Ilya Marritz

First BankAmericano, based in Elizabeth, NJ, was one of 140 banks the FDIC took over last year, and one of just two in the New York metro area. As I reported last December, the bank was sunk by an un-diversified portfolio consisting mostly of real estate loans.

Today, ...

New York, NY —

After record profits for Wall Street in 2009, the Obama administration is making Main Street and small businesses a focus in 2010. In downtown Manhattan, there was a government-sponsored matchmaking event for small businesses and banks. WNYC's Ilya Marritz reports there was attraction, if not ...

New York, NY —

New Jersey debates "wealth flight." Guests: Hans Dekker of the Community Foundation of New Jersey and Mary Forsberg of New Jersey Policy Perspectives

New York, NY —

Every new condo that wants to get noticed gives itself a name. Oro means “gold” in Spanish.

And the developers’ original vision for life in The Oro, a 40-story, 300-unit beige brick tower was glittering.

A promotional video for the project was packed ...

New York, NY —

A ballpark name change and what it means for Brooklyn. Guest: Greg David, Director of the Business & Economics Reporting Program at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

New York, NY —

Mayor Michael Bloomberg says “average” pay in the financial sector is $70k, but it depends how you calculate it. WNYC’s Arun Venugopal explains. Also: Bob Hennelly on Gov. Chirs Christie’s casino challenge.

New York, NY —

A Harlem housing complex heads for the auction block as the owner misses his loan payments. Guest: Charles Bagli of The New York Times.

New York, NY —

Thousands of investors who lost their savings with Bernard Madoff have a case before a U.S. bankruptcy court judge this morning. As WNYC's Ilya Marritz tells us, the investors want the court-appointed trustee of the Madoff estate, Irving Piccard, to award them up to $500,000 ...

New York, NY —

NPR’s Sylvia Poggioli on what ails Greece’s economy.

New York, NY —

WNYC’s Lisa Chow explains what’s behind New York City’s "BigApps" competition.

New York, NY —

New York State's top official for the environment says allowing gas drilling near upstate reservoirs is unlikely to contaminate drinking water. WNYC's Ilya Marritz has more.

REPORTER: A serious spill is the nightmare of the Bloomberg administration. But Pete Grannis, the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, says ...

New York, NY —

A bankruptcy judge will hear arguments tomorrow in a dispute over how much the victims of Bernard Madoff should be compensated. The trustee of the Madoff estate argues that in the Ponzi scheme, investors never really owned any stock, so they're only entitled to the ...

New York, NY —

Transit projects in New York City are supposed to receive a big shot in the arm from the Federal stimulus program, but so far just a fraction of the money has been spent.

The downtown Fulton Street transit hub and the Second Avenue subway line are ...

New York, NY —

An arbitration panel’s decision makes it likely only one tall office tower will be built on the World Trade Center site. Guest: Greg David of CUNY Journalism School.

New York, NY —

A study suggests there is an epidemic of wage violations among New York City’s low-wage workers. Guest, James DeFilippis, associate professor of Public Policy at Rutgers University and co-author of the study "Working Without Laws" from the National Employment Law Project.

That's how Port Authority board member Bruce Blakeman is positioning himself in his quest to run as a Republican for Kirsten Gillibrand's Senate seat.

Blakeman appeared at a 'rally' opposing President Barack Obama's criticism of the banking industry.

The scene: no protest signs, no ...

New York, NY —

Brooklyn Congressman Edolphus Towns will be in Washington this morning scrutinizing decisions made by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in the tumultuous fall of 2008. WNYC's Ilya Marritz says questions persist about how the New York Fed handled the demise of insurance giant ...

New York, NY —

WNYC’s Arun Vengugopal on efforts to weaken the impact of the Supreme Court decision allowing unlimited money in politics.

New York, NY —

A geological formation that was virtually unknown a few years ago is the cause of two opposing demonstrations in Albany this morning.

Environmental groups are rallying against a state plan to allow natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale, which extends across of much of upstate ...

New York, NY —

As Obama turns bad-cop on banks, Mayor Bloomberg defends the Street. Guest: Greg David of CUNY’s business journalism program.