Here’s a roundup of this morning’s must-read budget and economic stories:

Forbes compares debt and deficits by country.

The Washington Post says the true cost of the stimulus is between $1 trillion and $1.7 trillion.

Bloomberg, The Hill, The New York Times and Politico say it appears lawmakers have reached a impasse over extending the 2011 payroll tax cut for another full year.

Politico preview President Obama’s fiscal year 2013 budget outline, which will be released next week.

On Thursday, five of the largest U.S. banks reached an agreement with the federal government and several state governments to help distressed homeowners. Bloomberg, The New York Times, Politico and  The Wall Street Journal have the details of the deal.

The New York Times says Greece has reached a deal on an austerity package that will guarantee the release of the rest of its bailout funds, but The Financial Times argues news of a deal may be premature.