News
2008
November
21
- State Farm, Farmers raise homeowner insurance rates. As if plummeting real estate values weren't enough, insurance rates are heading up for many California homeowners. State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner late last month quietly approved rate-increase requests from two of the state's three…
- Some parts of U.S. escape housing mess. There are no stretches of empty homes in new subdivisions. Foreclosure signs on front lawns are few. Local banks are still lending. In 17 locations around the USA, many made up of small cities surrounded…
20
- FHA relaxes rules for homeowners. The Federal Housing Administration yesterday said that after less than two months it is relaxing terms of a program designed to help troubled mortgage borrowers because so far the effort has not been effective. The…
- Treasury's Bailouts Are Getting Us Chumped. I usually don't enjoy watching congressional hearings. They are often packed with blustering, long-winded, self-serving speeches that are nap-inducing. But a recent hearing before the domestic policy subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform…
- Fannie y Freddie suspendieron embargos. Los organismos estadounidenses de refinanciamiento hipotecario Fannie Mae y Freddie Mac anunciaron el jueves la suspensión hasta el 9 de enero de los embargos de viviendas de propietarios incapaces de reembolsar sus préstamos inmobiliarios. Certidumbre…
- Objetivos financieros para mujeres. Como mujer, probablemente vivirás más tiempo, ganarás menos dinero y tendrás acceso más limitado a un seguro de salud que un hombre. Estos tres factores pueden convertir en una tarea desalentadora el cumplir con tus…
19
- Underinsured wildfire victims burned again. When Dave Wilder and his wife, Lynn, surveyed the remains of their Running Springs house after it burned to the ground in a wildfire near Lake Arrowhead in October 2007, the thing that struck him…
18
- States lend a hand to avoid home foreclosures. States and local governments are stepping up help for residents coping with foreclosures and job losses amid a sinking economy. New assistance efforts range from laws that give homeowners time to renegotiate loans to job…
17
- Forecasters view economy deteriorating rapidly. WASHINGTON — Forecasters' views of the economy are deteriorating rapidly, with economists now expecting job losses to be deeper and last longer and consumers to cut back spending at a far more rapid pace than…
- Americans are trying to save. Spendthrift (spend' thrift') n. a person who spends money carelessly; squanderer. Frugal (froo' gel) adj. not wasteful; not spending freely; thrifty. As economic news has worsened and recession appears inevitable, Americans' spending habits have swung…
16
- Downturn drags more consumers into bankruptcy. The economy’s deep troubles are pushing a growing number of already struggling consumers into bankruptcy, often with far more debt than those who filed in previous downturns. Plummeting home values, dwindling incomes and the near…
- Closed funds now open to new investors. For more than 25 years, the highly regarded Sequoia Fund was closed to new investors. But this past spring, the mutual fund once again flung open its doors to bring in more assets. Sequoia has…
- Know before you borrow mortgage money. Exotic mortgages, as well as some lenders, are a thing of the past. But the need to borrow to buy a home is very much present. The lending landscape keeps changing fast, economists, mortgage brokers…
15
- Will Obama bring back 'buy downs'?. What will it take to get people off the sidelines to buy houses and help stimulate the economy? How about a mortgage at a 2.99 percent fixed rate for 30 years for anyone who buys…
14
- FDIC details plan to alter mortgages. Officials at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. yesterday detailed a plan to prevent 1.5 million foreclosures in the next year by offering financial incentives to companies that agree to sharply reduce monthly payments on mortgage…
13
- Treasury redefines its rescue plan. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. announced a series of moves yesterday that redefine the federal government's $700 billion rescue plan for the financial industry in order to tackle what he called a dire situation…
- Foreclosure relief getting lost in the fine print. More than a year into the foreclosure crisis, whether a distressed homeowner is eligible for a more affordable mortgage can often come down to the fine print. That fine print in contracts that govern mortgages…
12
- U.S. to simplify mortgage disclosure rules. Prospective home buyers would get a simpler way to understand often-confusing mortgage terms under new rules by the federal government. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is overhauling a 1974 law requiring lender to…
- Lenders hope simpler loan-rework system helps. As losses from bad loans continue to mount despite more than a year of government and industry focus, some of the giants of the mortgage industry, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, yesterday unveiled another…
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