There was an unusual amount of disagreement among Fed policymakers at their last meeting over what the central bank should do to address the increasingly uncertain state of the U.S. economic recovery, according to the minutes released Tuesday.

For the growing number of struggling homeowners in this country, more help is on the way. Additional aid from the federal government will begin making its way to them next month — one program would help qualified homeowners refinance their mortgages after seeing their property values fall below the amount they owe, and the other […]

The coverage of BP’s Deepwater Horizon spill is teaching the typically secretive oil industry something about life in the limelight. Now, the company has to account for every cent it spends.

Americans calmed their nerves about the economy slightly in August, as a key measure of consumer morale made a surprising turn higher. The Consumer Confidence Index rose to 53.5 in August, from July’s upwardly revised level of 51.0, the Conference Board, a New York-based research group that compiles the index, said Tuesday.

Alabama schools have been having a rough time of it, and it only looks like it’s going to get rougher. The Cotton State recently came in last place in the federal Department of Education’s Race to the Top grant competition. And a steadfast global recession combined with the Gulf Coast oil spill this summer have […]

President Barack Obama blasted Senate Republicans on Monday for blocking a small business assistance bill, calling their opposition „pure partisan politics.”

Finally, nearly two years after they were bailed about by Congress, big banks are beginning to ease lending standards for individuals and small businesses. But it’s not exactly having the reception many believed it would. Just when credit becomes more available, there’s little evidence of a surge in demand for it.

Coal has always been cheap and dirty. And the dirty part was justifiable because it was so cheap. Now, gas prices are dropping, threatening coal’s dominance in the North American energy market. Which means gas could take over before coal gets a chance to clean up its act.

Consumer spending rose in July, but Americans remain wary about the future of the economy. Personal spending rose by $44.1 billion last month, or 0.4%, after falling less than 0.1% in June. This came in above the 0.3% increase economists expected.

Despite the odds, these businesses have managed to stay truly all-American. But for how long?

Personal spending rose in July, but Americans were saving a smaller portion of their disposable income than the previous month. Personal spending rose by $44.1 billion, or 0.4%, after falling less than 0.1% the previous month. This came in above the 0.3% increase economists expected.

Dear Annie: I just read your column on job hunting with a flawed credit history („Bad credit, no job?” July 2010). I have an even worse problem. About 14 years ago, when I was a junior in college, I made a totally idiotic error in judgment involving drugs. I was arrested and convicted and did […]

Remember how everyone complained that banks weren’t doing enough to help troubled borrowers?

This article is adapted from „Banktown: The Rise and Struggles of Charlotte’s Big Banks” by Rick Rothacker, published by John F. Blair, Publisher (Winston-Salem).

The air is quickly coming out of the recovery balloon, and economists have mixed views on how to pump it back up.

A wave of weak economic reports has prompted some Democrats to embrace a short-term extension of the Bush tax cuts — even for the rich.

The financial crisis that destroyed some of the world’s biggest banks and sent others to the brink of failure have changed Americans’ idea of lending and borrowing. While most still seem to have no problems storing their money at banks small and large, a few trends indicate that everyone from consumers to some of the […]

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke bluntly acknowledged that the U.S. economic recovery has lost considerable steam, but said the central bank has the necessary policy tools to support continued growth.