The future of Maryland’s sterling credit rating hung in doubt Monday evening after the downgrade of the nation’s debt whipped investors into a panic and pushed the stock market into a free fall. The months-long stalemate on Capitol Hill that ...

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WASHINGTON — When it meets Tuesday, the Federal Reserve could signal what it can or will do to help the nation avoid another recession. Since the Fed last met in June, Standard & Poor’s has downgraded long-term U.S. debt, stock ...

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WASHINGTON — The Senate emphatically passed emergency legislation Tuesday to avoid a first-ever government default, rushing the legislation to President Barack Obama for his signature just hours before the deadline. The vote was 74-26. Obama signed the bill little more than ...

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WASHINGTON — Emergency legislation to allow the government to borrow more money headed toward passage in the Senate Tuesday with just hours to spare before the national debt bumps against its ceiling. Expected approval sends the bill to President Barack Obama, ...

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WASHINGTON — The head of a top credit rating agency says that some of the deficit-cutting plans being considered by Congress could bring the U.S. debt burden down to a level that would allow the country to keep its triple-A ...

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ANNAPOLIS — Virginia’s governor is livid that his famously tight-fisted state could face higher borrowing costs to build roads and schools. Maryland has put off a $718 million bond sale for three days because of the current financial uncertainty. And ...

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Moody’s Investors Service warned Tuesday that it probably will lower the credit rating on five states if it downgrades the U.S. government’s credit rating. The credit rating agency said it has placed on review for possible downgrade the triple-A bond ...

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WASHINGTON — Negotiations to increase the nation’s debt ceiling shifted to Congress where Republican and Democratic leaders were assessing the mood of their members even as an intricate but potentially face-saving deal to avoid an unprecedented government default was taking ...

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WASHINGTON — Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s said Thursday that there is a 50 percent chance it will downgrade the U.S. government’s credit rating within three months because of the congressional impasse over approving an increase in the debt ...

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Installment debt is not a bad thing. It enables us to make major purchases that would be nearly impossible to finance up-front. The problem is, in this consumer society, we’re bombarded with advertisements for literally thousands of “must-have” products. The ...

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