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Recession Briefing 9.22: More Traffic, Less Marriage

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

A broad survey of Americans has provided striking measures of the recession’s effect on life at home and at work: People are now stuck in traffic longer, less apt to move away and more inclined to put off marriage and buying a house. (Associated Press)

The FDIC, which is rapidly running out of money after a wave of bank failures, is considering a plan to borrow money from some of the nation’s healthier banks in order to continue to rescue the sickest banks. (New York Times)

The number of foreign-born residents of the U.S. declined for the first time since at least 1970, as a recession and tight labor market dented America’s image as the land of opportunity. (Wall Street Journal)

“The end of the world appears to have been postponed,” said Paul Krugman of the economic stimulus package at a seminar in Helsinki. The world economy “does not appear to be falling into an abyss but is still” in trouble. (Bloomberg)

Long after the economy recovers, millions of Americans will be left with a grim legacy of the recession: damaged credit scores. (USA Today)

A new study shows that people who “strategically default” on their mortgages often have high credit scores, in stark contrast with most financially distressed borrowers. (Los Angeles Times)

The recession could lead to an explosion in sexual health problems and unplanned pregnancies, the head of a British agency has warned. (BBC)

New data shows that Maryland is the state to head to if you’re looking for a fat paycheck: average household income there is highest in the country at $70,545. (CNN/Money)

Small business owners in neighborhoods around New York City are banding together and waging campaigns to urge customers to “shop locally.” (New York Daily News)

A “totally free yard sale” was set up recently in rural Pennsylvania so that community members could donate unwanted items to their struggling neighbors. (Fox43)

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Tags: banks, business, economy, family, layoffs, personal finance, spending, Wall Street