REPORTER: Andrew Cuomo says Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will stop doing business with lenders who use their own appraisers.

In exchange, the Attorney General's office has dropped its investigation of the companies.

A local trade group says the deal will make borrowing more expensive for the consumer and needlessly difficult for ...

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announces a new agreement with mortgage lenders to end the cosy relationship between real estate brokers and appraisers.

REPORTER: Cuomo's office has persuaded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to stop doing business with banks that use in-house appraisers, starting next year.

The idea is to prevent the over-valuation ...

As the value of the dollar slides, more and more investors are putting their money in commodities. That's raised the price of many goods, and that affects New Yorkers in all kinds of ways, as WNYC's Ilya Marritz reports.

REPORTER: Gold, platinum, even sugar. They all cost more - a lot ...

For decades, the number of food vendors on city streets has held steady at about 3,000.

Yesterday, the City Council voted to authorize as many as 1,000 new vending permits.

But there's a catch - they can only set up cart in certain neighborhoods.

WNYC's Ilya Marritz has more.

Police seized over a million dollars worth of perfume, handbags, and other counterfeit goods in a dramatic raid today. Dozens of Chinatown businesses, including a massage parlor, were padlocked.

REPORTER: Law officers have been sweeping three buildings owned by the Terranova family, seeking building code violations. Mayor Bloomberg says going after ...

Low demand for taxis gave some cab drivers from Pakistan time to focus on election news from their native country.

Hunched over styrofoam plates of rice and meat, a dozen or so drivers filled a halal restaurant in midtown and fixed their eyes on a large-screen TV. But with no official ...

The Indian Point Nuclear Power Station has had its detractors since it was built in the 1970's. After the September 11th terrorist attacks, calls to close down the reactors took on a new urgency. But while many politicians say they'd like Indian Point closed, the plant continues to supply a ...

Dodgeball, handball and double-dutch are all popular kids' games in New York City. In the Gowanus Houses of Brooklyn, two generations of women and girls have forged tight bonds through the dance form known as drilling, and this weekend the drill team's leader will be honored for her work. Ilya ...

Benjamin Franklin once joked that "nothing is certain but death and taxes." But when it comes to taxes, the joke is often at the expense of artists. Ilya Marritz explains why a proposal in Congress could make April a happier month for some.

“Wings of Love” is featured as a prop in a production of Mike Leigh’s play “Abigail’s Party”, running now at The New Group. Reporter Ilya Marritz saw the play, was intrigued by this painting, and learned that it’s considered one of the best-selling images of all time. Click ...

Mark Lombardi was obsessed with financial chicanery, and with drawing the lines in which power flows. When he died in 2000, he left 14,000 index cards with entries on everything from multinational corporations to arms dealers to his own friends. But why are his huge, detailed drawings so difficult to ...

Mark Lombardi was obsessed with financial chicanery, and with drawing the lines in which power flows. When he died in 2000, he left 14,000 index cards with entries on everything from multinational corporations to arms dealers to his own friends. But the huge, detailed drawings he created with ...

The tiny Smart Car is a common sight in Europe. But here in the U.S. you’re more likely to see the distinctive car at the Museum of Modern Art than on the road. Still, some Smart Car enthusiasts are importing the tiny two-door. Sally Jessy Raphael tells Ilya ...

At first glance New York artist John Mahoney’s paintings look like traditional Japanese imagery with their chrysanthemum patterns and flocks of cranes. Look a little closer and you find hidden in the art are the distinctive shapes and designs of Makita brand power tools. Produced by Ilya Maritz.

At first glance New York artist John Mahoney’s paintings look like traditional Japanese imagery with their chrysanthemum patterns and flocks of cranes. Look a little closer and you find hidden in the art are the distinctive shapes and designs of Makita brand power tools. Produced by Ilya Maritz.

Artist Mark Lombardi was obsessed with political intrigues at the highest levels, and he wrote out over 14,000 index cards to keep track of his research. Then he created elegant drawings that seem to diagram his obsessions. The drawings look straightforward and literal, but they are nearly impossible to follow. ...