In what should be no surprise, banks are cutting back on small business loans. Please consider CNN Money's Small business loans: $10 billion evaporates.  Eight months after President Obama bega

Editor's note: The following is an edition of The Lavery Insight economic newsletter by former Merrill Lynch chief economist Jack Lavery.  For more information, or to sign up for a free trial, c

Last night Bloomberg printed an article about Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac (FRE). Here are the lowlights:1. There were 2.6 million defaults on residential mortgages in the first nine months of 20

Traditional wisdom tells us never to lend money to friends. But traditional wisdom has it slightly wrong. Lending money and property to friends is okay, as long as you feel comfortable with the arran

Reality, it appears, is a dish Washington believes is best served, never.Late Friday evening, long after most Americans had shut off their computer screens and turned their attention to more importan

The markets have witnessed the damage from banks with significant exposure to residential and consumer loan markets. But how bad will the commercial real estate crash hurt? Upcoming earnings from som

Commercial real-estate vacancies hit nearly 25% in the Phoenix Valley area. Scottsdale and Southeast Valley vacancies are even higher. Consider Office vacancy rates in Valley hit record.  

While the yellow metal has captivated our attention in recent weeks, the “poor man’s gold” has also been quietly reaping big gains.Silver is up 56% this year, hitting a record of $1

Shares of financial services companies have rebounded fast and furiously since the market bottomed in early March. The sector is expected to be the best performer in the third quarter, with earnings

There are few things better than autumn in the big city. There’s something in the air, winds of change if you will. Central Park is a kaleidoscope of colors; the six-train is packed with pinstr