Headline News Archive

2010

February

14

• Money matters in a marriage. The recession has unearthed another economic truism: Having a sound financial marriage is as romantic as roses and chocolate. Money definitely matters for contemporary American

• Refinancing unavailable for many borrowers. The refinancing wave that swept the nation when mortgage rates hit historic lows last year is petering out, leaving behind millions of homeowners who could

13

• Home equity is rising again. With all the bad news about underwater homeowners and strategic walkaways, you might think that American homeowners' equity holdings are in the tank. But the

11

• Softer exits than foreclosure. Seeking alternatives to the nation's struggling foreclosure prevention efforts, federal and mortgage industry officials increasingly are looking for ways to get distressed borrowers to leave

09

• Resources for dealing with mortgage servicers. Having trouble with your mortgage servicer? Fear not, homeowner: There are a number of steps you can take when locking horns with the company that

• Credit unions seek more business loans. The names of small businesses seeking loans are scrawled across a whiteboard in the Bethesda offices of Mid-Atlantic Financial Partners: A Denny's franchisee with plans

07

• Paying your credit card bill before the mortgage. My grandmother Big Mama had a key financial rule that I've followed throughout my life. You can manage without a telephone, she would say. You

04

• State Farm cancels thousands in Florida. The largest homeowners insurer in Florida is canceling the policies of 125,000 of its most vulnerable customers beginning Aug. 1, halfway through the 2010 hurricane season. The company,

03

• Lost your house - but still have to pay?. As terrible as it is to lose your house to foreclosure, at least it's a relief to put your biggest financial headache behind you, right?

• No help in sight, more homeowners walk away. In 2006, Benjamin Koellmann bought a condominium in Miami Beach. By his calculation, it will be about the year 2025 before he can sell his modest home

01

• Do you use more energy than your neighbors?. More than 1 million U.S. households now receive reports on how their energy consumption compares with their neighbors as utilities encourage conservation, some with smiley

January

31

• Tax breaks 101. This may be the tax season where even die-hard do-it-yourselfers break down and hire a preparer or at the very least invest in some tax

30

• FHA suspends anti-flipping rules to boost foreclosure sales. Call it three birds with one stone: The federal government hopes to help low-down-payment home buyers, investors who fix up foreclosures, and communities burdened with

28

• Ameriquest settles predatory lending lawsuits. Agreeing to settle 29 class-action lawsuits alleging predatory lending, the Ameriquest group of subprime lenders has pledged $22 million to repay aggrieved borrowers and their lawyers --

• California mortgage defaults drop. The Obama administration's $75-billion program to help troubled borrowers hold on to their homes appears to be keeping more California families out of foreclosure, data

26

• Mortgage 'relief' leads to foreclosure notice. For nine months, Deb Franklin said, she did exactly what JP Morgan Chase and President Barack Obama told her to do. She made her mortgage

24

• A new take on mortgage refinancing. Searching for home mortgage rates online often means submitting information to a Web site, then withstanding a flurry of calls and e-mail messages from brokers

23

• Guidance on tax credit for repeat home buyers. If you've been holding back on getting involved with the new $6,500 federal tax credit for repeat home purchases, there's no more excuse for inaction. You

21

• Obama to propose limits on bank risks. President Obama on Thursday will publicly propose giving bank regulators the power to limit the size of the nation’s largest banks and the scope

17

• Loophole in HUD's new 'good faith estimate' rules. eporting from Washington - The federal government's efforts to eliminate settlement cost surprises for home mortgage applicants may have opened the door to a new

14

• Bankers torn on their role in financial crisis. A year after the financial system nearly went over the brink, the congressional commission investigating the roots of the crisis confronted four of the world's

• Obama plans tax on big banks to cover bailout. President Obama plans to propose today a new tax on about 50 of the nation's largest financial institutions to recoup about $100 billion in expected losses on

12

• Home-appraisal rules drive down values. Home buyers who take out federally insured home loans will soon find their mortgage brokers can't select appraisers, part of an effort to ensure appraisers

11

• Scams target hardest hit by recession. Debbie Hodges was scanning the Internet when an ad that offered help seeking federal grants caught her eye. She applied for information, hoping to seek

10

• How to hire a tax preparer. Do you pay someone to prepare your annual tax return? If so, you've got plenty of company. As the U.S. tax code has become