News

2008

November

30

• Faith based coalitions push to stop foreclosures. A national coalition of faith-based organizations has launched an effort to push the federal government for a more streamlined approach to handling troubled mortgages, with the aim of keeping more owners in their homes. "Families

• Mortgage lenders become proactive. A YEAR ago, most home foreclosures were concentrated in depressed manufacturing areas of the Midwest and the speculative real estate zones of Florida, Arizona and California. Most other regions were experiencing only modest increases because

29

• Lawsuit charges mortgage raters enriched themselves. In what appears to be the first legal action of its kind, an association of community-based organizations has filed a federal civil rights complaint against two of the three largest Wall Street ratings agencies, charging

27

• Credit still harder to get even as mortgage rates fall. Mortgage rates sank again Wednesday, but investors are worried that getting a loan will still be a tough feat. The credit markets, while not as crunched as they were last week ahead of the rescue

25

• Government moves to boost spending, lower mortgages. The Federal Reserve and Treasury moved today to boost consumer spending and lower home mortgage rates, committing up to $800 billion to make it easier for households to borrow money for cars, tuition bills and new

24

• Foreclosures, delinquencies skyrocket among 'prime' borrowers. By this year, the bleeding housing market had drained the equity from Judy Jones' home in Murrieta, but her life still seemed secure. She had a government job, after all, and a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage

• Fed's role in crisis is giant, if opaque. Wall Street analysts, congressional overseers and the media have parsed every detail of the Treasury Department's financial rescue program - $250 billion and counting. Largely outside public view, however, the Federal Reserve is lending far more

23

• Tax planning at year end a tricky proposition. A new administration takes office in January promising to raise taxes on the wealthy. Then again, the weak economy and declining stock market could delay any tax changes until 2010. This makes year-end tax planning trickier

22

• The fine print of the foreclosure fight. You may have read about the latest public and private efforts to help financially distressed homeowners cope with their mortgage payments. But you might not have caught key details that could have an effect on

21

• Bay Area median price homes tumbles 41% though sales reach high (Chinese). 【明報專訊】經濟前景雖然持續不明朗，但無阻買家在三藩市灣區搶購銀主盤的熱情，推動10月的成交數字較去年急升，但受到銀主盤割價求售拖累下，灣區9縣的房屋中位價仍較去年急瀉41%。 據MDA DataQuick最新發表的房地產報告指出，灣區9縣在10月錄得的中位價，已由去年同月的631,000元下滑至375,000元，跌幅驚人。

20

• FHA relaxes rules for homeowners. The Federal Housing Administration yesterday said that after less than two months it is relaxing terms of a program designed to help troubled mortgage borrowers because so far the effort has not been effective. The

• Treasury's Bailouts Are Getting Us Chumped. I usually don't enjoy watching congressional hearings. They are often packed with blustering, long-winded, self-serving speeches that are nap-inducing. But a recent hearing before the domestic policy subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform

• Fannie y Freddie suspendieron embargos. Los organismos estadounidenses de refinanciamiento hipotecario Fannie Mae y Freddie Mac anunciaron el jueves la suspensión hasta el 9 de enero de los embargos de viviendas de propietarios incapaces de reembolsar sus préstamos inmobiliarios.

• Objetivos financieros para mujeres. Como mujer, probablemente vivirás más tiempo, ganarás menos dinero y tendrás acceso más limitado a un seguro de salud que un hombre. Estos tres factores pueden convertir en una tarea

18

• States lend a hand to avoid home foreclosures. States and local governments are stepping up help for residents coping with foreclosures and job losses amid a sinking economy. New assistance efforts range from laws that give homeowners time to renegotiate loans to job

17

• Forecasters view economy deteriorating rapidly. WASHINGTON — Forecasters' views of the economy are deteriorating rapidly, with economists now expecting job losses to be deeper and last longer and consumers to cut back spending at a far more rapid pace than earlier

• Americans are trying to save. Spendthrift (spend' thrift') n. a person who spends money carelessly; squanderer. Frugal (froo' gel) adj. not wasteful; not spending freely; thrifty. As economic news has worsened and recession appears inevitable, Americans' spending habits have swung

16

• Downturn drags more consumers into bankruptcy. The economy’s deep troubles are pushing a growing number of already struggling consumers into bankruptcy, often with far more debt than those who filed in previous downturns. Plummeting home values, dwindling incomes and the

• Closed funds now open to new investors. For more than 25 years, the highly regarded Sequoia Fund was closed to new investors. But this past spring, the mutual fund once again flung open its doors to bring in more assets. Sequoia has plenty

• Know before you borrow mortgage money. Exotic mortgages, as well as some lenders, are a thing of the past. But the need to borrow to buy a home is very much present. The lending landscape keeps changing fast, economists, mortgage brokers