Yuki Noguchi

JPMorgan Shareholders Consider Splitting CEO, Chairman Jobs

Yuki Noguchi — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:22:00 +0000

In Tampa, Fla., Tuesday, JPMorgan Chase holds its annual shareholder meeting. They will vote on a key measure: Whether to strip CEO Jamie Dimon of his title of chairman of the board. A growing number of companies have split the CEO and chairman roles.

A 'Wake-Up Call' To Protect Vulnerable Workers From Abuse

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:47:00 +0000

Four years ago, 21 men with intellectual disabilities were emancipated from a bright blue, century-old schoolhouse in Atalissa, Iowa. They ranged in age from their 40s to their 60s, and for most of their adult lives they had worked for next to nothing and lived in dangerously unsanitary conditions.

Earlier this month, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission won a massive judgment against the turkey-processing company at which the men worked.

Furloughs Only The Latest Blow To Federal Worker Morale

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 09 May 2013 06:51:00 +0000

Federal workers say they don't have much to celebrate these days.

Furloughs began in April, exacerbating already low morale for many government agencies as budgets have tightened. Downsizing has meant more work for those who remain, and talk of further cuts has many worried about job security. This year is also the third that federal workers haven't received a pay increase, contributing to discontent.

Jenny Brown is in her 27th year as an examiner for the Internal Revenue Service, where she answers peoples' tax questions.

Some Net Retailers Aren't Buying Online Sales Tax Proposal

Yuki Noguchi — Mon, 06 May 2013 22:19:00 +0000

Congress is considering a bill that would allow states to collect sales taxes from online retailers. Proponents say a law is necessary to level the playing field with brick-and-mortar stores and to raise revenue for states.

Simply put, the Marketplace Fairness Act would require any online retailer with more than $1 million in annual sales to collect and remit sales tax. But Joseph Henchman, a vice president at the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, says it's not that simple. He says the bill, at about five pages of text, is unusually brief.

When It Comes To Productivity, Technology Can Hurt And Help

Yuki Noguchi — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:07:00 +0000

Even when people think they're buckling down, studies show the average office worker wastes over a third of the day. There's Facebook, of course, and the email from a friend with a YouTube link.

Shifting Retail Landscape Tilts Support For Online Sales Tax

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:32:00 +0000

The U.S. Senate may vote this week on the Marketplace Fairness Act, a bill that would allow states to collect sales tax from more online retailers. And as the political and retail landscape has shifted from the last time around, the Senate is expected to approve the measure.

The proposal to require online sellers to collect out-of-state sales tax has been kicked around for many years. For a decade, Amazon was a fierce opponent.

And Amazon had U.S. Supreme Court precedent on its side.

After Missteps, Does J.C. Penney Stand Another Chance?

Yuki Noguchi — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 21:28:00 +0000

A year and a half ago, J.C. Penney's then-brand new CEO Ron Johnson undertook what was supposed to be a transformation of the 110-year-old department store. Yesterday, the retailer cut his tenure short.

J.C. Penney lost nearly $1 billion last year as customer traffic dropped off.

Now, it's bringing back former Chief Executive Officer Myron Ullman to try to stanch the bleeding.

The fanfare that originally accompanied Johnson seemed well-placed.

Although Unemployment Dropped In March, Job Growth Slowed

Yuki Noguchi — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:38:00 +0000

The March unemployment report disappointed analysts with very weak job growth, and perhaps more significantly, a huge drop out in the labor force.

As Housing Industry Builds Up, Other Sectors Follow

Yuki Noguchi — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 20:32:00 +0000

When fortunes rise in the housing industry — as they currently are — it tends to lift sales for other businesses, too. Home construction, sales and prices are all improving. And according to many analysts, the market is gaining steam.

For nearly two decades, Scott Gillis has owned his own moving company, Great Scott Moving in Hyattsville, Md. Moving high season is just around the corner, which means Gillis is hiring.

"I'm doing it right now, I'm calling up all my old employees.

For Some Ready To Buy, A Good Home Is Hard To Find

Yuki Noguchi — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:07:00 +0000

The first day of spring typically signals the high season for open houses and home sales.

The season seems to have arrived early in some places where homebuying is already frenzied, and in many markets, the pendulum has swung from an excess of homes on the market a few years ago to a shortage.

In Baltimore, Patrick and Britney Bove are fighting on two fronts, so to speak. On one hand, they're hosting an open house in the city's Hamilton neighborhood, and on the other, they're trying to find a house to buy.

U.S. Probes Abuse Allegations Under Worker Visa Program

Yuki Noguchi — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:21:00 +0000

A group of foreign college students who came to the U.S. on cultural work exchange visas in December have been protesting their working conditions at a McDonald's in Harrisburg, Pa. In the process, they've wading into a debate about guest workers in the U.S.

The students include Jorge Rios, who says three months ago he eagerly did the legwork necessary to get a J-1 visa, used for student work exchange.

"I had to do a lot of paperwork back in my country to get the visa.

Experts Boil Telecommuting Decisions Down To Flexibility Vs. Serendipity

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:42:00 +0000

Yahoo touched off a debate about the effectiveness of telecommuting when it told employees last week that they may no longer work from home.

Technology Upends Another Industry: Homebuilding

Yuki Noguchi — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:21:00 +0000

Years into the economic recovery, hiring remains slow. Many businesses learned to do more with less during the recession, so they don't need to bring on as many people now.

These new efficiencies have led to what economists call "labor displacement," which is taking place around the country.

Money Replaces Willpower In Programs Promoting Weight Loss

Yuki Noguchi — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 08:06:00 +0000

Sticking to a diet is a challenge for many people, but starting next year, Americans may have an even bigger, financial incentive to keep their weight in check.

In Cost-Saving Move, Post Office Cuts Saturday Delivery

Yuki Noguchi — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:51:00 +0000

The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday announced that it plans to halt Saturday mail delivery, a major shift in operations that the agency says it must make in order to keep from bleeding billions of dollars every year. Package deliveries would continue under the plan.

Grounding Of 787s Creates Doubts About 'Business As Usual' At Boeing

Yuki Noguchi — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:09:00 +0000

Boeing generated more cash than expected last year and reclaimed the top spot over rival Airbus as the world's biggest airplane maker.

But all that was overshadowed by the fact that its entire fleet of 787s is grounded after batteries on two of its planes either overheated or caught fire.

"For 2013, our first order of business, obviously, is getting the 787 back into service," Boeing CEO James McNerney says.

With the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration investigating the incidents, McNerney said repeatedly on a con

Homebuilding Is Booming, But Skilled Workers Are Scarce

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 22:53:00 +0000

The construction industry in the U.S. is staging a comeback. In one indicator, the Commerce Department announced Thursday that new homebuilding has reached its highest level in 4 1/2 years.

While that's a promising sign for the industry, more than 2 million construction jobs have been lost in the sector since employment hit its peak.

New Mortgage Rules Would Limit Risky Lending

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 08:24:00 +0000

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is releasing Thursday much anticipated new mortgage rules, which will restrict the kind of subprime lending practices that caused both the financial and housing sectors to crash five years ago.

The new rules come at a time when regulators and banks are trying to find a middle ground between overly lax and overly tight lending standards.

About a decade ago, mortgage lenders started broad

Businesses, Not Consumers, Sour On Economy

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:08:00 +0000

When it comes to the economy, consumers and business owners have very different takes right now.

More Large Retailers Ease Customers' Path To Credit

Yuki Noguchi — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 07:22:00 +0000

Retailers are finding more ways to offer their customers financial products — mortgages, loans and the like. In the past, people looked to banks for this kind of product. But big-box stores are trying to find new ways of getting money to those who cannot use banks, or want to avoid them altogether.

Costco may be best known for pallets of bottled water or bulk toilet paper that can last a family an entire year. But earlier this year, it also added mortgages to its growing array of financial offerings.

Costco is not actually making the loans.

A Bet Or A Prediction? Intrade's Purpose Is Debated

Yuki Noguchi — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 22:37:00 +0000

The popular website Intrade allows its users to bet on the odds of almost anything — like whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will get ousted by a certain date, or whether the movie Argo will win best picture at the Oscars.

This week, Ireland-based Intrade announced that U.S. users will have to unwind their bets and shut down their accounts by the end of the year.

Foreclosed Homeowners Getting Back In The Market

Yuki Noguchi — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:35:00 +0000

Buyers are coming back into the housing market after losing their homes during the financial crisis — returning to homeownership more quickly than lenders have typically allowed.

With millions of families with recent foreclosures on their records, some report that they are having luck buying a house — in some cases within three years.

Jason Strotheide, for example, bought his house in Charlotte, Mich., from his grandfather. After Strotheide refinanced the house to pay for renovations, payments increased, causing the family to rely more on ballooning credit.

Opportunities Emerge For Vets In Tough Job Market

Yuki Noguchi — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:28:00 +0000

Many veterans aren't just looking for a job; they're looking for a career, a calling and, of course, financial stability. Those recently separated from the military have to confront what is still a fairly weak civilian job market.

The unemployment rate for veterans serving after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is 10 percent, about 2 percentage points higher than the overall rate.

Insurance Companies Rethink Business After Sandy

Yuki Noguchi — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 04:15:00 +0000

Superstorm Sandy capped what's been a pretty impressive couple of years for U.S. natural disasters. There have been wildfires, tornadoes, floods and derechos.

Losses From Sandy Could Reach $50 Billion

Yuki Noguchi — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 21:16:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Homeowners, businesses, and insurance companies are still assessing the damage from the storm in much of the eastern U.S. But some early estimates are in.

And as NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports, Hurricane Sandy inflicted heavy economic damage.

YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: If you had to choose a day for a super storm like this, better on a Friday or over a weekend. Businesses will be closed and have time to clean up for the next week. Instead, Sandy did the bulk of its damage on Monday, and that means a lot of this week is ruined.

Manufacturers Financially Support Hiring Vets

Yuki Noguchi — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:52:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And four major manufacturers say they will start offering financial support for the training of military veterans. The corporations are taking part in a program called Get Skills to Work Coalition. It has said its initial goal at training 15,000 vets.

NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports.

YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: Unemployment among veterans has been falling, as it has for everyone else.

Jobs Report Has Surprising Results

Yuki Noguchi — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:18:00 +0000

Transcript

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The jobless rate fell sharply to 7.8 percent in September, which happens to be exactly where it was when President Obama took office. That's according to the U.S. Labor Department's latest monthly jobs report. But even though the unemployment rate dropped, the Labor Department's payroll survey reveals that businesses did not significantly hire new people.

Apprenticeship, Social Support Keys In Job Training

Yuki Noguchi — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 21:40:00 +0000

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

The new jobs report out today shows a sharp drop in the unemployment rate, but millions of Americans are, of course, still looking for work. Often, the bridge between them and a good job is a training program to help give them a new set of skills. Programs to retrain America's workforce got quite a bit of attention in Wednesday's presidential debate, and NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports on one of them here in Washington.

YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: By her own admission, Donna Jackson hasn't been an ideal job candidate.

'Dual Tracking' To Stop For Homeowners

Yuki Noguchi — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:20:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Troubled homeowners trying to modify their loans often complain about being dual-tracked. That's when banks work on a loan modification, but at the same time, continue with the process of foreclosing. As of today, five of the country's major lenders are no longer supposed to put borrowers on a dual track. Those are the terms of a national settlement agreed to by those lenders earlier this year after it was revealed that the banks were robo-signing - mass producing foreclosure documents without checking their accuracy.

Candidates Say Little On Difficult Issue Of Housing

Yuki Noguchi — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 07:32:00 +0000

Housing continues to be a big issue for the economy, and for many voters. But so far it hasn't been a major issue in the presidential campaign. Perhaps that's because both sides agree that there's no easy fix for the problem of millions of troubled mortgages.

The Problem:

Cathy Busby and her husband co-owned a realty office in Denver when they bought their house in 2006.