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Reports on the expansion and reorganization of Atlanta, Georgia-based credit-reporting firm Equifax Inc. under the leadership of chief executive officer C.B. Rogers. Sale of solutions to finance-related activities; Medical-insurance claims; Strong growth of financial-information services; Purchase of health-care firms; Response to complaints of inaccurate credit reporting.

The article discusses declining annual bonus payments to executives in New York City's financial industry, and how they are coping with them. Some bankers and executives are said to be postponing purchases of vacation homes and reducing the sizes of their domestic staffs. Few are said to be willing to forgo private-school tuition for their children, though.

The article discusses the construction of a house in Menlo Park, California owned by Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the social media company Facebook Inc. The large size and modern architectural design of the house are contrasted with the sizes and styles of surrounding homes in the community, a contrast which is used to illustrate the enormous wealth being generated for Internet industry executives when their companies go public.

The article discusses controversial remarks about the U.S. banking industry made by celebrity chef Mario Batali. While serving on an awards panel for the periodical "Time," Batali compared bankers in New York City's financial district to the late dictators Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Some bankers say they will no longer patronize his New York restaurants.

The article presents an adaptation from the book "The High-Beta Rich: How the Manic Wealthy Will Take Us to the Next Boom, Bubble, and Bust" by Robert Frank.

The article discusses an awkward situation regarding a 25th anniversary fund raiser for the Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union in New York City. Banking company Goldman Sachs Group Inc. was both sponsoring the event and providing $5,000 in funding. It withdrew both, though, after the credit union chose to honor the "Occupy Wall Street" protest movement.

The article discusses William H. Millard. The founder and former chief executive of computer retailer Computerland Corp., Millard left the firm in 1986 and spent the ensuing 20 years in Saipan and elsewhere, eluding investigators who say he owed $100 million in taxes. The U.S. Commonwealth of the North Mariana Islands has located Millard on Grand Cayman Island, and is trying to recover taxes owed.

The article discusses a reluctance among wealthy people to invest in stocks. Investors who sustained large losses during a 2008 market decline are choosing various alternatives to stocks including gold, farmland, and cash. Contrary to historical trends, in 2011 the rich are more pessimistic about the U.S. economy than other investors.

The article reports that billionaire George Soros will restrict his hedge-fund company, Soros Fund Management LLC, to managing money exclusively for his family and family foundations. Soros said he was acting to take advantage of provisions in the U.S. Dodd-Frank financial regulatory-reform law that exempt such "family offices" from certain regulations.

The article discusses how billionaire Donald Trump has benefited from the financial distress of heiress Patricia Kluge. Trump has purchased several assets that Kluge has been compelled to sell, including the front and back yards of her mansion in Virginia. Trump believes owning the surrounding land makes it more likely he will succeed in buying the house itself, which banking company Bank of America has foreclosed on.

The article discusses Eric Lefkofsky, whose $1 million investment in Internet coupon company Groupon Inc. could become worth $4 billion after that company holds its initial public offering. Before investing in Groupon Lefkofsky had started several businesses with his college friend Brad Keywell. Lefkofsky is considered to be a modest person with great attention to detail.

The article discusses the impact on U.S. investors of a scandal at finance company Xinhua Finance that has led to the indictment of its founder, Loretta Fredy Bush. Lynn Tilton of private-equity firm Patriarch Partners has invested millions of dollars in Xinhua. A firm controlled by billionaire Ron Burkle invested billions in a subsidiary of Xinhua, Xinhua Sports & Entertainment Ltd., whose shares are nearly worthless.

The article discusses how mergers and initial public offerings (IPO) are creating billionaires. A buyout by drug company Johnson & Johnson of medical-device maker Synthes puts a value of $10 billion on shares held by Synthes chief executive Hansjörg Wyss and his family. Shares of commodity trader Glencore International PLC held by chief executive Ivan Glasenberg could be worth $9.5 billion after that firm holds its IPO.

The article compares the income tax rates which various U.S. states levy on rich people, and explains why an over-reliance on revenue from this source can be problematic. The wealthiest one percent of taxpayers are responsible for more than 40% of income tax revenues in states such as New York, California, and Connecticut. The rich tend to have volatile earnings from year to year, often tied to stock market performance, so the budgets of these states become volatile as a result.

The article discusses discontent with financial firm Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s handling of a private offering of shares in the online social network Facebook Inc. Goldman's U.S. clients are upset about the last-minute decision to allow only foreign investors to participate in the offering. Facebook officials are reportedly annoyed about publicity surrounding what they had hoped would be a quiet process.

The article discusses private-equity executive Lynn Tilton. Her holding company, Patriarch Partners, has full or partial ownership of 74 different companies. She specializes in reviving struggling industrial firms, and has a personal style marked by occasional black-leather attire and office walls decorated with whips, handcuffs, and daggers.

The article reports on a lawsuit brought by Sallie Krawcheck of the Bank of America's Global Wealth and Investment Management unit, against Todd Thomson, of Dynasty Financial Partners, a wealth management organization. It is noted that Krawcheck and Thomson had frequent clashes when they were both employed by Citigroup Inc. At issue is Dynasty's attempt to hire a number of Bank of America employees.

The article discusses austerity measures adopted by bankers and other employees in the U.S. financial services industry as a result of sharply lower year-end bonuses. A dealer of luxury cars says sales are off from previous years. Some bankers are flying commercial flights to their vacation destinations, while those using private jets are sharing the costs with strangers.

The article discusses Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko's $300 million yacht. Designed by Philippe Starck, the vessel features a 2583-square-foot master suite protected by bomb-proof glass, and two 36-foot landing boats. The yacht's crew would not comment on rumors it is also equipped with a "pod-like" escape craft.

The article discusses the high-end repossession business in the U.S. Ken Cage of International Recovery Group, Inc. says his revenues have increased several-fold from 2007. He further notes that the values of items he seizes have increased substantially, indicating hard financial times are afflicting wealthy people.

The article focuses on a reduction in the income gap as a result of the U.S. recession of 2008-2009. Economists Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty stated that in 2007, 23.5 percent of all personal income in the U.S. was earned by the top one percent of families. It mentions that chief executive pay at companies in the Standard & Poor 500 dropped 15 percent in 2008. It comments that the income gap widened quickly after the 1991 and 2001 recessions. It states that charitable giving fell for 2008.

The article reports that financier J. Ezra Merkin will sell paintings and sculptures valued at over $300 million to an unidentified buyer. Merkin placed over $2 billion of clients' money with disgraced investment manager Bernard Madoff, and is being sued by New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo for allegedly defrauding investors.

The article reports that self-confessed Ponzi swindler Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Denny Chin. At the proceeding several of Madoff's victims expressed their anger, Madoff himself allowed that his legacy was one of shame, and the judge asserted Madoff's sentence needed to reflect the evil nature of his crime.

The article discusses confessed Ponzi swindler Bernard Madoff. Since his arrest for stealing billions of dollars from investors, Madoff has not cooperated much with investigators while acting to protect family members from being implicated. Madoff's wife, Ruth, has agreed to a voluntary freeze on her assets. Bernard Madoff will be sentenced June 29, 2009.

The article discusses the Vero Beach, Florida auction of property owned by real estate developer Richard Peacock and his wife, Amanda. Among items up for bid were a Ferrari automobile and several preserved animals including a wildebeest. Ongoing financial and economic crises have prompted some affluent people such as the Peacocks to hold auctions in an effort to raise needed cash.

The article reports that U.S. investigators have expanded their probe of Ponzi swindler Bernard Madoff to include some of his victims. Investigators believe they may have evidence indicating philanthropists Jeffry Picower and Stanley Chais specified to Madoff the returns on invested funds they wanted to realize.

The article reports that officials in Massachusetts have lodged civil fraud charges against Fairfield Greenwich Group in connection with a multi-billion Ponzi scheme run by Bernard Madoff. State officials allege that Fairfield, while not complicit in the fraud, was negligent in performing due diligence of Madoff's operation.

The article reports that accused investment swindler Bernard Madoff was sent to jail after pleading guilty to 11 felony counts in connection with a multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme. Madoff, who expressed contrition for his acts in a court appearance, could face a prison sentence of up to 150 years.

The article reports that accused investment swindler Bernard Madoff will likely plead guilty to several felony charges when he appears for arraignment in a federal courthouse in New York on March 11, 2009. Although Madoff claimed to have held over $64 billion in assets on behalf of clients, investigators have been able to locate only $1 billion.

The article discusses controversy surrounding the Yellowstone Club in Montana. Founders Tim and Edra Blixseth are being sued by some of the club's affluent members for allegedly breaching their fiduciary duty with respect to a $375 million loan. A separate action has been filed against the lender, Credit Suisse.

The article discusses developments in the case of accused securities swindler Bernard Madoff. Officials in Massachusetts revealed that Madoff's wife Ruth withdrew over $15 million from Cohmad Securities shortly before Madoff was arrested. Evidence emerged showing close ties between Madoff and Cohmad, some of whose employees recruited clients for Madoff.

The article reports that federal investigators in the U.S. are examining the role of Cohmad Securities and Cohmad official Robert Jaffe in the alleged multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme orchestrated by Bernard Madoff. Cohmad is partly owned by Madoff, executed trades for him, and was active in recruiting investors for Madoff.

The article reports that accused securities swindler Bernard Madoff accepted $250 million from a friend of long-standing just ten days prior to Madoff's arrest. Sources say Carl Shapiro understood the money was to be repaid soon. Shapiro never received his cash, and is believed to have lost over $400 million to Madoff's alleged Ponzi scheme.

The article discusses the work of several middlemen who attracted investors to the alleged Ponzi scheme masterminded by former NASDAQ stock exchange chairman Bernard Madoff. The work of several middlemen is described, including philanthropist Robert Jaffe, private investor Stanley Chais, and investment executive Jeffrey Tucker.

The article profiles fund manager Bernard L. Madoff, who stands accused of running a Ponzi scheme that has cost investors billions of dollars. Topics include his career path and personal lifestyle. Madoff cultivated an air of exclusivity about his fund-management business, and relied upon sales agents to recruit affluent investors.

The article reports that several prominent parties are among victims of a Ponzi scheme orchestrated by investor Bernard Madoff that has apparently resulted in billions of dollars of losses. New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon had funds invested with Madoff, as did financial institutions BNP Paribas and Nomura Holdings Inc.

The article discusses difficulties besetting the Bucksbaum real-estate dynasty. John Bucksbaum has been forced out as chief executive of mall operator General Growth Properties Inc., and the value of his family's share of that firm has plummeted from over $3 billion to $116 million. Bucksbaum's forebears started General Growth as a shopping center in 1954, but the family could lose control of the company if General Growth is not able to renegotiate its sizable debt.

The article discusses a lawsuit brought against Sotheby's by art collector Halsey Minor, who alleges that Sotheby's sold him a painting without disclosing that the sale was intended to recover funds owed the firm by another collector. Sotheby's denies wrongdoing and has sued Minor for failure to pay for several paintings he agreed to buy.

The article discusses how the incidence of home foreclosures in the U.S. has spread to affluent neighborhoods. RealtyTrac reports that the number of homes valued at more than $1 million and undergoing foreclosure proceedings has increased dramatically. California accounts for over half of all luxury foreclosures.

The article examines the effect of the collapse of the so-called "auction rate" securities market. The securities were marketed as extremely safe investments by the financial services industry, which has been forced to pay $50 billion in settlements with investors. Larger corporations who bought the securities, however, have been excluded from the settlements, despite large losses. The children's entertainment firm 4Kids Entertainment Inc. is cited as an example.

The article discusses an opulent yacht built for Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko. Designed by Philippe Starck, the vessel's unconventional design has sometimes been mistaken for a military vessel or submersible, and is a source of controversy in a yachting community that typically values conformity.