President Bush, acknowledging that the country is suffering through a period of economic uncertainty, on Monday called on Congress to do more to help people and businesses hurt by the housing slump and credit crunch. ...more

February 12, 2008

Congress, facing the prospect of an election-year recession, passed an emergency plan Thursday that rushes rebates of $600 to $1,200 to most taxpayers and $300 checks to disabled veterans, the elderly and other low-income people. President Bush indicated he would sign the measure. ...more

February 8, 2008

TAMPA BAY AREA Bridgeport Center Sold Flagler Development Group of Jacksonville has acquired its first Tampa property, paying $29.5 million to buy the nine-story Bridgeport Center, 5201 W. Kennedy Blvd., from Boston-based AEW Capital Management. Mike Davis, senior director for Cushman & Wakefield, which brokered the deal, said Bridgeport Center is the area's first major office building to trade hands since the credit crunch hit Wall Street in November. Davis said the 170,924-square-foot building in the West Shore business district sold for nearly as much as Cushman & Wakefield estimated it would before the credit troubles. The deal proves buyers remain bullish about commercial properties in the Tampa Bay area, Davis said. ...more

February 2, 2008

The housing market is caught in a downward spiral that might last the rest of this year, and banks are struggling under a staggering burden of bad loans that has created a severe credit crunch. Don't fear, though, a $250 check might be making its way toward your mailbox. ...more

January 19, 2008

With Hillsborough County residents hurting from a collapsing real estate market and stalled development, the county commission is considering a limited economic stimulus package, including halving impact fees. ...more

January 17, 2008

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke borrowed a page from Alan Greenspan's crisis playbook when he promised emphatically to cut interest rates further if the weak economy needs the help. ...more

January 11, 2008

A decade after setting up shop in west Pasco, Matt Griffin and Dan Geberth decided last year to move out of their cramped manufacturing quarters at the West Pasco Industrial Park. ...more

January 10, 2008

Wary employers clamped down on hiring and pushed the unemployment rate to a two-year high of 5 percent in December, an ominous sign the economy may slide into recession. President Bush explored a rescue package, including a tax cut, with his economic advisers. ...more

January 4, 2008

Over the years, we have grown accustomed to government bailouts of financial companies. The odd thing about the current credit crunch, however, is that it isn't the U.S. government that is doing the bailing. ...more

January 1, 2008

Early holiday sales reports are weak, with Target Corp., the nation's No. 2 retailer, warning that its sales may have fallen in December. ...more

December 26, 2007