Local banks tout close relationships with customers and attention to detail to attract clients while big banks point to an abundance of locations, cutting-edge technology and a global reach as reasons to choose them instead

Arizona Department of Financial Institutions chief Felecia Rotellini talks about the challenges of regulation, combating mortgage fraud, losing funding and some solutions

The Internal Revenue Service announced March 17 that it will begin sending more than 130 million economic stimulus payments starting May 2. The initial round of payments will be completed by early July.The IRS also announced the availability of a new online calculator on IRS.gov to help people determine the amount of their stimulus payments.Stimulus [...]

Students attending classes in the Maricopa County Community College District will likely be looking at higher tuition rates. The board that runs the district is considering hiking tuition rates by 9 percent for the next school year, the district’s largest proposed tuition hike this decade. If approved, the district said students would pay $71 per [...]

Financially strapped states are looking to take away government health insurance and benefits from millions of Americans already struggling with a souring economy. An Associated Press review of the budgets in all 50 states reveals coverage would be eliminated for hundreds of thousands of poor children, disabled and the elderly. More than 10 million people [...]

The Federal Reserve on March 18 slashed a key interest rate by three-fourths of a percentage point, moving aggressively to contain a credit crisis threatening to push the country into a severe recession. The latest action brought the federal funds rate — the interest that banks charge each other — down to 2.25 percent, the [...]