Wall Street Quietly Creates a New Way to Profit From Homeowner Distress

Wall Street Quietly Creates a New Way to Profit From Homeowner Distress

Gladys Walker, a retiree on Social Security, owed less than $1,000 in overdue property taxes on her modest Florida home. So why did Bank of America and a major hedge fund bid thousands of times for the right to collect it?

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The New Tax Man: Big Banks and Hedge Funds

The New Taxman: Big Banks & Hedge Funds

Wall Street titans have a new sweet spot -- as surrogate tax collectors. They see profits in tacking on fees and  threatening to foreclose when homeowners fall behind on property taxes. By Fred Schulte & Ben Protess |Video by Lagan Sebert

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Untouchable: World’s Mightiest Military Loses Control of Spending on Foreign Firms

Untouchable: World’s Mightiest Military Loses Control of Spending on Foreign Firms

Bribery cases in which investigators can't follow the money. Alleged offers of prostitutes to win defense contracts. Tax dollars winding up in the hands of the enemy. There are risks to the military's dependence on foreign firms – and challenges to making sure money is well spent. By Nick Schwellenbach and Lagan Sebert

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As Doctors Shift to Electronic Health Systems, Signs of Harm Emerge

As Doctors Shift to Electronic Health Systems, Signs of Harm Emerge

A device that is central in the shift toward electronic medical records systems has been linked to instances of death or injury, according to an Investigative Fund review of Food and Drug Administration data. By Fred Schulte and Emma Schwartz Read more...

Weighing Safety of Weed Killer in Drinking Water, EPA Relies Heavily on Industry-Backed Studies

Weighing Safety of Weed Killer in Drinking Water, EPA Relies Heavily on Industry

Companies with a financial interest paid for thousands of studies federal regulators are using to assess the health risks of a common herbicide -- while independent studies documenting potentially harmful effects on humans are not included in research the EPA deems relevant.  By Danielle Ivory

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Fraud, Abuse Found in NASA Research Funding to Small Companies

A NASA program to encourage small companies to develop new technology has accepted questionable research from some contractors and given others multiple contracts for doing the same job, according...

By Peter Tartaglione

News Organization Seeks Sealed Documents in Tax Liens Sentencing

The Huffington Post Investigative Fund is seeking a court order to make public some evidence collected by federal prosecutors in a criminal probe of bid rigging at tax debt auctions in Maryland. 

By I-Fund Staff

Coal Ash: One Valley's Tale

As the Environmental Protection Agency mulls regulating coal ash, residents of Little Blue Run worry about the waste.

 

By Emma Schwartz

Some Candidates Against Government Spending Had Federal Contracts, Tax Breaks

Some Republican and Democratic candidates attack federal largess but have benefited from it. 

By Kimberly Leonard and Aaron Mehta

How Wall Street Can Still Win

A bill-signing is only the beginning. Less visibly now, financial interests aim to weaken reform. Against 3,000 industry lobbyists, can a "rag tag" band of consumer advocates prevail?  

By Ben Protess and Lagan Sebert

Details of Bank and College Deals Spur Reaction

Investigative fund's credit card story inspires a congressman, a one-woman protest and some citizen journalism. By Ben Protess

By Ben Protess

Follow-up: Baltimore Lawmakers Seek Overhaul of Tax Lien Sale

Following Investigative Fund story on woman losing her home because of a small unpaid water bill, legislators are asked to restrict lien sales over small debts. By Ben Protess, Lagan Sebert and Fred Schulte

 

By Fred Schulte, Ben Protess and Lagan Sebert

FDA, Obama Digital Medical Records Team at Odds over Safety Oversight

A big hospital system's computers go awry, sending doctor's instructions to the wrong patient records and underscoring the risks of new medical technology. Despite high stakes for President Obama and taxpayers, the administration resists national tracking of such errors and their causes.

By Fred Schulte and Emma Schwartz

Congressman, University Deny Earmark Abuse

University's maritime lab denies it will share earmark dollars with business partner Intellicheck Mobilisa – even though the description of the earmark -- requested by influential defense subcommittee chairman Norm Dicks -- is almost identical to one he sought for the company last year.

By David Heath

Despite Pledge to Curtail Corporate Earmarks, Politicians Pursue Them

Despite a promise to curtail so-called corporate earmarks, eight of the 60 members on the key House spending committee appear to be attempting to funnel money to those same businesses through nonprofit organizations.

By David Heath

Are New Digital Networks Part of the Cure?

It's an early test of the $27 billion gamble by the Obama administration that medical records technology can achieve specific cost reductions and health improvements. But will it work? By Emma Schwartz and Fred Schulte

By Emma Schwartz and Fred Schulte

This Candidate Doesn't Just Run - He Oversaw the Company Managing Elections

BOGOTÁ, Colombia - The man most likely to become Colombia’s next president this Sunday has played a previously undisclosed role as a corporate officer of the company hired to run the nation’s...

By Nadja Drost

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