Top 10 business stories of 2010

In July, President Obama signs the most sweeping clampdown on the financial industry since the 1930s. Among its many provisions, the new law creates a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with broad powers to write and enforce rules protecting Americans seeking mortgages, credit cards and other financial products.

In July, President Obama signs the most sweeping clampdown on the financial industry since the 1930s. Among its many provisions, the new law creates a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with broad powers to write and enforce rules protecting Americans seeking mortgages, credit cards and other financial products.  (Chip Somodevilla / EPA)

Share
Housing market

Amid a lackluster real estate market and a rising tide of delinquent loans, problems with foreclosure documents force some mortgage servicers to impose freezes or amend huge amounts of paperwork. Attorneys general in all 50 states launch a joint investigation into how lenders have verified foreclosure documents, including allegations that so-called robo-signers vouched for information they hadn’t read.  (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

Gulf of Mexico oil spill

An oil leak from a BP well releases over 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, damaging the fishing and tourism industries and leading to increasing government scrutiny of offshore drilling. Above, Charlie Guidry, 63, who has fished off the Louisiana coast all his life, worries about his future. “This could affect us for quite a long time to come,” he said. Gulf Oil Spill  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Technology

Apple, led by Steve Jobs above, surpasses Microsoft as the biggest technology company, judged by stock market value, aided by successful releases of its iPad and iPhone 4, even though the latter was plagued at the outset by antenna problems. Meanwhile, Google‘s fast-rising Android operating system jumps into second in smart-phone market share, after Nokia. Times technology coverage  (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

Environment

With a growing push for renewable sources such as solar and wind power, new alternative energy projects are proposed throughout the state. Environmentalists win one when Californians vote down an effort to suspend the state’s global warming regulations, but lose one when a bill to require one-third of California‘s power to come from non-polluting sources fails in the Legislature. Times environmental coverage  (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Social networking

Facebook continues to grow despite being dogged through the year by charges it is not doing enough to protect user privacy. The movie “The Social Network” portrays Facebook founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg in an unflattering light; he calls it “fiction.”  (Loic Venance / AFP/Getty Images)