Headline News Archive

2011

August

31

• What’s worse for credit score — foreclosure, short sale, deed in lieu?. You can’t really say that credit scores don’t matter. They do. People can just let the home go to foreclosure, and this will affect their…

• In 50-state foreclosure negotiations, dispute underlines basic questions. A recent and acrimonious dispute among state officials over a possible legal settlement to address nationwide mortgage abuses is underscoring basic questions about what the…

30

• After Irene, what will insurance cover?. Thousands of East Coast residents whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Irene could find themselves stuck with bills that aren't covered by their homeowners insurance…

26

• Hurricane Irene could wreak havoc on insurance premiums. East Coast homeowners in the path of Hurricane Irene could be on the hook for thousands of dollars in damages that aren't covered by their…

25

• U.S. may back mortgage refinance plan. The Obama administration is considering further actions to strengthen the housing market, but the bar is high: plans must help a broad swath of homeowners,…

• Getting tax breaks for home improvements. There are few certainties in this world, but here's one: When it's hot enough to fry an egg and a serving of hash browns on…

• ‘MERS morass’ is hanging up foreclosure settlement. State and federal officials negotiating a settlement with the nation’s biggest banks over shoddy foreclosure practices are hung up on how they should deal with…

24

• Unusual earthquakes leave many wondering: Is my home covered?. Debbie Saathoff, 62, of Bowie, Md., says she heard a giant cracking sound first. Then the pictures flew off the walls and vases on shelves…

23

• Foreclosure talks stall. An effort by state attorneys general to take big mortgage servicers to task over faulty foreclosure practices has stalled as financial institutions demand broad legal…

21

• Exploring the 15-year loan. When deciding to refinance a home, some people look first at the new monthly mortgage payment and the money they might save, while others focus…

20

• Veterans Affairs mortgage program avoids the pitfalls of other lenders. Imagine a mortgage program that seems to defy many of the lessons of the housing bust: • 91 percent of its borrowers make zero down…

19

• State sues lawyers who, it says, defrauded troubled homeowners. California Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris has sued four Southern California lawyers and their associates, accusing them of defrauding distressed homeowners at their most vulnerable moment…

18

• U.S. inquiry eyes S&P mortgage ratings. The Justice Department is investigating whether the nation’s largest credit ratings agency, Standard & Poor’s, improperly rated dozens of mortgage securities in the years leading…

16

• Proposal to keep government's big role with mortgage rates. President Obama has directed a small team of advisers to develop a proposal that would keep the government playing a major role in the nation’s…

15

• Foreclosure reforms may be coming to a head. We are now in the fifth year of a housing crisis in which more than 3 million Americans have lost their homes to foreclosure, with…

13

• FBI: Mortgage fraud still prevalent, hard to catch. Mortgage fraud remains widespread in the depressed housing market, with perpetrators motivated by high profits and little risk of getting caught, the FBI said Friday.…

12

• Why the Fed announcement won’t boost the housing market. The Federal Reserve’s announcement this week that it would keep a key interest rate near zero seemed designed to be a chill pill — a…

09

• Stock market's silver lining for consumers. The stock market sell-off over the past week has created a surprising — albeit likely short-term — silver lining for consumers: ultra-low interest rates. The…

07

• Ocwen Financial expands modifications for underwater borrowers. If you give millions of seriously underwater homeowners a new equity position in their properties by reducing their principal mortgage debt, will they keep paying…

05

• AARP files another reverse mortgage suit. In recent months, AARP Foundation Litigation has prodded the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to reverse a rule change that had made…

04

• Loss of home equity downsizes retirement for many. Paul Trigili, an information technology professional in Las Vegas, is 65, has back problems and would like to retire at the end of the year.…

• Burden of long-term care needs strain families. America is facing a crisis that will make the federal budget deficit look like a simple bank overdraft fee. If we don’t figure out how…

• Bank of America pursues protection from lawsuits. Bank of America is pursuing a settlement with state and federal officials that would shield the company from lawsuits over its mortgage practices in exchange…

03

• Loss of home equity downsizes retirement for many. Paul Trigili, an information technology professional in Las Vegas, is 65, has back problems and would like to retire at the end of the year.…

July

30

• Why you should lock in a mortgage rate now. If you're considering buying a home or planning to refinance, here's some advice: lock in a mortgage rate. Now. Mortgage rates, which have been at…