It is old news that the S&P rating agency downgraded the US foreign-credit rating from the coveted AAA to the less impressive AA+ on August 5. But as Republicans look ahead to the possibility that they might defeat Obama, they will inevitably seek ways to recover the exalted AAA status. If history is any guide, repairing the damage done to the U.S. bond rating will be a long, hard slog.

With the U.S. government deficit hovering around a trillion and a half dollars, our nation's creditworthiness is coming under increased scrutiny.

If you look at the U.S. budget trajectory with an eye on the lessons from Japan's recent history, there's a strong case that the U.S. rating should be cut immediately.

Failures in the regulation of large complex financial institutions played an important role in the financial crisis.

At a time when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are in serious financial difficulties, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Treasury Department have both indicated that covered bonds might be an important new way to finance mortgages in the United States. Covered bonds are used extensively and successfully...

As global stock markets tumbled over the last few trading days, pundits fell all over each other to assign blame. Not only can the finger-pointing be diverting--and perhaps politically advantageous--but it is natural to search for reason and understanding in such a harrowing time. The problem is a surfeit of suspects.

Jefferson County, Alabama, was led to the verge of bankruptcy by relying on risky instruments in a subprime housing economy.

There has been much gnashing of teeth and rolling of eyes over eurozone leaders' repeated inability to solve their financial crisis once and for all. The rest of the world can best help, the reasoning goes, by shouting exhortations at Europe to just try harder. But what, exactly, are Europeans being urged to do?