Wondering what that big line around the Convention Center is for? We were too. Turns out that people have been queuing up outside the building since yesterday morning, documentation in hand, in order to get help with renegotiating and understanding their home loans. more ›

Via a Wall Street Journal story we missed yesterday, it seems college grads in Washington, D.C. graduate with the most debt in the country, according to a new study from the Project on Student Debt. Like every list we see that compares the District to states, we take this distinction with a grain or two of salt, but given that D.C. is home to one of the most expensive universities in the country, this particular ranking isn't too hard to swallow. Factor in the large number of private universities located here with no high quality public school to compete with them, and you can understand why college students in Washington graduate with an average of $29,793 worth of debt, compared to $23,200 in the entire country. The WSJ also notes that the national average is way up compared to four years ago, when average college debt was at $18,650. more ›

Belgium's population is 97% urbanized. Crazy, eh? So, it makes sense that the country of decadent waffles and Peter Paul Rubens is pretty boffo for mass transit. The country's population is connected through an impressive network of rail systems, both on a local and national level, including currently expanding Metros in Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels. Let's just say that if there ever was a country made for mass transit, the massively dense Belgium is probably near the top of the list. more ›

Many of us with loans through Sallie Mae have nightmarish stories regarding our dealings with the company, but we're hearing word of a new, special kind of financial screwing of which our readers may want to take note. Yesterday a college friend sent me this article, screaming that her FICO score suddenly dropped 120 points overnight. Apparently Sallie Mae switched the way they describe the "status" of loan holders who use the graduated payment plan to report as "arrangements for partial payments." Equifax, one of the three major credit reporters, read this as notice of delinquency and started docking FICO points -- people are reporting anywhere from 30 up to 150 point drops. Naturally, Sallie Mae hasn't bothered to notify anyone affected. more ›