Posts by Martha C. White

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke announced last month that the recession was “likely over” and that the economy was in the early stages of a recovery. The problem is, many Americans don’t look around and see a recovery.

Despite the recent good news that U.S. home prices rose 2.9 percent in the second quarter of 2009, it’s too early to call a turnaround for the battered housing sector.

The Home Valuation Code of Conduct makes getting an appraisal costlier and more time-consuming for would-be buyers — and the added time can prevent purchasers from getting the best possible mortgage on their new home.

While the plight of homeowners affected by the real estate meltdown has been well-documented, renters too often fall under the radar.

While the steady rise in the nation’s unemployment rate has become shorthand for the recession’s impact, many economists say the grim figures — 8.9 percent in April — don’t tell the whole story of Americans’ financial distress.

A growing number of college grads are defaulting on their student loans as the economy worsens.

Feeling burned by bank overdraft fees of $30 or more, or by credit-card interest rates that can top 25 percent, a growing number of consumers are turning to prepaid, reloadable “cash cards.”

Offices, stores and industrial buildings are all facing a perfect storm of increasing vacancies and a lack of capital with which to refinance their debt.

A plan designed to help 400,000 homeowners modify their mortgage terms has only helped 25 borrowers.

TWI parses the myriad stimulus proposals and quizzed economists about which they expect the Obama administration and Congress use in their attempt to turn around the U.S. economy.