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☆ Online College Classes Are Making the Student Debt Crisis Worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

She applied and was accepted to the online program in 2020. In exchange for expanding course offerings and recruiting students, OPMs receive a big chunk of the tuition revenue from the online programs, which usually cost the same as in-person schooling. While it's not always the case, many experts and grads told me that OPMs were offering online students a worse education for a sky-high price. A third-party provider to those schools, 2U signs a contract to offer services such as recruiting and technology to boost online enrollment. OPMs have helped fuel the student debt crisis, saddling may students with tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt and an uncertain future.

Persons: Iola Favell, Favell, Rossier, Zavareei, USC Rossier, OPMs, it's, grads, Eric Rothschild, John Katzman, Katzman, Clare McCann, McCann, —, Aaron Ament, Barack Obama, That's, STEFANI REYNOLDS, Helen Drinan, Cabrini University —, Drinan, Democratic Sens, Elizabeth Warren, Tina Smith, Sherrod Brown, Pearson, Rosa DeLauro, Virginia Foxx, Ament Organizations: University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education, USC, Student Defense, Zavareei LLP, US, Education Department upended, Education Department, Arnold Ventures, OPM, Office, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street, Canyon University, Grand Canyon, Century Foundation, Getty, Cabrini University, Simmons University, Democratic, GAO, Republican, GOP, Universities, Protection, Consumer Financial, Bureau Locations: California, Georgetown, —, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts

☆ Online College Class Providers Screwing Over Students, Adding to Debt Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

She applied and was accepted to the online program in 2020. In exchange for expanding course offerings and recruiting students, OPMs receive a big chunk of the tuition revenue from the online programs, which usually cost the same as in-person schooling. While it's not always the case, many experts and grads told me that OPMs were offering online students a worse education for a sky-high price. A third-party provider to those schools, 2U signs a contract to offer services such as recruiting and technology to boost online enrollment. But beyond scandals, the everyday business of OPMs is leaving many online students with exorbitant bills, despite how cheap it is to administer the courses.

Persons: Iola Favell, Favell, Rossier, USC Rossier, OPMs, it's, grads, Eric Rothschild, John Katzman, Katzman, Clare McCann, McCann, —, Aaron Ament, Barack Obama, That's, STEFANI REYNOLDS, Helen Drinan, Cabrini University —, Drinan, Democratic Sens, Elizabeth Warren, Tina Smith, Sherrod Brown, Pearson, Rosa DeLauro, Virginia Foxx, Ament Organizations: University of Southern California's Rossier School of Education, USC, Student Defense, US, Education Department upended, Education Department, Arnold Ventures, OPM, Office, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street, Canyon University, Grand Canyon, Century Foundation, Getty, Cabrini University, Simmons University, Democratic, GAO, Republican, GOP, Universities, Protection, Consumer Financial, Bureau Locations: California, Georgetown, —, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts

☆ A 'Big Short' investor sees financial disaster brewing in housing markets — again
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A 'Big Short' investor fears an often-overlooked climate risk could see history repeating itself in the housing market. He helped two of the protagonists of Michael Lewis' bestselling book "The Big Short" bet against the mortgage market in the lead-up to the 2008 economic collapse. Now, Burt believes the mortgage market is underestimating another systemic issue: flood risk. If realized, he warns the fallout could resemble the massive correction seen during the global financial crisis. So, why does the U.S. housing market seem to be underestimating the cost of flooding?

☆ Meet the climate startup turning a 5,000-mile stretch of seaweed from a plague of coastal communities into a giant carbon store
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

London-based Seaweed Generation is one such startup dedicated to seaweed sequestration. She's part of a wave of new "blue economy" entrepreneurs taking advantage of seaweed for carbon removal. Seaweed GenerationThe seaweed RoombaEstridge's Seaweed Generation has developed a robot that she described as a "Roomba meets Pac-Man." Seaweed Generation will work in waters with around 4,000 meters of depth and no upwelling current, which could bring sargassum back to the surface. Seaweed Generation has a planned pilot with the government of Antigua, which is invested in protecting its tourism industry.

☆ Staff for a 95-year-old federal judge say she is "losing it, mentally" and talking to a dead colleague
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Judge Pauline Newman says her fellow appeals judges are trying to force her off the Federal Circuit. She claims she's been "hacked" when she can't find a file or email, the decision quoted staff saying. Her peers say Judge Newman has slowed downOver the years, Judge Newman has established a reputation as a prolific dissenter, frequently and openly disagreeing with her colleagues on issues of patent law. The typical federal judge last year was 68 years old. The judges investigating Newman said allegations about her interactions with staff weren't the only thing that needed to be evaluated.

☆ US Army admits ‘error’ could force pilots to serve 3 years longer than they thought they’d signed up for
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A problem surrounding how service obligation contracts are enforced could result in hundreds of pilots having to stay in uniform three years longer than they’d expected, possibly disrupting plans for civilian life, including wedding plans, their spouse’s careers and their own civilian employment opportunities. After realizing the mistake for those officers, Drew said the Army then did an audit of sorts for other aviation officers, finding the error that is now impacting roughly 600 people. “As an Aviation Officer near the end of my understood service obligation, this impacts my family and I the most as I am attempting to make the transition to civilian life,” the letter said. But Army pilots have an additional obligation of six years in uniform after they complete flight school. But no matter what occurred in the past, the officer told CNN that dozens of aviators are prepared to pursue legal action in court if the Army doesn’t resolve the issue.

ORLANDO, Florida, April 28 (Reuters) - With the U.S. debt ceiling crisis set to reach boiling point between June and August, it already promises to be a long hot summer for financial markets. - and inflation is high, while history shows the U.S. Congress certainly has the ability to push debt ceiling negotiations to the brink. "Markets are fundamentally intolerant of tightening liquidity conditions, and you could see this confluence of tightening liquidity where the debt ceiling and YCC come together," said Alex Lennard, investment director at Ruffer LLP. Default fears could suck more money out of bills and into safer parts of the money market universe like the Fed's RRP, exacerbating broader market liquidity conditions. Related columns:- 'Peak Fed' aggravates U.S. debt ceiling strains- Inequality and 'deposit glut' sowed bank instabilityBy Jamie McGeever; Editing by Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Hong Kong/New York CNN —Temu and Shein are taking off in the United States, topping app stores and creating a frenzy with consumers. Shein was started in China, while Temu was launched by a Chinese company that now bills itself as a multinational firm. Both firms have enjoyed major success in the United States, noted Nicholas Kaufman, a policy analyst for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Topping the chartsTemu and Shein have taken the world’s largest retail market — the United States — by storm. It has quickly become the most downloaded app in the United States, and continues to expand its user base.

☆ Russia having difficulty building new weapons, but might have enough older ones, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“The quality of the Russian military in terms of advanced equipment will likely decline, at least over the near term,” the CSIS report says. Western officials, speaking during a briefing Tuesday, also noted the pressure on the Russian tank fleet. The CSIS report highlights the problem Russia faces in new tank construction, citing Russian media reports. ‘Less reliable suppliers’Sanctions have cut Russian access to optical systems – needed for tank gunners to pick out targets – ball bearings and machine tools, the CSIS report said. Russia still retains numerical advantages over Ukraine, the report said, because it has large inventories in reserve.

☆ Startup aims to help climate companies unlock billions in Inflation Reduction Act tax credits
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

There's a problem with tax credits, though. A September report from Credit Suisse estimates approximately $500 billion of tax credits will be monetized over the next decade. "There are a few institutional players in the market that purchase tax credits at discount to market value in exchange for buying at volume. Sellers can list their tax credits on option, get bids on those credits, and compare offers. Tax credits have a wide base of support politically because a lot of very diverse stakeholders benefit from them.

☆ A hidden time bomb? A 'Big Short' investor sees financial disaster brewing in housing markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Josh Edelson | Afp | Getty ImagesMore than a decade after a U.S. mortgage meltdown threatened to destroy the international financial system, a "Big Short" investor once again sees financial disaster brewing in the real estate market. Now, Burt believes an overlooked climate risk could see history repeating itself. U.S. housing market overvalued? watch now"The biggest reason why it matters from our perspective is that climate risk isn't being priced into the housing market," Jeremy Porter, head of climate implications at First Street Foundation, told CNBC. 'A humanitarian crisis'Far from a domestic issue, Burt stressed the climate risks associated with the U.S. housing market posed a major problem for countries worldwide.

☆ High-earning, workaholic men are cutting their work hours the most right now
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Men who used to work the most cut their work weeks by three hours on average since 2020. At a conference last week, Yongseok Shin, a Washington University in St. Louis professor who worked on the study, said those groups are educated young men, high-earning men, and men who previously worked the most hours. It contrasts with another important trend for young men in the workforce: even though educated, highly paid men are working fewer hours, they're still working. Having access to remote and hybrid work opportunities likely convinced men making more money that they didn't need to work so hard, Shin said. Men who previously worked 55-hour weeks are paring backIn the NBER study, Shin said, men in the "top hours decile" reduced their hours from 55 hours per week in 2019 to 52 in 2022.

☆ Exclusive: Johnson & Johnson considers refiling talc-liability bankruptcy after appeals-court defeat
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Mike Spector | Thomson Reuters | Mike Spector Is A Correspondent At Reuters Covering Corporate Crises That Span Bankruptcy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/2] A bottle of Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder is seen in a photo illustration taken in New York, February 24, 2016. In a court filing Tuesday, lawyers representing a creditors committee of talc plaintiffs said they recently became aware of discussions about a second J&J subsidiary bankruptcy. The J&J subsidiary that was to absorb liability for the talc cases, LTL Management, declared bankruptcy almost immediately after it was created. Andy Birchfield, a plaintiffs' lawyer at law firm Beasley Allen, said on Tuesday that claims “could easily be resolved if Johnson & Johnson would stop playing games and abusing the bankruptcy court process." How the J&J subsidiary might square such a move with the appeals court ruling remained unclear.

☆ Europe's banks in 'better place' than U.S. in terms of commercial property risk - JPMorgan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Marc Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Europe's banks face less threat from some of the problems now showing in the commercial real estate markets than their U.S. counterparts, analysts at JPMorgan have said. That would accelerate a property sector downturn, aggravating underlying health concerns as it did during the 2007-08 global financial crisis and a number of other major crashes. Analysts at Capital Economist estimated this week that U.S. commercial property prices will slump a further 18-20%, having already fallen 4-5% from their peak in mid-2022. Lending to commercial property accounts for about 40% of all loans by smaller U.S. banks, defined by the Federal Reserve as being those outside the 25 largest by asset size. These banks account for about 70% of outstanding loans to the commercial real estate sector.

☆ Buying a home is only going to get harder this spring as hopeful house hunters get thwarted by fewer options and still-high prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But buyers won't have many homes to pick from, which can lead to competition that keeps prices high. Owners are reluctant to sell because they would have to give up locked-in low mortgage rates. Considering growing expectations that the Federal Reserve will stop, or even reverse, its benchmark rate hikes this year, mortgage rates may fall further in the weeks to come. Owners happy with their homes and low, locked-in mortgage rates, aren't moving much. More competition, or demand, for a smaller number of homes, or supply, usually keeps prices high.

☆ Airfares across Asia are sky-high this year. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But passengers in Asia Pacific are currently grappling with bigger price jumps than other regions, highlighting the uneven global recovery. Economy fares to Asia from North America and Europe are set to rise 9.5% and 9.8% this year from last year, respectively, Amex GBT forecasts show. “In the markets where restrictions have been the last to lift, and hence [flight] capacity last to be restarted, the difference in fares is the highest,” said Aitken. Despite China’s reopening, outbound flight capacity “is currently only at 15% to 20% of pre-Covid levels,” according to Trip.com (TCOM) CEO Jane Sun. The restrictions have remained, and those most heavily impacted are between Asia and North America or Europe.

☆ TikTok CEO says China-based ByteDance employees still have access to some U.S. data
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Lawmakers and intelligence officials fear that U.S. user data could get into the hands of the Chinese government via ByteDance. TikTok said Thursday that Project Texas is already in action but there are many steps to reach its completion. The data on those servers is the kind that could theoretically still be accessed by China-based ByteDance employees for the time being. Once that data is deleted, according to TikTok, those employees will no longer have access to U.S. user data from the app. WATCH: TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew: I don't condone effort by former employees to access U.S. user data

☆ Inside the demise of Vice, from turning away a $3.5 billion Disney offer to a 'painful' downward spiral that has the media giant scrambling for a buyer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The talks fizzled, Disney backed off, and Smith set off for California to drum up other interest in Vice Media. Vice Media Group co-CEOs Bruce Dixon, left, and Hozefa Lokhandwala. Vice Media GroupOne former Vice insider familiar with the current situation told Insider that staffers were warning vendors they needed to threaten to stop work in order to get paid. Just a few months later, Rupert Murdoch tweeted, "Who's heard of Vice Media? Refinery29 quickly lost key staff and was not well integrated into Vice Media, the two former staffers said.

☆ Don't bother writing a 'love letter' to home sellers. They're a waste of time and someone could get screwed.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Aj Latrace | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Moved by the note, dubbed a "love letter" in real-estate parlance, Byington decided to sell the house to her. Elizabeth Scire's "Barbie House" love letter to the seller. EtsyLove letters risk discriminationDeeply personal and emotionally written love letters, however, open sellers and their agents up to legal risks. In a 2020 blog post, the National Association of Realtors said love letters would be more accurately described as "liability letters." In September 2021, Oregon became the first state to enact a law that banned the practice of writing or sharing real-estate love letters during the homebuying process.

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo/File PhotoMarch 17 (Reuters) - Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon on Friday signed into law a bill outlawing the use or prescription of medication abortion pills that was passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature earlier this month. The crux of the two-page Wyoming bill is a provision making it illegal to "prescribe, dispense, distribute, sell or use any drug for the purpose of procuring or performing an abortion." The measure stipulates that a woman "upon whom a chemical abortion is performed or attempted shall not be criminally prosecuted." Gordon acknowledged that abortion rights proponents who have already challenged Wyoming's "trigger" abortion ban that went into effect after the Roe v. Wade decision have filed suit to block the newly passed Wyoming ban preemptively. The governor expressed concern that enactment of the new abortion ban could muddy the legal waters, creating a new obstacle to swift resolution of the matter by the courts.

The rescue package came shortly after embattled Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) tapped an emergency central bank loan of up to $54 billion to shore up its liquidity. The ECB supervisors saw no contagion to euro zone banks from the market turmoil, a source familiar with the content of the meeting told Reuters, adding that supervisors were told deposits remained stable across euro zone banks and exposure to Credit Suisse was immaterial. "I don't think we are in the crux of a global financial crisis. The ECB pressed forward with its 50 basis point rate hike, arguing that euro zone banks were in good shape and that if anything, higher rates should bolster their margins. Japan's finance ministry, financial regulator and central bank said they would meet on Friday to discuss developments.

March 17 (Reuters) - European Central Bank supervisors met to tackle growing cracks in the banking system on Friday after a $30 billion lifeline for U.S. lender First Republic Bank (FRC.N) eased fears of its imminent collapse. The rescue package came less than a day after Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) clinched an emergency central bank loan of up to $54 billion to shore up its liquidity. The two deals helped restore some calm to global markets, after a torrid week for banking stocks. "French and European banks are very solid," ECB policymaker and French central bank governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau, told BFM business radio. Japan's finance ministry, financial regulator and central bank said they would meet on Friday to discuss developments.

The package came less than a day after Swiss bank Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) clinched an emergency central bank loan of up to $54 billion to shore up its liquidity. Analysts say authorities appear eager to quickly deal with systemic risks, but worry the potential for a banking crisis is far from over. "Yellen was clear overnight that all bank deposits were protected, but the bank might not be there," he said. Within days, the market turmoil had ensnared Credit Suisse, forcing it to borrow from Switzerland's central bank. Credit Suisse shares closed 19% higher on Thursday, recovering some of their 25% fall on Wednesday.

March 17 (Reuters) - Multi-billion dollar lifelines for troubled U.S. and European banks shored up investor confidence on Friday and bolstered sentiment in battered stocks, although concerns now centre on whether a global financial crisis has been fully averted. The package came less than a day after Swiss bank Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) clinched an emergency central bank loan of up to $54 billion to shore up its liquidity, which went some way to calming panic about a global banking crisis. "I don't think we are in the crux of a global financial crisis, balance sheets are much better than they were in 2008, banks are better regulated," said Karen Jorritsma, head of Australian equities, RBC Capital Market. Within days, the market turmoil had ensnared Credit Suisse, forcing it to borrow from Switzerland's central bank. Policymakers have tried to emphasise that the current turmoil is different to the global financial crisis 15 years ago as banks are better capitalised and funds more easily available.

☆ British Prime Minister Says China Presents ‘Epoch-Defining’ Challenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Paul Beckett | Max Colchester | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

China poses an “epoch-defining systemic challenge” to the U.K. and its allies, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Sunday, as the U.K. government said it would spend an extra $6 billion on its nuclear-armed submarine fleet and replenishing munitions stockpiles to bolster support for Ukraine and deter an increasingly assertive China. “It’s a country with fundamentally different values to ours, and I think over the last few years it’s become increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad,” Mr. Sunak said of China, during an interview. “Its behavior suggests it has the intention—but also its actions show it is interested in reshaping the world order and that’s the crux of it.”

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