WASHINGTON - November 22, 2011 - Bank earnings rose over the summer to their highest level in more than four years, while the number of troubled banks fell for the second straight quarter, federal regulators reported Tuesday.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said the banking industry earned $35.3 billion in the third quarter. That's up from $23.8 billion in the same period last year. More than 60% of banks reported improved earnings.

WASHINGTON - November 20, 2011 - Financial contagion from Europe is pushing global economies towards the brink, and the risks of slipping into worldwide Depression are rising significantly.

China's exports have plunged to half their year-ago levels. Factory orders in Germany, Europe's economic powerhouse, are slumping as China weakens. Australia and Indonesia have cut interest rates to ward off damage from Europe, while Japan, Britain and Brazil have slashed their growth forecasts.

WASHINGTON (PNN) - November 17, 2011 - The number of middle-income neighborhoods in the United States has dwindled significantly over the past 40 years, as the rich-poor divide deepens across the country, a study released Wednesday showed.

In 2007, nearly a third of Amerikan families – 31% - lived in either an affluent neighborhood or a mainly low-income one, up from just 15% in 1970, according to the study conducted by Stanford University and released in partnership with the Russell Sage Foundation and Brown University.

PARIS, France - November 16, 2011 - On Wednesday, Moody's downgraded its ratings of 10 German public-sector banks, including BayernLB and Deutsche Hypo, saying they were now less likely to receive state support if needed.

WASHINGTON - November 16, 2011 - At the close of business on Tuesday, the debt of the federal government exceeded $15 trillion for the first time - with the largest single owner of the publicly held portion of that debt being the Federal Reserve.

ROME, Italy - November 16, 2011 - The European debt crisis is rolling across the continent at alarming speed, proving that almost no country is immune to the contagion unleashed by Greece and Italy as confidence in the region’s ability to reduce its debt loads evaporates.

WASHINGTON - November 15, 2011 - The federal agency that insures pensions for 1 in 7 Amerikans ran the largest deficit last year in its 37-year history.