Headline News Archive

2012

February

06

• Deal is closer for a U.S. plan on mortgage relief. With a deadline looming on Monday for state officials to sign onto a landmark multibillion-dollar settlement to address foreclosure abuses, the Obama administration is close…

04

• A dream of homeownership, still beyond reach. Like many young married people, Steve and Logan Kinney dream of owning a home. So after several years of diligent saving, the couple, both teachers,…

02

• Obama announces home refinancing plan. President Obama on Wednesday made his latest pitch to lift the nation’s beleaguered housing market, unveiling a series of proposals to help struggling borrowers reduce…

01

• America is becoming a nation of renters. There was fresh data from the government Tuesday showing that the American dream of owning a home is fading fast. The share of all U.S.…

January

31

• N.C. bank commissioner to oversee foreclosure settlement. North Carolina Bank Commissioner Joseph Smith will serve as a monitor to make sure the nation’s largest banks abide by the terms of a multibillion-dollar…

30

• Freddie Mac bets against homeowners. Freddie Mac, the taxpayer-owned mortgage giant, has placed multibillion-dollar bets that pay off if homeowners stay trapped in expensive mortgages with interest rates well above…

• Who benefits from possible $25B mortgage settlement?. After nearly a year of negotiations, federal and state officials and major mortgage servicers are moving closer to amultibillion-dollar settlement over alleged foreclosure and mortgage…

29

• Homeowner wins back her house after fighting foreclosure. Foreclosure commonly represents the end of a struggle. A borrower can't pay a mortgage, loses a home and moves on. But Karen Mena, a 38-year-old…

26

• Obama initiatives to address foreclosure crisis face hurdles. Two new initiatives from President Obama to address the foreclosure crisis — more help for struggling homeowners and aggressive investigations of financial firms — face…

25

• President to offer way for easing home debt. The White House plans to propose legislation that could allow a few million homeowners to reduce monthly mortgage payments by refinancing their current loans into…

24

• Settlement with mortgage lenders "inadequate". As Obama administration officials pushed Monday toward finalizing a deal with the nation’s largest banks over widespread foreclosure abuses, they encountered a fresh wave of…

19

• Mortgage settlement deal "very close". The federal government is "very close" to a settlement with mortgage servicers that could help a million homeowners by reducing what they owe on their…

18

• Families fighting for their homes. With more than 200,000 households receiving foreclosure notices each month, there are bound to be a few mistakes. But for some unlucky homeowners, these blunders…

17

• Credit card debt drops. Consumers whacked down credit card debt by 11% last year, and average debt loads dropped in every state. The average credit card balance for 2011…

13

• Credit score zealots pursue fool’s errand over 800. eff Rose, a 33-year-old financial planner, is trying to improve his credit score even though it’s 780, which is 69 points above the median score.…

• Foreclosure reviews to take longer than expected. Reviews of hundreds of thousands of foreclosure cases ordered by regulators last year will take months longer to complete than first expected, according to documents…

12

• Foreclosures expected to rise, pushing home prices lower. California and other states are likely to see an enormous wave of long-delayed foreclosure action in the coming year as banks deal more aggressively with…

11

• Big banks face inquiry over home insurance. A New York State financial services agency is investigating several large banks to see whether they fraudulently steered homeowners into overpriced insurance policies. The investigation…

07

• Buying or selling a home in 2012? Here’s what you need to know.. Matthew Branch and his wife Rachel Sayre decided to finally put down roots in Washington. After several months of searching for a house, the couple…

05

• Harder for Americans to rise from lower rungs. Benjamin Franklin did it. Henry Ford did it. And American life is built on the faith that others can do it, too: rise from humble…

• Home repairs: Knowing when you can do it yourself. In times of economic hardship, "do-it-yourself" is a tempting mantra for many homeowners with dripping faucets, running toilets, leaky windows or sticky locks. The savings…

• Obama appoints Cordray to head consumer watchdog bureau. In a bold act of political defiance, President Obama installed Richard Cordray as head of a new consumer watchdog agency Wednesday, bypassing Republican opposition in…

01

• Consumer protection made big gains in 2011. The last year was a remarkable one for consumer protection. Among the wins: A new watchdog agency opened for business, regulators cracked down on a…

2011

December

29

• Incandescent light bulb phaseout begins Jan. 1. The nation's light bulbs begin facing new efficiency and labeling standards starting Jan. 1, but don't expect old-fashioned incandescents to suddenly disappear from store shelves.…

22

• Victims in Countrywide mortgage case could get thousands. Consumers who were victims of mortgage discrimination could get anywhere from $500 to thousands of dollars each as a result of a settlement announced Wednesday…