During the first part of this decade, the number of mortgage originations grew rapidly, particularly in the nonprime segment of the mortgage market, which includes subprime and Alt-A loans. In dollar terms, nonprime loans accounted for an increasing share of the overall mortgage market, rising from 12 percent in 2000 to 34 percent in 2006. Over this period, the dollar volume of nonprime mortgages...

Hurricane Katrina struck near the Louisiana-Mississippi border and became one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, affecting a large geographic area and necessitating the evacuation of people from parts of the area, including vulnerable populations, such as hospital patients, nursing home residents and transportation-disadvantaged populations who were not in such facilities. The disaste...

In the past 30 years, the number of obese children has increased throughout the United States, leading some policy makers to rank childhood obesity as a critical public health threat. The rate of childhood obesity has more than tripled for children between the ages of 6 and 11 and also increased for children of other ages over the same period. According to a 2005 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report...

The Oceans Act of 2000 established the Commission on Ocean Policy (Commission) to make recommendations for a coordinated and comprehensive national ocean policy. The Commission is required to prepare and submit to the Congress and the President a final report of its findings and recommendations, which is scheduled for September 2003. The Oceans Act also requires the President to biennially submit...

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO evaluated and tested the general computer controls that affect the overall security and effectiveness of the Senate Computer Center's (SCC) financial systems, focusing on whether those controls: (1) protect data, files, and programs from unauthorized access; (2) prevent unauthorized changes to systems and applications software; (3) provide segregation of du...

GAO discussed investment in and maintenance of federal laboratories, focusing on the: (1) condition of federal laboratory facilities; (2) effect of inadequate laboratory facilities on agencies' scientific productivity and research capabilities; and (3) funding needed to repair or upgrade these facilities. GAO noted that: (1) 54 percent of the floor space in eight federal laboratories is more than...

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the conditions of federal laboratory facilities, focusing on the: (1) effect of inadequate laboratory facilities on agencies' scientific productivity and research capabilities; and (2) funding needed to repair or upgrade these facilities.GAO found that: (1) 54 percent of federal laboratory space is over 30 years old and only 24 percent of federal l...

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on: (1) barriers to the use of alternative, less environmentally intrusive agricultural practices; and (2) farm commodity programs' impact on rural communities. GAO noted that: (1) the two paradigms within the agricultural sector are conventional and sustainable agricultural practices; (2) conventional agriculture utilizes specialized f...

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information that it had previously presented in a testimony on the Administration on Aging's (AOA) programs and services, focusing on: (1) the match between its missions and resources; (2) how AOA provides technical assistance and oversight to state units on aging; and (3) whether AOA technical assistance meets the needs of state units on aging.GAO...

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed Japanese foreign economic assistance and trade policies and determined the extent to which Japan integrated those policies.GAO found that: (1) Japan's economic assistance system has been more heavily influenced by commercial considerations than has the U.S system; (2) commercial considerations were a factor in Japan's focus on recipient countries'...