NPR People: Chris Arnold

If you don't make your car payments, someone can be hired to repossess it. They might tow it from your driveway or a parking lot. But sometimes repo men go further, breaking into people's garages or homes. Fights can break out. People get hurt, and some have even been killed, prompting some groups to call for greater regulation.

If you build it, they will swim — that's the vision of Elkhart, Ind., where nearly 1 in every 5 people was unemployed a year ago. Situated close to Chicago and Indianapolis, the town is a few hours' drive for 35 million people. So Elkhart is exploring the idea of building a type of tropical resort popular in cold climates in Europe, such as this one in England.

Sales of existing homes fell in January, fresh evidence of stubborn weakness in the housing market. Sales dropped 7.2 percent, falling to their lowest level since the summer. The big drop follows an equally disappointing fall in new home sales earlier in the week. A rebound in home sales and prices is considered vital to a sustained and solid economic recovery.

In Washington, top Toyota executives are expected to testify at hearings on Capital Hill this week. At the same time, Toyota dealerships across the country are retro-fitting the gas pedals on millions of vehicles. In Boston, a dealership owner discusses his frustration with Toyota's PR missteps. He's trying to grind his way through the recall and get the job done right for his customers.

This past week's nasty winter weather left a lot of travelers stranded. Airline passengers vented their frustration, and airline analysts said the tough winter has been hard on financially squeezed airlines. An inn keeper in Key West, Fla., says those flight cancellations have hurt this business.

With Toyota's safety issues under intense scrutiny, more problems could very well come to light. One safety group says the acceleration problems appear to involve more cars than Toyota has recalled so far. And there are rising complaints about the power steering in some Corollas. Still, others say these growing complaints reflect excessive attention to one company, not a serious danger to the public.

Toyota dealerships are making their way through a backlog of customers' cars during the massive recall involving the gas pedals on millions of cars. Toyota has said it is working on plans to resolve another possible safety problem — this one involving the anti-lock brakes on the Prius hybrid. So far, Toyota has not announced a recall on the Prius.

At Expressway Toyota in Boston, mechanics have begun making repairs to customers' cars. The work is being paid for by Toyota, but the dealer may still get hurt as his customers become disillusioned with the automaker. And the car owners are losing time and money waiting around for repairs.

Outside Boston, the Dancing Deer Baking Co. sells all kinds of cookies and brownies to restaurants and stores. Last year, during the worst of the recession, the owner had to lay off some of the employees. Would the bakery be helped by President Obama's efforts to get banks to loan more to small businesses?

Mechanics at Expressway Toyota in Boston are preparing to work long hours to fix recalled gas pedals for about 10,000 customers. Even though Toyota has ordered dealers to stop selling any new cars that need the upgrade, this dealership remains optimistic about customer loyalty.

Housing news this week has been mixed. Home prices are beginning to stabilize but the number of sales was worse than expected. Some economists see reason for optimism, while others say the government needs to keep propping up the housing sector.

Wal-Mart has announced it's cutting about 11,000 jobs at its Sams Club stores. Most of those cuts involve people who do in-store product demonstrations. Not all those jobs are going away: Some will be outsourced to another company. But it's unclear how many people will be hired back that way.

Some investors argue that corporate boards have become beholden to management and approve huge pay packages that siphon money away from shareholders. Because pay packages aren't tied to long-term performance, critics say, they also encourage the reckless risk-taking that created the financial crisis.

Despite the bad job market, demand for U.S. home loans rose last week for the third straight week. An industry group says home ownership is being helped by low mortgage rates, which fell again to a one-month low. They're below 5 percent in some areas for 30 year fixed rate loans.

Since the earthquake in Haiti, U.S. businesses have been donating tens of millions of dollars to the aid effort. Big companies, non-profits and small mom and pop stores have been pitching in. Besides giving cash, they have been sending volunteers and supplies to crisis centers set up in American cities for people who have family in Haiti.