News

2009

February

03

• Despite federal aid, many banks fail to lend. The federal government has invested almost $200 billion in U.S. banks over the last three months to spark new lending to consumers and businesses. So far, it hasn't worked. Lending has declined, and banks that

• A band-aid on the foreclosure problem?. Many homeowners who have been given a break on their troubled mortgages quickly end up in trouble again, a growing problem that is bedeviling efforts to stem rising foreclosure rates. A recent study by the

02

• Give bankruptcy judges a chance to fix home loan. You know you're in a tight spot when Bankruptcy Court begins to look like the least bad solution to a pressing economic problem. But the housing foreclosure situation is pretty ugly, so there we are.

• Economic fears have families on verge of unraveling. Signs abound that the battered economy is causing serious damage to the mental health and family lives of a growing number of Americans. Requests for therapists have soared, Americans say they're stressed out, and domestic-violence

January

31

• Getting homebuyers off the fence. If you would love to purchase a new house but you're sitting on the fence, what exactly would it take to get you to buy? Mortgage rates lower than today's 5 percent range? Smaller down payments?

• New credit-rating model is coming. Fair Isaac Corp. said Thursday that TransUnion LLC, one of the three major credit bureaus, will offer the credit-rating company's new model for evaluating borrowers' ability to repay lenders. The FICO 08 score, introduced by Fair

30

• 2008-2009 Winter Issue: Dealing With Debt. The Dealing With Debt Issue of Consumer Action News focuses on the current state of indebtedness in the U.S. and how consumers can take charge and avoid long-term financial damage.

• 2008-2009 Winter Issue: Dealing With Debt. The Dealing With Debt Issue of Consumer Action News focuses on the current state of indebtedness in the U.S. and how consumers can take charge and avoid long-term financial damage.

• 2008-2009 Winter Issue: Dealing With Debt. The Dealing With Debt Issue of Consumer Action News focuses on the current state of indebtedness in the U.S. and how consumers can take charge and avoid long-term financial damage.

• Obama, Congress seek deal on economic stimulus. Republicans in the U.S. Senate accepted on Thursday President Barack Obama's offer to search for a compromise on an economic stimulus bill that could end up costing around $900 billion, as long as tax cuts

29

• U.S. aid now goes to credit unions. The federal government yesterday expanded its bailout to another vulnerable sector, saying it will inject $1 billion into a nonprofit company that provides banking services to the credit union industry. The government also will guarantee tens

• Bailout oversight panel calls for regulation. A congressional panel overseeing the government's financial bailout has concluded that the economic crisis could have been prevented with better regulation and called for a raft of proposals to overhaul government oversight of the financial

• Cámara aprobó plan de estímulo. La Cámara de Representantes aprobó este miércoles un paquete de estímulo económico por $819 mil millones crucial para el plan del presidente Barack Obama encaminado a reanimar la economía. Críticas

27

• Fannie Mae to seek funds from Treasury. Fannie Mae said yesterday that it expects to request up to $16 billion from the Treasury Department, marking the first time the federally run mortgage giant will tap the government's largesse. Freddie Mac has already received $13.8

26

• Riding out the recession. "Riding out the Recession" is a special feature of the Baltimore Sun, containing stories about money management, budgeting and getting the most for your money.

• Que los jueces decidan normas de hipotecas. La mayoría de los legisladores demócratas dicen que la forma más rápida de salvar a dueños de propiedades como Troy Butler, de Saginaw, Michigan, que no pueden pagar sus hipotecas,

• New doubts about annuities. Retirement investors have long viewed annuities as an effective way to protect their nest egg. But the recent financial crisis has highlighted an inherent paradox: While annuities offer safety and guarantees, their benefits are tied

• ¿Está tu casa bien asegurada?. Muchas empresas van más allá del costo de reemplazo y ofrecen lo que se conoce en inglés como el extended replacement cost o costo de reemplazo extendido. Esto quiere decir que la empresa

24

• Homebuyer tax credit worth its name. Should you give the $7,500 home-buyer tax credit a second look? Now that Congress might be on the verge of transforming it into a true tax credit - one that never has to be paid back

22

• Hispanos sufren por crisis de viviendas. Los hispanos, los negros y las personas de edad avanzada han sufrido de manera desproporcionada la crisis de vivienda en Estados Unidos, indica un análisis con base a información de la Oficina del