The Great Recession has pushed student debt to historic levels, and for the first time ever, almost 20% of U.S. households …
loans
Start-Ups Create Jobs, Right? So Let’s Stop Praising Small Businesses — and Fund More
By pretty much any measure, lending to American small businesses is weak. Most recently, small business borrowing dropped 5% from May to June, according to the research firm PayNet, which tracks such lending. And while May’s …
New Score Says You Have Better Credit, But Will It Get You a Mortgage?
The recession and its aftermath, including stubbornly high unemployment, did a number on Americans’ credit scores. The average person’s credit score is 655, according to Credit Karma. Unfortunately, the average credit score you’ll need to get a mortgage is 764, or 770 if you want to refinance. Into this gap, two companies have partnered …
More Likes, More Cash? Kabbage Provides Working Capital for Online Merchants
Online lender Kabbage offers financing to small businesses selling primarily via eBay, Amazon, Yahoo, Shopify, or Etsy.
5 Smart Strategies for Managing Your Debt
Consumers have been good about paying down their debt. But they stink at managing what debt remains. Here are five ways to keep control.
Is Fannie and Freddie Honcho Ed DeMarco “America’s Most Dangerous Man?”
Ed DeMarco, acting head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), doesn’t have the look of a comic-book super-villain, but if you listen to some of the barbs his critics hurl at him, DeMarco is more dastardly than The Joker …
The Real Reasons There Aren’t Many High-Earning Female Business Owners
A new study released this week shows that more women-owned businesses are generating upwards of $1 million in yearly revenue. But while this seems like something to cheer, it obscures the real truth behind women’s progress as …
Why the Student Loan Situation Is Worse Than We Thought
The latest report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows how dire the financial situation has become for college students with outstanding loans.
How You Can Fix the Housing Crisis—At Least in Your Own Home
You could wait for the government to fix the housing crisis, or you could simply wait for the housing market to rebound. In either case, though, you might be waiting a long time for anything to happen. Instead of just hoping for …
More Fees, Fewer Branches As Banks Cope With Lower Profits
Several big banks have reported their earnings over the past week, and the results aren’t pretty: JP Morgan Chase & Co. had a 23% drop in profits, Citigroup’s fell 11% and regional bank PNC Financial Services Group suffered a 40% …
Why Reduced Credit Card Delinquency Is Bad News
New data from the American Bankers Association shows that the rates of late payments for most categories of consumer loans are creeping up. In the aggregate, nine of 11 different loan categories showed increases in nonpayment …
How Should You Pay for Post-Hurricane Home Repairs?
Homeowners who have to repair damage to their houses or were displaced in the wake of Hurricane Irene may face the financially difficult prospect of restoring their homes to pre-storm conditions on their own dime.
