Personal Finance

Five years ago, Federal Reserve head Ben Bernanke said the housing sector wasn't a major economic concern. In fact, most experts failed to see the looming subprime mortgage crisis that sank the U.S. economy. If they were so wrong about the Great Recession, it's possible they could also be blind to a "Great Recovery."

It used to be unthinkable for high-end designers to sell their clothes at mass retailers. Now they regularly team up with Gap, Macy's and Target to bring fashion to the masses. The arrangement can help both the designers and the retailers.

Two senators who have taken the lead on legislation aimed to help homeowners refinance are blunt about how concerned they are by the news NPR reported about Freddie Mac's "multibillion-dollar bets against American homeowners being able to refinance."

When the auto industry was struggling financially, UAW and Detroit's Big Three automakers negotiated a system giving new employees lower wages and fewer benefits than employees hired before the deal was struck. Host Michel Martin speaks with a local reporter, as well as an autoworker who took a buy-out and was rehired at the same plant.

Freddie Mac last month said it would stop making risky bets against homeowners after concerns were raised by its regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The statement by the FHFA was issued in response to an investigation by NPR and ProPublica that disclosed how Freddie Mac bought billions of dollars in securities that turned a profit if homeowners remained stuck in high rate mortgages. The White House said the Treasury Department is looking into Freddie Mac's investments. Steve Inskeep talks with NPR's Chris Arnold and Jesse Eisinger of ProPublica about their report.

Friday's lower unemployment figures are good news for the Obama administration early in an election year.

The Labor Department released its monthly report Friday, which shows unemployment down to 8.3 percent. Is the dip strong enough to push the rate down further in the coming months?

Five years ago, Federal Reserve head Ben Bernanke said the housing sector wasn't a major economic concern. In fact, most experts failed to see the looming subprime mortgage crisis that sank the U.S. economy. If they were so wrong about the Great Recession, it's possible they could also be blind to a "Great Recovery."

The Labor Department says employers added 243,000 net jobs in January, the most in nine months. Hiring was widespread across many high-paying industries.

Private employers added 257,000 jobs to their payrolls, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also says. A slight drop in employment at government agencies brought the overall gain in jobs down to 243,000.

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