Headline News Archive

2010

July

10

• Fannie Mae calls for experienced appraisers. Picture this: You've signed a contract to sell your house. Your buyers say they have nailed down the right mortgage. All is well. But then…

09

• Biggest defaulters on mortgages are the rich. No need for tears, but the well-off are losing their master suites and saying goodbye to their wine cellars. The housing bust that began among…

05

• Loan giants opt to block energy loans. Two government-chartered mortgage finance companies are unlikely to accept loans on homes that are part of a special program that lets homeowners repay the cost…

04

• The hard work falls to the regulators. Robert Temple doesn't look obscenely rich. He's got big glasses and a thick walrus mustache. He does not wear bling. And the fact of the…

03

• Changes in mobile home lending. Mobile homes may not be a staple of the New York City housing market, but nationally last year they made up nearly a quarter of…

• When borrowers can pay but don't. With tougher mortgage underwriting rules a virtual certainty under Congress's financial reform legislation, lenders have begun confronting still another vexing issue: Can homebuyers who have…

02

• Tall tales your contractor tells. Even honest contractors occasionally play a bit fast and loose with the truth. All tradesmen are looking to maximize profits and minimize hassle -- and…

01

• Loan giants threaten energy-efficiency programs. The Obama administration is devoting $150 million in stimulus money for programs that help homeowners install solar panels and other energy improvements, which they pay…

• Lower your credit card bill fast. We here at WalletPop have spent plenty of time telling you about the big changes you can make to pare down your credit card debt…

• Financial reform bill passes U.S. House. The House on Wednesday approved the most sweeping rewrite of financial rules since the Great Depression, and last-minute changes this week appeared to solidify support…

June

29

• What Wall Street reform means for your mortgage. Predatory lending would likely become a thing of the past if proposed regulatory reform rules are put into practice. And that may mean that mortgages…

27

• Caring for seniors' financial health. When we talk about the aging population in the United States, the conversation is often focused on who will take care of the physical needs…

26

• Wave of new rules to protect consumers. The financial overhaul bill that has taken final shape would give the government a larger role in guarding the wallets of consumers — many of…

• Overhaul adds consumer help. The massive financial overhaul approved by key lawmakers early Friday was hailed by many reform advocates as offering landmark protections for consumers, even as others…

• Foreclosure alternative gaining favor. Short sales have been the hot solution for financially stressed homeowners and their lenders for the past year, but here's another potent foreclosure alternative that's…

25

• Banks can relieve mortgage crisis by giving homeowners a break. At what point do banks finally throw in the towel and accept that they've got to reduce people's mortgages if they want to ease the…

24

• Big job looms for new consumer protection agency. When he took charge of the new Environmental Protection Agency in December 1970, William Ruckelshaus wasted no time flexing his muscle and clobbering polluters. Nine…

• Fannie Mae gets tough on homeowners who walk away. Taking aim at homeowners who are able to pay their mortgage but decide it's not worth it, Fannie Mae plans to go after them in…

22

• More dropouts in mortgage relief program. The Obama administration's marquee foreclosure-prevention initiative continues to struggle, as government data released Monday show that fewer homeowners are enrolling in the program and more…

• Thorny issues remain in financial overhaul. One evening late last week, as House and Senate negotiators wound down another marathon session hammering out details of a massive financial regulatory overhaul, Sen.…

20

• Cost of Fannie/Freddie keeps soaring for taxpayers. CASA GRANDE, Ariz. — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac took over a foreclosed home roughly every 90 seconds during the first three months of the…

19

• Credit unions beckoning with open arms. Everyone can join a credit union, but not everyone can join any credit union. This turns out to be a source of much confusion for…

• Reverse mortgage holders could lose homes if taxes aren't paid. Here's a sobering message for anyone who has a federally insured reverse mortgage or plans to apply for one: If you don't pay your local…

16

• Lenders go after money lost in foreclosures. After the bank foreclosed on Fernando Palacios's Gainesville home in March, he thought he was done with what he described as the most stressful financial…

14

• Key issues as Congress finalizes financial reform. From big banks' exotic trades to the credit cards in people's wallets, it only takes a few of the most contentious issues to upend a…