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American Express and two other companies say they're pulling gift cards off store shelves in New Jersey because of a law requiring merchants to collect zip codes from card buyers. Retailers have sued to block the law, which allows the state to take control of unused balances after two years.

Veterans, with their post-Sept. 11 education benefits, have been an important driver in the growth of for-profit colleges and universities in recent years. Some lawmakers say for-profit schools are ripping off veterans, and the government, by luring students into programs that seldom lead to good jobs.

Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi takes a look at the fragile situation at Bank of America. The bank that was deemed too big to fail and received a $45 billion government bailout has, Taibbi argues, defrauded investors and insurers, homeowners and the unemployed.

"Do you Yahoo?" was the web giant's catchphrase, but not enough people are answering in the affirmative these days. Yahoo has announced that it is laying off 2,000 employees in the hopes of turning around the company. Joe Nocera, Op-Ed columnist for our partner The New York Times, says Yahoo should be a cautionary tale for other tech companies like Google and Facebook, who might be next in line.

A new report by Germany's central bank says women at the top of the banking industry spur their male colleagues to take bigger risks. Based on an analysis of German bank executive teams from 1994 to 2010, the Bundesbank study undermines the widely held view of the "calming influence" female staff have on a male-driven industry. The report – which also says the presence of women in senior roles was a contributing factor to the banking crash – has provoked a furious response. Mary Ellen Iskenderian is the President and CEO of Women's World Banking.

We broadcast a panel discussion on artists and the business of art from our recent show in the Greene Space. Gallery owner Sean Kelly, Whitney Museum of American Art curator Carter Foster, and artists Pat Steir and Fred Wilson talk about the current state of the art market in light of the economic downturn and the impact of the exponential growth of art fairs.

With all the attention focused on the Supreme Court hearings on the fate of the Affordable Care Act, it might seem that the future of all reforms to the health care system is in the balance. But some in the insurance industry say many changes are already in motion.

The data breach has been contained, the company added.

Members of the House Financial Services Committee were hoping assistant treasurer Edith O'Brien would shed some light on the actions of the firm's CEO, ex-New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine.

Brian Miller and Mike Lapham argue that how we view the creation of wealth and individual success shapes our choices on taxes, regulation, public investments in schools and infrastructure, and CEO pay. Their book The Self-Made Myth: And the Truth about How Government Helps Individuals and Businesses Succeed investigates profiles business leaders who recognize the public investments and support that helped them succeed—including Warren Buffett, Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry’s, and New Belgium Brewing CEO Kim Jordan.

The House Financial Services Committee will hold its third hearing Wednesday into the collapse of MF Global, the commodities firm once led by former New Jersey Governor and Senator Jon Corzine.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Tuesday that 12 companies nurtured in a city-funded incubator just west of Soho are flying solo. Another 10 are expected to do so in between April and July.

See what business and economics editor Charlie Herman has on his morning reading list.

A new email questions how much the former New Jersey governor knew about a $200 million transfer.

The adventure film The Hunger Games collected $155 million at the box office over the weekend. A sequel is already in the works.

Roger Lowenstein, financial journalist and author of The End of Wall Street, talks about his cover story for The Atlantic about public perception of Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke.

Energy independence has the potentitial to completely reshape American foreign policy and the U.S. economy, yet environmental concerns persist. We're joined by Clifford Krauss, oil and gas business reporter for our partner The New York Times, to discuss the possibility of energy independence.

Twenty-five years ago, in 1987, a novel called “The Bonfire of the Vanities” was published. Written by Tom Wolfe, the book touched on issues of class privilege, racism, greed, and politics, and came to define an era in New York City and in America. A quarter century later, the BBC is looking back on “The Bonfire of the Vanities” with journalist and personal finance expert Alvin Hall. How much has changed in New York in the years since it was published, and how much is the same?

Bloomberg finance reporter Nina Mehta joins us to explain high-frequency trading.

Vijay Vaitheeswaran, correspondent for the Economist, discusses why the benefits of globalization haven’t been shared fairly among all people, and comes up with some ideas for how they can be. His book Need, Speed, and Greed: How the New Rules of Innovation Can Transform Businesses, Propel Nations to Greatness, and Tame the World's Most Wicked Problems investigates how the extraordinary benefits of the innovation revolution be shared more equitably among all of society.