Ratings agencies are paid by the sellers of the securities they rate. Critics say there's a conflict of interest there. Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch explains.
In the latest government effort to rein in mortgage lenders, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wants 15 mortgage companies to explain why their loans failed. Jeff Tyler reports.
The tragedy that befell the citizens of Haiti has people asking, "What can I do to help?" Ian Moncaster of the World Affairs Council offers some advice.
It's one of the oldest cliches in investing: The stock market is just a casino with a ticker. Bob Frick, author of "How Poker Can Make You a Better Investor," explains what can be learned from the classic card game.
MSN money columnist Liz Pulliam Weston joins Tess Vigeland to take listener questions about credit card debt, and how a parent can help a child financially without doing more harm than good.
Orlando Campbell, a rapper from Oakland, Calif., talks about the ways musicians struggle with health insurance, even when they've begun to make it big.
Arianna Huffington, co-founder of the Huffington Post Web site, explains why she has called upon her readers to abandon the big banks and give smaller, community banks a try.
Tess Vigeland reads comments about our recent coverage — from our expert's review of the economic collapse to why a family $100,000 in debt should be rewarded.
President Obama has pledged $100 million to help rebuild Haiti. That aid will be important because the country must rebuild without the benefit of much insurance. Jeff Tyler reports.
The U.S. Justice Department is charging Johnson & Johnson with paying millions to a big pharmacy company in order to increase sales of its prescription drugs. Mitchell Hartman reports.
Fortune Magazine's Leigh Gallagher and T. Rowe Price's Andy Brooks talk with Kai Ryssdal about what's going on with the stock market and regulation of the financial industry.
Marketplace's Brendan Newnam and Rico Gagliano chat with fellow staffers Betsy Streisand, Jeremy Hobson and Stacey Vanek-Smith about under-the-radar stories: Destroying clothing, telling off your boss, and Mrs. Robinson.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd may scrap plans for the Consumer Protection Agency. Instead, existing federal agencies may be given powers to protect consumers. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
JPMorgan Chase is writing off $1.4 billion worth of consumer loans in the fourth quarter, and Capital One is writing off more than 10% of its loans. More and more people are walking away from their credit-card bills. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
We've pinpointed the reasons for the financial collapse, now what can we learn from it? Bill Radke talks to Reverend Jim Wallis, who says re-examining morals can influence a strong economic recovery.
The cost of living rose more slowly than expected in December. Bill Radke talks to Julia Coronado, senior economist at BNP Paribas, about how food and energy costs rope into the core rate of inflation.
A review found that the agents in charge of investing California pension money collected millions of dollars in fees from eager investment firms. Similar activity was found in other states as well. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
Three of Britain's biggest banks are facing billions in fees, and European banks are nervous about the consequences. Bill Radke talks to Marketplace's Stephen Beard about why bankers are worried.
The big investment banks are getting set to release quarterly profits next week, and analysts are not feeling optimistic. Jeremy Hobson reports where the bottom line will probably be for many banks and why.
U.S. figure skating doesn't enjoy the same mega-ratings it did when it boasted names like Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding. But as the top sport in the Olympic Winter Games, fans are still expected to tune in. Mitchell Hartman reports.
According to a new study, New Orleaneans get more efficient and affordable health care than most American adults, and are saddled with less medical debt. Post-Katrina clinics better networking are partially responsible. Gregory Warner reports.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd may drop plans for a new Consumer Protection Agency. Steve Chiotakis talks to Marketplace's Sam Eaton about what's behind the turnaround and why consumer advocates aren't happy with the move.
Each week on Marketplace Money, host Tess Vigeland looks at the week's major national and international stories that will impact the average listener's wallet.
In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, people were enabled by new technology to donate money by text message. But that doesn't mean all online donations aren't scams.
The North Face is one of the most popular wilderness brands. But the company isn't too happy about one aspiring teenage entrepreneur's knock-off brand called The South Butt. Adam Allington reports.
Text message donations to Haiti are in the millions. Katya Andresen, chief operating officer at Network for Good, talks with Kai Ryssdal about why this type of giving is growing in popularity and how big of a role it will have in helping Haiti.
One idea to rein in health care costs is to build a system around medical practices that are shown most effective for most people — something called evidenced-based medicine. Commentator and physician Calvin Brown says that approach only goes so far.
California's general obligation debt rating has been knocked down to A minus. But why are we listening to the rating agencies when they don't exactly have a stellar track record? Jeremy Hobson reports.
Goals keep us focused, and give us a target to shoot for. But a few academics are warning us to re-evaluate the benefits of setting goals. Sean Cole reports.
A report from RealtyTrac says 2.8 million properties fell into some kind of foreclosure last year, breaking all kinds of records. Bob Moon reports on one ominous development that's a bad sign for the year ahead.
President Obama has proposed a tax on banks that would be used to cover the government's losses from the bank bailout. But the tax would also be intended to head off a future financial crisis. Nancy Marshall Genzer explains.
The TARP is expected to be phased out this year, but a report out by the Congressional Oversight Panel is raising concerns about how the government intends to do that. Steve Chiotakis Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Warren, who chairs the panel.
The viral success of text donations to the relief effort in Haiti has helped raise over $3 million so far. Sam Eaton explores why the campaign has been so successful and potential caveats to the giving strategy.
Bank executives are taking heat for giving big bonuses to their employees. Bill Radke talks to economics correspondent Chris Farrell about the distribution of wealth to employees and why he likes the banks' pay strategy.
Whatever its censorship policies, China's legal protections for foreign companies are better than they used to be. But there are still many other obstacles to overcome, and China risks soiling its business reputation. Mitchell Hartman reports.
President Obama will announce new fees on the big financial firms in order to raise an estimated $100 billion to cover losses from the public bailouts. What with this do to the federal budget deficit? Bill Radke talks to Marketplace's Sam Eaton.
Britain's business minister will be meeting with
financial figures to take a closer look at
Kraft's unwanted takeover offer for Cadbury. Steve Chiotakis talks to Marketplace's Stephen Beard about the government's perspective on the bid.
A report from RealtyTrac says December marked the tenth straight month with more than 300,000 foreclosure filings — and the numbers for the full year are all the more surprising. Bob Moon reports.
Phone communication to Haiti has been nearly impossible since Tuesday's earthquake, and those abroad with relatives there can't get a clear sense of what's going on. Sally Herships heard stories from people in New York's Little Haiti.
Carmakers may be upbeat about 2010 as they showcase their latest models at the Detroit Auto Show, but the auto industry's problems are still with us. Commentator Robert Reich says there's no easy fix.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has signed a deal with Sesame Workshop, which produces the famous kid's show, to create a series of video games. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission has begun its public hearings. Kai Ryssdal reviews what happened as the commission questioned the heads of four big Wall Street banks.
House and Senate leaders met to work out differences over generic drugs in their health care bills. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports the House wants to be sure there's a provision for bringing them to the market sooner, saving billions.
Risky behavior, like lax lending in the housing sector and subprime mortgages, helped lead to the financial crisis. Lots of people just couldn't pay back their loans. Brett Neely reports on what the government may do.
Google is rethinking whether it will do business in China in the face of cyber attacks aimed at some of its e-mail account holders. David Drummond, Google's chief legal officer, talks with Kai Ryssdal about the company's strategy going forward.
President Obama says the U.S. will offer swift aid to the people of Haiti. Former USAID Administrator Brian Atwood talks with Kai Ryssdal about challenges to getting aid to Haiti, and how its poor state might affect rebuilding efforts.
President Obama promised rescue and humanitarian efforts to help the people of Haiti after yesterday's earthquake, but relief efforts may be stunted by the country's already poor state. Bill Radke talks to Marketplace's Sam Eaton.
Colleges spending on athletics has risen significantly in the past several years, and many programs routinely don't break even. Brett Neely explores why this philosophy of spending is not sustainable.
The Supreme Court is taking up an antitrust case over who's making the NFL's official uniforms and merchandise that could change the way joint ventures are allowed to do business. Steve Chiotakis talks to Marketplace's Sam Eaton.
The CEOs of four big banks will be meeting with the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to discuss what happened to the financial system. Alisa Roth spoke with financial experts to find out what they wanted to get from the commission.
It's been a tumultuous week for frozen orange juice prices thanks to the cold snap in Florida, and that's meant quite a ride for traders of orange juice futures. Sally Herships talked to a trader to find out if this week's events were anything like the movie "Trading Places."
A new health survey finds there aren't enough pediatric specialists in areas like orthopedics, oncology and rheumatology. The financial burden of Med school is partially to blame. Gregory Warner reports.
The Obama administration's latest stimulus progress report explains that despite double-digit unemployment, things aren't as bad as they would have been without it. Steve Chiotakis talks to Marketplace's Sam Eaton.
Google is accusing Chinese hackers of attacking company servers and compromising Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. The search engine is threatening to leave the country. Scott Tong reports.
The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission will soon meet to examine the causes of the financial meltdown. Will its influence be anywhere near as great as that of the Pecora Commission? Commentator John Steele Gordon says, don't count on it.
Mexican food is so common in the U.S., you might forget it comes from Mexico. But with the help of the Mexican government, a new restaurant association is trying to encourage the spread of more authentic cuisine. Sylvia Maria Gross reports.
America exports virtually every part of its culture, from TV to food. Author Ethan Watters talks with Kai Ryssdal about his new book, "Crazy Like Us," and how we export our mental illnesses, too.
These days many outpatient surgeries are being handled at remote surgery centers. But with so many of these centers popping up, hospitals are feeling a whole lot of pain. Kerry Grens reports.
Jay Leno is leaving his 10 p.m. NBC slot, only four months after the switch was going to change prime-time TV forever. L.A. Times TV reporter Matea Gold talks with Kai Ryssdal about what happened, and how the network plans to fill the time.
The Federal Reserve made its biggest profit ever in 2009. It's turning a nice deposit of about $46 billion back to the Treasury Department. Where did it get all that money? Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
The U.S. trade deficit widened in November to its highest level in nearly a year, and stronger demand for imports from both consumers and manufacturers seems to be driving it. Steve Chiotakis gets more analysis from Juli Niemann of Smith, Moore and Company
The price of a 30-second Super Bowl ad spot has dropped for only the second time ever, down from $3 million last year to $2.5-$2.8 million. Bob Moon reports why companies would still spend that much when they're cutting back on advertising.
