Lifestyle and Budget

New U.S. rules aimed at getting banks to take on more of the risk when they package and sell mortgage securities are being relaxed with an eye to spurring broader home lending.

North Carolina's insurance commissioner on Monday began deciding whether to allow homeowner's coverage costs to rise by as much as 35 percent even as more insurers demand even higher rates in agreements with customers.

Millions of Americans still struggle with high-cost private student loans, with many tumbling into default because the companies servicing the loans aren't offering reasonable options for improved terms, a new report says.

Average U.S. mortgage rates tumbled this week, with the 30-year loan hitting its lowest level since June 2013 as Treasury bond yields marked new lows.

One-fourth of U.S. adults with private health insurance don't have much confidence in their ability to pay for a major, unexpected medical expense.

Where are the pay raises? Employers in the United States are hiring at a brisk pace.

Verizon will pay $7.4 million to settle with The Federal Communications Commission over allegations that it used customers' personal information for marketing purposes The FCC found that Verizon Communications Inc. failed to notify about 2 million new customers of their privacy rights on first invoices or welcome letters for several years beginning in 2006.

An attorney for Detroit is set to resume his opening statement at the city's historic bankruptcy trial, after saying on the first day that Detroit needs the restructuring to survive.

Lawyers for Detroit will attempt to convince a federal judge at the city's bankruptcy trial that its plans to wipe out billions of dollars in debt should be approved.

Advocates of renewable energy are hailing the rejection of Rocky Mountain Power's request for a new fee for residential rooftop solar panels in Utah.

Insurers can no longer reject customers with expensive medical conditions thanks to the health care overhaul, but there's still wiggle room for them to discourage the sickest and costliest patients from enrolling.

Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates declined this week, with the 30-year loan rate hitting its low for the year.

Officials familiar with the deal say Bank of America has reached a record $17 billion settlement with federal and state authorities over its role in the sale of mortgage-backed securities in the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis.

Ending insurance discrimination against the sick was a central goal of the nation's health care overhaul, but leading patient groups say that promise is being undermined by new barriers from insurers.

Ending insurance discrimination against the sick was a central goal of the nation's health care overhaul, but leading patient groups say that promise is being undermined by new barriers from insurers.

New U.S. auto loans jumped to the highest level in eight years this spring, fueled by a big increase in lending to risky borrowers.

A Tennessee man who founded a network of payday loan companies that prosecutors say charged interest rates far beyond New York limits pleaded not guilty Tuesday.

There are changes coming to FICO, a broadly used credit score, that may mean higher credit scores for many consumers. 

Wisconsin's sluggish recovery from the Great Recession was reflected Thursday in new figures that show growth in consumer spending has lagged behind neighboring states and the nation as a whole.

Health advocates allege some insurance plans under the new federal health law are discriminating against HIV and AIDS patients by requiring them to pay a percentage of costly medications instead of a flat co-pay, essentially pricing the medications out of reach.