bank bail-out

Last week, Bank of America ignited a firestorm of controversy by choosing to charge its customers $5 a month to use their debit cards. Now, an angry consumer group has called for a federal investigation. Is this overkill or a smart response to what could be a budding disaster for the bank -- and taxpayers?

The U.S. budget deficit fell to $68.4 billion in June, a 27.3% decline from a year ago. The decline, mostly due to higher corporate tax revenue, suggests the economic recovery may not be slowing as much as feared.