News

2007

November

04

• Struggling with less. Layoffs and subsequent lower-paying jobs have taken a toll on Terri and Kevin Beirne of Orlando, Fla. Four years ago, they both were laid off briefly within a few weeks of each other. They missed

02

• New York sues appraiser in mortgage loan probe. New York's attorney general sued one of the country's largest mortgage appraisers yesterday for inflating house values, saying it would be the first in a series of cases to attack what he said were pervasive

October

31

• Fed cuts key rate another quarter-point. The Federal Reserve cut a key short-term interest rate by a quarter-point to 4.5% on Wednesday, seeking to support troubled financial markets and shore up the collapsing housing sector. The central bank also warned markets not

30

• Countrywide CEO: More trouble ahead for housing market. The chief executives of Countrywide Financial (CFC) and KB Home (KBH) predicted more trouble ahead for the nation's slumping housing market on Monday, calling on lawmakers to expand financing for home buyers. The remarks from

• Viviendas: Horizonte pesimista. Ante la caída en los precios de la vivienda en Estados Unidos, que ha afectado en particular a California, las perspectivas no son optimistas. Al ser cuestionado directamente sobre si el peor momento ya

29

• Lead threat to kids can be at home. The house is not the biggest on the block, but Blanca de la Cruz's brick bungalow, on a quiet street south of downtown Milwaukee, is swept and tidy, with twin pots of vivid pink petunias

• Federal government pushed on Plain English. Gobbledygook. It's the stuff of government. Maybe its No. 1 export. Now, a first-term House member, Bruce Braley (D-Iowa), wants to do away with the wordy, pompous and confusing forms and memos that spew out of

27

• FHA reform: Stuck in neutral?. Distress in the mortgage market is generating a wave of relief bills on Capitol Hill, including one that would allow homeowners to tap into their retirement accounts - penalty-free - to bring their loans current

26

• Latinos reciben poca información hipotecaria. Varios legisladores advirtieron ayer en el Congreso acerca de la necesidad de una mejor información para los hispanos a la hora de comprar una casa y recomendaron a los actores en este mercado que

24

• Insurance claims could haunt houses. If past history is any measure, many homeowners affected by the wildfires burning throughout Southern California will find that claims they submit to insurers will result in higher rates or even dropped policies. What they,

• Countrywide To Offer To Rework 82,000 Loans. Countrywide Financial, the nation's largest mortgage lender, said yesterday that it will offer to refinance or modify about $16 billion in home loans through the end of 2008, a move that could affect 82,000 borrowers. Lenders have come

• Consumer/civil liberties response to housing bill. WASHINGTON, DC – October 24, 2007 - A coalition of consumer groups who work on housing and predatory lending issues released a statement today in reaction to legislation* introduced by Reps. Brad Miller (D-NC), Mel Watt (D-NC) and

• Countrywide anuncia ayuda a sus clientes. Countrywide Financial, la empresa de préstamos hipotecarios más grande de Estados Unidos, dijo este martes que ofreció a unos 82 mil de sus clientes —cuyas tasas de interés deben ser ajustadas a fines

23

• Bill would tighten mortgage lending standards. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, yesterday unveiled legislation aimed at curbing abusive lending practices that, he said, have fueled an alarming rise in foreclosures. The long-expected bill, which was immediately criticized

• Bill seeks to curb abusive mortgage lending. A leading House Democrat took on the banking industry Monday with a bill to restrict lending practices partly blamed for the nationwide surge in mortgage defaults and foreclosures. The legislation introduced by Rep. Barney Frank,

• Largest lender to redo $16B in loans. Countrywide Financial plans to announce Tuesday that it will restructure or refinance $16 billion in adjustable-rate mortgages that have recently reset to higher rates or will reset by the end of next year, stretching some homeowners

• Criticism rains down on mortgage industry. Chetera Miller, a credit counselor for Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, has noticed that lenders are becoming more willing to cut deals with delinquent borrowers. She's been able to help eight homeowners restructure their loans

22

• Buyers pounce on foreclosures. MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 21 — In a down real estate market, they came to buy. They came early, they came in numbers and they came with bank checks for $5,000. By 10 a.m. Saturday, more than 700 people filled a

• Algunos incentivos para atraer compradores. Ya no basta colgar un aviso en la ventana o fijar un anuncio frente a la propiedad. Vender una casa o apartamento en un mercado saturado de propiedades que están a la venta, es

21

• Serious about budgeting? Here's how. Sometimes the standard prescription for trimming a budget doesn't produce the desired results. So what do you do if you're still broke after fewer lattes and no more Chinese takeout? It's a question that a