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The Dilemma Of Walking Away From A Mortgage

Grace Chen and her husband, Antonis Orphanou, stand outside their home in Mountain View, Calif. Courtesy Grace Chen hide caption

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Courtesy Grace Chen

The Dilemma Of Walking Away From A Mortgage

October 28, 2010 • Millions of people could decide to stop paying their mortgage because their home values have sunk far below what they owe, economists estimate. For one California couple, whose home is worth one-fifth of what they paid, the temptation to call it quits is very real.

The Dilemma Of Walking Away From A Mortgage

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Average Sticker Price For Private College: $36,993 A Year

Expensive hats. Christopher Furlong/Getty Images hide caption

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Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Average Sticker Price For Private College: $36,993 A Year

October 28, 2010 • College costs rose sharply again last year. But so did grants and scholarships.

Foreclosure Crisis Is Spreading, New Data Show

The Seattle/Tacoma/Bellevue metro area registered the sharpest annual increase in foreclosure activity: 71 percent. One in every 129 households received a foreclosure filing. Elaine Thompson/AP hide caption

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Elaine Thompson/AP

Crisis In The Housing Market

Foreclosure Crisis Is Spreading, New Data Show

October 28, 2010 • California, Nevada, Florida and Arizona continued to have the highest rates of foreclosure activity this summer, according to a RealtyTrac report. But metropolitan areas in other states saw a sharp increase in foreclosure warnings.

For Amtrak Riders, It's All Aboard Despite The Cost

A crowd of New York-bound train passengers stands on the platform at the Trenton, N.J., train station as a full Amtrak train prepares to depart. Mel Evans/AP hide caption

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Mel Evans/AP

Business

For Amtrak Riders, It's All Aboard Despite The Cost

October 27, 2010 • More people took an Amtrak train in the last year than ever before, bringing in record ticket sales for the national rail service. The most popular line serves the heavily congested Northeast corridor. Traveling by train can be faster than a car or airplane, but it's seldom a cheap fare.

For Amtrak Riders, It's All Aboard Despite The Cost

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$40 Million To Help Homeowners. Only Thing Missing: Homeowners

The idea is to avoid this. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP hide caption

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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Planet Money

$40 Million To Help Homeowners. Only Thing Missing: Homeowners

October 27, 2010 • Homeowners in foreclosure are wary of getting scammed.

The Two-Way

GM And Ford Gain On Honda, Toyota In Latest Consumer Reports Survey

October 26, 2010 • Despite gains by Ford and GM, Honda and Toyota make the most-reliable cars and trucks sold in America, according to Consumer Reports' latest annual survey of drivers.

Obama's Foreclosure Prevention Efforts Criticized

A house under foreclosure that will soon be auctioned in Las Vegas. The Obama administration's foreclosure prevention efforts were blasted this week in a report from a federal auditor. Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Crisis In The Housing Market

Obama's Foreclosure Prevention Efforts Criticized

October 26, 2010 • A federal auditor says the Home Affordable Modification Program is reaching too few people and hurting some homeowners by stringing them along, then rejecting them. But new data show the program is working well for those homeowners who actually manage to qualify.

Obama's Foreclosure Prevention Efforts Criticized

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Planet Money

How Long Does Foreclosure Take?

October 26, 2010 • Since the housing market fell apart, the time people spend in foreclosure has gone way up.

Business

The Rise And Fall Of Subprime Mortgages

October 25, 2010 • As 50 states jointly investigate the mortgage industry amid allegations of improper foreclosure practices, a new book released this week chronicles the rise and fall of the subprime mortgage business. Guest host Jacki Lyden speaks with author Michael Hudson about his book "The Monster: How a Gang of Predatory Lenders and Wall Street Bankers Fleeced America -- and Spawned a Global Crisis." NPR Senior Business Editor Marilyn Geewax also joins the conversation.

The Rise And Fall Of Subprime Mortgages

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The Federal Reserve says the number of personal and business checks it processes each year has dropped by about half since 2000. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Can The Checkbook Make A Comeback?

October 25, 2010 • Most Americans are more likely to use credit cards, online banking or even mobile phones to pay the bills, but one check company is hoping to breathe a little life into the ledger.

Bernanke: Home Ownership Is Great. Except When It Isn't.

Jose Luis Magana/AP

Planet Money

Bernanke: Home Ownership Is Great. Except When It Isn't.

October 25, 2010 • The Fed chief gives a quick history of the idea of home ownership in America.

All Things Considered

Need Stock Tips? Read Your Tweets

October 24, 2010 • Social scientist Johan Bollen and his fellow Indiana University researchers analyzed emotional cue words in Twitter messages during the 2008 market collapse. And, he says, his model predicted with 86.7 percent accuracy whether the Dow would go up or down.

Need Stock Tips? Read Your Tweets

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Austerity: A Virtue That Could Have Us Paying Twice

Political economist Mark Blyth defines austerity as "the common sense on how to pay for the massive increase in public debt caused by the financial crisis -- mostly through the slashing of government services." WatsonMedia presents Mark Blyth on Austerity/YouTube.com hide caption

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WatsonMedia presents Mark Blyth on Austerity/YouTube.com

Economy

Austerity: A Virtue That Could Have Us Paying Twice

October 24, 2010 • European governments, including France, Germany and Great Britain, are looking at austerity measures to help battle the current financial crisis. The moves have sparked protests across the continent. While it might seem like common sense to tighten a country's belt in hard economic times, one expert warns that the U.S. shouldn't follow suit.

Austerity: A Virtue That Could Have Us Paying Twice

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Housing Guy Apologizes For Housing Bubble

Freddie Mac

Planet Money

Housing Guy Apologizes For Housing Bubble

October 22, 2010 • Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have worked for decades to help more Americans become homeowners. Now, a former employee wants to apologize for doing such a good job of fulfilling that mission.

Housing Guy Apologizes For Housing Bubble

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