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View Article  Rising costs begin to pinch consumers
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'It's all the little things' as inflation speeds up, economy slows down
The Associated Press


Updated: 6:13 p.m. ET Aug 30, 2006
CINCINNATI - While prices at the gas pumps get a lot of attention, other
increases are pulling at Americans' pocketbooks from a variety of
directions.
"We see it daily as far as everything we need for the kids; groceries, the
little one still in diapers; anything that has to do with the house," said
...   more »
View Article  Downward Mobility
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NEW YORK TIMES

Editorial

Published: August 30, 2006

If you're still harboring the notion that the economy is "good," prepare to
be disabused.
Even the best number from yesterday's Census Bureau report for 2005 is bad
news for most Americans. It shows that median income rose 1.1 percent last
year, to $46,326, the first increase since it peaked in 1999. But the entire
increase is attributable to the 23 million households headed by someone over
age ...   more »
View Article  Indianapolis, Atlanta, Dallas Post Top Metro Foreclosure Rates
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Sun and Rust Belt Cities Dominate Remainder of Nation's Top 10
New Orleans and Boston Among Cities With Lowest Foreclosure Rates
Indianapolis, Atlanta and Dallas posted the nation's three highest
metropolitan foreclosure rates in the first quarter of 2006, according to
the RealtyTracT U.S. Metropolitan Foreclosure Market Report, which ranks the
foreclosure rates of the 100 largest metropolitan areas.

Cities in the Sun Belt and Rust Belt generally had the highest foreclosure
rates in the first ...   more »
View Article  Firms Muscling Up on Bankruptcy
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Lynne Marek
The National Law Journal

Despite what's expected to be a 12-year low in bankruptcy filings this
year, major U.S. law firms are starting to beef up their ranks of
restructuring attorneys in anticipation of heavier caseloads next year.

Restructuring preparation with some companies behind the scenes is
already picking up, some bankruptcy attorneys said, declining to
identify any. Companies in the automotive, telecommunications, retail
and health care industries are most likely to encounter trouble, ...   more »
View Article  Bankruptcy Reform Gave Creditors Too Much
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Michelle J. White, Special to washingtonpost.com's Think Tank Town,
washingtonpost.com


Last fall, following years of intense lobbying by the credit card companies,
Congress passed the "Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act
of 2005" (BAPCPA). While U.S. bankruptcy law was very debtor-friendly prior
to BAPCPA, it has become much more pro-creditor today.


Last fall, following years of intense lobbying by the credit card companies,
Congress passed the "Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act
of 2005" ...   more »