2003 bankruptcies expected to break record - 2004-01-07
With consumer debt going up, personal bankruptcies in 2003 probably reached an all-time high. Nationwide, bankruptcy filings are projected to reach 1.6 million.

Meanwhile, there's no let-up in consumer borrowing. Consumer debt - including credit card and auto loans but excluding mortgages - touched a record $1.98 trillion in October, according to the Federal Reserve.
Read the full story at Miami Herald

Endowment pain for homebuyers - 2004-01-07
Millions of homeowners are preparing themselves for the latest news on their endowments* as insurance companies ready to reveal how their with-profits* investment funds fared last year.

Instead insurance companies are warning that mortgage endowments are likely to pay out less this year than they did last year - partly because they are still licking their wounds from the previous three years' stock market falls.
Read the full story at This Is Money