September 11, 2011 - With mortgage rates at a 50-year low and banks near his Brookline, NH, home touting offers of 4% or less, Tom Rogers thought it would be a perfect time to refinance. But in spite of a solid credit score, after an exhaustive survey of lenders in the area and online, Mr. Rogers couldn't find a single one willing to give him such a rock-bottom rate. He eventually settled for a mortgage almost a full percentage point higher than what he had hoped for.
June 2, 2009 - She had seen the advertisements for the new government program offering relief. She had heard President Obama promise that help was on the way for homeowners like her, people who had lost jobs and could no longer make their mortgage payments.
Feb. 19, 2009 - President Obama's new real estate rescue plan offers two key possible benefits: More refinancing opportunities and greater chance for a loan modification.
Aug. 29 2008 - A Loan Modification is a permanent change in one or more of the terms of a mortgagor's loan, allows the loan to be reinstated, and results in a payment the mortgagor can afford.
October 19, 2010 - As important as your credit score is to your financial health, very few people truly know how their scores add up. And plenty of consumers get it wrong on the important questions, like how to raise your score or how long a black mark lasts.
September 20, 2010 - The majority of credit reports contain at least one error, most of which are in the form of incorrect or missing account information. Even if these errors aren’t your fault, they can come back to bite you. One possible impact can be a lower credit score.
September 12, 2011 - Three years into a stubborn foreclosure crisis, the Federal Housing Finance Administration (FHFA) said it is considering changes to the government's home refinancing programs to make them available to more consumers.
September 9, 2011 - The regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said on Friday it was considering ways to make it easier for borrowers to refinance their loans, a step President Barack Obama has called for to help the economy.
September 13, 2011 - The number of U.S. homeowners underwater on their mortgages was little changed in the second quarter at 22.5 percent, data analysis company CoreLogic Inc said on Tuesday.
September 13, 2011 - Top Senate lawmakers on Tuesday laid bare long-standing differences on how to wind down government-sponsored mortgage enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, underscoring the difficulty Congress will face in revamping the U.S. housing finance system.
August 22, 2011 - In another hit to the beleaguered housing market, a report out Monday found that the number of delinquent mortgage borrowers -- those who have missed at least one payment -- rose during the second quarter.
May 19, 2011 - Own a home? Brace yourself for an even longer recovery than anticipated. A new homeowners survey released jointly by Trulia.com and RealtyTrac suggests we won’t see a housing recovery until 2014 at the earliest now.
July 20, 2009 - Five months after the Obama administration unveiled a sweeping initiative designed to reach 9 million struggling homeowners, home foreclosures continue to rise at an alarming rate.
June 5, 2009 - The American economy shed 345,000 jobs in May, and the unemployment rate spiked to 9.4 percent, but the losses were far smaller than anticipated, amplifying hopes of recovery.
June 5, 2009 - For some months now, Jeremy Grantham, a respected market strategist with GMO, an institutional asset management company, has been railing about — of all things — the efficient market hypothesis.
August 22, 2009 - MORENO VALLEY, Calif. — The rose bushes are back in bloom on Beth Court, but the lawns on the block remain parched and browning, reminders of the absent families who once tended to them.
April 9, 2009 - The economic downturn is leading more people to forgo lawyers when facing a judge, raising questions of how fair the outcomes can really be.
July 18, 2011 - A Washington state man has been sentenced to 25 months in prison for orchestrating a foreclosure rescue scheme that defrauded distressed homeowners more than $55 million.
Jan. 11, 2009 - Linda Chapman of Ojai, a self-employed tax accountant, says she has run into a series of difficulties while trying to get the terms of her home loan modified. Programs to help homeowners do so are in place, but the process is often long and complex.
May 16, 2008 - Foreclosures are increasing nationwide, and so are scams that promise to “rescue” homeowners from foreclosure. What these scams do is take your money, ruin your credit record, and wipe out any equity you have in your home.
Feb. 19, 2009 - Housing counselors and lenders both say Obama's program is a comprehensive approach that attacks the root of the economic crisis. But it won't help everyone.
Feb. 24, 2009 - The Obama administration last week detailed how it wants to use Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to refinance millions of mortgages for struggling homeowners who have little or no equity in their houses.
