Economy

Low-doc, no-doc, and other risky loans helped cause the housing collapse. A new federal consumer agency has adopted a rule aimed at squeezing this kind of lending out of the market. Will it keep banks from making mortgage loans to people who can't afford them? We ask a University of Maryland business school teaching fellow with decades of experience working for lenders, assessing risk.

Our series "The Lines Between Us" has turned its focus from fair housing to economic opportunity, with a look last week at the various ways Baltimore’s minority entrepreneurs found support for their ventures when banks were denying them commercial credit.

The biggest challenge,

Do conversations about race become confrontational?

Harry Johnson on developing a new generation of civic leaders

Danista Hunte on developing young leaders for defunct neighborhood ass'ns

The full, unedited interview.

Last Thursday, the hopes of those who thought the Sparrows Point steel mill might one day produce steel again were dashed. Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz announced that the owners' plan to level the buildings on Sparrows Point in the next few years, and sell off all the equipment.

Web Extra: Community College of Baltimore County President Sandra Kurtinitis

After a couple months looking at the relationship between housing, wealth, and inequality, "The Lines Between Us" is turning its attention to equality of economic opportunity.

Twenty years ago this month, the presidents of the U.S., Canada and Mexico met in Texas to sign the North American Free Trade Agreement -- NAFTA, marking a new era in commerce for the three nations. But what hath NAFTA wrought? More investment, and more jobs for all three countries -- or stalled trade, fewer jobs and lower wages? Our guest has written a book about reinvigorating NAFTA with greater collaboration among the nations. Robert Pastor is professor of international relations at American University and director of the Center for North American Studies.

Whether you call it the fiscal cliff, fiscal slope or something else, the series of mandatory spending cuts and tax increases that could take place January 1 is the dominant subject on Capitol Hill. Former NPR Washington correspondent Andrea Seabrook, who has started her own blog and podcast, “DecodeDC,” will give us the latest on the talks to avoid “the cliff,” the debate over entitlements and more.