Without action by Congress, payroll taxes will go up at the end of February by roughly 2 percent–about $20 a week for a household making 50 grand a year.

The Greek parliament voted on Sunday to enact new austerity measures by 199 to 74, with 27 abstentions or other non-votes, and also to give the government authority to complete the haircut deal with the country’s creditors.

The federal government, the state attorneys general of 49 states and five major U.S. banks have agreed to a $25 billion settlement regarding robo-signing that the banks undertook during the worst of the foreclosure crisis.

The federal government, various state attorneys general and the largest banks in the country have struck a deal that would specify an assortment of mild punishments for the banks’ involvement in robo-signing.

All species of consumer credit increased during the fourth quarter of 2011, according to the Federal Reserve on Tuesday, lending credence to the notion that not only are consumers feeling more confident about the economy these days, they’re backing up that confidence with their wallets.

Greece hasn’t quite signed off on the conditions that would allow it to receive more bailout money and thus pay its near-term bills.

The U.S. economy not only added 243,000 jobs in January, which was a surprise to dismal scientists expecting something more dismal, but the growth turned out to be broad based, which was something of a surprise as well.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday that 243,000 jobs were added to the economy in January–up unexpectedly from 203,000 in December.