It was more than a year ago – Sept. 14, 2008 – that Lehman Bros. Holding Co. (OTC: LEHMQ) finally collapsed under the weight of its own bad investments.

The dark cloud of commercial real estate loan defaults is inching closer, threatening to shutter more banks, even as the U.S. Federal Reserve declares the recession to be over.

As shares of Berhshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B) plunged over the past year, it became fashionable to ask whether or not Warren Buffett had lost his touch.

Overdraft fees, which a large number of U.S. banks and credit unions relied on to turn a profit in 2008, are under a great deal of fire from consumers and Washington alike.

If you look at recent headlines such as CNNMoney.com’s “Another Sign of a Housing Thaw” you may be inclined to believe that the housing market has finally found a bottom. Various reports cite increases in sales, slight increases in sales prices, and reduced inventory. These are the three factors needed for any housing recovery to begin. Throw in the first-time homebuyer tax credit, and we may have a winning formula.

Last week, I explained the nuts and bolts of covered call investing – a bullish strategy that focuses more on returns than it does on risk.

Retail Sales Rise; Eurozone Output Up; Intel Posts Loss, Lower Sales; KFC/Pizza Hut Parent Sees Profit Rise; Layoffs Ground US Airways; Continental Records $44 Million Charge; Wells Fargo Sells $600 Million in Bad Mortgages?

GM May Salvage Pontiac Car; CIT Void to Be Filled, More Expensive; Dell Expects Higher Q2 Revenue; U.S., UBS Lawsuit Delayed for Possible Settlement; U.S. Deficit Grows; Russian Investor Boosts Stake in Facebook; Microsoft Office Goes Online

If you live in the United States, there is a good chance the crisis in California is going to affect you. And if you own municipal bonds — either directly or indirectly through other investments — what’s happening in California could have a major impact on your finances.For years, state government budgets have been expanding as the economy grew and the rising housing market swelled property tax coffers. But the severe recession that has brought rising unemployment and a collapse in property values has drastically cut revenues from income, property, sales and corporate taxes.

U.S. stocks suffered their first weekly loss since May last week, further exacerbating trader concern that the bullish surge that sent share prices up as much as 40% from their March lows may have been overdone.