WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawyer warned about irregularities at Bernard Madoff’s financial management firm as far back as 2004, The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing agency documents and sources familiar with the investigation.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Manhattan apartment sales plunged more than 50 percent and the average price dropped 21.4 to 24 percent from a year ago, as the U.S. recession forced many who own a piece of the Big Apple to eat humble pie, several reports said.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a fiscal emergency on Wednesday, forcing lawmakers to tackle a budget gap that has raised the prospect of drastic measures to keep the state working.

Caught between rising default rates and new legislation that will cap interest rates, banks are protecting profits by charging even their better customers more.

Discover Financial Services , the credit card company, reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly operating loss on Thursday as the company cut costs and had fewer bad loans than forecast. Discover’s expenses fell 10 percent as it cut 500 jobs and Read More

Island Air pilots have signed a new collective bargaining agreement with the company that provides annual wage increases totaling 12 percent over the next four years. Other features of the contract include work-rule advances and furlough protections Read More

NEW YORK–( BUSINESS WIRE )–Fitch Ratings has affirmed the long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of Discover Financial Services (Discover) and Discover Bank at ‘BBB’. Concurrently, Fitch has downgraded the entities’ Individual ratings to ‘C’ from ‘B Read More

REEDSBURG — The Reedsburg Common Council discussed being paid on a per diem basis, as suggested by the mayor, but eventually squashed the idea after spirited discussion. “If you go to per diem, you get paid for the time you put in,” Mayor Carol Read More

Women who earn more than their husbands are hardly rare, but that doesn’t mean it’s a comfortable role for them (or their spouses). Here are 3 tips to make it easier.

Discover Financial Services , the credit card company, reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly operating loss on Thursday as the company cut costs and had fewer bad loans than forecast. Discover’s expenses fell 10 percent as it cut 500 jobs and Read More

Island Air pilots have signed a new collective bargaining agreement with the company that provides annual wage increases totaling 12 percent over the next four years. Other features of the contract include work-rule advances and furlough protections Read More

NEW YORK–( BUSINESS WIRE )–Fitch Ratings has affirmed the long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of Discover Financial Services (Discover) and Discover Bank at ‘BBB’. Concurrently, Fitch has downgraded the entities’ Individual ratings to ‘C’ from ‘B Read More

REEDSBURG — The Reedsburg Common Council discussed being paid on a per diem basis, as suggested by the mayor, but eventually squashed the idea after spirited discussion. “If you go to per diem, you get paid for the time you put in,” Mayor Carol Read More

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States joined the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) on Monday as part of the Obama administration’s commitment to developing a new energy policy, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Standing by your man suddenly seems to be going out of fashion for some American women in the public eye.