The most idiotic nonsense design by any automobile manufacturer was made by Ford and probably others was to change the material of the intake manifold, I think it's called, and which I refer to as the water jacket on top of the engine, next to and under the injectors, to plastic. This water jacket replacement recently cost me over $1,000 to replace in my Crown Victoria because plastic cannot be welded good enough to withstand the high temperatures from the engine that the liquid carries. Metal can be welded. Ford, in their stupidity, had changed this important engine part from metal, which lasts over 20 years, to a short-life plastic. When this liquid jacket-manifold burst on my 1,500-mile trip on a Saturday, my trip was completely ruined as no one works on weekends in the Carolinas and no banks are open, and no small independent mechanics that you might find will accept credit cards. ...more

November 14, 2008

Your FICO credit score is made up of five factors of varying importance. The weighted importance of the categories are averages. For some people certain categories may count more heavily. ...more

November 9, 2008

Consumers boosted their borrowing in September, defying expectations for a cutback. ...more

November 8, 2008

Hey government, I've maxed out my credit cards, I'm about to lose my house, my car - everything - due to some very bad decisions on my part (mainly trying to get rich quick at Seminole Hard Rock). Please give me $1 million before I lose it all. ...more

October 11, 2008

Ernie Harpster fell behind on his mortgage payments last year, so he tried to persuade his bank to give him time to sell his home and pay off what he could. ...more

October 5, 2008

There are new safety measures at Memorial Hospital in Tampa after two women stole credit cards from patients and a visitor in September and went on a shopping spree, police say. ...more

October 2, 2008

If your stock portfolio has been hit hard because you were too heavily invested in the financial sector, sob. ...more

September 28, 2008

Assigning Responsibility Regarding Kris DiGiovanni's column "Strolling With Allie" (Commentary, Sept. 14): ...more

September 21, 2008

Looking For Prosperity I was walking along the road the other day and found $150. ...more

September 19, 2008

Aletha Karalus, 48, and David Richardson Jr., 27, both of Oldsmar, have been charged in a string of wallet and purse thefts at Westfield Countryside mall, according to the Clearwater Police Department. ...more

September 10, 2008