BIG GREEN?

7% The amount IBM Corp. is pledging to reduce its greenhouse gas footprint by 2012, primarily through energy conservation.

IBM's first such pledge was a 4 percent decrease from 2002 to 2005; the company says it achieved a 6.2 percent reduction.

TROUBLESOME LOANS

• 2.6 million home loans were either past due for more than 30 days or in foreclosure in 2006.

• 40 percent of them were made to people with weak, or subprime, credit.

• 37 percent of 2006 subprime loans were made without verification of borrowers' incomes, up from 15 percent in 2000.

• 33 percent of borrowers took out a second mortgage, up from 6.8 percent in 2003, suggesting that they did not have enough money for a down payment.

Source: JPMorgan Chase

• Congress pressures federal regulators to take action against rising foreclosures. 12

HIGH WATER MARK

53 The age at which consumers are least likely to make financial mistakes, according to a quartet of economists. In sifting through records of tens of thousands of consumers, the economists found that middle-aged adults tend to borrow at lower interest rates and pay fewer fees than younger and older adults.

Source: The Wall Street Journal