Laurel Wamsley
Laurel Wamsley is a correspondent on NPR's Business Desk, where she covers personal finance and housing. She reports on how news events and the economy affect people and their money, and explains how to make sound financial choices in a fast-changing world.
Before joining the Business Desk, Wamsley was a reporter on NPR’s National Desk, where she reported on cities. Wamsley has reported on cities’ efforts to change zoning rules and parking requirements to allow more housing, how Baby Boomers feel locked in by low mortgage rates, and how downtowns are adapting to post-pandemic lifestyles. She also explored the economic impact of the bridge collapse in Baltimore.
She previously was a reporter on NPR's Newsdesk, where she reported breaking news and features on a wide range of subjects, including criminal justice, technology, sports, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wamsley spent several months reporting from Berlin as an Arthur F. Burns Fellow in 2019, and that year was NPR's lead reporter at the Women's World Cup in France.
Previously, Wamsley was a producer for NPR's shows and desks. She got her start at NPR as an intern on Weekend Edition Saturday.
Wamsley graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead-Cain Scholar. Wamsley also holds a master's degree from Ohio University, where she was a Public Media Fellow and worked at NPR Member station WOUB. Born and raised in Athens, Ohio, she has also called Austin and Chicago home. She now lives and bikes in Washington, D.C. [Copyright 2025 NPR]
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High mortgage rates cooled home sales over the last few years. But data released this week shows signs that things may be thawing a bit. -
A recent executive order paves the way for retirement accounts to include a lot more than stock and bond funds. -
The Trump administration sent reduction-in-force notices to more than 1,400 staffers at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in April. -
Those with equity in a home can trade up more easily, while many first-time homebuyers are still stuck on the sidelines. -
Many Americans received an email from the Social Security Administration applauding the megabill's passage. Experts say it was misleading. -
Services that split up payments into installments are increasingly popular, especially among young and low-to-middle income shoppers. But now the FICO credit scoring company will be tracking that debt. -
There were 20% more homes for sale this May — but it hasn't been enough to pull buyers off the sidelines amid high mortgage rates and economic uncertainty. -
Some early filers say worries about the future under the Trump administration moved up their timelines. -
Would-be homebuyers are finding lots of reasons to wait. -
Agents have typically taken a commission on the sale of a home that totals 5% to 6% of the price. But new rules have created an opening for brokers who charge much less.
