Consumer debt surge highest since 2001: Why some say it’s good; why some say it’s bad in the deck, please
Randy Tucker Southwest Ohio residents continue to reach for their credit cards and sign off on auto loans at a brisk clip, boosting borrowing twice as fast as most economists had predicted. Total U.S. consumer credit grew by $21.36 billion in March, according to the latest figures from the Federal Reserve. That was the biggest […]
Manufacturing jobs coming back to Dayton, Midwest: A clear policy on specific categories will help U.S. rebuild, report says
Steve Bennish The U.S. can grow jobs with a clear national manufacturing policy that focuses on regional clusters of specialized companies such as those in machinery, composite materials, autos and aerospace in the Dayton metro area, a new report from the Brookings Institution said. Ohio had 620,000 manufacturing jobs by the end of 2010 despite […]
Voters support Kasich’s tax plan: Majority agree with plan to raise oil and gas taxes to offset an i
Jackie Borchardt Ohio voters are split on their support for Gov. John Kasich, but back his plan to raise oil and gas taxes to offset an income tax cut two-to-one, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. In March, Kasich proposed raising taxes on materials extracted from the ground and using that revenue to […]
Schools in crisis
Editorial Policy Matters Ohio released early this year findings from a survey of Ohio school finance officials showing “alarming levels of fiscal distress” in districts across the state. The Cleveland-based think tank found that roughly two-thirds of the respondents face budget shortfalls, and those projecting shortfalls above 5 percent had almost tripled since 2010. Hard-pressed […]
Consumer groups challenge payday loan prepaid cards
Sheryl Harris More than two dozen consumer groups want to block a bank’s partnership with CheckSmart, a payday lender based in the Columbus suburb of Dublin. The request to a federal regulator comes as CheckSmart’s parent company, Community Choice Financial Inc., prepares to launch an initial public stock offering. The consumer groups told the Office […]
Dirty and wasteful
Editorial Ohio voters associate dirty politics with negative television ads that fill the airwaves during close elections in this battleground state. Less obvious but just as dirty are efforts to suppress the vote by making it more difficult to register and gain access to the ballot. Across the country, Republicans have used legislative clout gained […]
Payday lender’s debit card criticized
Mark Williams CheckSmart has come under attack again from consumer groups for one of its products, just as its parent company prepares to take the Dublin-based payday lender public. The groups, led by the National Consumer Law Center, have complained to federal regulators about CheckSmart’s prepaid debit card, which they say allows the company to […]
Interest in Prepaid cards growing Consumers like convenience; advocates warn of hidden costs
Cornelius Frolik About 1.3 million households in Ohio use few or no traditional banking services, and members of this group are increasingly relying on prepaid debit cards to meet their financial needs, according to studies. Prepaid cards allow consumers to pay bills online, engage in e-commerce, limit their spending and protect against theft of personal […]
Southwest Ohio district’s cuts show schools’ woes
A snapshot of what’s happening in school districts around Ohio as state funding cuts and a weak economy take their toll: One by one, the parents of Lakota Schools came down the auditorium steps to stand before the microphone. Some were dressed in business attire; shirt-and-tie, sport coats, dresses. Others were casual, in jeans and […]
Covering Ohio’s Changing Economy
Can reporters connect the candidates’ rhetoric to on-the-ground reality? Writing for the Columbia Journalism review, former Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter T.C. Brown took at look at media coverage of Ohio’s economy in an election year. “… And the coverage of the visits was generally solid, led by Steve Koff’s good advance look in The Plain […]
Covering Ohio’s Changing Economy
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney traipsed their way through the Cleveland area last week, the start of what’s sure to be many Ohio visits as the general election unfolds. And with voters describing the economy and jobs as “very important” issues, it’s no surprise that the two candidates emphasized their parties’ competing visions of the […]
Better bank tax
Editorial Gov. John Kasich’s budget package includes a proposal for a new tax on Ohio financial institutions. It would replace current state levies on banks, savings institutions, securities and mortgage brokers, and payday lenders. State officials say the plan would eliminate loopholes that enable some banks to avoid paying tens of millions of dollars in […]