by Daniel Costello

A friend of mine who signed a lease for a fancy apartment in a new building in New York's Flatiron district this past weekend said the leasing company told him there was only one thing that could kill his application: if he worked in finance.

"It's the first time in my life I was happy to say I'm a lawyer," says Roberto Grande, who moves into his posh new digs next week. (FYI Roberto: Whatever day you choose to move, I'm out of town...)

Gulp. If landlords don't want finance hotshots who just a year ago were taking in record bonuses in their apartments anymore, you know things are bad.