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For the past few months, reports have repeatedly affirmed that the economy is slowly improving. However, as one recent study highlights, some areas are recovering much faster than others.

Home prices dropped in February in most major U.S. cities for a sixth straight month, a sign that modest sales gains haven't been enough to boost prices, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Index.

Just when it looked like housing prices were bottoming out and now was the time to snap up the best bargains comes news that may make you want to wait. The latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices show that real estate prices are continuing to descend.

The year-end housing news is sobering: U.S. homes are expected to lose more than $681 billion in value in 2011. But there's an upside: That's 35% less than the $1.1 trillion lost in 2010, according to research from Zillow.

Any fan of the Ocean's Eleven films knows the setup: An inside man handles the cards, and a high roller rakes in the dough. For Phuong Quoc Truong, the big scam wasn't a movie script: It was his way of life.

More than any other demographic, Latino homeowners were slammed by the mortgage crisis: Two-thirds of total Hispanic wealth in the U.S. evaporated from 2005 to 2009. But as the fastest growing demographic in the nation, they are also well positioned to power the housing rebound.

When it comes to buying textbooks, the options have been slim: Pay high prices at the campus bookstore, or search hither and yon to track down used books. Now, a new startup called SwoopThat is changing that with a robust comparison shopping tool that does for textbooks what sites like Kayak.com have done for air travel.

When it's time for some R&R in the sun, Americans have a wealth of options. But based on summertime hotel room rentals, which one takes the crown? Orlando with its theme parks? New York with its culture? Washington with it's history? L.A. with its beaches? None of the above. Curious? Read on ...

The housing crisis continues unabated, and millions of unemployed Americans remain at risk of ending up homeless. But additional government help is arriving from the Obama administration, and nonprofit agencies are making a difference in the efforts of some families to get help from their lenders.

Getting away for the winter holidays provides a break from family tradition -- and tension. Who stresses about gifts while taking in a new museum or exploring an unknown city? So instead of spending on gifts, consider traveling to one of these five cheap holiday destinations. For the biggest...