Phoenix

White pickup truck upside down along the freeway barrier in the HOV lane.

In an effort to shed costs, Bank of America Corp. has begun a plan to sell branches in sparsely populated areas. According to BofA's first-quarter filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on May 3, the banking giant closed 154 banking centers and 631 ATMs during the first quarter. The filing said BofA "continues to improve our cost-to-serve and optimize our consumer banking network." Band of America (NYSE: BAC) had 5,700 banking centers as of March 31. CEO Brian Moynihan has...

As the only person I know who was born in Brooklyn and never moved away, I have a special interest in reasons that people would leave such a heaven-sent destination. Joe Fine (Chazz Palminteri), the principal performer in Debbie Goodstein's semi-autobiographical film "Mighty Fine," checked out of New York's most exciting borough in 1974 because he moved his textile factory down south to take advantage of the economics of geographical venues. In a story that could be used as a poster child for the idea of living within your means, he may discover a lot to love about his family while at the same time treating his wife and two daughters as subservient beings.