Tattersall's warns of profit loss after pokies cuts

Consumers for years have done their share of propping up the economy. And what do we have to show for it? Steep credit-card debt. Rising bankruptcies. Late payments on car and home equity loans.

Yet now, with the economy in danger, politicians are calling on consumers to spend more. They're even planning to give us the cash to do it.

Instead of spending the tax rebate the government plans to send us, maybe you should use it to improve your finances. Pay off high-rate credit-card debt. Invest in a 529 college savings plan. Start an emergency fund. Salt away money for retirement. Do something that will leave you in better financial shape -- not just for a week or month, but longer term.

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Santander�s U.S. foray hits snag

The bank says it expects a higher write-off rate this year.

The rise of bad loans, however, has meant busy times for "repo men," whose work can involve seizing cars from driveways in the dead of the night.

"Our business has skyrocketed," says Patrick Altes, president of Falcon International in Daytona Beach, Fla. In recent times, his service saw a first wave of defaults that involved picking up boats and recreational vehicles.

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