Headline News Archive

2009

November

19

• Middle class bankruptcies rising. Staci Schubert's career has taken her from New York to California, from graphic designer to website designer to sales executive. Most recently, she launched a

• Another wave of foreclosures looms. A second wave of foreclosures is poised to hit the market, potentially undermining housing recovery efforts as more homes add to the glut of inventory

15

• Financial decisions to make as you divorce. Divorce may be one of the most damaging financial events in the lives of those who go through it, but that isn’t always immediately

• Tax relief to snag before year ends. You have about six weeks left to make moves to cut your tax bill in the spring. Besides the usual tax strategies, such as making

14

• New tax credit may be worth pouncing on. Take a close, hard look at the new $6,500 federal tax credit for "move up" home buyers that passed the Senate and House last week. Though

12

• 5 ways to kill your credit scores. One of the questions I'm asked most often about credit scores is exactly how much certain actions affect people's scores. What good is a good

• Dodd proposes single bank regulator. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) this week joined the generations of dreamers who have advocated for eliminating the nation's muddle of bank regulators, arguing that

10

• Tax credit sparks homebuyers' questions. As soon as Congress passed legislation to expand the $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit, readers started sending in questions about whether they would qualify under the new

08

• Facing foreclosure? Here's what you can do. Reporting from Washington - For most of the growing legion of financially stretched families in danger of losing their homes, there is help available --

• A free credit score, and a monthly bill. On television it’s hard to miss the wildly popular band of slackers singing ruefully from a shabby apartment or while waiting tables in pirate

• HUD combats discrimination. In recent years, state and local governments have enacted laws to combat discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered people seeking mortgages and housing. Now

07

• Putting 'good faith' back in closing. Remember the bad old days of 11th-hour mortgage settlement cost shocks and mystery junk fees? Remember when the "good-faith estimates" your lender gave you upfront

06

• Fannie Mae to allow borrowers to lease back homes. Mortgage giant Fannie Mae said Thursday that it would throw a lifeline to some people losing their homes to foreclosure by allowing them to lease

• House votes for jobless benefits, home buyers' credit. Congress gave final approval Thursday for an additional $24 billion to help the jobless and support the housing market as climbing unemployment poses a growing liability

05

• Latest defective product from China: Drywall. The problem is enormous. It’s estimated that as many as 100,000 homes across the country, built between 2004 and 2008, could have defective and potentially dangerous Chinese

02

• Home equity loan market remains very tight. Traditional 30-year mortgages these days are unusually affordable by historical standards, but if you're looking for a home equity line of credit, don't expect any

01

• Fraud watch for homeowners. Mortgage fraud continues to expand, in both the number of incidents and the methods that criminals use to strip equity from homeowners and lenders. Now

October

31

• Home appraisal system could be dustbin bound. Could the controversial appraisal system imposed nationwide by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in May -- and now tied to lowball property valuations,

29

• Senators agree to extend $8,000 housing tax credit. Senators agreed Wednesday to extend a popular tax credit for first-time home buyers and to offer a smaller credit to some repeat buyers. The tax

• Credit-rating bill clears committee. A House panel on Wednesday voted to tighten controls on credit-rating firms in response to complaints that the firms misjudged the risks of many of

27

• Millions of homes to get smart meters. Some 18 million smart meters are set to make their way into American homes as part of the economic stimulus plan focusing on energy efficiency, Energy

• Target: mortgage modification scams. A national housing nonprofit has launched an education campaign in Southern California to combat scams targeting homeowners in peril of foreclosure. Loan modification fraud is

25

• Money talks to have before marriage. Divorce tends to be emotionally gut-wrenching for the people who go through it (not to mention those around them). But most couples don’t realize

24

• Old credit disputes can scuttle loan. Could a little-known and potentially controversial practice by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac kill or stall your next loan application? Absolutely. Picture this

20

• Home buyers, small firms to get a boost. The Obama administration rolled out an initiative Monday to help moderate and low-income home buyers, launching what sources familiar with the planning said will be