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Keith Epstein has been a Washington-based investigative reporter for two decades, primarily for Business Week and The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. He has covered topics ranging from politics and drug companies to cyber-espionage and the insurance industry. His stories on lending practices that ensnare poor and unsophisticated borrowers led to changes in the practices of global microfinance. Among awards he has won or shared are the Barlett & Steele Award for Investigative Business Journalism; the SPJ investigative reporting award; the White House Correspondents Association award; and an Overseas Press Club of America citation. Epstein also has worked for The Miami Herald, Tampa Tribune, Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times. He studied literature and political science at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Stories by Keith Epstein

Profiting From Recession, Payday Lenders Spend Big to Fight Regulation

The influential $42 billion-a-year payday lending industry, thriving from a surge in emergency loans to people struggling through the recession, is pouring record sums into lobbying, campaign contributions, and public relations – and getting results.

By Keith Epstein2 March 2010

FDIC Chief Got Bank of America Loans While Working On Its Rescue

Sheila Bair, one of the chief regulators overseeing Bank of America’s federal rescue, took out two mortgages worth more than $1 million from the banking giant last summer during ongoing negotiations about the bank’s bailout and its repayment.

By Keith Epstein and David Heath
21 January 2010

Florida Bank's Failure Paints Picture of Regulatory Lapses

The FDIC spent $100 million to shutter Ocala National Bank last year--a tiny fraction of the billions spent on big bailouts. But the Ocala story carries lessons far beyond its size, showing how regulators condoned speculative lending by hundreds of smaller banks.

By Keith Epstein14 December 2009

Federal Regulator Gets Derivatives Advice From Industry Insiders

Like many federal agencies contemplating reform these days, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission is hearing a lot from the industry it regulates.

But executives and lobbyists don’t...

By Keith Epstein and Ben Protess
18 November 2009

When Banks Fail, So Do Those Promised CD Rates

Americans have invested some $2.6 trillion into fixed-term CDs, popularly assumed to be among the safest federally insured savings. But it turns out that when banks fail, the government routinely allows the new owners to cut interest rates on CDs that were previously sold.

By Keith Epstein3 November 2009