Headline News Archive

2008

October

19

• Fixing common money mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. But when it comes to money, even little errors can prove devastating. Bruce McClary, communications director for Clearpoint Financial Solutions, recalls a…

• With HOPE for Homeowners, you'll pay in long run. For homeowners trying to renegotiate their loans under the government's new HOPE for Homeowners program, please read the paperwork carefully - because once again, you'll…

17

• Bailout pushes mortgage rates up. A recent jump in mortgage rates could jeopardize any turn-around in the housing market as home buyers face steeper loan costs. The average interest rate…

16

• Lawmakers consider regulatory overhaul. As the nation's financial system continues to unravel, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say the U.S. government appears poised to enact sweeping changes…

14

• Large, new stimulus package considered. With fears rising that the nation stands on the precipice of a prolonged recession, House Democrats are contemplating a huge infusion of public cash --…

• Both sides of the aisle see more regulation. For 30 years, the nation’s political system has been tilted in favor of business deregulation and against new rules. But that is about to change,…

• $250 billion bank investment plan. President George Bush said this morning that the administration's "unprecedented and aggressive" plan to partly nationalize nine major banks was an "essential short term measure…

13

• Consigue una modificación del préstamo. Addie Polk no quiso abrirle la puerta a la policía que venía a desalojarla. Hacía meses que no podía pagar la hipoteca que había financiado…

12

• Bailout has tax breaks for us. The mega-bailout package for Wall Street also contains about $150 billion in tax breaks for the rest of us. Some are new, but many are…

• CRA blame game gets nasty when it targets poor. I was raised by a grandmother who had to assign blame when anything went wrong. For Big Mama, there were never any accidents. When I…

11

• Consignment sales rise as economy falters. Patricia Ohlemiller packed up her Edmund Scientific Astroscan telescope last week and headed to the Gaithersburg iSold It eBay drop-off center. She hoped to recoup…

10

• Tidal wave of foreclosures and bankruptcy reform. A wave of foreclosures will crest next year, forcing the new Congress to take up bankruptcy reform in 2009. At issue is a provision that…

• Investors, bankers have lost confidence. With its alphabet soup of CDO and CDS and TAF and TARP, the current financial crisis can seem hopelessly complex. But it really boils down…

• Mixed signals for mortgage giants. Reading the latest report from the federal regulator running mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could give you whiplash. Fannie Mae and Freddie…

09

• Are aid plans doing enough for struggling homeowners?. Housing experts and economists are asking if homeowner assistance programs are doing enough to help the ailing housing market in addition to individual borrowers. Programs…

08

• IndyMac's fast-track mortgage modification program. When Mark Akers got an offer from his mortgage lender in September to slash his monthly payments down to $2,500, from $4,200, he jumped at…

07

• Europe prepares consumer rights plan. The European Commission will release a proposal on Wednesday to guarantee consumer rights across the 27-nation bloc, a move that is expected to help spur…

• Fears of recession deepen as markets plunge. The collapse of stock markets worldwide Monday reflects deepening concerns that government intervention won't be enough to stave off a potentially severe global recession. "Recession…

06

• Dollar has surprising strength in weak economy. Stock markets are swooning, credit markets remain frozen, and some foreign officials are predicting that the United States will lose its status as a financial…

• Countrywide borrowers to get mortgage aid. An estimated 125,000 Californians who are struggling with risky mortgages from Countrywide Financial Corp. may get their loans modified and payments reduced under a program…

• Wells Fargo, Citigroup in tug of war over Wachovia. Wachovia and Citigroup lawyers spent the weekend in state and federal courts, sparring about Wachovia's decision Friday to break off its engagement with Citigroup after…

• Economy: One hurdle down, many more to go. The extraordinary $700 billion financial rescue plan that President Bush signed into law Friday will begin the process of healing a battered financial system. But…

05

• $10.1-trillion national debt? Let's cut taxes!. Even before the current financial crisis, a federal budget deficit of nearly $500 billion was projected for next year. Now an additional $700 billion has…

04

• Rescue sweetened with tax incentives. The House of Representatives yesterday approved $107 billion in tax breaks for businesses and consumers as part of a sweeping financial rescue package designed to…

• New law seeks to limit executive compensation. In the first significant attempt by Congress to legislate executive pay, the $700 billion financial rescue plan signed into law yesterday includes efforts to rein…