November 2009

Getting the most out of your credit card

November 30, 2009

The Federal Reserve wants consumers to get the most out of their credit cards and use their credit cards wisely this holiday season. The Federal Reserve education unit is sponsoring 45-second advertisements in movie theaters with tips to help shoppers avoid unnecessary charges and fees.

IRS owes taxpayers money from tax refunds

November 25, 2009

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is looking for taxpayers who are due a refund check that was returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors. Some taxpayers are due more than one check.

Gift cards with no fee new rules

November 22, 2009

The Federal Reserve Board proposed rules regarding fees and expiration dates for gift cards. The rules are designed to protect consumers from fees and would require that the terms and conditions of the gift credit cards be clearly stated.

Banks cannot charge overdraft fees without customer consent

November 13, 2009

Banks cannot charge overdraft fees without the consent of their customers. This we would think is a commonsense consumer friendly practice. However, banks have been charging their customers for overdraft protection without letting consumers opt out of such a "benefit."

First time home buyer tax credit extended to April 2010

November 12, 2009

The U.S. Congress took steps to help first time home buyers by extending the tax credit for buying a home which simultaneously gave a boost to the ailing real estate industry.

Mortgage refinance activity up due to lower interest rates

November 12, 2009

The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 71.5% of total mortgage applications, up from 66.1% the previous week. The refinance share of mortgage activity is the highest it has been since May 2009, when the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate was around 4.7%, close to historical lows, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association weekly survey for November 6.

Largest state GDPs in the United States

November 11, 2009

California has the largest GDP among states, which is to be expected since the state is more than 50% larger in terms of population than Texas, the next largest state.

California economy ranking among world economies

November 08, 2009

Where does California rank among the largest economies in the world?

State economic (GDP) growth rates - Nevada California Texas Michigan Arizona Ohio

November 06, 2009

Which state economy did the best in gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates between 2000 and 2008 in the United States?

Construction market spending forecast: Which industries will benefit?

November 05, 2009

What's the outlook for construction spending in the near future? Which industries will benefit and which industries will lag behind? In general many experts believe that construction market will grow slowly or hold steady in 2010, but rebound in the two years following (2011 and 2012).

Top 10 largest world economies

November 02, 2009

The United States and Japan have been the first and second largest economies in the world since the early 1970s. Although the two best economies in the world have not changed, there has been some movement in the ranks below one and two in recent years.

Construction industry spending to fall in 2010

November 02, 2009

Due to lack of growth in the commercial construction market, total annual construction spending is expected to fall by 4% in 2010. Although the residential construction market is expected to rebound, commercial construction is going to lag behind and have a substantial negative impact on 2009 spending.