Neil Barofsky, Special Inspector General for TARP. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

A year ago Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives rejected the Bush administration’s proposed $700 billion financial bailout plan, causing the largest one-day point drop in Wall Street history and the loss…

AP Photo/Paul Sakuma

It’s been a rough year for bankers. From late-night comedy show hosts to editorial cartoonists, images of greed-driven bankers lining their pockets at the consumers’ expense have become popular folklore.

Politicians and lawyers are accustomed to being the butt of…

Late this afternoon, the Treasury Department is scheduled to announce the results of so-called “stress tests” applied to America’s 20 largest banks. The idea is to determine how well they are prepared to handle further downturns in the economy.

The topic…

President Obama at Georgetown: How's that for visuals? (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In a major economic speech Tuesday at Georgetown University’s Gaston Hall, President Barack Obama turned to the Sermon on the Mount to urge that America, in rebuilding its economy, “build our…

Tim Lee illustration. The News & Observer

Banks levy about $17.5 billion each year in fees for overdrawn accounts, whether by bounced check, debit card purchase, cash withdrawal from an ATM or electronic payments of bills. That’s chump change compared to…