News

2020

May

30

• How automated background checks freeze out renters. Regulators forced credit bureaus to follow standards for matching records to a person, and the kinds of records the bureaus can legally report are limited. Rules for employment screening, which some of the tenant-screening firms

29

• How to prepare your dog to be left at home (again). Whether your dog is new or old, these tips will help ease its transition from lockdown to normal life.

• Faulty automated background checks freeze out renters. Computer algorithms that scan everything from terror watch lists to eviction records spit out flawed tenant screening reports. And almost nobody is watching.

28

• California should reframe oversight agency to protect consumers. The proposal to reposition the state Department of Business Oversight with a focus on consumer protection made sense even before the coronavirus pandemic began causing millions of Californians to lose their jobs, undermining their ability

• Houston becomes largest U.S. city where evictions can resume. Evictions are expected to skyrocket in Texas where the state Supreme Court has lifted a moratorium on evictions and unemployment has risen to historic levels amid the coronavirus pandemic.

27

• The latest trend in vacation rentals: long-term stays. Like a barbershop newly opened from lockdown, vacation properties are experiencing a surge of bookings. But instead of a week or two on the beach, people are looking for a month or more.

• What HOAs should do when residents can’t pay during pandemic. Here are some approaches that may balance the needs of a homeowners association against those of owners who fail to make required payments during these difficult times.

• Lanzan alivio monetario de rentas para residentes, ahora en la ciudad de Los Ángeles a partir de…. Así como el condado de Los Ángeles ofrece asistencia monetaria a sus residentes de las comunidades no incorporadas, ahora la ciudad de Los Ángeles le sigue el ejemplo anunciando una nueva ayuda

26

• Homeowners are getting mortgage relief they didn't want. Homeowners have swarmed servicers' web sites and phone lines in search of information about mortgage forbearances, which allow them to suspend mortgage payments for up to a year. And now there are more than 4 million

22

• Pandemic makes evident 'grotesque' gender inequality in household work. COVID-19 has transformed home life — turning kitchen tables into home offices and classrooms and putting a spotlight on the countless household tasks typically performed by women. Brigid Schulte says the pandemic has laid bare

21

• Mortgage relief that comes with a $4,000 bill. Borrowers with privately held mortgages don’t have the same options as those with government-backed loans. Some are being told they can skip payments, if they make them up all at once.

20

• La llamada a cancelar la renta se centra en caseros que son grandes corporaciones. A partir del día 22 vuelve la demanda de cientos de miles de inquilinos...

19

• Far-right CFPB task force threatens consumer protection. As unemployment approaches levels last seen during the Great Depression, and requests for mortgage forbearance increase every week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proceeded doggedly ahead in undermining consumer protection. The CFPB has

• New deferral option for those who can’t make mortgage payments. Many struggling homeowners who are delaying their mortgage payments through so-called forbearance programs will get a new repayment option, allowing them to make missed payments when the home is sold or the loan term is

• In financial trouble? Track everything companies tell you. One unfortunate lesson from recessions past is that companies and consumers often disagree about what help they settled on and under what terms. Can you really, truly skip mortgage payments without triggering foreclosure proceedings? Which

11

• Financial watchdog’s conflicted task force earning top dollar. A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau task force that has been criticized in the past for its pro-business leanings stands to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars to offer advice on how to “harmonize and

• Economic pain could persist even after pandemic is contained. Plunging revenue at many businesses, whether they close or not, could ripple through the economy and block a quick return to prosperity.

• As banks stumble in delivering aid, Congress weighs other options. When the federal government agreed to funnel $2.2 trillion in emergency aid to Americans devastated by the economic shutdown, the nation’s banks were given a central role. There were three main prongs of relief

09

• You can check your credit files once a week for free. The three major credit-reporting agencies are making it easy for you to track what’s happening to your credit history in real time. You can now access your credit files for Equifax, Experian, and

08

• A guide to staying safe as states open. Can I eat at a restaurant? Can I go shopping? Can I hug my friends again? Experts weigh in.