Between redistricting and a growing number of retirements, the face of California’s 53-member Congressional delegation is set to get younger.

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California Congressional Delegation Braces for Change

As the Obama administration forges ahead this spring with plans to wind down mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, community banks and credit unions are bracing for the impact. The government-sponsored entities are the most active buyers on the secondary market for residential mortgages, where a growing number of small financial institutions sell the home loans they originate. Private investors remain largely inactive in acquiring mortgages, leaving originators to question how the industry will function without government support. Read full article > >

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Community banks and credit unions brace for end of Fannie, Freddie

Of the record 40,000 people in New York City’s shelters, a growing number belong to seemingly ordinary families, rushing off to school and work, smartphones in hand.

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Homeless Families, Cloaked in Normality

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes in November rose to the highest level in a year and a half. Normally, such a gain would suggest a turnaround for the depressed housing market. But a growing number of buyers are canceling their contracts at the last minute, making it a less reliable gauge. Read full article > >

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Contract signings for US homes up 7 percent in November, highest since April 2010

A growing number of consumers are committing to new cars without ever getting behind the wheel. Online shopping, improved quality and short-term leases are among the reasons they are comfortable doing this.

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Motoring: New-Car Test Drives Now Seem So 1995

A growing number of lawyers and activists are questioning the willingness of the Egyptian military to ultimately submit to civilian authority.

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Egypt’s Military Expands Power, Raising Alarms

As more Americans turn to government programs for refuge from a merciless economy, a growing number are encountering a new price of admission to the social safety net: a urine sample.

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States Adding Drug Test as Hurdle for Welfare

Call it a revolution. Between the area’s growing number of bike lanes and the seemingly ubiquitous flashes of red-painted metal zipping down Washington’s arteries, the city now buzzes with the distinctive tic-tic-tic of spinning spokes. Women (with skirts carefully tucked under one thigh) head to work on weekday mornings, tourists in American flag T-shirts traverse the Mall and men in suits pedal home during rush hour. Read full article > >

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Get rolling with Capital Bikeshare

Call it a revolution. Between the area’s growing number of bike lanes and the seemingly ubiquitous flashes of red-painted metal zipping down Washington’s arteries, the city now buzzes with the distinctive tic-tic-tic of spinning spokes. Women (with skirts carefully tucked under one thigh) head to work on weekday mornings, tourists in American flag T-shirts traverse the Mall and men in suits pedal home during rush hour. Read full article > >

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Get rolling with Capital Bikeshare

A growing number of designers are using the Web site Kickstarter to get their sketch pad ideas into production, through crowd-sourced financing.

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Design Notebook: On Kickstarter, Designers’ Dreams Materialize

A growing number of designers are using the Web site Kickstarter to get their sketch pad ideas into production, through crowd-sourced financing.

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Design Notebook: On Kickstarter, Designers’ Dreams Materialize

Maryland has joined a growing number of states in which judges must demand greater proof from debt buyers before allowing them to sue consumers to recover alleged obligations. Rule changes by the Maryland Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, are being hailed as a significant effort to stop debt collectors from getting judgments based on flimsy evidence. Read full article > >

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Maryland makes it tougher for debt collectors to sue consumers

In many states, restrictions are being placed on programs like unemployment benefits and cash assistance, leaving a growing number of low-income families in worse financial trouble.

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Families Feel Sharp Edge of State Budget Cuts

A growing number of people are giving up lucrative jobs in Australia for a chance at the quick riches and adventure of old-fashioned prospecting.

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Gold Fever Gripping the Australian Outback

A growing number of recession-racked municipalities are seeking more money — just don’t use the word taxes — from nonprofit institutions that by law do not pay property taxes.

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Squeezed Cities Ask Nonprofits for More Money