News

2010

April

03

• Housing tax credit moves few repeat buyers. Could Congress's ambitious second round of home purchase tax credits -- especially the $6,500 repeat-buyer credit -- turn out to be a wimp in terms of economic stimulus? With the April 30 deadline to sign home purchase

02

• Saving the house. CNN reports on a Philadelphia, PA. foreclosure diversion program that offers a lifeline to homeowners, and profiles one homeowner's experience.

March

29

• Smart meters may have security holes. SAN FRANCISCO - Computer-security researchers say new "smart" meters that are designed to help deliver electricity more efficiently also have flaws that could let hackers tamper with the power grid in previously impossible ways. At

27

• Second mortgages complicate modification relief. As government regulators and lenders work to stabilize the housing market, one of the factors that helped propel the housing boom of the past decade is now taking a central role in thwarting their efforts:

• Help for underwater homeowners?. For hundreds of thousands of homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages, it's been a tantalizing question: Is there any way that our lender might agree to lower the amount we owe - not just

25

• Underwater mortgages drain equity. When Jennifer and David Wakefield bought their home at the end of 2005, they believed its value would rise. After all, the couple they'd bought it from made a $100,000 profit in just three years. But instead,

• Financial tuneup: In a few hours unlock some cash. To be a modern American consumer is to be plagued by a never-ending, guilt-inducing stream of undone tasks. There’s the nagging feeling that you don’t have the most cost-effective plan with the cable

• BofA may trim mortgage balances. Bank of America, the nation's largest mortgage lender, announced a program Wednesday that it said could reduce the mortgage balances of about 45,000 homeowners nationwide who owe significantly more than their homes are worth. The initiative,

• Retain documents no longer than you must. I’ve long been a pack rat when it comes to saving financial documents. I have a file cabinet full of old cellphone and credit card bills, brokerage firm and bank account statements and health

24

• Whistle-Blower: Banks give homeowners the runaround (video). A vice president for one of the nation's biggest banks claims customers looking for help in lowering their mortgage payments are often told to call an 800 number -- where he says representatives then give homeowners

23

• 5 credit score killers. As banks shy away from making risky consumer loans, a mediocre credit history just won't cut it anymore. To get the best rates on mortgages, credit cards and auto loans, you need a killer score.

• Senate panel passes sweeping financial-regulation bill. The Senate banking committee voted along party lines Monday to transform the regulation of financial markets, sending another piece of far-reaching legislation to the full Senate a day after Congress approved an overhaul of the

22

• Average income tax refund jumps. The average income tax refund is up nearly 10% from a year ago, reflecting tax credits included in last year's economic stimulus package, according to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman. Vice President Biden is expected to announce

20

• When not to pay down a mortgage. his week, the Federal Reserve reaffirmed its intention to stop buying mortgage-backed securities, signaling the likelihood that the mortgage rates you can get today are as good as they’re going to be for a

• HUD clarifies rules on realty add-on fees. Does it matter whether a real estate agent charges you a flat commission rate - say 6 percent - or quotes you a flat rate but adds hundreds of dollars labeled an "admin" or administrative fee?

18

• Elizabeth Warren's fight for financial reform. Elizabeth Warren, who came to Washington in 2008 with the task of keeping tabs on the financial bailout, today faces the unthinkable: business as usual for the Wall Street firms whose dealings plunged the country into

16

• 2nd shot at financial reform still leaves loopholes. Trying to fix the broken U.S. financial system is no way to win a popularity contest. Standing by himself, Christopher Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, on Monday announced his second attempt to

14

• Dodd to unveil comprensive financial reform bill. The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee [Christopher Dodd (D-CT] will unveil on Monday a proposal to revamp the nation’s financial regulations that would empower shareholders to have advisory votes on executive pay and

13

• Tax issues on mortgage write-downs. With the Obama administration and private lenders actively considering mortgage principal-reduction programs to help financially distressed homeowners, the Internal Revenue Service has issued a new advisory to taxpayers who receive - or seek to receive

09

• Pennsylvania helps jobless homeowners. The jobless may not be getting much help from President Obama's loan modification program, but those in Pennsylvania have another place to turn. The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency offers the jobless and those suffering financial