It's Crunch Time: The Fight to Fix the Financial System Comes Down to This

The next couple of months will be crucial in determining the shape of the financial system for decades to come. And so far, the signs are not encouraging.

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World Bank Chief Leery of More Fed Power

The head of the World Bank said Monday that the U.S. Treasury Department should be given more authority for financial regulation as he waded into the debate over how the federal government should oversee the banking system.

Middle-Class Residents Finding Themselves With Hat in Hand

The Germantown woman was loading boxes of food from the Manna food bank into a shiny sport-utility vehicle one recent afternoon when she was approached by a donor dropping off food.

U.S. Plans to Isolate Iran if Nuclear Talks Fail

The Obama administration is laying plans to cut Iran's economic links to the rest of the world if talks this week over the country's nuclear ambitions founder, according to officials and outside experts familiar with the plans.

Brandywine Crossing Thrives in Prince George's County

After opening in June, the Bonefish Grill in the new Brandywine Crossing shopping center in southern Prince George's County has become one of the top sales performers in the restaurant's chain. On Friday nights and weekends, patrons wait as long as 90 minutes for a table.

On Medicare Spending, a Role Reversal

After years of trying to cut Medicare spending, Republican lawmakers have emerged as champions of the program, accusing Democrats of trying to steal from the elderly to cover the cost of health reform.

Value Added: A Photographer With a Bird's-Eye View of the Economy

Corporate-jet photographer Charles Tack didn't set out to be an economic indicator. In fact, he didn't even know he was one.

Prince George's, Md., Community Braces for Major Development

During the past 45 years, William Evans has fought vigorously to keep dumps and concrete factories out of his rural Westphalia neighborhood in central Prince George's County near the District.

Big Merger Deals Fuel Today's Wall Street Rally

A wave of pre-market merger-and-acquisition (M&A) deals pushed Wall Street to its best day in recent weeks, as all three major indexes surged.

Cyber Gangs Hit Healthcare Providers

Organized cyber thieves that have stolen millions from corporations and schools over the past few months recently defrauded several health care providers, including a number of non-profit organizations that cater to the disabled and the uninsured.

Fed Held Back as Evidence Mounted on Subprime Loan Abuses

The visits had a ritual quality. Three times a year, a coalition of Chicago community groups met with the Federal Reserve and other banking regulators to warn about the growing prevalence of abusive mortgage lending.

Cuba Pins Hopes on New For-Profit Farms

CEIBA DEL AGUA, Cuba -- Faced with the smothering inefficiencies of a state-run economy and unable to feed his people without massive imports of food, Cuban leader Raúl Castro has put his faith in compatriots like Esther Fuentes and his little farm out in the sticks.

Germany's Merkel Reelected, Will Form New Coalition

BERLIN, Sept. 27 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel secured a decisive victory in federal elections Sunday, winning enough votes to form a new ruling coalition that should give her a freer hand to govern and provide support for closer ties with Washington.

Zombie Stocks Can Lure Casual Investors Into Danger

To prove how astonishingly easy it is to make a dimwitted investing move, I logged into my online brokerage account the other day and bought stock. I have made dumb buys before -- who hasn't? -- but this time I was practically betting on a horse that could no longer gallop.