Foreclosures drop in January - but don’t get excited

First, the good news: Foreclosure filings dropped nearly 10% between December and January.
That’s a total of 315,716 notices compared to 349,519 in December, according to RealtyTrac, which issues a monthly report on foreclosure activity.
Now, the bad news: Filings rose 15% compared to a year ago, and the number of people who actually had […]

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Revenue drops at all local casinos, except the beleaguered President

January was a tough month for St. Louis-area casinos, as the recession and cold weather teamed up to tamp down business.
Gambling revenue at the region’s six casinos fell by 4 percent in the month compared to last year, according to figures out Wednesday from Missouri and Illinois regulators. Every casino saw business fall. […]

Confusion and fear at Toyota dealerships

Toyota drivers are feeling mounting confusion and frustration as they attempt to fix their recalled cars. And Toyota dealers are under the gun as they face sometimes angry customers.
"It’s just getting crazy," said Andy Phillips who heads the service department at Sandy Springs Toyota in Georgia. "Well, you know. I’m tired, the phones are […]

Foreclosure experts meet, debate strategies

JEFFERSON CITY — Foreclosures are running at an all-time high. And few think that will change any time soon.
So what do you do about them?
That was the subject of a conference here Thursday, where dozens of foreclosure counselors and experts from across the state gathered to talk about ways to try to […]

More registers ringing this holiday season

Shoppers may have boosted retailers with slightly better sales this year. But only when compared to a disastrous 2008. And that’s no guarantee that consumers’ shop ’til you drop mentality is back.
Most retailers won’t report their December sales results until next month, but early forecasts indicate things could be less awful than last year. […]

Gold hits record on talk of Indian buying

Gold prices hit record highs above $1,180 an ounce in Europe on Wednesday, boosted by the euro’s move through $1.50 against the dollar and by a report that India may consider buying more bullion from the IMF.
U.S. gold futures for December delivery on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose $21.20 […]

Fed’s Bullard says shrinking reserves key to exit

A senior Federal Reserve official said on Wednesday the U.S. central bank may start tightening financial conditions by adjusting its extensive asset purchase programs rather than raising interest rates.
“The market’s focus on interest rates is disappointing, given quantitative easing,” St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard said in a presentation to a group […]

Dodd proposes bold financial overhaul

The chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee introduced a financial regulation reform bill on Tuesday that leaps beyond earlier proposals, calling for new government agencies on financial stability, bank supervision and financial consumer protection.
Senator Christopher Dodd, a Democrat, released the bill after intense closed-door negotiations, raising the ante in a debate over tighter […]

Cadbury awaits Kraft bid deadline

Cadbury’s shares edged up in early trade on Monday as the clock ticked toward a 1700 GMT (12 noon EST) deadline for Kraft Foods to either make a formal takeover bid for the British confectionery group or walk away.
Cadbury is the world’s second largest confectionery group while Kraft is number five with brands such […]

Half a million pounds of beef recalled on E.coli fears

A voluntary recall was announced Monday for more than half a million pounds of ground beef because it may be contaminated with bacteria linked to at least two deaths, officials said.
Fairbank Farms of Ashville, New York, said the recall was issued Saturday for approximately 545,699 pounds of ground beef produced between September 14 and […]