August 12, 2011
Filed under: Economy, Health Care, Insurance, Personal Finance
For those who don’t have the luxury of employer-paid health coverage, finding out what individual coverage costs can be a challenge.
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August 11, 2011
Filed under: JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Banking, Consumer Ally
A year after the Federal Reserve enacted new rules to rein in abusive bank overdraft practices, fees remain high and some institutions actually have slapped on additional penalties, according to a new survey of the nation’s 14 largest banks by the Consumer Federation of America.
August 10, 2011
Filed under: Economy, Personal Finance, Saving Money, Debt
Where do you turn when you’re hit with a nasty surprise expense? If you’re like most Americans, it’s not your savings account.
August 9, 2011
Filed under: Economy, Taxes, Debt
With all the talk these days about national debts — the European debt crisis, America’s debt-ceiling debacle — I’ve been wondering how the U.S.’s debt stacks up against other developed countries’. Are we as indebted as it feels like we are?
The U.S. ranks seventh on Fortune’s list of indebted developed countries, behind Japan, Greece, Italy, Iceland and other European nations. But, like so many things in economics, the answers can change based on how you do the math. If you define national debt differently, the U.S. springs to the top of the list. So it’s worth digging in a bit more.
August 5, 2011
Filed under: Insurance
Mortgage insurer The PMI Group Inc. warned investors on Thursday that it may be unable to continue selling new policies and could shut down.
The news sent shares of the Walnut Creek, Calif.-based company plunging to their lowest point in more than two years.
On a day when the broader markets were battered by economic concerns, the stock closed down 47 cents, or 53.4 percent, at 41 cents. Shares were last that low in March 2009, and had changed hands as high as $4.68 in the past 52 weeks.
August 4, 2011
Filed under: Economy, Boeing, Debt
The debt-ceiling drama may be over, but — for state governments — the ramifications are just beginning to reverberate.
The new law requires a 12-member, bipartisan “super committee” to recommend at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts by late November. The law also caps discretionary spending, which includes funding for defense, transportation and basic research.
August 3, 2011
Filed under: Investing, Taxes, Credit, Market News, Investment, Debt
With a Thursday afternoon deadline fast approaching, investors and officials in Alabama are working to review new proposals to avert the biggest municipal bankruptcy in American history. Jefferson County, home to Birmingham, Ala., may have to file Chapter 9 on its $3.14 billion debt if is isn’t able to negotiate a settlement.
Filed under: Company News, Technology, Investing, IBM, Microsoft, Insurance, Investment
Technology outsourcing and consulting giant Accenture (ACN) has seen its stock shoot up over 50% in the past year and now trades close to an all-time high of $63.66 per share. Accenture’s stock performance has been on par with that of IBM (IBM), which recently surpassed Microsoft (MSFT) to become the second largest tech firm by market cap. (See Big Blue Heads for $200 on Double Digit Revenue Growth) Below we take a look at the new additions to Accenture’s offerings in the insurance business.
Filed under: Health Care, Insurance
CVS Caremark has been aggressively trying to grow its pharmacy-benefits-management business after suffering from some major setbacks in 2009-2010. High-profile contracts from CalPERS, Medco Health and Aetna in the past year are helping boost CVS’s outlook in this business, which processes and pays prescription-drug insurance claims.
CVS Caremark is a pharmacy and drugstore chain that competes with Walgreen, Wal-Mart and Rite-Aid in its prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and general merchandise segments. It also competes with Medco Health Solutions and Express Scripts in its Pharmacy Benefits Management segment.
August 2, 2011
Filed under: Economy, Market News, Saving Money, Debt
As the debt-ceiling discussion winds down in Washington and everyone laments over the meaning and mutual downside of compromise, our attention should start to turn to a more frightening problem — the economy is not growing.