Headline News Archive

2008

February

23

• Homeowners losing equity lines. In one brief phone call, Nancy Corazzi's lender yanked away what was left of the $95,000 home equity line of credit that she and her husband

21

• IRS explains how to handle forgiven mortgage debt (Mortgage workouts now tax-free for many homeowners). Homeowners whose mortgage debt was forgiven during 2007 may be able to claim special tax relief by filling out newly-revised Form 982 and attaching it to their 2007 federal income tax return, according to the IRS.

• Sears settles stove suit. Sears will install safety brackets on its stoves in millions of households or offer gift cards in settling an Illinois class-action lawsuit over the appliances'

• New mortgage plan to stem foreclosures. The Office of Thrift Supervision is preparing a plan to help mortgage borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth and to discourage them

• Dudan de los estímulos fiscales del plan de Bush. Algunos gobernadores del Banco de Reserva Federal (Fed) expresaron sus dudas sobre la conveniencia de los estímulos fiscales impulsados por el gobierno del Presidente

20

• Si sólo tienes ITIN no recibirás el cheque de ayuda. Millones de consumidores en EU comenzarán a recibir cheques enviados por el Servicio de Impuestos Internos (IRS) a partir de mayo, como parte de

19

• House hunters' bus tour of foreclosed properties. The foreclosure crisis has come to this in Massachusetts: guided bus tours of bank-owned properties for sale, led by real estate agents drumming up business

16

• Jumbo help. Anna Galloway keeps a watchful eye on interest rates and stays in touch with her mortgage broker because she is eager to refinance the "jumbo"

• You're invited . . . to pay your mortgage. Mortgage lenders hunting for delinquent homeowners who have dodged their phone calls and letters are employing aggressive new methods to track them down, potentially making

15

• Top Officials See Bleaker Outlook for Economy. With the credit markets once again deteriorating, the nation’s two top economic policy makers acknowledged Thursday that the outlook for the economy had worsened,

14

• FBI, SEC join complex probe of housing crisis. Congress approved an economic stimulus package. The Treasury Department pressed lenders to reset mortgage rates for millions of troubled homeowners. And New York's insurance regulator

13

• Shadow victims of the mortgage crisis: renters. The Bush administration's announcement Tuesday that it would put the foreclosure process on hold for 30 days to rescue struggling homeowners came several weeks too late

• Foreclosure sales grow feeding vicious cycle. A growing share of home sales comes from foreclosures, especially in states hardest hit by the housing bust, according to an analysis of data. In

• Más personas dejan de pagar sus cuentas. La Fundación Nacional para la Consejería de Créditos (NFCC) de Estados Unidos aseguró ayer que entre quienes han accedido a su portal

• Quejas buenas y escritas. Un número de teléfono en el que es imposible hablar con un ser humano y un montón de reglas confusas son a

12

• Lenders agreed to negotiate new mortgage terms to avoid foreclosure (Chinese). 【美聯社華盛頓十一日電】美國6大貸款機構就幫助包括次級貸款在內的各類抵押貸款屋主之舉措達成一致意見，允許嚴重逾期屋主在跟貸款機構重新商訂利息較低的貸款期間獲得30天寬限，而房屋暫停被抵押進入法拍程序。

• Agilizan trámites de ‘green cards’. En un intento por reducir el rezago en la expedición de las llamadas green cards o tarjetas verdes, el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS)

• Hipotecas ajustables ponen en aprietos a la Fed. Joe Ripplinger sacó una hipoteca de $184,000 en el 2006 y hace sus pagos cada mes. Ahora debe $192,000. El pintor de casas de Minneápolis tiene una

• Precio de los sellos subirá un centavo. Es hora de comprar y guardar muchos sellos de correo Forever, que siempre valen lo mismo, no importa si el precio sube. El costo de

11

• Fewer homeowners plan renovation projects. As more people struggle to pay their mortgage and fewer take out home-equity loans, many homeowners have cut back their spending on remodeling kitchens, replacing

• Cómo invertir cuando baja el interés. El miedo a una desaceleración de la economía ha provocado varias bajadas de tipos de interés por parte del Banco de Reserva

• Para ahorrar y mantener una perspectiva fresca. Hay consumidores que debieran pensar mejor cómo gastar el dinero en medio de una economía poco favorable. No obstante, con un poco de

10

• Salvage treasures for smart homeowners. Piled on two rolling carts: four panel doors, two cases of gray ceramic tile, two bags of grout, one white pedestal sink, still boxed, and

09

• Piggybacks: High cost to pay for small loan. As home prices peaked in the first half of this decade, roughly 40 percent of buyers took out two loans - often from two lenders -

• Lawsuit takes aim at 'junk' fees. Just about anybody who has bought a home or taken out a mortgage in the past five years has run into them in some form: