News

2008

August

14

• Mortgage insurers' losses mount. Large mortgage insurers have reported $2.6 billion in losses so far this year, sparking concerns that rising foreclosure rates could force the industry into a money crunch and ultimately make the home-buying process even more difficult.

• Crece cifra de hogares en ejecución hipotecaria. El número de hogares en EE.UU. en proceso de ejecución hipotecaria aumentó en julio un ocho frente al mes anterior y un 55 por ciento con respecto a hace un año, informó

13

• El robo de identidad para trabajar. El robo de identidad es uno de los crímenes de mayor crecimiento en Estados Unidos durante los últimos años y los hispanos no sólo no son ajenos al problema, sino que lo

12

• The next wave of mortgage defaults. Prime mortgages are starting to default at disturbingly high rates - a development that threatens to slow any potential housing recovery. The delinquency rate for prime mortgages worth less than $417,000 was 2.44% in May, compared with 1.38%

11

• Cash strapped states quicker to grab unclaimed funds. Faced with swelling budget deficits, a growing number of states are taking control of unclaimed property — such as bank accounts and traveler's checks — sooner. Generally, states can seize abandoned property if the owners fail to

• Los bancos restringen el crédito. Los bancos de EU están restringiendo desde abril la concesión de créditos a empresas y particulares, al tiempo que están subiendo las ejecuciones hipotecarias y las cesaciones de pago, indicó la

10

• Credit card industry faces reforms. Stricter regulation of the credit card industry will probably be approved by the end of the year, consumer advocates, members of Congress and banking officials said as the comment period on the Federal Reserve's proposed

• Help for seniors with reverse mortgages. There's a lot to digest in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. I've addressed a few provisions of the new law already, and over the next several weeks I'll continue to comment on various

09

• The case for a new national frugality. Oil prices are plunging and the stocks in your 401(k) retirement account are rebounding. Time to fire up the SUV, head to the mall and whip out that credit card? That's what automakers, retailers, restaurateurs

• Living simply provides economic shelter. Keri Rainsberger isn't rich. She works in the nonprofit world for a relatively low-profit salary. Yet, as many Americans are scrimping for every penny, she hardly feels the pinch. She still tithes 10% of her income

• Bill would narrow second home tax loophole. Deep in the nearly 700 pages of the new housing bill is a complicated change in the tax code that could affect substantial numbers of people who purchase second homes or investment real estate in the

• Your first negotiation: The agent's commission. Home sellers could save money by thinking of real estate commissions as an agent's asking price. It's something that's open to negotiation. A new survey shows that sellers who were successful in negotiating lower commissions

03

• Don't fall for the mortgage rip offs. A little-known provision in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, recently signed into law by President Bush, is supposed to help home buyers understand how much debt they are taking on to purchase their home.

02

• Housing tax credit is free $7,500 loan. Anyone who has been hesitant about jumping into real estate until conditions settle down should keep in mind these dates: April 9, 2008, through June 30, 2009. They mark the eligibility time span for the home-purchase tax credit created

01

• 'Serious times' for new federal housing agency. The director of the new agency regulating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac told hundreds of his employees yesterday that they face a difficult task in addressing the challenges that have rocked the two housing finance

July

31

• Housing tax 'credit' is really a loan. There's been a lot of discussion about how much the new housing bill passed by Congress will help individuals facing foreclosure. Some will be able to keep their homes, to be sure. But there's a

• Bush enacts law to ease home crisis. President Bush yesterday signed two of the most significant measures of his presidency -- one the most sweeping housing legislation in decades and the other an extension of his massive global program to combat AIDS

30

• Mortgage applications hit a 2008 low despite lower rates. Mortgage application volume tumbled 14.1% the week ended July 25, hitting its lowest level of the year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's weekly application survey. The number of applications fell even though interest rates on fixed-rate

28

• Housing rescue bill may fall short. Is it a remedy for the worst housing slump the nation has suffered in decades? Or merely a taxpayer-funded bailout that will fail to reverse the plunge in home prices, the surge in foreclosures and

• ¿A quién ayudará la ley de rescate?. El Senado de Estados Unidos aprobó el proyecto de ley que busca apuntalar al sector hipotecario y que autorizaría préstamos por miles de millones de dólares a las empresas hipotecarias Fannie Mae