Headline News Archive

2010

September

02

• Communities get first shot at foreclosed homes. Major mortgage lenders will now give state and local governments the right to buy foreclosed properties before they go on the market, giving them "a…

01

• Home prices rise in June, but a drop may be looming. A closely watched national index showed Tuesday that home prices rose in June, the last month that a federal tax credit probably boosted sales. Many…

August

31

• Time to refinance? Rates hit record lows. For anyone under the age of 57, mortgage rates are at the lowest point ever in their lifetime. This fact isn't lost on a growing…

• Thinking of raiding your 401(k)? Don't. It's no secret that millions of Americans haven't saved enough to finance a comfortable retirement. Now comes even more worrisome news: Thousands of workers are…

• Survey: Mortgage closing costs 37% higher. A new federal rule this year requiring mortgage lenders to give borrowers reliable estimates of closing costs appears to be working — whether it's also…

30

• Banks help more homeowners than Obama. Remember how everyone complained that banks weren't doing enough to help troubled borrowers? Well ... Banks have realized that foreclosing on home after home after…

27

• Remodeling your home? Get online. Home improvement is one of the fastest-growing segments of e-commerce. But the consequences of a bad decision when it comes to finding a contractor or…

• Foreclosures fall, but early delinquencies rise. The foreclosure crisis might have finally peaked in the first half of this year, but with the continued weakness in the economy and the recent…

26

• Quest for the perfect credit score. A major league pitcher dreams of throwing a perfect game. High schoolers eyeing the Ivy League study furiously in hopes of earning 2400 on the…

• Equity in your home doesn't translate to net worth. I have my own spin to put on the news that sales of existing homes plunged 27 percent in July: Stop thinking of your home…

21

• US mortgage relief effort falling short. The Obama administration’s mortgage relief program, originally intended to shield three million households from foreclosure, now looks as if it will permanently help as few…

• Consumers clamoring for a leader in Warren. So it turns out that the Elizabeth Warren rap video that went “viral” this week is actually a made-in-Hollywood production. You know the video, don’t…

• Ban on private transfer fees could cost homeowners. A federal agency is moving to prohibit controversial "private transfer fees" on all mortgages funded by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But its proposed ban…

18

• U.S. role at heart of housing debate. Top Obama administration officials opened a conference on the future of housing by making clear Tuesday they are considering a limited range of options that…

17

• Fed adopts rules meant to protect homebuyers. The Federal Reserve on Monday moved to end a controversial lending practice that had helped propel the housing boom to unsustainable heights and then accelerated…

16

• Second credit report not required for mortgages. Mortgage giant Fannie Mae said Friday that lenders who sell mortgages to the company are not required to run a second credit report before a…

• Shorter-term mortgages gain favor for refinancing. More homeowners are refinancing into shorter-term loans, saving a bundle by taking advantage of the lowest mortgage rates in decades. Nearly a third of borrowers…

15

• In this play, one role is enough. Meet Brad Miller, a Democratic representative from North Carolina who was elected to Congress in 2002, talks straight and understands how big banks can put…

14

• Beware of 'virtual staging' makeovers. Try to picture this real estate scenario -- virtually. Like most shoppers searching for a home, you start on the Web, checking out listings and…

13

• Elizabeth Warren: poised to become borrower's best friend. Somewhere along the line, Elizabeth Warren became a symbol. She's either the plain-spoken, supremely smart crusader for middle-class families that her supporters adore, or she's…

12

• Borrowers refuse to pay billions in home equity. During the great housing boom, homeowners nationwide borrowed a trillion dollars from banks, using the soaring value of their houses as security. Now the money…

• U.S. plans more aid for jobless homeowners. In an acknowledgment that the foreclosure crisis is far from over, the Obama administration on Wednesday pumped $3 billion into programs intended to stop the…

11

• Short sales soar in California, U.S.. Sales of homes for less than the amount of their outstanding mortgage debt have tripled since 2008, particularly in California and the Sunbelt, according to…

• Feds rethink policies that encourage home ownership. Just how much should Uncle Sam do to help Americans buy their own homes? For 70 years — and for the last 15 in particular…

09

• Angry customers venting online. You've been cheated or mistreated by a business, and no one from the company seems to care. Now what? Thousands of jilted consumers have turned…