The financial news that actually matters
Millions of U.S. merchants that accept Visa and Mastercard stood to see modest relief from credit card swipe fees under a proposed settlement valued at roughly $30 billion, but a federal judge has now blocked the deal, calling it “not likely” to survive final approval. The ruling throws the future of interchange fee reform back…
Millions of Americans who traded cryptocurrency through a U.S. broker during 2025 will receive a new tax form when filing season arrives next year. Form 1099-DA, created by the IRS to report digital asset proceeds from broker transactions, will be sent to both taxpayers and the agency, ending the era when many custodial crypto trades…
Federal student loan borrowers still enrolled in the SAVE plan face a hard deadline: starting July 1, servicers will begin sending notices directing them to pick a new repayment option. Those who fail to act within 90 days of receiving that notice will be automatically placed into the Standard Repayment Plan, which typically carries higher…
Homeowners along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts face a narrow window to secure flood coverage before the 2026 hurricane season ramps up. NOAA issued its seasonal outlook on May 21, projecting 8 to 14 named storms with a 70 percent probability, while any National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy purchased today carries a 30-day waiting…
Workers across the United States face a tightening set of options. April job openings fell to 7.1 million, the lowest reading since 2020, and the quits rate dropped to 1.8%, the weakest measure of worker confidence since 2018. Together, these two figures signal that the labor market is cooling in ways that directly affect bargaining…
Homeowners sitting on record levels of home equity now face a borrowing environment that has shifted sharply in their favor. Average HELOC rates fell to 7.19 percent in May, reaching their lowest point in three years and making home equity lines of credit the cheapest major consumer borrowing option available. That rate drop lands against…
Every baby born in the United States between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, who holds a valid Social Security number and U.S. citizenship is set to receive a $1,000 federal deposit into a new investment account on July 4, 2026. The Treasury Department will fund the deposits as part of a pilot program…
Bank customers who have faced account closures tied to their political beliefs or religious affiliations are about to gain a new federal protection. The FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency finalized a rule that, according to the FDIC’s Federal Register index, takes effect on June 9, 2026, under the designation RIN…
Borrowers with FHA-backed mortgages fell behind on payments at a rate not seen in more than a decade during the first quarter of 2026, pushing the overall U.S. mortgage delinquency rate to 3.6 percent, the highest since 2014. FHA loans, which serve a disproportionate share of first-time and lower-income buyers, posted a 7.2 percent delinquency…
Couples who relied on a single income during their working years stand to gain a meaningful bump in retirement cash flow through a Social Security rule that many households overlook. A non-working spouse can collect up to half of the higher earner’s Social Security benefit at full retirement age, a provision that, based on current…
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