Headline News Archive

2010

June

13

• Vigilance is key to protecting your credit. If you're even slightly concerned about the privacy of your personal information, Jim Stickley is your worst nightmare. The chief technology officer of TraceSecurity, a…

• Study says math deficiencies increase foreclosure risk. If you can’t divide 300 by 2, should you qualify for a loan? That is one of the questions raised by a new study led…

12

• Confusion over estate tax keeps advisors busy. The disappearance of the federal estate tax this year has created confusion and frustration among the wealthy, even among those who stand to benefit from…

11

• Lawmakers consider home tax credit extension. Homebuyers may get an extra three months to finish qualifying for federal tax incentives that boosted home sales this spring. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid,…

10

• FTC wins Countrywide settlement, but celebrates too early. It's an all-too-familiar Washington story. Officials call a news conference to pat themselves on the back for righting a wrong they shouldn't have allowed in…

08

• Debt-settlement companies draw increasing criticism. The ads are ubiquitous, and for consumers awash in debt, nearly impossible to ignore: Reduce your credit card bills 50%! Avoid bankruptcy! The relief is…

• Countrywide customers to be repaid $108 million for overcharges. Bank of America, owner of former mortgage giant Countrywide Financial, will pay $108 million in refunds to hundreds of thousands of homeowners under one of…

06

• Who's checking your credit report?. Dear Liz: As part of our mortgage refinance, my wife and I were provided copies of our credit reports and scores by the credit union…

• The new 20-year mortgage. MOST people who took out jumbo mortgages during the financial crisis got hit with high interest rates as lenders and investors recoiled from anything that…

05

• A last push for consumer watchdog. As lawmakers in the House and the Senate iron out differences between their far-reaching new financial regulations, consumer advocates are waging a final, fervent push…

• Consumers stand to gain the most from financial overhaul. Though the Wall Street and banking features of the giant financial industry overhaul bill taking shape on Capitol Hill have drawn most of the attention,…

03

• Should you rent or buy?. Is it better to buy or rent in Omaha, Neb.? If you guessed buy, you'd be wrong. According to the new Trulia Rent vs. Buy…

• An air conditioner feels great but can cost you: Try these tips. Temperatures aren't the only numbers that climb in the summer. With air conditioners on full blast, so do energy bills. Cooling costs run the average…

01

• Owners stop paying mortgages, and stop fretting. For Alex Pemberton and Susan Reboyras, foreclosure is becoming a way of life — something they did not want but are in no hurry to…

May

30

• Study assisted-living options for aging parents. The residents at the assisted-living facility looked so frail, many sitting in wheelchairs or hunched over their walkers, making their way slowly along the hallways.…

29

• FHA to halve concessions for mortgage loan sellers. One of the key attractions of FHA mortgage financing is going, going -- but not quite gone. Sellers and buyers who move fast can still…

28

• After foreclosure: How long until you can buy again?. Walking away from a mortgage you can still afford to pay has consequences; everyone knows that. Your credit score is shot and it can be…

• More homeowners turn to mediation after foreclosure. When Mark Weeks was laid off from his $90,000-a-year construction job 2½ years ago,he vowed to hang onto his family's house here, where he'd lived…

23

• Documents you need to save or purge while getting organized. Save it or toss it? It's a question we face whenever confronted with canceled checks, utility bills, ATM and credit card receipts, 401(k) statements —…

22

• How the finance bill affects consumers. For consumers trying to figure out what the financial overhaul bill means for them, the legislation the Senate passed Thursday offers some tantalizing possibilities. Merchants…

20

• Financial regulation is stalled in Senate. Two Senate Democrats broke party ranks Wednesday to block an effort to wrap up debate on landmark legislation to overhaul the nation's financial regulation, potentially…

18

• Senate votes for a clear credit score. Anyone rejected for a credit card, car loan or department store charge account has most likely discovered a frustrating aspect of the government-mandated, free credit…

• Senate gets ready to act on financial regulations. Democratic leaders gave notice late Monday that they intend to wind down the weeks-long debate over new financial regulations, even as lawmakers continued to churn…

• Spike in homeowners losing mortgage aid. Homeowners taking advantage of mortgage aid under a federal foreclosure-prevention plan are being dropped from the program at an increasing rate, potentially forcing more borrowers…

17

• Financial overhaul plans remain mostly intact. The Senate this week could hand President Obama his second major legislative victory of the year, both on administration priorities that seemed in doubt not…