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FICO's new formula could mean higher scores for everyday consumers and lower interest rates for home mortgages or car loans.

Record low interest rates are boosting corporate and government coffers. However, Bloomberg Businessweek contributor Roben Farzad explains why this reasonably priced credit remains so hard to get for small businesses. He speaks with host Michel Martin.

The NFL playoffs are underway, and there have been some unexpected moves: The league added two extra teams for the postseason, and the Cleveland Browns managed to pull out a win.

Experts say this is dangerous because unlike credit card debt, student debt doesn't go away with bankruptcy. According to the New York Federal Reserve, Americans will also take out a record amount of student loans this year.

The vice president may be seeking out the progressive hero's support, years after fighting one of her signature causes.

As Americans increasingly rely on cards, not cash, to pay for small items like coffee and snacks, it's not always easy to tip those behind the counter. A new device called the "Dip Jar" might fix that, by allowing customers to dip a card to give $1 to the staff.

Lehman Brothers' decision to declare bankruptcy has rocked Wall Street. Bob Lenzner, national editor at Forbes magazine, says he feels like he's watching a boxing match because there have been many rounds of financial failures beginning with the subprime market. He believes the credit crisis is not over yet.

Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, whose films explore fascism and communist oppression, is guest-directing the new season of House of Cards. Host Indira Lakshaman asks Holland about the political undercurrents in her work.

In the second part of our series on debt in America we'll hear about the boom in cash-out mortgage financing and about the history of debt in our society. The book mentioned is Credit Card Nation: The Consequences of America's Addiction to Credit, published by Basic Books; Dec., 2001.