Headline News Archive

2010

July

21

• Next focus of reform: Housing finance. After President Obama signs into law an overhaul of financial regulation at a ceremony set for Wednesday, his administration will turn to reforming an area

19

• Fannie Mae gets tough on 'strategic' mortgage defaults. Borrowers who walk away from mortgages they can afford to pay — making "strategic defaults" — are running increasing risks that they'll be penalized for doing so.

17

• Three auto dealer tactics the overhaul missed. Sometime next week, President Obama will finally sign a financial reform bill. Plenty of banks will have to deal with messy new rules, but one

• Short list emerges for consumer guardian. The Obama administration, savoring Congressional approval of a far-reaching financial regulation bill, now faces a crucial choice over who will lead the powerful new consumer

16

• El Senado aprueba reforma financiera en nuevo triunfo para Obama. El Senado de Estados Unidos confirmó este jueves un nuevo y crucial triunfo político para el presidente Barack Obama a pocos meses de elecciones

15

• Passage of financial reform is only half the battle. The Senate's expected approval of financial regulatory reform this week closes more than a year of partisan wrangling over how to prevent a future economic

• Foreclosures could top 1 million homes in 2010. More than 1 million U.S. households could lose their homes to foreclosure this year, as lenders work their way through a huge backlog of borrowers

13

• Wall Street reform and the price of milk. Congress is expected to finally pass the massive Wall Street reform bill later this week. And the lobbyists have already moved on to their next

• Financial regulation bill nears finish line. Two key Republicans said Monday that they plan to support a far-reaching bill to overhaul financial regulations, all but ensuring that the landmark legislation will

• Smaller cable TV packages good for consumers. Looks like the cable industry is finally responding to the threat of cut-rate online alternatives such as YouTube and Hulu. No, that doesn't mean cable

12

• More Americans' credit scores sink to new lows. The credit scores of millions more Americans are sinking to new lows. Figures provided by FICO Inc. show that 25.5 percent of consumers — nearly 43.4 million people —

11

• Mortgage investors turn to state courts for relief. Investors who lost billions on boatloads of faulty mortgage securities have had a hard time holding Wall Street accountable for selling the things in the

10

• Fannie Mae calls for experienced appraisers. Picture this: You've signed a contract to sell your house. Your buyers say they have nailed down the right mortgage. All is well. But then

05

• Loan giants opt to block energy loans. Two government-chartered mortgage finance companies are unlikely to accept loans on homes that are part of a special program that lets homeowners repay the cost

04

• The hard work falls to the regulators. Robert Temple doesn't look obscenely rich. He's got big glasses and a thick walrus mustache. He does not wear bling. And the fact of the

03

• Changes in mobile home lending. Mobile homes may not be a staple of the New York City housing market, but nationally last year they made up nearly a quarter of

• When borrowers can pay but don't. With tougher mortgage underwriting rules a virtual certainty under Congress's financial reform legislation, lenders have begun confronting still another vexing issue: Can homebuyers who have

01

• Loan giants threaten energy-efficiency programs. The Obama administration is devoting $150 million in stimulus money for programs that help homeowners install solar panels and other energy improvements, which they pay for

• Lower your credit card bill fast. We here at WalletPop have spent plenty of time telling you about the big changes you can make to pare down your credit card debt

• Financial reform bill passes U.S. House. The House on Wednesday approved the most sweeping rewrite of financial rules since the Great Depression, and last-minute changes this week appeared to solidify support

June

29

• What Wall Street reform means for your mortgage. Predatory lending would likely become a thing of the past if proposed regulatory reform rules are put into practice. And that may mean that mortgages

27

• Caring for seniors' financial health. When we talk about the aging population in the United States, the conversation is often focused on who will take care of the physical needs

26

• Wave of new rules to protect consumers. The financial overhaul bill that has taken final shape would give the government a larger role in guarding the wallets of consumers — many of whom,

• Overhaul adds consumer help. The massive financial overhaul approved by key lawmakers early Friday was hailed by many reform advocates as offering landmark protections for consumers, even as others

• Foreclosure alternative gaining favor. Short sales have been the hot solution for financially stressed homeowners and their lenders for the past year, but here's another potent foreclosure alternative that's