'Less bad' is the new good; stepping to a future

"It's completely Brook's baby now."

- Timothy J. Mahoney III, who sold his stake in a proposed $420 million Philadelphia Waldorf Astoria Hotel to Brook Lenfest

"There are glimmers of hope. We are moving in the right direction in terms of layoffs. They are measurably less bad than what we've been through."

- Mark Zandi, chief economist, Moody's Economy.com
"Our unemployment insurance system should no longer be a safety net, but a steppingstone to a new future."

- President Obama,
on a plan to let the unemployed enroll in education or training programs without losing benefits

"There is significant uncertainty as to our long-term financial sustainability."

- regulatory filing by mortgage-finance company Fannie Mae
"As American taxpayers, we appreciate the unprecedented efforts taken by the current administration to stabilize the economy and the auto sector; but as fiduciaries to our investors, we take exception to being compelled, as Chrysler senior secured lenders, to unfairly shoulder the burden relative to various junior creditors."

- statement by
Chrysler L.L.C. bondholder Stairway Capital
Management
"I just sent off the new payment today."

- Philadelphia homeowner Deserie Jones-Wright, who got a lower mortgage rate through the city's foreclosure-diversion program

"People held back, and held back, and held back, and now they don't have anything to sell. They are looking for quick deliveries."

- chief executive officer
Hank Liepert of manufacturer SciCast International Inc., on an uptick in orders
Compiled from The Inquirer, Associated Press, Bloomberg News.