Renuka Rayasam
Associate Editor, The Kiplinger Letter
Revamped Scoring Will Help Some Small Businesses Get Loans
business
Revamped Scoring Will Help Some Small Businesses Get Loans
The new credit score model will give banks more confidence to lend.
May 11, 2010
New Rules for Brokers May Help Investors
Business Costs & Regulation
New Rules for Brokers May Help Investors
But investors will pay a price for added protection. Trading fees are likely to rise.
May 4, 2010
Financial Crisis Probe Misses Mark
Business Costs & Regulation
Financial Crisis Probe Misses Mark
Politicians and others are stuck in the blame game, rather than working to fix fix root causes
April 12, 2010
Momentum Mounts For Financial Overhaul
Politics
Momentum Mounts For Financial Overhaul
Congress will remake the regulatory structure in an attempt to discourage excessive risk and protect consumers.
April 5, 2010
New Credit Card Rules Won’t Apply to Business Cards
Politics
New Credit Card Rules Won’t Apply to Business Cards
Congress worries about choking off credit to small businesses, so it won’t extend limits on penalty fees and other consumer protections to business ca…
March 29, 2010
A Bipartisan Deal on Banking Reform?
Politics
A Bipartisan Deal on Banking Reform?
Dodd's new bill includes GOP ideas, and he's ready to embrace more.
March 17, 2010
New Rules May Make Money Market Funds Safer
investing
New Rules May Make Money Market Funds Safer
But the trade-off -- low interest rates -- won’t make them popular with investors.
February 24, 2010
Credit Freeze Will Thaw in 2010
business
Credit Freeze Will Thaw in 2010
Banks will open their purse strings for the most worthy borrowers.
February 8, 2010
Government Moves to Rein in Debt Collectors
Business Costs & Regulation
Government Moves to Rein in Debt Collectors
Mistakes and harassment are cited as reasons for closer scrutiny from regulators. New laws could be next.
February 3, 2010
No More Instant Credit at the Cash Register?
credit & debt
No More Instant Credit at the Cash Register?
New Federal Reserve rules will make it harder for retailers to extend credit on the spot.
January 27, 2010
Congress to Bolster Small Business
business
Congress to Bolster Small Business
On tap: Increased SBA loan limits and more help with selling abroad.
January 22, 2010
Banks : This Week's Whipping Boys
Politics
Banks : This Week's Whipping Boys
Congress, the White House and regulators shift blame to Wall Street.
January 14, 2010
Beginning of the End For Economic Rescue
Business Costs & Regulation
Beginning of the End For Economic Rescue
Federal regulators will find getting out is much trickier than jumping in.
January 5, 2010
One Hurdle Scaled in Bank Reg Effort
Politics
One Hurdle Scaled in Bank Reg Effort
But the hard bargaining over details is yet to come.
December 29, 2009
Uncle Sam, Tech Venture Capitalist
Politics
Uncle Sam, Tech Venture Capitalist
As private investment slows, the Obama administration is looking to invest in early stage technology companies.
December 2, 2009
Feds to Step up Insurance Oversight
Business Costs & Regulation
Feds to Step up Insurance Oversight
First step: a new federal office. The option of a federal charter for insurers -- long regulated by the states -- could follow.
November 25, 2009
Shareholders Will Flex Some Muscle in Proxy Season
Business Costs & Regulation
Shareholders Will Flex Some Muscle in Proxy Season
The SEC is giving investors a lot more power, and they’re sure to use it.
November 17, 2009
Dodd Bucks White House on Financial Regulations
Business Costs & Regulation
Dodd Bucks White House on Financial Regulations
The Senate Banking chairman has a more radical idea for restructuring the nation’s banking and insurance industries.
November 10, 2009
Reforming the Credit Rating Agencies
Business Costs & Regulation
Reforming the Credit Rating Agencies
Unwinding the credit agencies' conflicts of interest means undoing decades-old habits
November 2, 2009
Congress Eyes Crackdown on Reverse Mortgages
Business Costs & Regulation
Congress Eyes Crackdown on Reverse Mortgages
Buyers should always beware, but seniors looking at reverse mortgages will soon get a little help from Uncle Sam, too.
October 23, 2009
The Art of Being Too Big to Fail
Business Costs & Regulation
The Art of Being Too Big to Fail
Try defining what makes a financial firm "too big to fail" and you come up with a lot of explanations that sound like the classic definition of obscen…
August 19, 2009
The Sisyphean Housing Problem
Economic Forecasts
The Sisyphean Housing Problem
The administration realizes it'll take more than carrots to get banks to rewrite mortgages for homeowners at risk of foreclosure.
August 5, 2009
Did Fannie Mae Cause The Economic Mess?
Politics
Did Fannie Mae Cause The Economic Mess?
The Humpty Dumpty economy has fallen off a wall, and while the government scrambles to put the pieces back together again, lawmakers are als…
March 30, 2009
Economic Team Banking on Confidence
Politics
Economic Team Banking on Confidence
The stimulus spigot is opening, the plan to save some homes from foreclosure is in place and the proposal to salvage financial system is nearly so.
March 13, 2009
Geithner, Summers in Good Cop/Bad Cop Routine
Politics
Geithner, Summers in Good Cop/Bad Cop Routine
It may be award season in Hollywood, but in Washington one duo is reprising their starring roles with just as much fanfare.
February 2, 2009