Broken Up, Feds Told Public Citizen says giant bank is a "grave threat" to financial stability

Bank of America's Merrill Lynch Fined $1 Million in Bonus Dispute Brokerage refused to arbitrate disputes with employees

Where To Put Your Money In 2012 Financial experts have a surprising suggestion

Obama Speech Serves Notice On Predatory Lenders President also announces crackdown on fraud against consumers and investors

Credit Union Membership Soars In 2011 Credit unions gained 1.6 million members last year

Citigroup Fined for Not Disclosing Conflicts of Interest Citi failed to disclose conflicts in its research reports, FINRA finds

Court Stops Precious Metals Telemarketer Defendants tricked consumers into buying gold & silver on credit

Court Freezes Telemarketers' Assets Consumers paid for help finding low-interest credit

What's On Your Mind? West Bay Acquisitions, Southwest Airlines, Ally Bank Our daily look at consumer reviews

Car Title Lender To Pay $600,000 In Refunds Virginia law changed but company practices didn't

Consumers Heating Homes With Gas Get A Break The fuel is trading at a two year low

Bank of America May Pull Out of Some Regions Ailing bank tells regulators it may have to abandon some parts of the country

Three Ways To Better Manage Your Money These tips might help you keep your New Years resolution

Use Care When Selecting A Dividend-Paying Stock For careful investors, these stocks can provide income and capital growth

Philadelphia Credit Union Placed in Receivership People for People CDCU is first to fail this year

Texan Pleads Guilty in California Foreclosure Rescue Scam Homeowners, banks scammed out of $1.6 million, prosecutors charged

How To Deal With Holiday Debt Always pay the highest interest rate balances first

Landmark Clearing Barred From Using 'Novel Method' to Debit Bank Accounts Allegedly debited millions of dollars from consumers' accounts without permission

Obama Installs Cordray to Head Financial Protection Bureau President uses recess-appointment power to put Cordray to work

Economist Sees Stronger 2012 For Consumers But notes 2011 started out strong too

Price Of Oil Keeps On Rising Can prices at the pump be far behind?

'Teach Me to Trade' Stars Elude Liability Even though duo lied, they can't be held personally liable, judge rules

10 New Year's Resolutions for 2012 Small steps you can take that will make a big difference

GE Capital Wades Into Online Banking Finance giant buys MetLife's retail deposit business

Consumers Shrug Off Global Economic Concerns Consumer confidence jumps in December

Countrywide To Pay $335 Million to Settle Lending Discrimination Charges Minority borrowers were charged higher fees or placed in subprime loans

Guilty Pleas in Nation's Largest Mortgage Fraud Case Hundreds of Cleveland-area homes went into foreclosure

Firm Experiments With Ads Instead of Fees For ATM Use Sit or stand through an ad or two to save a few bucks?

Utah Charges Loan Modifier with Felonies Alleged scam artist spent money on wife's plastic surgery, state alleges

Payday Lender Ordered to Pay $294,000 Ecash and Getecash illegally tried to garnish borrowers' wages

Bankruptcy More Expensive and Cumbersome Than Ever Congressional "reform" made the system more complex, study finds

Government Says Inflation Was Tame In November But one economist sees signs of trouble

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Debt Consolidation Firm To Pay Refunds To Consumers Florida finds United Financial Systems failed to pay promised refunds

How To Improve Your Credit Score Three things you can do to raise your score

What's On Your Mind? Regions Bank, Hollywood Video, Experian Our daily look at consumer reviews

Houston Debt Collection Firm Faces Abuse Charges Accused of threatening consumers with arrest

How To Deal With A Debt You Don't Think You Owe Just paying it to get rid of them might not work

Americans' Net Worth Takes a Big Hit Spending on food dips as families struggle to make ends meet

Senate Blocks Consumer Financial Protection Chief Obama: 'We are not giving up on this,' may try recess appointment

Investment Fund Manager Scammed Clients, U.S. Charges Former Reno city councilman named in 41-count indictment

TransUnion Sees Fewer Mortgage Delinguencies In 2012 For many consumers, credit picture appears to be improving

California Lists Activities of Commercial Charity Fundraisers States moves for more transparency in fundraising

FINRA Sanctions Firms For Selling Interests in Troubled Companies Customers to get $3.2 million in restitution

Consumers Continue To Pay Down Debt Fed figures show mortgage balances falling

Why High Gas Prices Haven't Caused Inflation Economists find big difference between now and the 1970s

Congress Slashes Legal Aid Budget Cuts will make it harder for low-income consumers to get help when they need it

Feds Shut Down Mortgage Modification Scams on Yahoo and Bing Similar ads were yanked from Google last week

Consumers Catch A Break In October Prices actually go down last month

Chase Ordered to Pay $1.9 Million for Recommending Unsuitable Investments Chase also ordered to pay $1.7 million fine

Feds Complete Action Against Hope Now Modifications Mortgage modification scheme victimized troubled homeowners

Consumers Keeping Economy Afloat Retail sales showed surprising strength last month

Understanding Bank Math Helps Avoid Overdraft Fees Consumer claims one withdrawal results in two overdraft fees

Banks Pay $165 Million to Cover Credit Union Losses Citigroup, Deutsche Bank first two banks to reach settlement agreement

Consumer Confidence On The Rise This Month University of Michigan survey finds consumers more optimistic

What's On Your Mind? Chase, Ramada Plaza, Ashley Furniture Our daily look at consumer reviews

Morgan Stanley Fined $1 Million for Excessive Markups Firm ordered to pay $371,000 in restitution to customers

What's On Your Mind? Chase, Merchant Contests, ER Solutions, Ancestry.com Our daily look at consumer reviews

Consumer Protection Bureau Wants Simpler Mortgage Closings 'Know Before You Owe' project aims to cut closing-document clutter

Bank's Debit Card Fee Fiasco May Be Sobering Lesson For Businesses Can consumers build on their major victory?

Credit Union Membership Surges As Consumers Bail On Banks Credit Unions get 650.000 new members in last month

'Bank Transfer Day' Declared For Nov. 5 Grassroots effort urges consumers to bail on big banks

Is Consumer Debt At The Root Of Our Economic Woes? 1970s credit standards might have prevented our problems

Viewing the Carnage, Big Banks Pass on Debit Card Fees Bank of America finds itself abandoned on the field of battle

Birmingham Financial Federal Credit Union Seized by Regulators Normal services will continue in a new location, regulators say

Economy Grows Faster Than Expected In Third Quarter Consumers and businesses shake off the pessimism

FTC: Debt Collectors Posed as Attorneys, Process Servers Judge freezes Rincon Debt Management's assets

Washington State Study Shows Declining Living Standard More people find themselves falling behind

Utah Credit Union Drops Payday Loans After Press Reports But big banks and Indian tribes are still edging into the market

Barbie Sports A Tattoo And Some Parents Aren't Happy But doll is a collectors' edition, not designed for mass sales

U.S. Natural Gas Supplies Continue To Grow Unlike oil and gasoline, natural gas prices are going down

Illinois Accuses Three Firms Of Mortgage Fraud Crackdown on foreclosure rescue and debt settlement continues

Poll: Customers Ready To Switch Banks Over Debit Card Fees Researcher find lower income customers more accepting of the fee

Hidden, Unexpected Fees Lead Working Poor to Close Bank Accounts Ranks of the "unbanked" increase, making it harder for families to save

Get-Rich-Quick Infomercial Fades To Black Firm promoting promissory note trading scheme told to stop

FBI Looking for 'Mr. Magoo' Bank Robber Calm, cool and collected, Mr. Magoo has worked his way through 12 banks so far

Wall Street Protesters May Be Onto Something Snicker all you want but the protests are drawing wide public support

Recession Fears Fading, So Oil Prices Are Rising (Again) A classic good news, bad news scenario

What's On Your Mind? American Home Mortgage, TravelNow, Mitsubishi, Progressive Business Publications Our daily look at consumer reviews

Some Praise For Bank Of America Connecticut's Attorney General gives the bank some credit

What's On Your Mind? Chase, Verizon Wireless, Your Baby Can Read Our daily look at consumer reviews

Data Shows 'Consumer Recession' Continues Consumers actually fared better during the recession

Banks Awash in Cash, Which Isn't Good News Investors flee stock market, park money in banks which have no use for it

Home Foreclosures Causing a Public Health Crisis Study points to higher incidence of illness in areas with high foreclosure rate

What's On Your Mind? Bank of America, One Click Cash, US Fidelis, Avis Our daily look at consumer reviews

NY Law Firm Hit With $2 Million Fine for Foreclosure Irregularities "No excuses for sloppy practices," U.S. Attorney argues

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Nominee Faces Senate Vote Richard Cordray cleared by Banking Committee but now faces a vote in the full Senate

Mortgage Rate Falls Below Four Percent But would-be buyers still can't qualify

New York Sues Bank Of New York Mellon City and state claim pension funds were defrauded

Federal Court Closes Deceptive Mortgage 'Rescue' Program Distressed consumers paid $1,495 but got no services

What's On Your Mind? Experian, Geek Squad, Hertz, CoverGirl Our daily look at consumer reviews

Report: Fannie Mae Looked The Other Way On Robo-Signing Agency may have been warned eight years ago

What's On Your Mind? Dish Network, Quicken Loans, Frigidaire Our daily look at consumer reviews

Bankers' Association Blames Government For New Fees Says banks now losing money on debit transactions

Is Your Investment Adviser an RIA? The answer is an emphatic "no." States cracking down on misuse

What's On Your Mind? Bank of America, Hotels.com, Emerson, Target Our daily look at consumer reviews

Consumers Have Alternatives to Big Banks Don't like big banks' fees? Take your business somewhere else

The Math Behind Bank Of America's New $5 Fee Not a figure pulled out of thin air

Bank Greets Swipe Fee Rule With Debit Card Fee New, lower swipe fee rule takes effect tomorrow

Consumers' Income Not Growing If you aren't earning more, it's hard to spend more

A&O Investment Scam Draws Lengthy Prison Terms More than 800 victims, many of them elderly, lost their savings

Debt Collector Ordered to Stop Abusing Consumers Collector also deceived its small-business clients, FTC charges

Raymond James Ordered to Refund Unfair Commissions Brokerage house must repay $1.69 million in overcharges

Illinois Files Four Mortgage Fraud Lawsuits Companies accused of trying to exploit loophole in law

What's On Your Mind? Wells Fargo, Whirlpool, Samsung Our daily look at consumer reviews

When It Comes To Savings Goals, Less Is More A single savings goal yields better results, researchers say

Home Prices Show Slight Growth In July But prices still lower than last year

Wall Street Bear Predicts Sharp Drop For Gold 'Dr. Doom' says prices could hit $1,100 an ounce

Free Checking Becoming Endangered Species More banks adding fees, raising minimum balance requirements

Should You Build Savings Or Pay Off Debt? Consumers believe debt reduction is more important

Feds Sue Sites That Impersonate Federal Agencies Bogus sites target consumers seeking mortgage, tax, debt relief services

What To Expect From The Fed's 'Operation Twist' Financial experts don't seem impressed

Wall Street Turning In An Ugly Week Traders seem to smell a recession

Can't Pay Your Alimony? Don't Panic The scenario is not unusual and there are solutions, but prompt action is needed

Americans Growing More Concerned About Financial Future Many worry about saving for retirement

Existing Homes Sales Jump 7.7 Percent In August Real estate market shows signs of life

Getting A Mortgage Is Increasingly Difficult Lenders toughen underwriting standards to prevent defaults

Nevada Goes to War Against Bank of America Attorney General seeks to terminate earlier Countrywide settlement

Budget-Trimming Suggestions From Opposite Ends of the Spectrum Unlikely allies identify -- and agree on -- $1 trillion in savings

Restoring Consumer Confidence Key to Economic Recovery "Trust deficit" hurting recovery in housing, mortgage executive argues

Foreclosure Filings Surge In August But could there be encouraging news lurking in the data?

Kansas City Man Convicted of Attempted $100 Million Fraud Scheme Investors were offered "bonded promissory notes," which are non-existent

What's On Your Mind? Credit One, Toshiba, Home Depot, Walmart Our daily look at consumer reviews

Feds Fine Bank of America $930,000 For Firing Whistleblower Bank took "illegal retaliatory action" against former Countrywide employee

What's On Your Mind? Chase, Virgin America, Miracle Ear, Guitar Center Our daily look at consumer reviews

Obama Tax Plan Would Hit Municipal Bonds Charitable contributions could also be affected by limiting deductions on the "rich"

Record Number Of People Living In Poverty Census Bureau report shows 2.3 percent decline in real income

Feds Taking Another Look At Mortgage Modification Programs Officials hope to help more struggling homeowners

Payday Lender Ordered to Stop Garnishing Paychecks South Dakota lender faces trial on charges it illegally garnished wages

Student Loan Defaults On The Rise For-profit school default rate twice as high as public schools

More Older Consumers Opting To Use Online Banking Both banks and consumers seem to agree on this one

Bank Of America Not Closing Additional Branches Charlotte TV station issues retraction of previous story

Mortgage Rates Fall To Record Low But that doesn't mean you can get a rock-bottom rate

Report: Bank Of America To Close 600 Branches Struggling bank announced 'streamlined' management earlier this week

Stock Brokers Fined for Improper Handling Fees Firms understated commissions by mischaracterizing charges as handling fees

Minnesota Sues Five Internet Payday Lenders Warns consumers these loans can bring a number of problems

Nevada Seeks To Amend Countrywide Settlement Claims lender materially breached original judgment

Job Creation Grinds To A Halt In August Economist calls trend 'disturbing'

Report: U.S. To Sue Big Banks Over Mortgages Could be latest mortgage crisis fallout

Home Prices Rise In Second Quarter Is this the turnaround, or another false start?

Virginia Sues Mortgage Modification Company R.L. Brad Street alleged charged customers $3,000 upfront

Pending Home Sales Drop In July Another sign housing is running out of gas

CORRECTION: Freedom Debt Relief Not Banned in Missouri Consumer incorrectly identified company that took her $1,298

Pressure Grows On Government To Stimulate Housing Real estate market isn't recovering, despite hopeful signs

Feds Stop Mortgage, Debt Scams Companies promised to help consumers but merely took their money

Investors Warned Of Gold Stock Scams Inflated claims may lead the unwary to make unwise decisions

FTC Shuts Down 'Government Grant' Scheme Defendants promised "guaranteed" $25,000 federal grant

Why Good Mortgage Modification Deals Go Bad Lenders, homeowners often have trouble completing the mounds of paperwork that's required

Suggestion to Congress: Here's How to Save $380 Billion Time to end subsidies to environmentally harmful industries?

Will Next Stimulus Be For Housing? Some analysts say helping housing could help the economy

U.S. Banks Growing More Profitable Fewer bad loans cut bank losses

Gold Plunges 7% in Two Days - Has the Bubble Burst? Whether it's market forces or pure panic, gold is starting to flake

Debt Relief USA Relieved of its Debt $20 million judgment suspended because the company filed for bankruptcy

Report: Bailed Out Banks Got $1.2 Trillion From the Fed The bailout was much larger than most of us knew

More Homeowners Falling Behind On Mortgage Payments Pace increases slightly in second quarter from first

Four Banks Fail Over the Weekend Total for the year so far is 64, behind last year's pace

Prices At Producer, Consumer Levels Jumped In July Is inflation about to make a return?

Wells Fargo Testing Charge For Debit Cards Customers in five states will pay $3 a month

Home Sales Drop In July Appraisals prevent some sales from closing

California Sues Law Firms in Alleged Mortgage Relief Scam "Mass joinder" suits were deceptively marketed, state charges

'Super Committee' Members Asked to Stop Fund-Raising Special interests should not have access to deficit reduction panel

As Gold Moves Higher, Economists Caution Investors The precious metal is near record highs; did someone say "bubble?"

Colorado Fines Florida-Based Debt Management Company Enhanced Servicing Solutions agrees to $590,000 settlement

What To Make Of Wall Street's Wild Week Much of the blame falls on S&P, economist says

Have Foreclosures Peaked? Foreclosure activity hits 44-month low last month

Federal Reserve Gives Wall Street A Lift Fed statement ignites a furious rally

Option One Agrees to $125 Million in Massachusetts Mortgage Modifications Settles charges of unfair lending, discrimination against Latino and African-American borrowers

With Oil's Collapse, Motorists Should Feel Relief Sharply lower prices could be the result

Bank of America Subsidiary Sued For Illegal Foreclosure Washington State says ReconTrust repeatedly violated the law

Wall Street Reacts To Credit Downgrade Stocks plunge, along with bond yields

ACLU Challenges Debtors' Prisons in Michigan Constitution prohibits jailing defendants too poor to pay fines

Big Banks Still Charging Stiff Overdraft Fees Fifth Third Bank charges highest rate, equalling 3,259% APR

Gold Prices Surge To New Highs Investors looking for safe haven

Can America Ever Pay Off Its National Debt? Over the last 60 years, it hasn't made much of an effort

Debt Settlement Infomercial Producers Settle Colorado Charges Company accused of misleading listeners

Are We Headed For Another Recession? Some economists think we are

Regulators Close Three More Banks The pace of failures is slowing as banks work their way through mountains of bad debt

Nervous Financial Markets Get More Bad News Economy registered weak growth in second quarter

No Debt Limit/Default Crisis at Apple Computer Once-mighty U.S. Treasury has less cash on hand than Steve Jobs

Survey: Bank Customers Support Stronger Banking Regulation Consumers favor making banks better disclose checking account terms

What's On Your Mind? Liberty Mutual, AT&T, JetBlue, Countrywide Our daily look at consumer reviews

Massachusetts Expands Probe Of Illegal Foreclosures May pull out of multi-state robo-signing settlement

Investors Warned About Chasing High Returns in Uncertain Times Structured products, high-yield bonds and floating-rate loan funds can be risky

What Does the Debt-Ceiling Fight Mean to You? Political shenanigans in D.C. put your nest egg at risk

Big Banks Wading Into Payday Loan Businesses Sky-high interest turns short-term loans into long-term debt

10 Things the New Consumer Financial Bureau Can Do Right Now Some suggestions for the newly-hatched agency

Wells Fargo To Settle Mortgage Abuses For $85 Million Some subprime borrowers to receive compensation

Refund Checks Being Mailed to Countrywide Customers Mortgage company overcharged 450,000 homeowners, FTC charged

Feds: Payday Lenders Tricked Borrowers Into Paying For a Debit Card Judge orders Swish Marketing to pay $4.8 million

Feds Issue New Rules to Clean Up Mortgage Advertising New FTC rule prohibits deceptive, misleading ads and claims

Obama Nixes Warren, Picks Cordray to Head CFPB Bankers win, consumers lose and White House bows to GOP opposition

Consumer Prices Fell In June Lower gas prices hide increases in other sectors, however

In A Nutshell: The Debt Ceiling Debate What does the government's debt limit really mean?

Foreclosure Report Tells Only Part Of The Story Yes, foreclosures are down now but a lot more are coming

Ohio Sues Mortgage 'Rescue' Company Florida-based Diversified Real Estate Consultants LLC ran up 37 complaints in Ohio

Consumer Agency Cranks Up Bank Oversight as Business Interests Stew Another round of sparks is likely as Elizabeth Warren heads back to Capitol Hill

First Chicago Bank, Two Colorado Banks Fail Latest failure bring the year's total to 51 so far

Texas Sues Encore Capital Group Charges firm violated Texas debt collection laws

JPMorgan Chase Admits to Anticompetitive Conduct Agrees to pay $228 million to federal and state agencies

Consumer Bankruptcies Fall In First Half Of Year Filings drop sharply compared to 2010

Mortgage Rates Remain Near All-Time Low But few prospective home buyers qualify

Pending Home Sales Jump In May It's another hopeful sign, but probably not a turnaround

Home Prices Rose In April But values remain lower than they were a year ago

Bank of America's 'PayPlan' Was Deceptive, Homeowners Charge Automatic payment plan was supposed to save customers money

Consumer Confidence Plunges In June Consumers sense the economy is faltering

Credit Agency to Pay $1.8 Million for Privacy Violations Company sold private information for marketing purposes

Pessimism About National Economy Rises Latest Pew Center survey finds Obama's job rating down

Former Taylor, Bean CEO Gets 40 Months $2.9 billion fraud scheme led to failure of major mortgage lender

Feds Stop Bogus Mortgage Loan Modification Business Defendants ordered to pay almost $19 million to settle FTC charges

Foreclosure Backlog Will Take Decades to Clear Out Banks' plodding pace isn't always bad news for consumers

Michigan Expands Criminal Probe Of Mortgage Servicers Three more servicers receive subpoenas

Lower Gas Prices Keep May Inflation Down But core rates rises at fastest pace in three years

GAO Finds Little to Support Congress' Abolition of ACORN Grass-roots consumer organization was driven into bankruptcy by conservative critics

While Real Estate Declines, Timeshare Sales 'Hold Steady' But resales by individual owners may be another matter entirely

Study: Just Working Longer Not Enough To Cover Retirement Expenses Some people might have to work into their 80s

Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Ex-CEO Sentenced To Prison Former company treasurer also sentenced on fraud charges

Treasury Calls Out Four Banks Over Mortgage Practices Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo and Ocwen criticized for their modification performance

It's The Gas Prices, Stupid It's not such a mystery why the economy is slowing down, is it?

Bankruptcy Rates Higher Among Cancer Survivors Insolvency rates highest along longest living survivors

What's On Your Mind? La-Z-Boy, Maytag, Mexicana How long is a lifetime guarantee?

Consumers Losing Confidence In Economic Rebound High gas prices depress optimism

Home Prices Fall Below 2009 Lows Values now at 2002 levels

Pending Home Sales Plunge In April The latest grim news for housing

Illinois Widens Robo-Signing Probe Attorney General appeals to whistle-blowers

GAO Finds Big Problems in Mortgage Modification Program Government fails to act against loan servicers who fail to comply with program's requirements

Foreclosures Still Weighing Down the Real Estate Market Three-year supply of foreclosures drives down prices, slows sales

AG: Bank of America In Default On Its Duty to Customers Connecticut AG demands action, says bank can and should do more

Republicans Accuse Warren of Lying, Democrats Apologize Taxpayers' time, money wasted, Public Citizen declares

West Virginia Sues Debt Settlement Lawyers "Enrollment lawyers" do "no substantive work," state charges

New York, California Launch Anti-Fraud Task Forces Attorneys general vow to battle evil-doers on behalf of consumers, taxpayers

Justice Sues to Block H&R Block Acquisition of TaxACT Says company is trying to remove a competitor

Surprise! American Families Are 'Financially Fragile' Study finds middle-class families in weaker position than expected

Home Sales, Prices Fall In April Investors still a big part of the market

A Good Story Is Key To Getting A Peer-To-Peer Loan Investors willing to listen if you have a credit blemish

Consumers Pay More In April But economist says government understates inflation

Foreclosure Activity Drops Sharply In April But that doesn't mean things are getting better, analysts say

Prepaid Cards Can Deal Unemployed Workers a Losing Hand Report reviews 40 states unemployment compensation prepaid cards

Study: Foreclosures Have Magnified Economic Impact People losing homes has ripple effect in the economy

FDIC Seeks $2 Million Fine Against Republic Bank of Kentucky Probe found numerous violations in bank's Refund Anticipation Loan program

When Self-Esteem Falls, People Pay With Credit Cards A bad day often results in a visit to the mall

A Tale Of Two Economies: Cars And Houses Why does one sell and the other doesn't?

Surprising Number Of Americans Got Jobs Last Month Economy may be stronger than many people thought

Defunct Movie-Rental Chains Agree to Rewrite the Final Scene Vampires reached from beyond the grave to bleed their customers

UBS Settles Fraud Charges With Feds, States Charged with bid-rigging in muni bond market

Investment Income, Retirement Savings at Risk in Budget Battle Sacred cows won't be safe as Congress looks for revenue

TIPS May Provide Some Protection Against Inflation But like any investment, there is downside risk

Oil Prices Plunge Below $100 A Barrel Will gasoline prices follow?

Housing Prices Dip Below March 2009 Lows Research firm says we're in a double-dip housing recession

U.S. Sues Bank For Mortgage Fraud Deutsche Bank AG accused of false FHA certifications

Gold And Silver Prices Plunge Just a correction, or something more?

What's On Your Mind? Extended Warranties, Priceline.com, Bank ofAmerica Our daily look at consumer reviews

Ticketmaster Settles Deceptive Sales Practices Charges Maryland objected to ticket resale operation

Survey: Overdraft Opt-Ins Being Sold with Scare Tactics Banks succeeded in confusing and wearing down their customers

Five More Banks Fail - 39 So Far This Year Fall-out from real estate collapse continues to claim victims

How To Deal With A Debt Collector About An Invalid Claim Make sure they know you know your rights

Mortgage Rates Fall, Pending Home Sales Rise Industry posting uneven, but notable improvement

Pew Study Finds Banks Still Rake In Overdraft Fees Calls for more transparent account disclosures

CEO: Wal-Mart Shoppers 'Running Out Of Money' High gas prices taking a huge toll

Renters Spending More Of Their Incomes On Housing Buying is cheaper, but many can't qualify for mortgage

Texas Jury Delivers $13.8 Million Verdict Against Credit Repair Business Claimed they could help Texans get out of debt by exploiting "loopholes"

Arkansas Sues Credit Repair Company TRW's services are ineffective and its fees are illegal, state charges

West Virginia Sues Auto Title Loan Company Says Virginia firm has defied an investigative subpoena

Home Prices Falling Faster A house is about the only thing that's getting cheaper

New Home Sales Jump In March, Sort Of Inventory at a 44-year low and sales still skimpy

JP Morgan Chase Settles Military Mortgage Lawsuit Bank will pay $56 million to settle claims it overcharged service members

Widower Sues Bank of America Over Mortgage Modification Numerous missteps, misrepresentations and misunderstandings are alleged

Florida Debt Settlement Firm Banned From Missouri Vortex Debt Group accused of unfair and deceptive practices

Double Whammy Facing Consumers: Gas And Food Costs Price of both necessities rapidly rising

New York Man Accused of Running a $12 Million Ponzi Scheme Investors' money was supposedly invested in real estate, private mortgages

A Realtor's Plea To Banks: Please Make Loans Sales rise in March, but are below year ago levels

Investment Adviser Pleads Guilty to Bank and Wire Fraud Charges Adviser was counsel to municipalities, credit unions, school districts

Gold Hits $1,500 as U.S. Credit Rating is Questioned Rush to quality set off by natural disasters, high oil prices, financial fears

What's On Your Mind? Chemistry.com, GE, Right Size Our daily rundown of consumer reviews

Taylor, Bean Chairman Convicted in $2.9 Billion Fraud Scheme Defendant once boasted he could rob a bank with a pencil

Housing Starts Rise In March But what that means for the housing market is not clear

Nevada Realtor Arrested In Alleged Foreclosure Scam Investors should tread carefully in foreclosure auction process

What's On Your Mind? Refunds, Credit Repair, Junk Mail, Timeshares Our daily look at consumer reviews

Six Banks Close In Last Week Toll for the year is running behind last year's total

Consumer Prices Jump In March Energy and food costs lead the way

Florida Mortgage 'Relief' Firms Reach $2.2 Million SettlementwithFTC Agency charged Kirkland Young LLC, Attorney Aid LLC with misrepresentation

Law Firm's Robo-Signers Defrauded Thousands, Class Action Charges Suit says Virginia law firm illegally foreclosed on "potentially thousands" of Maryland homes

Rep. Ryan's Plan to Save Social Security All the upside of the stock market, none of the downside

Consumer Groups Pan Pending Loan Servicer Rules Push for holding abusive loan servicers accountable

Debt Collector Owes Oregon $90,000 Allied Interstate agrees to end abusive practices

Senator: U.S. Should Investigate Criminal, Civil Sanctions AgainstEpsilon Consumers deserve more information about massive data breach, Holder told

Wells Fargo Pays $11 Million to Settle SEC Charges it Bilked Zunis Zunis and other investors were misled by Wachovia, later acquired by Wells Fargo

Social Security Even More Important Now Uncertain economy makes recipients depend on it more

What's On Your Mind? Gold Run Investments, Pyrex, Toyota Our daily rundown of consumer reviews

Colorado Suit Claims Multi-State Mortgage Modification Scam Company accused of exploiting desperate homeowners

Ex-Taylor Bean CEO Pleads Guilty to Fraud Charges Paul Allen faces up to 10 years in prison for $1.5 billion fraud

Feeling Like a Million Dollars? Not If You're a Millionaire Survey finds millionaires feel they need more money

West Virginia Takes Action Against JK Harris Company accused of violating 2008 agreement

No Quick Deal to Fix Mortgage Mess Banks, state AGs meet in Washington, agree they have "a long way to go"

50-State Effort to Write Down Troubled Mortgages Starts to Crumble Four attorneys general said reducing mortgage principal presents a "moral hazard"

No Bottom Yet For Housing As Prices Keep Falling Only two cities post price increases

'Stealth' Inflation May Have Been With Us For Years It's the same price, just not as good

Robo-Signing Returns - This Time to Vex Big Debt Collector Minnesota charges Midland Funding used robo-signed affidavits to collect old debts

Consumer Spending Rises, But That's Not Necessarily Good Some of that spending was involuntary, due to higher prices

Florida Law Firm to Pay $2 Million Penalty in Foreclosure Cases Several other law firms remain under investigation, Attorney General warns

Investors Sue SEC, Claiming It Failed to Stop Ponzi Scheme Plaintiffs say they lost $18 million while SEC investigators did nothing for 10 years

Consumers Down In The Dumps In March But who can blame them?

Mortgage Rates Rise, But Are Still Low Mortgage rates rose this week but are still under 5%

Wealthy Investors No Longer Content With a Single Financial Advisor Study finds 57% of wealthy households have five or more advisors

What's On Your Mind? Chase Mortgage, Mystery Charges, GE Our daily look at what's troubling consumers

New Home Sales Hit Record Low More expensive than existing homes, which aren't selling either

Oregon Law Firm Shut Down for Unlawful Debt Collection Practices Attorneys are increasingly specializing in debt collection, mortgage modification

West Virginia Court Bans New York, Illinois Debt Settlement Lawyers Consumers were paying for services that provided no relief, state alleged

Will The Federal Government Prevent A Housing Recovery? Consumer and industry groups worried it will

Reducing Overhead May Be Key To Retirement Working part-time also helps

Existing Home Sales Droop in February Home prices still falling

Debt Collector Complaints Continue to Rise Jailing of indebted consumers raising concerns

Video: Is Home Ownership Still The American Dream? Despite lower prices, fewer people taking part

FDIC Sues Washington Mutual Executives & Their Wives Feds allege gross negligence in pursuit of higher earnings

Payday Loan Industry Floods Congress with Funds Loan industry expects a healthy return on its investment

Chase Testing $5 ATM Fee In Illinois Banks trying to recover revenue from lost fees

Consumer Prices Jump In February Inflation begins to emerge as a threat

What's On Your Mind? Charity Telemarketers, 30-Day Returns, CARFAX Here's what consumers are dealing with today

Wholesale Food Prices Rising At Fastest Pace Since 1974 Energy prices also surge

Morgan Stanley Investigated for Unlawful Military Foreclosures It's the latest instance of lenders disregarding laws protecting active-duty military

What's On Your Mind? Hollywood Video, Sirus-XM, Best Buy Here's what some consumers are talking about today

Bank Fees Hit Consumers Where It Hurts Banks appear to be making up for lost revenue

New Jersey Charges 11 Unlicensed 'Mortgage Loan Modification' Providers States seeks penalties and restitution for consumers who paid for help

If You Want Your FICO Score, Be Prepared To Pay For It Sometimes, it's worth the money

So Can Same-Sex Couples File a Joint Tax Return or Not? The situation is a little muddy but the answer is "probably not"

How Long Before Oil Prices Drag Down The Economy? Oil can't keep going up forever, can it?

Lawsuit: Insured People Aren't Dying on Schedule Investors who bank on early deaths claim they were bilked

Quik Cash Agrees to Pay Restitution to Arizona Consumers Payday loan company deprived customers of their day in court

Mortgage Modification, Foreclosure Rescue Firm Accused of DeceivingHomeowners. U.S. Mortgage Funding, Debt Remedy Partners, Lower My Debts.com charged

Debt-Ridden New Yorkers Getting $1.1 Million In Refunds Debt settlement firm agrees to make amends

Debt Settlement, Credit Issues Top List of Consumer Complaints in Illinois Con artists take advantage of tough times to make a buck

Mortgage Rates Fall For Third Straight Week Fewer consumers applying for mortgages too

Bank Wants to Keep Making Refund Anticipation Loans, Sues FDIC Kentucky bank sees federal regulators conspiring to force tax refund lenders out of business

States Eye Revenue from Online Gambling Congress prohibits it but states think may have a loophole

PNC Says It Will Maintain Free Basic Checking Most big banks are raising fees and creating new ones but PNC says it will hold the line

Surging Oil Prices Could Derail Recovery More disposable income going to gasoline

End Times for Tax Refund Anticipation Loans New regulations may at last spell the end of instant refund loans

Pending Home Sales Dip In January Numbers may point to uneven rocovery

Warren Buffett Is Bullish On America Famed investor hints at major investments in 2011

Checks Going Out to Victims of Foreclosure 'Rescue' Scam America's Law Group, The Financial Group, Inc., others ordered to pay redress

Illinois Bank Fails, No. 23 For the Year Smaller banks remain the most troubled, but situation may be slowly improving

Best Drugs for What Ails You Consumer Reports lists the drugs -- plus where to buy them for $4 a month

Credit Unions Have Problems Too Yes, they're small and neighborly but some are more stable than others

Main Street Hurting But Wall Street Has Second Best Year Eve Public Citizen: 'Disparity is painful'

Fees Could Alienate Online Bill Pay Users The vast majority of bank customers say they'd bail if they had to pay

Credit Unions Keep Free Checking Alive Free checking is still around -- you just have to look for it

Feds Want Mortgage Writedowns As Part Of Robo-Settlement Settlement would aid struggling homeowners

Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Executive Pleads Guilty to $1.9 Billion Fraud Scheme contributed to the failure of Colonial Bank and TBW

West Virginia Judge Fines Quicken Loans $2.7 Million Court finds the company defrauded a borrower and used an inflated apprisal

New Federal Rule Protects Social Security, VA Benefits The rule limits creditors' ability to freeze and take funds from certain bank accounts

Federal Caps on Debit Card Fees May Backfire, Consumer Group Warns Banks may increase the cost of checking accounts and other services, CFA cautions

There Is Life After Bankruptcy, Study Finds But counseling and education are key

Gold Regaining Its Glitter In Libyan Turmoil Other commodities are surging as well, with silver hitting a 31-year high

Rainy Day Accounts Run Dry New Bankrate poll reveals that only 52 percent of Americans have more money in emergency savings than in credit card debt

Consumer Confidence Continues To Improve Consumer optimisim about the economy hits a 3-year high

New Rules for Mortage Brokers Take Effect April 1 Regulatory change is designed to protect borrowers

Dividend Stocks Can Give Your Investments A Boost But get sound advice before investing

Sales, Use Tax Rate Hits Record High Struggling governments imposing new taxes, raising existing ones

Securities Attorney, Five Others Indicted In Stock Manipulation Scheme Pump and dump scheme left investors holding virtually worthless stock, feds allege

Four More Banks Closed by Regulators Toll for 2011 is now 22; 163 expected to fail this year

FDIC Updates Financial Literacy Program Money Smart helps young people learn about finance

Mortgage Delinquencies Fall At End Of 2010 Those who still have homes have an easier time paying for them

Madoff Suggests Banks Knew of His Fraud But in New York Times interview, doesn't name names

Price Pressure Building At Wholesale Level Consumers could soon start feeling them too

Financial Confusion May Indicate Dementia Caregivers should be ready to step in

Is Inflation Just Around the Corner? Some prices are rising, some aren't

Dueling Surveys Show Decline/Increase In Consumer Spending Deloitte Consumer Spending Index points downward for January; Harris Poll shows increase

Regulators Warn Bank About Refund Anticipation Loans Consumer advocates applaud move

Buying a Home vs. Renting: Which is Better in Today's Economy? Housing collapse changed the landscape

Wells Fargo Accused of 'Reverse Redlining' in Ohio Abusive and grossly unfavorable terms alleged

Should You Consider An Annuity? Old-fashioned investment getting a new look

Consumer Reports Index: Stress Is On the Rise Consumers face more financial troubles as economy loses more jobs than it creates

Indian Tribes Expand Into Payday Loans Sovereign tribes build on their success in casinos, tobacco sales

UBS Agrees to Repurchase $1.5 Billion of Auction Rate Securities New Jersey charged that risks of the investment were not clearly disclosed

Mortgage Rates On The Rise The cost of buying a house is going up, even if the price isn't

Should You Be Worried About Food Prices? Prices have risen and may go higher

Vizio Debuts Its 'Passive 3D' TV Consumer Reports takes a look -- gives you the pros and cons

Report Suggests Home Prices Could Fall Some More But at least the rate of decline has slowed

Consumer Credit Increases In December It's the third straight month that shoppers have put it on the tab

Bank of America Settles Overdraft Suit $410 million settlement shows dangers of overdraft protection

Consumer Finance Protection Bureau Taking It To the Street Agency's Website seeks consumer suggestions, complaints, promises vigorous enforcement

Should You Take A Loan From Your 401(k)? There are important issues to consider before tapping into your retirement funds

Americans Can Cut Budget Deficit, Study Finds Who needs Congress? Citizens can find ways to cut spending, boost revenue

Despite Tough Economic Times, Consumers Want (and Buy) Luxury Study finds consumers' desire for designer products still strong, companies happy to oblige

Debit Card Vs. Credit Card Sorting out the pros and cons of using the debit card

Credit Report Resellers Settle FTC Charges Security failures gave hackers access to consumers' personal data

More Lawmakers Call for Military Foreclosures Probe House Democrats believe lenders have violated the law

Claims Chief Sees Gulf Spill Recovery Next Year Seeks to make 'final' payments for claims

Not Everyone Is Saving For Retirement Meeting today's needs seem to take priority

TV Shopping for Sunday's Big Game? Make sure you know what you're getting when it comes to the warranty

Sticking To A Budget When Prices Go Up Rising prices pose a challenge

Hefty Price Tag for Healthy Diets Study finds education and household income have a lot to do with eating properly

Consider the Risks When Investing In A Franchise Get plenty of financial and legal advice before parting with your cash

Why You Shouldn't Trust Those Debt Settlement Commercials Beware of the false promises they advertise and advance fees

New Type Of Mortgage Could Stem Defaults, Researchers Say Adjust the balance, not the rate

What Happened To the Savings Rate? Consumers are spending more, saving less

Raynor Marketing Reaches Settlement In Defective Office Chairs The company has agreed to pay a $390,000 civil penalty for failing to report the problem

Michigan Latest State To Sue Countrywide Financial Seeks to recover losses from investments in Countrywide stock

Massachusetts May Mandate Mortgage Modifications Voluntary efforts not working, Attorney General says

Why You Should Keep An Eye On Inflation It may not be affecting Wall Street, but consumers are another story

Feds Propose Uniform Rules for Brokers and Financial Advisors New regulations could clear up confusion, study says

Mortage Rates Follow Bond Yields Higher But rates still remain below five percent

What's Behind Gold's Recent Sell-Off? Should investors be nervous?

Getting Married? Maybe You'd Better Talk About Money Couples would rather talk about anything but money

Home Sales Show Slight Improvement Realtors see a hopeful trend

Countrywide Financial Faces New Securities Lawsuit Oregon opts out of class-action, goes it alone

Food Prices Expected To Climb In 2011 Agriculture Department economists say higher energy costs are part of the reason

McDonald's To Raise Prices This Year Announcement made on earnings conference call

The SEC Is Considering Plans to Strengthen Laws Governing Stock Brokers Making it easier for clients to sue them

Consumers Are Feeling Better At Start Of 2011 January's consumer confidence rises over December's

Will New Law Curb Negative Option Abuses? The Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act means consumers finally have some protection

What Happened to Your Favorite Restaurant? Was it one of over 5,000 that went out of business last year?

One Out of Two Americans Not Saving Enough Warnings of financial shortfalls go unheeded

Want to Get Something Back for Those Higher Gasoline Prices? Why not invest in oil?

Chicago Hedge Fund Manager Charged With Swindling Investors Out Of $3.5 Million Supposed profits from futures trading, commodity investments were non-existent, feds charge

If Inflation Is So Low Why Are We Paying So Much for Everyday Items? Like food, rent, energy and clothing

Chase Making Refunds to Overcharged Military Personnel But violations of law intended to protect active-duty military appear widespread

Finding Money from Pension Plans of Past Employers That couple of hundred a month can really add up

New Jersey Steps Up Warnings About Credit Repair Claims State using variety of media to get the word out to consumers

Maybe You Shouldn't be in a Hurry to Pay off Your Mortgage Put that money into the stock market instead

Top Regulator Pushes Settlement for Foreclosure Errors Loan servicers would provide the compensation

Younger Boomers Have Been Squeezed Most By the Recession Mintel reports the effects of the economic meltdown have not been felt equally

Why You Still Need to be Wary of Penny stocks Theres usually a reason theyre so cheap

Resolved: To Save More Money In the Year Ahead Consumer Reports offers five unexpected ways to save more in 2011

Need To Down-Size Your Lifestyle? Forbes Magazine lists its determination of the nation's most affordable cities

Finally a Bank Account that Could Actually Earn You Money The only caveat is that it's an American branch of the Bank of China

How to Teach Your Children the Value of Money As well as the right way to pay them an allowance

Sweeping Federal Bribery Probe Reportedly Underway Reports say the alleged bribes involved sovereign wealth funds owned by foreign governments

Energy Costs Push Up Consumer Prices In December Except for energy, other costs are tame

Are Actively Managed Exchange Traded Funds Ready for Primetime? Some experts believe this is the year ETFs will take off

Consumer Sentiment On the Rise At Start of 2011 Survey finds consumers are facing fewer financial woes

How to Save on Costs You Thought Were Fixed You can negotiate almost anything

How To Stop Spending And Start Saving Get familiar with the term 'delayed gratification'

New Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Exchange Cheats Probe into whether Forex brokers are cheating their clients comes as market heats up

Federal Reserve Sees Improvement In The Economy But housing market remains a big problem

Rating Agencies Warn US Faces Lower Credit Ratings S&P and Moody's say rising debt could hurt U.S. credit ratings

Charles Schwab Finally Agrees to Pay Back Investors who Lost Money with YieldPlus Schwab pays up in YieldPlus settlement

Study: Outsourcing Keeps Prices Artificially High Research finds outsourcing lessens competition among rival companies; consumers pay for it

The Recovery for New Housing Starts Has Been Pushed Back to 2012 Although regional disparities in the recovery will continue

Consumer Credit Delinquency Rate Improvements Lose Steam But after a third quarter slowdown, momentum is likely to pick up in the fourth quarter

Getting Help From State and Local Governments With Your Mortgage Down Payment More programs being offered for low- and middle-income home buyers

How To Get Help Paying For College Department of Education offers free aid website

Here are the Top Mutual Fund Managers Who managed to out-perform their peers in difficult markets

Colorado Bans Payday Everyday For Five Years Payday lender did not comply with state orders to clean up its procedures

Top Financial Products for Young Adults Focus on what you need when youre just starting out

Some of the Biggest and Most Costly Mistakes Retirees Can Make These mistakes could jeopardize what could have been the best years of your life

Is it Time to Re-write Your Will? When was the last time you even looked at it?

How to Fight the New Bank Maintenance Fees Banks are imposing lots of new fees. Here are some ways to get around them

The Destructive Nature of Structured Products Strikes Again Reverse convertibles turn Wall Street stock gains into losses

Jobless Rate Falls -- But Too Early To Celebrate However, economy adds fewer-than-expected jobs in December

Top Stock Pickers Select Their 10 Best Stocks for 2011 And why you may not want to follow them

Bank of America Raising Fees for Most Customers Higher fees are an attempt to replace revenue lost to new consumer protection rules

Nearly Half of Americans 45 to 70 Have No Plans to Avoid Outliving Their Assets Or, for that matter, to deal with the rising cost of health care in later life

Younger Adults Taking More Adult-like Attitude Toward Finances Theyre twice as likely as their parents to want to improve their financial behavior in 2011

Will High Oil Prices Bring The Economy To Its Knees (Again)? Have we seen this movie before?

Gym Membership Contracts: Read The Fine Print Consumers should know what they're signing before becoming members of a gym

Pension Board, Motorola Agree On Pension Protection Deal would protect Motorola pensions to the tune of $100 million

Wealth Not the Only Key To Satisfying Retirement A new Consumer Reports survey finds lifestyle choices are just as important

2010 Consumer Bankruptcies Hit Five-Year High Data show consumers still struggling with their finances

Goldman Sachs Can Invest $450 million In Facebook; Why Can't You? SEC is reportedly investigating this and other private equity secondary trading deals

Stock Market Starts Year With a Bang; Time for Individuals to Get Back Into the Fray? Or is it already too late?

Are Your Finances Driving You Crazy? Maybe You Need a Financial Therapist Spending addicts and anxious investors are going to financial therapists for help

Baby Boomers Could Inherit $11 Trillion but That Doesn't MeanTheyWill Especially if their longer-living parents burn through it in their final years of life

Year Ends With Hopeful Economic Data Encouraging news about business expansion and home sales

New Financial Reform Law Gives States Larger Consumer Protection Role Attorneys general will be able to enforce many provisions of new law

SEC Looking at 'Shadow Market' in Facebook Stock As well as other privately held social networking companies

Is Your Checking Account Looking a Little Light? Maybe its time to plug up those slow financial leaks

How Bringing Home the Bacon Has Destroyed the Pork Bellies Market The pork bellies futures pit at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange is literally in the pits

Looking for Places to Trade that Unwanted Gift Card? There are Websites that will accommodate you for a fee

January Is A Good Time To Review Your Credit Report But don't be confused by 'free' reports that come with strings attached

Homelessness Continues to Rise in America Study shows number of homeless families is up 9%

Consider Association Solvency Before Buying A Condo Financial strains placing more burdens on association members

Can You Love A Car Like A Person? Study finds many consumers exhibit love-like emotions around their cars, laptops, or guns

Alabama Town Stops Paying Pensions; Are Others Close Behind? Some retirees who were counting on that pension are destitute

Home Values Fall But Property Taxes Likely to Rise Falling sales tax revenue, pension pressures forcing municipalities to rob Peter to pay Paul

Blu-ray Discs Sales Soar, DVD Sales Continue To Drop But will internet streaming eventually replace both

New Insight On Why We Can't Save Money Study finds people who can't connect with their 'future selves' spend instead of save

Those Who Don't Plan to Die Could End up Killing their Family's Finances There are books on financial planning and retirement planning, but what about funeral planning?

Municipal Default Crisis On the Horizon Analyst says looming problem is being ignored

Fast Cash Loans Mean Long-Term Debt Payday loans are tempting but quickly made a bad problem worse

New Jersey Courts Threaten To Block Foreclosures Loan servicers must prove process is not flawed

How Would You Like to Invest in Facebook Even Though Its Not a Publicly Traded Company? The private equity secondary market lets you invest in private companies, but make sure you know what youre really buying

Wells Fargo Agrees to Modify $2 Billion Worth of Mortgages Pick-a-pay mortgages were written by banks later acquired by Wells Fargo

Here Are 15 Business Books That Could Actually Help Make You Rich But only if you read them and follow their advice

Six More Banks Fail, Total For Year Now 157 Bad real estate loans continue to take their toll

Latest Trend Among the Fashion-Conscious: Renting Designer Clothes It's the latest way of being fashionable without breaking the bank

What the Bill Extending the Bush Tax Cuts Means To You Other provisions in the 1,900-plus page opus could touch your financial life

Arizona Charges Bank of America with Mortgage Fraud Bank has shown 'callous disregard for devastating effects' of its practices, suit charges

Who Is Your Financial Advisor Working For? Really? Signs your financial advisor is putting themselves ahead of your financial well-being

High-Dividend Stocks May Offer the Best Value for Today's Investor So here are four stocks with high dividends worth looking at for 2011

Mortgage Rates Approaching 5 Percent Rising bond yields are pushing rates for homeowners higher

Southern California Home Sales Lose More Ground November sales lowest in three years

Nine Sued for Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Justice Department seeks to hold companies liable without limitation

Mortgage Modification Program Called A Failure Oversight panel blames Treasury Department

Couples Who Don't Marry May Face Unintended Consequences Financial planners call it the "unmarried" penalty and it can raise havoc around tax time, or during breakups and deaths

Foreclosures Are Expected to Top 1.2 Million This this Year and Realtors Predict 2011 will be Even Worse That means any recovery in the housing market is more than two years off

Wondering Where You Should Put Your Money in 2011? Here are 10 investment tips for next year for those brave enough to jump back into market

Did You Know that What's in Your Wallet Could Make You Sick? That includes toxic receipts and contaminated money

States Crack Down On Deceptive Charities Officials warn consumers to be more wary

OPEC Signals Lower Oil Prices Soon Saudi oil minister 'prefers' price at $70-$80 a barrel

Firm Impersonated Federal Agencies, Florida Claims Made bogus claims in advertising, state says

Fewer Homes Underwater At End of Third Quarter Why that's not necessarily good news

Social Security Changes its Rules About Re-filing to Get a Higher Benefit Meanwhile, the Senate voted to block another cost of living adjustment to Social Security recipients

Study: Where You Live Is Linked to Your Readiness to Retire Minneapolis-St. Paul ranks first in Retirement Readiness while Los Angeles ranks last

The Prolonged Economic Meltdown Has Turned Many of Us from Hoarders to Just in Time Consumers This shift in consumption habits is prompting retailers to change how they peddle their goods

Seasonal Flavors Spice Up Restaurant Menus Eateries know what their patrons want -- and they provide it

Mortgage Rates Rise For Fourth Straight Week Rates rise even though demand remains sluggish

Tired of Paying ATM Fees Just to Get Access to Your Own Money? Here are some places that let you use rival ATMs for free

Nine Suggested Money Moves For 2011 Consumers urged to maximize their cash in the new year

Think You Could Retire on $190 a Month? A survey shows that will be the average monthly income from what Americans in their 50s are saving for retirement

Survey Shows Cash is King when it Comes to Giving Gifts This Year More than half surveyed prefer cash gifts

California Ponzi Scheme Defrauded More Than 100 Victims 'Guaranteed' interest rates of 120% didn't materialize, leaving some victims impoverished

How To Recover from a 'Lost Decade' of Financial Security Here are some steps you can take to prepare for the next ten years

Bank of America Agrees to $67 Million Multi-State Settlement Bid rigging, price-fixing, other illegal activities allegedly defrauded governments, non-profits

Do You Need Help Deciding Who and How Much to Tip this Holiday Season? Some are tipping less than they did before the recession while others are tipping the same amount

Unemployed? You Can Get An Extra Free Credit Report Federal law grants the jobless that right, but few know of it

Planning Ahead Can Relieve Holiday Shopping Stress Having a blueprint could turn an annual chore into a thing of enjoyment

Confused By a Debt Collector? Here Are Your Rights Ohio Attorney General offers some advice

Money Tight? You May Want to Consider Living off the Land Here are some simple and inexpensive ways you can become a homesteader

New Survey Shows More Small Banks Are in Financial Trouble FICO Survey Finds Persistent Credit Gap Facing Consumers and Small Business Owners

New Gift Card Rules In Effect This Holiday Season Federal regulations affect expiration dates and some user

Tricks Some Charities Use to Get You to Give You shouldn't stop giving to charities, just make sure theyre using your donations properly

Theres Turmoil in the Municipal Bond Market as Cities Struggle Does this mean municipal bonds are no longer the "safe" investment they once were?

A Dying Investment Banker Reveals Market Truths for Everyday Investors A virtual deathbed confession reveals one of Wall Street's biggest secrets: there are no secrets

Costs for 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' Song Soar Items spike due to price increases for commodities, performers and birds

Banks Given New Guidelines For Overdraft Coverage Consumers should have low-cost options, feds say

How to Tell if a Financial Advisor's Certificate Is Worth the Paper It's Printed on Some groups that train financial pros are real and some arent

10 Ways to Maximize Charitable Giving Tax Deductions But make sure you closely follow the rules

Consumer Preference Is In the Genes A new study that finds consumer preferences are often influenced by genetic inheritance

How the 15 Largest Mutual Funds Are Doing This Year Many mutual funds have so far returned 4-12% or more so far this year

What You Get to Keep and What You Don't in a Bankruptcy When you file for bankruptcy protection that protection only goes so far

Existing Home Sales Slow In October Realtors cite foreclosure mess, economic uncertainty

Government Takes Aim At Foreclosure Relief Scammers New rule makes it easier for struggling homeowners to spot a scam

Texas Takes Action Against Lubbock Mortgage Firms Firms allegedly took advantage of owner-financers

Its Holiday Time: How Do We Spend It? Consumer Reports poll says well spend almost two days shopping, wrapping, partying, and more

Homeowners Continue to Drop Out of Modification Program So far, 54 percent of those who started a modification have dropped out

New Rules Makes It Harder to Avoid Foreclosure, Groups Say Fed urged to hold off on changes to Truth In Lending Act rules

The Nations Largest Banks Are Making It More Difficult for Some Potential Homeowners to Get a Mortgage Wells Fargo and Bank of America have raised the minimum credit score required on FHA-insured loans

Finding a Good Financial Adviser Can Be Harder than Finding a Life Mate Few things are more complicated and mistake-ridden than finding an honest and knowledgeable financial advisor

Prime Mortgage Foreclosure Rate At Record High Rising unemployment beginning to affect foreclosure rate more than subprime loans

Instant Redemption Opportunities Lure Loyalty Program Customers However, consumers must exercise caution to avoid the unscrupulous

Sometimes the Best Things in Life Really Are Free Whether youre in great need and looking for free food and shelter or just like the idea of getting something for nothing, this list is for you

If Youre Planning on Getting Married You Should Know How It Will Impact Your Taxes Love may be blind but taxes aren't and when it comes to taxes being married makes a difference

Three Strategies To Combat Declining Credit Scores Consumer Reports Money Adviser says you dont have to surrender

Nothing Exciting about Utility Stocks ... Except Steady Income Utilities, once the investment of choice for widows and retirees, have entered the arena of any investor seeking growing profits

Love For Your Community Could Create Economic Growth, Study Says Gallup-Knight Foundation study says unexpected factors cause people to love where they live

Illinois Legislature to Consider Foreclosure Reforms One of the first states to address issue with new law

Foreclosure Robo-Signing May Threaten Banks, Feds Say Impact is unknown, but could be severe, according to Oversight Panel

Retail Sales May Offer Hopeful Economic Sign But good news has often been followed by bad

Another Insurance Company Has Stopped Selling Long Term Care Insurance Insurance companies have been paying out significantly more in claims than they ever anticipated

Retirees Fear Their Children and Grandchildren Won't Be Able to Retire To paraphrase the late John Lennon, the dream of retirement may be over for young adults and children

China Is Expected to Surpass the U.S. As the World's Strongest Economy within Two Years China already has enormous power over Americas economy

Obama's Debt Panel Calls for Sacrifice and Lots of It But most of us shouldnt be too worried because the most controversial cuts wont affect us, just our children and grandchildren

Lottery Dreams Aren't All About Spending Sprees They do however reflect todays economic picture

Mortgage Rates Resume Decline, Reach Record Low After a few weeks of inching higher, rates are falling once again

Four in Ten Americans Will Be Spending Less for Thanksgiving Dinner This Year The biggest change according to one survey is in the number of people being invited to dinner

Shoppers Beware! New Devious Methods Aim to Separate You from Your Money In shopping malls all across the country this holiday season salespeople will be using promotions that will be hard to resist

U.S. Home Values Fall Farther in Third Quarter Twenty-three percent of mortgages under water

Your Taxes Are Probably Your Biggest Expense But Do You Know How that Money Is Spent? Most of us dont so heres an abbreviated itemized list

Three Debt Collectors Settle With West Virginia Companies were attempting to collect old, charged off debts

Distressed Homeowners Still Critical Of Mortgage Modification Process Those whose trial modifications are rejected are much worse off

Because Were Living Longer, More Americans Will Run Out of Money in Retirement than Previously expected Financial planners now predict we could live an average of 30 to 40 years in retirement not the 20 to 30 years as previously believed

Oklahoma Debt Collector Charged With Fraud In Texas Payday lender accused of impersonating a government official

Debt Collection Protections At Risk, Consumer Group Warns National Consumer Law Center says debt collectors could get more aggressive

Over $1 Billion in Taxpayer Money Has Gone to Dead People We know that zombies are starting to become popular but this is ridiculous

Record Low Interest Rates Make Mortgage Refinancing Look Pretty Good But refinancing your mortgage may not be such a good idea if youre going to retire in a few years

Hollywood Video Reaches From The Grave To Grab Consumers Former customers suddenly hearing from a collection agency

Lame Duck Congress Faces Big Tax, Unemployment, Medicare Issues What you need to know as a lame duck Congress decides on issues that could affect your wallets and pocketbooks

Is There Any Hope For Housing? Creeping pessimism beginning to cloud the outlook

The American Dream of Home Ownership is Fading Home ownership has dropped to its lowest levels in more than ten years

Pension Plan Limitations for 2011 Announced The Internal Revenue Service changes from 2010 are few and small, with some areas remaining the same

Oregon Sues Bear Stearns Over Mortgage Backed Securities Suit stems from huge losses in financial meltdown

Investors Lost $30 Million in FOREX Scheme, Prosecutors Charge Boston Trading and Research ex-owner faces trial, his partner still at large

When China Coughs the U.S. Stock Market Gets Sick The Economic Version of the Butterfly Effect gets acted out on a daily basis in Americas Securities Markets

Unlikely Allies Uncover Billions In Federal Government Savings Strange bedfellows find a lot to agree on in eliminating the waste of taxpayer dollars

Next 15 Years Could Be Brutal for Boomers Saving for Retirement Study predicts boomers wont be able to save enough to retire, because market wont grow that much over next 15 years

Investors Seeking High Returns Face Forex Scam Risk Forex fraud is growing as foreign exchange brokers find new ways to bilk people out of their money

Economic Hard Times Bring Lasting Changes to Consumer Behavior Consumers have seen the abyss and they want no part of it

What Tax Considerations Investors Need to Make Before the End of This Year Dont wait too long to take advantage of certain tax issues that could expire on December 31.

Americans Skeptical About Economy, Executives Still Worried About a Prolonged Recession Perception and not reality will influence voters next Tuesday and there doesn't seem to be anything that can be done about it

Eating Healthy: Should Food Really Be Treated As Medicine? Will you need a prescription the next time you go grocery shopping?

Twitter Hailed as Latest Stock-Trading Tool Researchers claim Twitter can be used to measure the public's mood and aid in stock trading

Looking for Ways to Reduce Your SmartPhone Bill? Just be careful youre not giving too much away

Mortgage Rates Are Low Now but Theyre Expected to Rise by at Least 1% by the End of Next Year You may not be able to get some advertised low rates even now

Six Alternatives to Foreclosure It isn't easy, but there are other steps a homeowner can take

Those Quirky Required Minimum Distribution Rules or RMDs Are Coming Back Many retirees didnt even know RMDs had been put on hold for the past year or so

Mortgage Modifications Slow Even More September total lowest since 2009

Texas Credit Repair Companies Face Charges Allegedly targeting Hispanic consumers

Massachusetts Bars Two Payday Lenders From State States targeting Internet lenders in payday loan crackdown

Federal Reserve Investigating Banks' Foreclosure Practices But states already have a head start

Home Sales Surge 10 Percent In September But sales remain below last year's mark

When You Invest In Fine Art, Picture Some Fancy Profits Just be sure you're not buying a fake

If Youre Looking to Reduce Living Costs, Follow the Retirees Check out the best places to retire lists for low cost of living communities

Credit Cards Getting High-Tech Makeover Citi to test-market electronic card next month

Consumer Groups Call for End to Abusive Overdraft Practices Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is being urged to enforce provisions of a new Federal Reserve rule

H&R Block, HSBC In Dispute Over 'Instant Refund' Loans Consumer advocates hate them but the 250% loans are very popular

The Dreaded Estate Tax Is Expected to Come Back Next Year At Least for the Modestly Wealthy No matter what you call it, estate tax, or death tax, it is still money that goes to the government and not to you or your heirs

The Cost of Your Health Plan at Work Is Rising an Average 14% Its no surprise health care costs are going up but why are employees paying the brunt of the increases?

Add Free Checking to the List of Things That May No Longer Be Free Free checking used to be a given, but now its becoming a rarity

Headaches Increase For Mortgage Lenders And Their Law Firms New York Fed wants Bank of America to buy back mortgage securities

Big Expectations, Not Small Paychecks, Cause Marital Strife Study shows materialistic couples are generally unhappy, even if they're wealthy

Report: Top Personal Income Tax Rates Rising Worldwide Governments try to strike right balance between revenue hikes and competitive tax rates

Donations Dropped 11% at Nation's Biggest Charities Last Year Belt-tightening prompted by the recession is being blamed for the decline in contributions

Feds Order Suspension Of MetaBank iAdvance Loans Office of Thrift Supervision calls product 'deceptive'

4 in 10 Americans Saving 0 for Retirement, Women Worrying More Than Men More than 80% admit they dont know what it takes to save

Seven Ways to Save On Car Insurance As you look for ways to cut costs, you may be overlooking an obvious one " your car insurance

Fed Chairman Bernanke Gives the Green Light to Pour More Money into the Economy But is he a rescuer or an enabler of our addiction to debt?

States Step Up Pressure on Disputed Foreclosures Ohio seeks injunction against GMAC, Arizona proposes Borrowers' Bill of Rights

Consumer Concern Rises As Inflation Hits Food Prices Food prices jump 1.4 percent at the wholesale level in September

How Well is Your 401(k) Performing? Do You Even Know? Keeping track of your 401(k) could determine whether you can afford to retire or not

Currency Trading Heats Up as the U.S. Dollar Takes Another Hit What Does a Currency War Even Mean? And How Does it Affect You?

Banks Seized 100,000 Homes In September Foreclosure actions last month up three percent from August

What Was Real Estate Industrys Role In Housing Collapse? Banks weren't the only entities that made mistakes

Consumer Reports Index: American Consumers On the Mend Latest survey sees economic difficulties declining, but stress on the rise

Government Makes Changes To Reverse Mortgage Program Seniors now able to borrow smaller amount than before

Attack of the Algorithms: Wall Street's Card-Counting Saps Investor Confidence Individual investors disappearing from the stock market

Wall Street to Washington: 'Drop Dead!' When It Comes to Executive Compensation Wall Street doesn't much care whether Washington likes its salary structure

Radio Host Charged With Defrauding Real Estate Investors Host of MoneyDots allegedly lured investors into bogus deals

So Was the Big Bank Bail-Out a Success or a Failure The bail-out actually cost less than expected but is very unpopular with voters

Banks' Foreclosure Crisis Had Humble Beginnings Five Maine homeowners exposed servicers' questionable practices

Mortgage Services May Face Fraud Charges in New Jersey White House throws cold water on idea of foreclosure moratorium

Investing Overseas Too Risky? It's Not As Risky as Not Investing Overseas Here's an investing secret: find out where the wealthy are putting their money and follow their lead

Bank of America Halts All Foreclosures, Other Lenders Urged To Do the Same Latest sign that the latest 'foreclosure crisis' is indeed serious

Debt Relief Firm Doesn't Deliver, North Carolina Charges Consumer Law Group collected millions from consumers for little or no help

Civil Rights Groups Renew Call for Immediate Moratorium On All Home Foreclosures Minorities are bearing the brunt of foreclosures, according to the Center for Responsible Lending

California Sues 'Forensic Audit' Home Mortgage Modification Scheme Hundreds of desperate homeowners lose their money, many lost their homes

Feds Charge HSBC Bank Violated Bank Secrecy Act, Handled 'Questionable' Foreign Accounts Regulations intended to prevent money-laundering in support of terrorism, organized crime

Ohio Sues GMAC Mortgage for Fraud, Pennsylvania Launches Investigation GMAC allegedly compounded homeowner misery through 'fraudulent and unfair and deceptive practices'

Feds Try Creative Home Mortgage Loans to Sell Foreclosed Houses FHA 203k and Fannie Mae HomePath mortgages aimed at backlog of foreclosures

Poverty Comes To America's Suburbs The Great Recession is the great equalizer, bringing misery to suburbia

Wells Fargo Settles Charges It Used Deception In Mortgage Marketing Eligible borrowers to be offered modifications

Recession's Effects Intensify In Cities Cities making sharpest cuts in at least a quarter of a century

Bank of America To Stop Writing Mortgages Through Independent Brokers BofA joins Chase in eliminating brokers, blamed for many toxic loans

Mortgage Applications Reveal Burst Of Homebuying Activity But the number of people refinancing existing mortgages falls despite low interest rates

Payday Loan Scam Drained Consumers' Bank Accounts Consumers applying for loans were tricked into applying for debit card, FTC charges

More States Clamp Down on Home Mortgage Foreclosures Following Reports of Irregularities Texas, Delaware and Ohio demand suspensions, special reviews of foreclosure

Debt Consolidation Firms Will Soon Be Barred From Charging Upfront Fees New rules take effect later this month but consumers must still be vigilant

Racial Pattern Seen In Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis Foreclosures hit hardest in racially segregated neighborhoods, researchers say

New Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis Puts Big Banks On Defensive Foreclosure slowdown may actually help real estate market recover, experts say

Bankruptcy Filings Surge In 2010 As Hard Times Grow Steadily Worse for Many Consumers Total is up 11 percent in the first nine months of the year

Gold 'Investments' May Not Pay Off, Consumer Group Warns Consumer group says some dealers may be using scare tactics to sell gold

Chase Mortgage Foreclosures Should Be Suspended: Brown California AG wants proof Chase is complying with state foreclosure law

Victims of Bogus Debt Consolidation Program To Receive Refunds Scammers failed to deliver on promises of 'drastic' reductions in debt.

Mortgage Rates Keep Falling Making Home Purchase More Attractive Glut of foreclosures on the market keeps home prices soft.

Feds Sue Georgia Income Tax Preparer Prosecutors say TDNS Tax Services fabricated or inflated earned income tax credit claims.

What's Better -- Online Bill or Paper Copy? Tips on when to use online billing and when to stick with paper.

Foreclosure Errors by Mortgage Companies May Help Troubled Homeowners Buyers of foreclosed property could face challenges, expert warns

Debt Collectors Harassed Military Families, New York Charges State files felony charges against firm, seeks restitution for families

Home Prices Lose Momentum In July but Home Values Up From 2009 Sales slump after expiration of tax credit; long slog lies ahead

Student Loan Relief for Students At Bankrupt Kentucky Law School Student Loan Xpress agrees to loan reductions and extended payment periods

Illinois Demands Answers From GMAC Mortgage Breach of foreclosure procedure may have violated state's Consumer Fraud Act

Southwest Airlines To Buy AirTran Reflects consolidation in discount airline space

Credit Scores Take A Hit from Home Foreclosures, Reduced Credit Lines, Job Losses Texas cities have lowest scores, upper Midwest does better

FDIC: Bank Failures in Florida, Washington Bring Total to 127 Other banks assume deposits, branches open normally

Payday Loan Lawsuit Brings $18 Million Settlement Against Advance America Lawsuits are part of a 'one-two punch' against unscrupulous lenders, officials say

California Orders GMAC Mortgage to Suspend Foreclosures Reports of short-cuts in GMAC's foreclosure process raise 'serious doubts'

Foreclosure 'Short-Cuts' by GMAC Mortage May Be Just the Latest in a Series of Missteps Consumer advocate says GMAC's practices are an 'abuse' of the process

Foreclosure Process Short-Circuited by Mortgage Company's Short Cut Mortgage official may not have personally signed foreclosure documents as required

Online Movies, Streaming Video Leave Blockbuster Busted Its star faded, Blockbuster prepares bankruptcy filing

New Debt Consolidation Rules Take Effect Soon FTC rules aimed at clamping down on scam artists who dominate the debt consolidation industry

Bold Scam Artists Pose As Credit Union Regulators say it was a scheme to steal money and identities

Student Loan Default Rate On the Rise Experts suggest 4 ways to cut costs, raise funds

Tax Elimination Scheme Promoters Sentenced to Prison Pinnacle Quest claimed to wipe out debt and eliminate taxes

Retirement Planning Fiasco: $6.6 Trillion Retirement Income Deficit Average household is $90,000 short of the amount needed to maintain its living standard in retirement

Repair Credit Safely; Don't Fall for Phony Credit Fix Promises Consumers bombarded by 'fix credit' ads on radio, cable TV

Home Mortgage Lender To Pay $1.5 Million In Discrimination Settlement Company charged Hispanic borrowers higher fees for home loans, FTC charges

Consumers Continue To Pay Down Debt Recession appears to have instilled new financial priorities

Chase Apologizes For Website Outage Website went dark for more than 24-hours

Citigroup Pulls Out of Student Loan Business Fewer college student loans being made by private lenders under new law

Ohio Sues Three Foreclosure Rescue Businesses Operations in Ohio, Florida and California bilked homeowners out of thousands

Are Gold Prices Headed For a Fall? Despite record prices this week, technicals flash a warning

Gas Prices Rise A Nickel A Gallon But sudden price hike may prove to be temporary.

Who's the Biggest Payday Lender? Would You Believe Wells Fargo? Report says big banks starve small customers, lavish loans on payday lenders.

Connecticut Consumers Eligible for 'Lemon-Aid' Detailed work orders are needed to participate in program.

'Clueless' Investors Put Too Much Faith in Brokers, Survey Finds Three out of four investors think brokers must put clients' interests first.

Illinois Ponzi Schemer Draws Prison Time Suburban Chicago man cheated 75 victims out of $28 million.

Vishing Scam Hits FDIC Scammers use delinquent loans ruse to collect personal information.

Student Loan Default Rate Rises For-profit schools in the lead with double-digit default rate

How Often Should You Change Your Oil? If you're driving a new car, changing every 3,000 miles could be wasteful

NJM Insurance Group, USAA Group Among Leaders In Car Insurance SurveyConsumer Reports polled 28,000 claim filers; offers tips for saving money

Pipeline Leak Pushes Gas Prices Higher Biggest surge in price found in Midwestern states

Gas Prices Show Little Movement In Last Week Demand for gas is ahead of last year, but so are supplies.

Payment Processor Settles State And Federal Charges Allegedly aided scammers in placing unauthorized charges.

Is It Worth the Extra Money?Consumer Reports latest taste tests find some store brands at least as good as national brands.

Bogus Debt Collectors Impersonating Bank Regulators Latest attempt to scam victims into paying phony debts.

FTC: Payday Lender Illegally Garnished Borrowers Wages ECash owner settles charges, litigation continues against others.

Illinois Accuses California Company Of 'Cramming' Firm selling ID protection service used third party relationship to add charges to consumers' bills.

Family Health Premiums Rise Three Percent In 2010 But employee's share of health premiums rise 14 percent.

Jobless Rate Rises, But Businesses Do More Hiring Small hopeful signs for recovery visible in report.

Gas Prices Lower Heading Into Labor Day Weekend Prices level off after recent drop but near lowest point of the summer.

Pending Home Sales Rise In July Realtors trade group predicts a 'long' recovery process.

Online Travel Booking Sites Not Always A Good Deal Travelers can sometimes get the same discounts directly from hotels.

FTC Stops False Claims By Credit Repair Operation Family-run scam surrenders cars, houses and real estate.

Citigroup To Cut Fees for Wealthier Customers But customers already in the Citigold program aren't all ecstatic.

FDIC: 829 Banks on the Brink 10% of U.S. banks at risk of failure.

Fitness Center Operator Prohibited From Using Misleading Mailings Bally Total Fitness sent fake past-due bills to former members, must issue refunds.

Big Banks Have Profitable Second Quarter Bottom line the best in nearly three years, although small banks are still in trouble.

Home Prices Show Modest Improvement Homes gain value in all but the hardest hit markets.

Study: Payday Proximity Changes Consumer Motives and Behavior Desire to improve or preserve quality of life -- not price or bank account size -- motivates purchases.

American Apparel Faces Trouble On Multiple Fronts Company fends off lawsuits as stock plunges and feds launch investigation.

Survey Finds Most Consumers Oppose A VAT National sales tax could affect the level of spending on a broad range of goods, consumers say.

New Website Teaches Kids Money Skills MoneyBunny.com contains interactive tools for kids and parents.

Ohio Cracks Down On Charitable Fundraiser Courtesy Call Inc. accused of using 'dishonest and distasteful' tactics.

Car Loan Delinquency Rate Falls In Second Quarter Year-over-year decline in delinquency is the largest since 2001.

Financial Advisors Gearing Up to Handle Nervous Clients A volatile economy makes nervous wrecks out of individual investors.

Gas Prices Fall for Another Week Prices continue their decline as Labor Day approaches.

Mortgage Delinquencies, Foreclosures Paint Mixed Picture But delinquencies are up sharply over last year.

Fake Payday Loan Collection Calls On the Rise In Illinois AG warns of scammers using threats and intimidation against consumers.

Foreclosure Rescue Scam Lawyer To Pay $1 Million in Restitution Promises of foreclosure relief left homeowners deeper in the hole.

Ponzi Scammer Headed for Prison Investors swindled out of $158 million in 'tawdry and cheap' scheme.

July Existing-Home Sales Fall To Lowest Level In 15 Years Soft sales pace seen continuing for several months in the absence of the homebuyer credit.

Avoiding Fees Under New Credit Card Rules Consumers must stay watchful as credit card issuers try to make up lost revenue.

West Virginia Sues Eight Payday Lenders Firms charged with using Internet to circumvent state law.

Apply2Save Owner Barred From Idaho Loan Businesses Company took in millions, did little in return, state charges.

Mortgage Modification Program Still Has High Dropout Rate Nearly half of trial modifications don't make it, according to latest government figures.

Florida Gets Injunction Against Credit Solutions Of America Move comes in advance of new federal rules cracking down on industry.

Chicago's ShoreBank, Seven Others Fail Four of this week's failed banks were in California.

J.D. Power: Customer Satisfaction With Credit Cards Rebounds Slightly American Express ranks highest in overall satisfaction for a fourth consecutive year.

How Safe Are Online Financial Transactions? Survey shows overwhelming majority of consumers worry about.

Lowe's Drywall Settlement Called Unfair Agreement provides coupons, minimal cash to aggrieved homeowners.

Bankruptcies Surge To Five-Year High Consumer bankruptcies up 21 percent year-over-year.

Latinos, Blacks More Than Half All Calif. Foreclosures Most foreclosed homes are modest in size and value, according to new report.

An Identity Theft Protection Primer College students are among the prime targets for ID thieves.

Documents: Kevin Trudeau Stiffs Feds On Fine Trudeau memos reveal interesting look inside company.

Should Investors Be Worried About Hindenburg Omen? Ominous technical indicator has many traders spooked.

Fed Delays Implementation of New Disclosure Rules for Gift Cards Congress' little gift to the financial services industry: more time to comply.

Consumers Still Opting In For Overdraft Protection Research shows 52 percent have 'opted in,' or plan to.

Arizona Reaches Settlement With Nation's Largest Homebuilder Pulte to pay $1.18 million to resolve questions about sales practices.

FDIC Urges Stronger Debit Card Protections Wants banks to offer better terms to consumers still in overdraft protection programs.

Foreclosure Action Still Centered In Five States Bank repossessions are also at near record levels.

Distressed Homeowners To Get $3 Billion In Aid Funding in addition to money provided earlier this year.

Wells Fargo Must Pay $200 Million in Overdraft Case Federal judge calls bank's practices 'deceptive'.

Which Is Better, Credit Or Debit Card? The lowly debit card deserves a new look.

Florida Probes Foreclosure Filing Practices Law firms handling foreclosures suspected of unfair and deceptive practices.

Minnesota Man Charged With Running $80 Million Ponzi Scheme Scam utilized 'loan participation' in which bank money is put at risk.

IRS Removes 'Debt Indicator' for 2011 Tax Filing Season Consumer groups cheer decision to drop tool used in RAL business.

Foreclosure Reduces Home's Value Average 27 Percent Values of homes next to foreclosed property fall, too.

Two Indicted In 'Mortgage Scheme' Prosecutors say defendants used fake credit histories.

Gas Prices Slowly Rise Some of the season's heaviest driving may lie ahead.

Mortgage Rates Keep Falling All categories of rates hit new lows.

New York Probes GE Money's CareCredit Marketing Attorney General alleges kickbacks to providers to saddle patients with debt

For-Profit Schools Get New Scrutiny Students complain about misleading recruiters.

Banks Are Bullish, So Consumers Should Be Cautious Lenders back to heavy credit card marketing.

Mortgage Lender To Pay $4.5 Million To Settle Housing Allegations W.R. Starkey Mortgage arranged loans that put consumers 'under water' state says.

Five More Banks Fail In Last Week Toll for year rises to 108 with latest failures.

Promoters of Sham Tax Elimination Scheme Sentenced Scammers used elaborate ploys to ply their programs.

American Airlines Settles Cargo Price-Fixing Case Company agrees to provide money, information against other defendants.

FTC Cracking Down On Debt Settlement Industry Abuses Newly adopted regulations bar collection of fees unless consumers get relief.

New York Settles Charges Against Debt Collector Crackdown continues against debt collectors who engage in abusive, illegal practices.

Consumer Agency Survey: Foreclosure Scam Was 2009's Fastest Growing Complaint Number of complaints up year-over-year as recession takes its toll on consumers and agencies alike.

Washington State Settles 'Trust Mill' Case Seminar speakers weren't qualified to sell estate planning documents.

Identity Theft Scam Targets Diabetics Scammers calling people with the disease in Mississippi, seeking personal data.

Mortgage Relief Firms Pay Millions to Settle Charges Marketers charged advanced fees, delivered nothing, FTC says.

Payday Lender to Refund $305,446 in West Virginia Company sued for violating state's ban on payday lending.

Government Grant Scam Hits Ohio Tried and true scheme is making the rounds again.

Nation Records 103rd Bank Failure of 2010 Seven more banks close their doors in the last week.

Gas Prices Remarkably Stable Outlook for global economy keeps oil prices in check.

California DAs Open Investigation into Goldline New York Congressman also calls for investigation into gold coin company.

Credit Card Reform Act Working, Report Finds But warns on new trend that could cost consumers.

Without A Tax Credit, Housing Slows In June Numbers for existing home sales dip from May, but remain above 2009 levels.

7 Ways You Can Spot A Scam Scams increase during bad economic times.

Oversight of Modification Program Faulted Program suffered from lack of simple objectives, lawmakers told.

Obama Signs 'Strongest Consumer Financial Protections in History' Into Law Measure protects consumers from hidden fees, investment scams, requires clear disclosure of terms.

Pennsylvania Revises Reverse Mortgage Rules Officials feel 'particular responsibility' to older homeowners.

Massachusetts Sues Credit Repair Companies Part of continued crackdown on operations exploiting economic distress.

Protecting Yourself From ID TheftYou needn't buy expensive products to keep your identity safe.

Consumers Warned About Amazon.com Scam Email appears to be from online retailer, but isn't.

Payday Lender Complains About Financial Reform Bill Company says new regulations could put it, and others, out of business.

National Owner of Gas Stations Resolves ADA Claims Justice Department and QuikTrip reach comprehensive settlement.

Senate Gives Final Approval to Financial Reform Bill What will the new law mean for consumers?

Dissatisfaction With Banks Increases Interest In Prepaid Cards Mintel finds consumers likely to pursue options to traditional accounts.

Pace Of Foreclosures Slows in First Half of 2010 'Massive' number of distressed properties sit below the surface.

Health Care Law Mandates 'Free' Preventive Care New policies must include no co-pays or deductibles for some services.

Oregon Sues Countrywide Over Pension Fund Losses Lawsuit alleges misleading tactics led to $29 million in investment losses.

Lottery Scammer Draws Prison Time Canadian man's racket targeted elderly Americans.

Home Buyers Continue To Turn To Foreclosures Discounted prices draw buyers into the home sales market.

FTC Issues Report On Reforming Debt Collection Litigation And Arbitration Agency says system is 'broken' -- recommends steps to repair it and protect consumers.

Protecting Wireless Customers From Bill Shock Federal Communications Commission urged to re-time notification of additional charges.

How to Avoid Ponzi Schemes Boomers, older seniors don't have time to recover from financial disasters.

Company Suspected of Using Infomercial 'Talk Shows' To Defraud Consumers Colorado AG says Real Talk Network charged consumers for products they never received.

Wells Fargo Shutters Subprime Unit Part of consolidation effort that will close more than 600 offices.

Gas Prices Start Falling Again Ample supplies and skepticism about economic growth provide a break at the pump.

Senior Citizens Warned About $250 Medicare Rebate Scam 'Doughnut hole' check doesn't require you to provide financial information.

Mortgage Rates Remain At Record Lows Rates falling toward 4 percent in some states.

10 Ways To Cut Summer Cooling Costs Some steps require significant investment, but some don't.

Health Net Settles Connecticut Data Breach Case Data lapse compromised private medical and financial info.

New Jersey Says Gold-Buying Firms Cheated Consumers Forty-nine businesses cited after undercover probe.

Ohio Sues Escrow Company Company allegedly failed to pay taxes after collecting them from homeowners.

Mortgage Rates Fall Even More Rates establish new lows as fewer people seek loans.

Gas Prices Holding Steady For July 4th Weekend Concern over outlook for economic growth providing drivers a summer break.

South Texans Urged To Stay Safe, Report Price Gouging During Storm Governor's disaster declaration gives OAG increased enforcement authority.

Video: Bogus Bill Collector Scam Spreads Victims are bullied into revealing credit card, bank info.

Illinois Charges Countrywide Discriminated Against Minority Borrowers African-American, Latino homebuyers were steered into risky subprime loans, suit charges.

Court Halts International Identity Theft Scheme More than $10 million in unauthorized charges on consumers' credit and debit cards.

House Votes To Extend Deadline On Tax Break Many purchasers in danger of losing credit if they don't settle by today.

Were Tenants' Rights Violated in Foreclosures? California AG investigating handling of foreclosed rental buildings.

Feds Bust Massive Unauthorized Charge Scam Elaborate scheme was centered overseas.

Morgan Stanley Reaches $102 Million Settlement With Massachusetts Homeowners in state to receive $58 million in compensation.

Does Our Energy Future Lie In Natural Gas? MIT study says under-utilized fuel could pay big dividends.

How To Cancel A Credit Card Simply calling an 800 number isn't enough.

Florida Sues Auto Loan Modification Operation Firm promised to reduce car payments up to 50 percent - for a fee.

Consumer Advocates Jubilant as House, Senate Reach Agreement on Financial Reform Obama calls it 'toughest financial reform since the Great Depression'.

CVS Caremark Consumer Discount Drug Program At Risk In Connecticut End of program could cost consumers potentially millions of dollars, AG says.

Investors Recover $1.4 Billion In Settlement With Wells Fargo Affiliates Unfreezing securities took two years as a result of the financial meltdown.

Still Few Results From Mortgage Modification Program Number of drop-outs surges in May.

Consumers Warned To Avoid 'Sweepstakes' Letter Solicitation seeks fee for collecting winnings; consumers taken to the cleaners.

Banks Prepare For New Overdraft Rules Power shifts to consumers starting July 1.

New York Smokers May Soon Pay $10 A Pack Governor proposes raising cigarette tax by $1.60.

Boomers: Don't Outlive Your Money 7 ways to stretch your assets to match your longevity.

FTC Blocks Mortgage 'Relief' Services Repeat offender ordered to pay $11.4 million for contempt.

Mortgage Fraud Sweep Nets 485 Arrests Largest-ever crackdown on mortgage-related crimes.

Feds Arrest Former Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Chairman Lee Farkas accused of 'stunning' scheme to defraud investors, taxpayers.

Tough Economic Conditions Putting Pressure On Working Dads CareerBuilder's annual Father's Day survey offers tips for navigating through difficult economic times.

New Yorkers Petition Lawmakers Over Debt Collection Abuses Consumer bill would add protections against abuses.

Prices: Going Up Or Down? No sign of inflation in May Consumer Price Index.

Housing Starts Sink in May Activity dries up with end of tax credit.

Fed Limits Most Card Fees to $25 Part of changes brought about by credit card reform legislation.

Harvard Study Sees 'Significant Challenges' For Housing Unemployment still a drag on the market, researchers say.

Florida Tells BP 'Show Us The Money' Gulf Coast state worried BP can't make good on promises.

U.S Foreclosure Activity Decreases 3 Percent In May Defaults and auctions down, but bank repossessions set monthly record.

Some Payday Loan 'Alternatives' Not Always A Good Idea Triple-digit rates offer no choice to the payday loan trap, says NCLC

Fears of Double-Dip Recession Linger Will U.S. be dragged down by Europe?

Consumer Reports: High Price Doesn't Guarantee