Clearly this is an extraordinary time for the U.S. economy. The Bear Stearns acquisition by JPMorgan Chase on March 16, 2008, launched a chain of more than 30 events that have had a dramatic effect on the economy and that included unprecedented gov ernment intervention. Twenty-seven key events occurred between Labor Day and November, with new headlines emerging every weekend in September. And it does not appear to be over yet.

Two Richmond-area lawmakers are proposing legislation to make it harder for mortgage brokers to cheat buyers.