According to a report released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, American household debt delinquency rates declined last quarter—for the first time in about four years. Here’s a look at some of the specifics in the report and what they might mean about the economy.

As of June 30, 2010, 11.4 percent of U.S. [...]

New home sales dropped to the lowest levels on record in July, according to figures on housing sales released by the Commerce Department.
The housing market continues to struggle following the end of the homebuyer tax credit that expired April 30.
According to CNNMoney, new home sales dropped 12.4 percent. The seasonally adjusted annual rate was 276,000 [...]

Retired workers from state and municipal government jobs are typically entitled to a comfortable pension, including annual raises in their income. But as governments fight with unmanageable budgets and near insolvency, pensions plans are commonly called into question as a way to cut back.
According to a recent article in the New York Times there is [...]

The Department of Commerce recently released a report detailing the rate of new home sales in June, and, while the numbers show a 23.6 percent jump from sales a month earlier, that increase is not exactly reason to celebrate: May’s numbers were the lowest on record, with figures for as far back as 1963.
Here’s a [...]

The current recession has profoundly impacted Americans’ pocketbooks, but questions about the country’s financial woes persist: how harsh has the recession really been, and when will it end?
In response to these questions, the Pew Research Center recently released the results of a study showing the dramatic effects of the financial plunge, though it revealed little [...]

Now that news outlets are reporting positive numbers for some sectors of the economy, you may be wondering how we’re faring economically as a nation. Here’s a look at spending and wealth as it stands today—and what that tells us about financial recovery.
Consumer Wealth: Still Below Pre-Recession Levels
A recent report from National Public Radio examines [...]

A gift card is a great way to give someone a night out at a great restaurant, or to hand pick an item on their own. But there’s a potential downside to the gift card, especially in a tough economy, and that is when the company itself goes bankrupt.
Often, those holding gift cards have little [...]