WASHINGTON - Congress should insist that the Treasury Department invest up to $50 billion into a program to help consumers avoid foreclosures being proposed by the FDIC

WASHINGTON -- In response to the credit crunch, Small Business Administration Acting Administrator Sandy Baruah announced today several loan program changes to help the agency's lending partners increase access to capital for small businesses.

WASHINGTON -- There were 516,000 first-time filings for unemployment insurance last week, compared with the revised figure of 484,000 the week before, the Labor Department reported today. It's the highest number of new filings since Sept. 29, 2001.

PEORIA, Ill. -- Times are tough in many parts of the country, but credit union loan volume is soaring at the $3.6 billion Citizens Equity First FCU, the state's second largest, according to Charles Walker, chief financial officer.