CNN Money

Americans caught up in the foreclosure crisis can now apply for relief from the Obama Administration's new "loan modification plan."

The National League of Cities is reporting that the vast majority of America's cities are facing "fiscal difficulties," including a loss in tax revenue and the inability to secure credit.

Retail analysts predict a "sea change" in the retail landscape in 2009, with a record number of bankruptcies, closures and vacancies.

The federal transportation spending bill will be up for reauthorization in 2009. The fate of the nation's transportation will hinge on how this bill is reworked, which will largely be determined by who wins this November's presidential election.

CNN Money has released its ranking of the best places to live.

With gas averaging $3.45 a gallon, the U.S. still only ranks as the 110th most expensive place to buy gas -- out of 155 countries.

Officials in Youngstown, Ohio, hope to save money and strengthen their community by vacating sparsely populated neighborhoods, but homeowners in the targeted areas are reluctant to leave -- even with the city's $50,000 incentives.

With the nation's infrastructure in dire need of investment, a debate over the need to raise the federal gas tax is brewing in Washington, D.C.

After years of decline, Youngstown Ohio has an aggressive plan to bulldoze abandoned properties and pare back on services and infrastructure.

While housing markets in the rest of the country reel from the mortgage crisis, Irvine, the city that was once home to 18 subprime lenders, is seeing its local economy suffer as the effects of high profile bankruptcies ripples to other businesses.

A new report from the U.S. Census shows that the Sunbelt continues to lead the nation in population growth, with Dallas-Fort Worth showing the greatest gains.

For the first time since 1945, home equity rates in the U.S. have dropped to below 50% -- figures that could worsen if home prices continue to drop.

The U.S. Census Bureau's Report on Vacancies and Homeownership shows that homeownership rates are declining while inventories of available housing are increasing.

IBM announced the development of a new traffic prediction tool that could help cities maximize their existing infrastructure investments.

AECom -- the Los Angeles based parent company of planning and design firm EDAW and a host of other development and engineering firms -- is continuing its consolidation.

Moscow is the world's most expensive city, at 35% more expensive than living in new York. Asuncion in Paraguay is the least expensive city for the fifth year running.

Some markets have experienced a dramatic increase in housing listings, according to a report by ZipRealty, a California real estate broker.

A new study indicates that hybrid car buyers can break even financially, though government tax breaks and not just fuel savings help make up for the more expensive price tag.

In the face of skyrocketing house prices, some lenders are offering unprecedented 50-year mortgages.

CNN Money publishes its list of the fastest-growing states in the US. And for the 19th straight year, Nevada leads the list.