More than four in ten US adults had trouble paying for medical care, rent, travel or food in the past year, and 71% of lower-income adults, a Pew survey finds

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27 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   Food-stamp money stolen, not repaid

   Criminal gangs stole 470 million dollars of food-stamp money from US families in 2025, ProPublica, a US investigative newsroom, reports. [8] The figure comes from Propel, an app families use to check balances, because the US government stopped counting. [8] The aid, called SNAP, comes on cards that still use 1960s magnetic stripes, which hidden readers copy easily. [8] Bank cards moved to chips years ago. [8] Chip cards would stop most theft, but the US Congress has not paid for them. [8]

   Why it matters — More than 990,000 households had money stolen, and federal law says it cannot be refunded. [8] The average family gets about 350 dollars a month, and most learn of the theft at the till. [8]

2. 03

   Texas hospitals bill before checking for free care

   An investigation by Tradeoffs, published by KFF Health News, a US health news service, read the money-help rules of all 166 nonprofit hospitals in Texas. [9] 44% say they bill patients before checking whether they qualify for free or cheaper care. [10] Only 10 promise a full refund to patients later found to qualify. [10] Nonprofit hospitals pay no income, sales or property tax, in return for helping their community. [9] Tom Oliverson, a Texas lawmaker, wants checks made before any bill. [9]

   Why it matters — Aimee Carlock paid 5,500 dollars up front for surgery, then learned her care should have been free, and got nothing back. [9] About 100 million US adults owe money for health care. [9]

3. 04

   US state pension to rise 3.6%

   The US Social Security Administration, which runs the state pension for about 76 million people, set the January 2027 rise at 3.6%. [7] That is about 75 dollars a month for the average retired worker. [7][15] The rise follows a price index measured in September. [7][15] In the same announcement, the most pay that can be taxed for the pension rises from 184,500 to 192,300 dollars. [14] Workers pay 6.2% on pay up to that cap. [14]

   Pension rise3.6%

   Taxed pay cap rise4.2%

   Why it matters — Most members of AARP, a US group for people over 50, said they would need a 5% to 8% rise to keep up. [15] Fuel oil, which heats many homes in the north-east, costs 74.2% more than a year ago. [7]

4. 05

   California chases held fire payouts

   California ordered mortgage lenders on Thursday to report how they handle insurance money for survivors of the 2025 Los Angeles fires. [11] On a home with a mortgage, the lender holds the payout and releases it in batches as rebuilding goes on. [11] The state's financial regulator has had more than 160 complaints about delays since January 2025. [11] Lenders have two weeks to report. [11] The Palisades and Eaton fires destroyed more than 16,000 homes and buildings. [11]

   Why it matters — Very few of those homes have been rebuilt. [11] A survivors' group says lenders earn interest while they wait, and a state law from last year now makes them pay homeowners interest on the money. [11]

5. 06

   US airlines answer for fewer delays

   From 19 October, the US Department of Transportation narrows which delays count as the airline's fault. [12] Ten causes leave that list, including repairs nobody planned, removing an unruly passenger, cyber attacks and a government shutdown. [12] A passenger's right to a refund depends on the delay being within the airline's control. [12] The department wrote that it expects the meals, hotels and payments airlines give to fall. [12]

   Why it matters — A traveller stuck by one of those ten causes now has fewer grounds for a refund or a hotel. [12] Fares are already high, so the cost of a ruined trip moves to the passenger. [12]

6. 07

   Tory frontbencher backs a pay freeze

   Andrew Sharpe, a Conservative MP and the party's shadow business minister, backed a report calling for the UK's legal minimum wage to stay at 12.71 pounds an hour for five years. [18] The report is by the Prosperity Institute, a think tank. [18] It says a freeze could put about 270,000 more young people in work. [18] It admits low-paid workers would lose 9% to 12% of their buying power over five years as prices rise. [18] It would also scrap the Low Pay Commission, which recommends each year's rise. [18]

   Why it matters — The commission says it knows of no solid evidence that higher youth rates cut young people's jobs. [18] It sends its advice on the April 2027 rate to the UK government this month. [18]

7. 08

   UK broker Jarvis is wound up

   Jarvis Investment Management, a UK firm that held shares and cash for its clients, went into special administration on 14 October. [20] That is a kind of insolvency for investment firms, where court-appointed administrators first try to return clients' money and shares. [20] Clients cannot trade or use their holdings meanwhile, and will hear within eight weeks how to claim. [20] Its parent company had tried to sell it this year and found no buyer. [21]

   Why it matters — Since 2022 the firm had agreed with the FCA, the UK's financial regulator, to limit what it could do. [20] If money is missing, the UK's compensation scheme may cover up to 85,000 pounds per eligible client. [20]

8. 09

   E-money firm ePayments fails

   ePayments Systems, a UK firm licensed to hold electronic money for payments, went into special administration on 15 October. [22] Administrators will check what customer money it still holds, then explain how to claim. [22] The UK's compensation scheme does not cover payment firms. [22] Instead, the rules require them to keep customers' money apart from their own. [22] The FCA warned that firms offering to recover money for a fee add nothing for most customers. [22]

   Why it matters — Two UK firms holding ordinary people's money failed in two days. [20][22] Jarvis clients may be covered up to 85,000 pounds; ePayments customers have no such scheme. [20][22]

9. 10

   US asking prices dip, loan rates stay high

   The typical US asking price fell 0.3% on a year earlier in the four weeks to 11 October, Redfin, a property website, said. [26] It was the first fall since March, and a record 22% of sellers cut what they were asking. [26] The typical buyer's monthly payment was 2,777 dollars, close to a record. [26] Freddie Mac put the 30-year home loan rate at 7.40%, unchanged and at a three-year high. [27] NerdWallet's count fell slightly, after seven weeks of rises. [28]

   Why it matters — More sellers are cutting what they ask for their homes. [26] Buyers still face payments near a record, because the loan rate has barely moved. [26][27]

10. 11

    Medicare plan-switching season opens

    Medicare, the US government's health insurance for people 65 and over, opened its yearly window to change plans on 15 October. [16] About 72% of private Medicare Advantage plans charge no monthly fee for 2027, NerdWallet found. [16] Cost was the top reason people left a plan: 21% of those leaving Advantage plans and 43% leaving drug plans. [16] One adviser counted 81 plans on offer near him in Wisconsin. [41]

    Why it matters — A plan with no monthly fee can still charge 225 to 2,400 dollars for a week in hospital, depending on the company. [16] So the cheapest-looking plan is not always the cheapest to use. [16]

11. 12

    A US postmark can come a day late

    A US Postal Service rule from December 2025 means a letter may be stamped with its date a day or more after it is posted. [17] The postmark is the date that counts for a tax return sent by post. [17] 15 October was the deadline for taxpayers with a six-month extension. [17] Fifteen states also count mail-in votes by postmark, while 35 need them to arrive by 3 November. [17]

    Why it matters — A return posted on time but stamped a day later can count as late. [17] From 26 October, postal staff are to stamp ballots by hand on the way to election offices. [17]

12. 13

    Cloned number plates at a record

    More than 11,400 UK drivers told the DVLA, the agency that registers vehicles, last year that they had been fined for offences they said were not theirs. [13] That is 9% more than in 2024 and almost double 2018, says the RAC, a motoring group. [13] Most are thought to be cloned plates, copies of a real number on a similar car. [13] An investigation last year found more than 130 official suppliers willing to sell copies. [13]

    Why it matters — The fine arrives at the real owner's home, and they have to show it was not them. [13] The UK government has promised a new roads policing team and an online tool to report it. [13]

13. 14

    Paid for care jobs that never came

    Synetal Solutions, a UK company registered in 2025, advertised care-work training with sponsored job placements for 5,500 pounds, the BBC reports. [19] A sponsored job is one where the employer backs the worker's visa. [19] Apurv Patel paid 3,600 pounds and, eight months on, has had no job offers. [19] UK rules say an agency may not charge just for finding someone a job. [19]

    Why it matters — Synetal says it disputes that its results are fictitious, and it has removed job guarantees from its website. [19] Citizens Advice in London says such scams rose after the UK stopped hiring care workers from abroad. [19]

14. 15

    New York flats stop at 99

    New York developers keep planning buildings of exactly 99 flats to claim a state property-tax break called 485-x. [29] At 100 flats, the share of cheaper flats rises from 20% to 25%, and building workers must get at least 40 dollars an hour. [29] The city's list on 14 October added 20 projects at exactly 99 and none at 100 to 104. [29]

    20% cheaper99 flats

    vsvs

    25% cheaper100 flats

    Why it matters — One count found that clusters of small buildings gave 538 fewer affordable flats than single big ones would have, a 21% shortfall. [29] Unions call it a loophole. [29]

15. 16

    Raids slow unfinished US homes

    US builders have 370,000 homes for sale that are still being built or not yet started, Census figures for August show. [30] Immigration raids on building sites are making finishing crews harder to find, HousingWire, a housing news site, reports. [30] Those include drywall fitters, painters and floor layers, who must arrive in the right order. [30] Each delay adds to what a builder pays while carrying an unfinished home. [30]

    Why it matters — Slower finishing keeps the supply of new homes short. [30] That lands on buyers already facing payments near a record. [26]

16. 17

    US housing department lost 29% of staff

    HUD, the US department that funds housing programmes and enforces fair-housing law, cut its staff by 29% between December 2024 and December 2025. [31] Its headcount fell from 8,842 to 6,299, a government watchdog report found. [31] More than half of those who left had served at least ten years. [31] Groups that work with HUD told investigators it has become harder to deal with. [31]

    Why it matters — Scott Turner, the housing secretary, says the cuts stop waste. [31] Senator Elizabeth Warren says more Americans have fallen behind on rent as a result. [31]

17. 18

    US lenders list cheaper-loan fixes

    The Mortgage Bankers Association, the US lenders' trade group, released a list of cost cuts regulators could make without a new law. [34] Cutting the yearly insurance fee on FHA loans, which a US government agency insures, by 0.2 points would save 800 dollars a year on a 400,000-dollar loan. [34] Trimming fees that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac charge by credit score would save 1,000 dollars at signing. [34]

    Why it matters — The ideas are the lenders' own proposals, and none has been adopted. [34] If they were, the savings would reach borrowers in their monthly payments and at signing. [34]

18. 19

    Cheap US cities see rents rise

    The typical US asking rent for homes with up to two bedrooms was 1,694 dollars in September, Realtor.com says. [35] That is 0.4% lower than a year earlier, the 38th yearly fall in a row. [35] But rents rose in cheaper cities taking renters from dearer ones. [35] St Louis rose 2% to 1,300 dollars, with nearly half its out-of-town interest from Chicago. [35]

    Why it matters — People moving to save on rent push up rents where they land. [35] Minneapolis and Virginia Beach both rose 1.7%. [35]

19. 20

    Council homes win top UK design prize

    Lion Green Road, 157 homes built by Croydon Council in south London, won the Stirling Prize, the UK's top architecture award. [23][24] The brief asked for 80 homes; the architect, Mary Duggan, fitted 157 into five blocks and kept the trees. [23] It mixes affordable and private homes on an old car park. [24] Only one council housing scheme had won before, in Norwich in 2019. [23]

    80Homes asked for

    ↓→

    157Homes built

    Why it matters — The plan drew 257 objections and 18 letters of support, mostly over parking. [23] The UK government plans to put 39 billion pounds into housing. [23]

20. 21

    Two London estates set to be saved

    Lambeth council in south London is set to drop plans to knock down two 1960s council estates, Cressingham Gardens and Central Hill. [25] Residents campaigned against demolition for more than ten years. [25] The Greens, who took control in May, oppose it, and the cabinet is expected to reverse the plans next week. [25] A 2022 review found redevelopment would add very few homes at social rent, the low rents councils set. [25]

    Why it matters — Tenants and leaseholders lived for years not knowing if their homes would stand. [25] The council says it will now repair homes and fill empty ones. [25]

21. 22

    Bloomberg funds faster US permits

    Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charity of the businessman Michael Bloomberg, will give 30 US cities 450,000 to 750,000 dollars each to speed up approval of new housing. [32] The first 15 include Miami, Nashville, Pittsburgh and San Jose. [32] A builders' study found rules now make up 26.4% of the average price of a new home. [32] Realtor.com counts a shortage of 4.03 million homes. [32]

    Why it matters — Bloomberg says city halls are where the shortage pushing up rents can be eased. [32] Results are expected within two years. [32]

22. 23

    Robots to build parts of US homes

    D.R. Horton, the largest US homebuilder, signed a deal with Promise Robotics, a Canadian firm, to make parts for more than 1,250 homes in robot-run factories. [33] Robots will make stairs, doors and window frames before each home is put together on site. [33] Horton built about 85,000 homes last year. [33] Promise says its homes will sell at current market prices. [33]

    Why it matters — Builders are short of workers, which is also what slows the 370,000 unfinished homes above. [30][33] Whether robots lower prices is not yet known. [33]

23. 24

    Zimbabwe asks people to trust its money

    Zimbabwe's government is pushing people to use its own currency, the ZiG, brought in in April 2024. [39] Zimbabwe's central bank says it is backed by gold and foreign money. [39] Many people still prefer US dollars after past collapses. [39] Charles Mbwandarikwa, a teacher, lost his pension savings in 2009, and in 2018 his pay fell from the equivalent of 540 dollars to 40. [39] He now swaps his ZiG pay quickly. [39]

    Why it matters — A currency only works if people expect it to keep its value. [39] Zimbabwe's central bank has dropped its goal of using only the ZiG by 2030. [39]

24. 25

    BBC funding fell 37% in real terms

    Money for the BBC's UK services fell 37% between 2010 and 2025 once rising prices are counted, a media expert writes in The Conversation. [38] Licence fee income grew from 3.1 billion to 3.9 billion pounds, but prices rose 55.4%. [38] Rises below inflation, the end of government payment for over-75s' licences, and money moved to other services did the most damage. [38] Licence fee dodging rose from 5.2% to 11.8%. [38]

    Why it matters — The BBC's charter, the deal that sets how it is funded, is renewed in January 2028. [38] The UK services that lost the money are the ones licence payers mainly say they pay for. [38]

25. 26

    Jersey plans to freeze fuel tax

    The government of Jersey, a British island, proposes to freeze fuel duty, the tax on each litre, in its 2027 budget. [37] Duty was frozen from 2023 to 2025 and rose with prices in 2026. [37] Diesel recently topped 2 pounds a litre in Jersey and the UK. [37] A scaffolding firm and a tree surgeon told the BBC rising diesel squeezes their margins. [37]

    Why it matters — Businesses say a freeze gives limited relief if world fuel prices keep rising. [37] Some are already adding fuel charges to their prices. [37]

26. 27

    Southwest ties free companion to top tier

    Southwest Airlines will change its Rapid Rewards scheme from 1 January 2027. [36] Its Companion Pass, which lets a companion fly free apart from taxes and fees, will come only with a new top tier, Platinum. [36] That needs 140,000 points or 100 flights. [36] Points from credit card sign-up bonuses will no longer count. [36] The airline ended free checked bags in 2025. [36]

    Why it matters — The changes favour customers who fly and spend the most. [36] Occasional flyers who used card bonuses to earn the pass lose that route. [36]

27. 28

    Home equity deals face new rules

    Home equity investments pay a homeowner a lump sum now in return for a share of the home's future rise in value, with no monthly payments. [40] Point, one of the biggest providers, sold a 508.6-million-dollar bond backed by them this year. [40] Lawsuits in several states say homeowners end up owing far more than they got. [40] Some cases imply yearly costs of 30% or more. [40]

    Why it matters — A US Senate proposal would treat them as mortgages under the main US lending law. [40] That would decide which consumer protections cover them. [40]