Low home prices and excess supply helped drive a rise in first-time U.S. home buyers and reduce excess inventory. Dissertation writers are now looking at this issue as a possible subject for their papers.

The Center for Real Estate Studies at New York Law School will present a breakfast forum on, “The Real Estate Credit Markets: A Year-End Review and Outlook for 2009″ on Thursday, November 20 at 8:15 a.m. at the Law School, located at 47 Worth Street.

Citi is running a new sweepstakes that gives holders of Citi credit cards the chance to win a backstage mini-tour with the group Nickelback or to hang in the recording studio with singer Mary J. Blige. Citi cardholders are automatically entered with each card purchase, and all Citi cards are eligible, except the Macy’s, Home Depot and Upromise cards.

While the U.S. might not be able to drill its way out of the energy crisis, credit card issuers are gearing up to drill cardholders as way out of the financial crisis.

Economic conditions in New York continued to deteriorate in November, with a survey of regional manufacturers released Monday coming in at its weakest level in its seven-year history.