German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier phoned GM’s chief executive to underscore Germany’s expectations for the sale of GM’s Opel unit, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier phoned GM’s chief executive to underscore Germany’s expectations for the sale of GM’s Opel unit, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier phoned GM’s chief executive to underscore Germany’s expectations for the sale of GM’s Opel unit, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

A government report Friday showed that the economy is no longer falling off a cliff, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we can slam the door on the recession.

A government report Friday showed that the economy is no longer falling off a cliff, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we can slam the door on the recession.

A government report Friday showed that the economy is no longer falling off a cliff, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we can slam the door on the recession.

It was — note the past tense — the worst housing recession anyone but survivors of the Great Depression can remember. From the frenzied peak of the real estate boom in 2005-2006 to the recession’s trough earlier this year, home resales fell 38 percent and sales of new homes tumbled 76 percent.