A recent financial rating gave the School Board of Highlands County a "good credit quality," which is one step above a "speculative' rating. ...more

December 23, 2009

Next time you go to the mall, be prepared: Chances are it isn't your grandparents' shopping center anymore. ...more

December 16, 2009

Once shunned, non-traditional businesses like tattoo parlors and gold resellers are showing up at local malls. ...more

December 15, 2009

Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's recently gave Hillsborough County its highest rating for a bond issue the county will use to buy land for conservation. ...more

December 12, 2009

A New York financial rating service has given Highlands County an "A" bond rating and classified its ability to pay off current debt as "stable." ...more

March 22, 2009

Since the subprime mortgage troubles exploded into a full-blown financial crisis last year, the three top credit-rating agencies - Moody's, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings - have faced a firestorm of criticism about whether their rosy ratings of mortgage securities generated billions of dollars in losses to investors who relied on them. ...more

December 20, 2008

The full scope of the housing meltdown isn't clear and already there are ominous signs of a new crisis, one that could shutter malls, hotels and storefronts nationwide. ...more

November 28, 2008

As Congress hashes out the details of the mortgage bailout plan, another wave of problem loans will soon come crashing down, especially in Florida. ...more

September 24, 2008

As Congress hashes out the details of the mortgage bailout plan, another wave of problem loans will soon come crashing down, especially in Florida. Nearly $100 billion worth of loans are deemed at risk for foreclosure over the next two years nationwide as borrowers with adjustable rate loans, called option-ARMs, see rates adjust, some ahead of schedule, according to a report released this month by Fitch Ratings. ...more

September 23, 2008

Homebuilders are always trying to sell their homes, but these days they have an extra incentive: beating the clock. ...more

August 27, 2008