Suddenly the Federal Reserve is everybody's punching bag.

Local governments and public entities, already reeling from the recession, face another fiscal crisis: billions of dollars in fees owed to Wall Street firms on investment deals gone bad.

For Lawrie Covey and millions of other unemployed workers, life remains a day-to-day struggle. Instead of working on RVs in a factory, she may soon be living in one.

In a sharp improvement, more than half of U.S. states added jobs in October, though economists said many of the gains likely occurred in temporary employment.

Prices have dipped, but some sellers are certain their nine-figure properties will attract buyers.