Donations by Americans Jumped 7.5% to $346 Billion in 2011
Americans donated $346.89 billion in 2011 to U.S. nonprofits, a 7.5 percent increase compared to the $322.69 billion given the previous year, according to the annual report by the Atlas of Giving.
The group said ...
Pew Study: 29% of U.S. Adults Own Tablet or e-Reader
Nearly a third of U.S. adults own a tablet computer or e-book reader, with the share of those owning such devices doubling just over this past holiday shopping season.
The share of adults who own tablet computers ...
eBay’s PayPal Going In-Store at Home Depot, Other Retailers
PayPal, eBay Inc.’s e-commerce payment provider, is taking on Visa and MasterCard in the off-line world of in-store purchases, and it will start with 2,000 Home Depot stores.
By March, customers with PayPal accounts ...
Home Sales in Uptrend as Inventory is Down to 2005 Levels
It may not signify a sustained turnaround for the housing market, but existing home sales continued an uptrend in December and total inventory at the end of 2011 dropped 9.2 percent to 2.38 million – its lowest ...
Leaner Bank of America Sees $2B Profit Despite Card Fee Fiasco
A trimmer Bank of America survived a debit card fee controversy and losing its largest-bank ranking to JPMorgan Chase in the final months of 2011 to emerge with a $2 billion profit for the fourth quarter.
Bank of ...
American Express Profit Up 12% on Record Card Spending
American Express profit rose 12 percent in the fourth quarter, with more customers spending on their cards and much fewer opting to stop paying on their balances.
AmEx also took in higher travel commissions and ...
Refinancing Jumps as 30-Year Mortgage Slips to Record 3.88%
The 30-year fixed rate mortgage slipped another basis point to set yet another record low at 3.88 percent this week, marking the seventh consecutive week below 4 percent, according to Freddie Mac.
With record or ...
Adjustable-Rate Mortgages Cautiously Stage Comeback
Adjustable-rate mortgages made up 40 percent of new home purchases in the housing bubble buildup – before the dream of home-ownership burst.
Now, ARMs are staging a slow comeback since hitting its market share ...
Trend Reversal? Mortgage Default Rates Rise for 4th Month
A national measure of consumer credit defaults – when borrowers stop paying back loans – recorded increases in most loan types for December, and a fourth straight month in first mortgage defaults.
Bank card ...
Mortgage Financing Bolsters Wells Fargo’s Record Profit
Propelled by its mortgage business – the biggest in the U.S. – Wells Fargo & Co. reported a record 20 percent jump in fourth-quarter profit, exceeding Wall Street expectations.
Through its core consumer ...
