Missing In The Housing Recovery: New Houses
More than five years after the crash, homebuilding is stuck at half its normal level. That's a big drag on the economy. And things aren't looking much better: A report out Thursday shows homebuilder...
View ArticleSluggish Housing Market A Product Of Millions Of 'Missing Households'
A year ago, the housing market looked like it was finally recovering. Sales and prices were picking up. But then home sales fizzled. Currently, they are down about 7 percent from last spring.A big part...
View ArticleHousing Market Fake-Outs Stump Economists
Many homebuyers have been throwing down cold hard cash for their entire house purchase in recent years. Some are baby-boomers who sold a bigger house and are downsizing. Some are investors.
View ArticleIn June Jobs Numbers, Signs For Optimism
Transcript ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: And I'm Melissa Block. There are plenty of Fourth of July references being tossed...
View ArticleSome Public Pension Funds Making Big Bets On Hedge Funds
Public pension funds have been doing something new in recent years — investing in hedge funds.Hedge funds are often secretive investment firms led by supposedly supersmart fund managers. Though,...
View ArticleShould We Kill The $100 Bill?
Of all the U.S. currency in the world, nearly 80 percent is in $100 bills. That's about a trillion dollars.Some people want to get rid of the bill altogether.
View ArticleMany Homeowners Still Qualify For Mortgage Relief
The financial crisis pushed millions of Americans from their homes. And housing advocates complain that the government did more to prop up big banks on Wall Street than it did to help average people on...
View ArticleThe 'Bond King' Leaves His $2 Trillion Kingdom
Heavy drama played out this week — and not just on Shonda Rhimes' TV shows.The bond-investing world was roiled by news that Bill Gross — the man known as "The Bond King"— has abruptly left the huge...
View ArticleNew 15-Year Mortgage May Open Homeownership Door For More Buyers
The 30-year mortgage is the foundation of the real estate market largely because it makes housing more affordable. But the truth is, it's a lousy loan for building actual ownership or equity in your...
View ArticleFirm Accused Of Illegal Practices That Push Families Into Foreclosure
The fallout from the housing crisis isn't over.According to Moody's Analytics, there were 700,000 foreclosures last year. And some of those people probably didn't need to lose their homes. Even now,...
View ArticleFor More Local Turkeys To Hit Holiday Tables, You Need An Abattoir
It's a busy time of year for turkey farmers around the country. And these days, with the growth of the local food movement, small family farms are struggling to keep up with all the orders for birds....
View ArticleMortgage Giants Ease Down Payments For First-Time Homebuyers
A federal directive will go into effect Saturday making it easier for some Americans to come up with a down payment to buy a house.The vast majority of home loans are guaranteed by the...
View ArticleWhen Nonprofit Hospitals Sue Their Poorest Patients
On the eastern edge of St. Joseph, Mo., lies the small city's only hospital, a landmark of modern brick and glass buildings. Everyone in town knows Heartland Regional Medical Center — many residents...
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Government Sells Last Major Stake In A Bank Post-Financial Crisis
Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Transcript MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: Remember the big bank bailout known as TARP - the Troubled Asset Relief Program? Well, the Treasury Department...
View ArticleEmployment Is Up. Paychecks, Not So Much
The U.S. economy saw the strongest job growth last year since 1999, according to statistics released Friday by the Department of Labor. The country gained another 252,000 jobs in December.That's the...
View ArticleConsumer Agency Launches Tool To Help You Find A Cheaper Mortgage
Many Americans love a good deal, shopping around to save $10 or $20 on a pair of pants or winter coats for the kids — but when finding mortgages, nearly half don't even call around to different banks.
View ArticleSenator 'Astounded' That Nonprofit Hospitals Sue Poorest Patients
NPR and ProPublica have been reporting about nonprofit hospitals that seize the wages of lower-income and working-class patients. Now, Sen. Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary...
View ArticleEconomists Say Millennials Should Consider Careers In Trades
This story is part of theNew Boomseries on millennials in America.As the economy continues to recover, economists are seeing stark differences between people with high school and college degrees. The...
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Record Snow Cripples Boston's Subway System
Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Transcript RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: The head of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority handed in her resignation yesterday. That...
View ArticleDespite Recovery, Many Find Home Loans Still Hard To Get
It's been seven years since the housing crash. The housing market and the economy are both recovering. But housing advocates say you still have to have a near perfect credit score to get a loan from a...
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