Mortgage rates are now below 4 percent. The average 30-year fixed-rate loan is at an all-time low. But high unemployment, weak consumer confidence, and tougher standards for getting credit, are keeping many Americans from buying homes.

"Publishing for me is a business, not an ideology," says the bestselling thriller writer. Eisler walked away from a half-million dollar deal offered by a traditional publisher to self-publish — and then teamed up with Amazon. His newest book, The Detachment, was e-released on Amazon in September.

A young German fashion designer is planning a clothing line using a fabric developed from milk. Milk-based fabrics have been around since the 1930s, but according to Reuters, this is the first time milk fiber has been produced entirely without chemicals, thus being more ecological.

Apple's Steve Jobs, who died this week after battling a rare form of pancreatic cancer, didn't just change technology. Lynn Neary learns more about the profound legacy Jobs leaves behind on the world of design from John Maeda, president of the Rhode Island School of Design.

Loosely organized protests that began on Wall Street last month have spread to other U.S. cities. President Obama says he understands the frustration conveyed by the Occupy Wall Street protest movement, and he's trying to channel that anger into support for his financial policies.

It makes people lose touch with their professional networks, and can negatively affect relationships. Jobless benefits have been lengthened from 26 to 99 weeks by Congress, but a push in Washington to cut back on spending may mean that extension could expire.

Central bankers hate inflation. But at least one prominent economist argues a moderate increase in inflation is exactly what the U.S. needs to boost the economy and keep it from falling back into recession. But the idea may be a hard sell.

ESPN is parting ways with Hank Williams Jr. The network will no longer use his signature song "All My Rowdy Friends," to introduce Monday Night Football.

In a White House news conference Thursday morning, President Obama urged Congress to pass his jobs-creation plan.