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How to Get a Mortgage
Start talking to lenders before you start looking.
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How to Open a HELOC
A Home-Equity Line of Credit may have little to no set up fee and no annual fee to keep.
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How to Afford a Second Home
With some planning, budgeting and perspective, a second home is more than attainable.
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How to Refinance a Home Mortgage
When looking to refinance your mortgage, make sure to take into account your new interest rate, how long you’ll stay in the house, and the length and type of loan.
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How to Buy a Home
In both up and down markets, it pays to be disciplined.
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How to Save on Homeowner's Insurance
You don't have to sacrifice coverage to save.
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Foreclosure activity drops in April; But 11 of 20 largest cities see annual increases: RealtyTrac
MarketWatchCHICAGO (MarketWatch) — The number of foreclosure filings in April fell to the lowest monthly total since July 2007, according to RealtyTrac’s most recent report, released Thursday.
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Lenders Want to Know Everything
WSJ.comAs a home buyer or refinancer, you'd expect to submit recent pay stubs and bank-account statements when applying for a mortgage loan. But a copy of your divorce decree?
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Pay Your Debt For FHA Loan
WSJ.comGetting a mortgage backed by the Federal Housing Administration is about to get a lot tougher for those with $1,000 or more in debt in collection.
Where to Park Your Cash Now; These are tough times for savers -- but extra digging can pay off. Here's what to do.
SmartMoney.comIt isn't fun being a saver these days. The fragile economic recovery, weak housing market and tight lending standards all underscore the need for an ample emergency fund to ride out a job loss, unexpected expense or other temporary ...
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Former Countrywide Officer Gets 15 Years in Prison
WSJ.comAn ex-loan officer at Countrywide Financial Corp. was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to her part in a nearly three-year-long mortgage-fraud scheme, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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It's a Good Time To Refinance
WSJ.comFor homeowners who have been waiting for interest rates to fall even further before refinancing, it might be time to pull the trigger on a deal. Rates are moving up—and could stay higher for a while, experts say.
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Beware: Mortgage Fees Are Rising
WSJ.comIncreased fees are sneaking into the overall cost of most mortgages. But given the ultralow interest rates these days, it's likely few borrowers will notice.
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Refinancing Gets Even More Attractive
WSJ.comHomeowners who have resisted the urge to refinance their mortgages until now could be rewarded for their willpower. Mortgage rates have fallen to new lows—and banks are rolling out incentives to win business.
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Amid Squeeze on Home Equity, A Revival for Reverse Mortgages
WSJ.comConverting home equity into cash has been a challenge for homeowners since the real-estate downturn, but a growing number of lenders are quietly reviving a loan for seniors that does just that: the reverse mortgage.
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Fine Print for 'Gifts' to Home Buyers
WSJ.comComing up with a down payment is often a first-time home buyer's biggest challenge. That's why many of them get a little help from relatives or friends. In 2010, 27% of first-time buyers received a gift from a friend or relative to ...
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Righting the Wrong
WSJ.comU.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said last week's big, fat settlement with five big, fat banks is "righting the wrongs that led to our nation's housing-market collapse and economic crisis."
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Mortgage delinquencies, foreclosures fall; Delinquencies halfway back to pre-recession levels: MBA
MarketWatchCHICAGO (MarketWatch) — The percentage of mortgages at least one payment past due fell in the fourth quarter of 2011 and fewer loans entered the foreclosure process, reflecting improvement seen in the economy, the Mortgage Bankers ...
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For Bank Stocks, Smaller Is Better in 2012
WSJ.comFor stock investors, banks weren't where the money was in 2011. The KBW Bank Index, which includes 24 U.S. firms, from global giants like Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase to large regional players, plunged 25% in 2011. The broader ...
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Should Mortgage Rates Even Be Lower?
WSJ.comMortgage rates are the lowest on record. But by a key historical measure, they should be even lower. Over the past year, a wide gap ripped open between the mortgage rates house hunters see and a benchmark interest rate investors demand to ...
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Rate Drop Spurs Home Refinancing
WSJ.comThe 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dipped below 4%, possibly triggering a refinancing boom for many of the same borrowers who already have taken advantage of rock-bottom interest rates.
Post-Downgrade, Higher Rates for Borrowers; In spite of the Fed's promise to keep rates low, consumers may see higher rates on credit cards, auto loans and mortgages
SmartMoney.comIt's been less than a week since Standard & Poor's stripped the U.S. government of its triple-A rating and already consumers are starting to feel the effects, in the form of rising interest rates on many loans.
How to Tap Home Equity -- Without a Bank; With Wells Fargo, the nation's largest seller of reverse mortgages, getting out of the business, the loans will become harder to get--and more expensive.
SmartMoney.comIf someone in your family is planning to apply for a reverse mortgage to pay for long-term care or other expenses, they should move quickly: Two of the largest lenders are exiting the business, and a popular federal incentive geared toward ...
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Consumer bureau details mortgage-probe strategy; Examiners seek to ensure borrowers aren’t charged illegal fees
MarketWatchWASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday released its approach for examining big and midsize banks servicing mortgages, focusing on loans in default as part of an effort to ensure that troubled ...
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Freddie Says Loss Narrows
WSJ.comFreddie Mac posted a $2.1 billion loss during the second quarter, down from a year-ago loss of $4.7 billion. The mortgage-finance giant paid $1.6 billion to the government and asked for $1.5 billion in new aid during the quarter. That marked ...
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Too Big to Fail? Perhaps, But Not in Your Portfolio
WSJ.comBy traditional measures, there has never been a better time to buy the big banks. They are cheap from almost any perspective: price-to-earnings ratio, price-to-book value, return on equity and value compared to their smaller peers.
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Mortgage Rates Are Great, If You Qualify
WSJ.comWith interest rates near rock bottom and home prices down, this ought to be a great time to buy a home. But for most people, it's a lousy time to get a mortgage.
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Mortgages Hold Steady
WSJ.comMortgage rates in the U.S. were again little changed over the past week, as readings on the U.S. economy continued to show mixed signals, according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey of mortgage rates.
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Are New REITs Too Risky?
WSJ.comThey beckon with their muscular double-digit yields, mocking those of the 10-year Treasury. But they also are massively risky, and the hefty payments aren't likely to last forever.
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Mortgage Rate Falls to 2011 Low
WSJ.comHome-mortgage interest rates fell last week to the lowest point of 2011 amid signs of a slowing economy, according to the latest survey from Freddie Mac.
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Mortgage Rates Slide for a 7th Straight Week
WSJ.comA week of troubling economic data helped push fixed mortgage interest rates to a new low for the year, representing the seventh consecutive weekly decline, according to the latest survey from Freddie Mac.
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Lower 'Jumbo' Loan Limits Coming
WSJ.comPeople buying homes in the country's most expensive housing markets likely will face pricier mortgages starting in the fall. That's when the current conforming mortgage limits are scheduled to expire, with limits for the most ...
Investors Seeking Higher Returns by Mortgage Lending; A number of mom-and-pop investors are pulling money out of their retirement accounts and safe, but low-yielding, savings to take on the risk of becoming "hard-money" mortgage lenders.
SmartMoney.comDallas attorney Joey Messina has a side business some might find surprising: He uses his own money to make mortgage loans to people who banks likely would avoid.
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Here comes Lehman 2.0; Commentary: Two ‘Lehman events’ cloud the investment horizon
MarketWatchBEND, Ore. (MarketWatch) — With Friday’s Federal government lawsuit against seventeen major banks and renewed dangers in Europe, global investors now face the potential peril of two “Lehman Events” as we say goodbye to summer and slip into ...
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FUNDAMENTALS OF INVESTING; Using Ginnie Mae Funds as a Cash Stash; These funds hold mortgage securities backed by the U.S. But they have other risks that money-market funds do not.
WSJ.comMany investors with cash to put to work are looking for safe havens—but also for returns that can potentially beat inflation. Some hope to get both in Ginnie Mae funds, which are composed mostly or entirely of mortgage securities explicitly ...
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Congress told reform could hurt 30-year mortgage; Barclays exec: Fixed-rate loan would be less available absent guarantee
MarketWatchWASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Lawmakers at a Senate Banking Committee hearing Wednesday were told that reform of government-seized housing finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a manner that limits government guarantees of mortgages ...
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Mortgage Rates Fall; 30-Year Remains Under 4%
WSJ.comHome-mortgage rates in the U.S. fell slightly over the past week as the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has averaged at or below 4% for the fourth consecutive week, according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey of mortgage rates.
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Mortgage Rates Hover Near All-Time Lows
WSJ.comMortgage rates in the U.S. remained at or near historic lows over the past week amid weak signals from the economy and the housing market, according to Freddie Mac's survey of mortgage rates.
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Pioneer to Revisit Subprime
WSJ.comLewis Ranieri, once known as the father of mortgage finance, is daring to revisit the most infamous sector of the mortgage market—subprime lending.
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For Lender, Foreclosure Has Become Dirty Word
WSJ.comAfter Annalea Mace's employer reduced her hours two years ago, Ms. Mace and her husband pared their spending, sold jewelry on eBay and cashed in savings bonds she received at age two. That still wasn't enough, so the couple went ...
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Mortgage Rates Mostly Unchanged
WSJ.comFixed mortgage rates in the U.S. were relatively unchanged over the past week after economic reports gave mixed signals on the health of the U.S. economy, according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey of mortgage rates.
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Is It Time To Refinance?
WSJ.comFor homeowners, there is a silver lining to the grim economic news of late: plunging mortgage rates. The average rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to 4.54% for the week ended Aug. 3, according to consumer-information site ...
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Banks Rush to Improve Foreclosure Practices
WSJ.comThe clock is ticking for the biggest U.S. banks to revamp their foreclosure practices. Under orders from U.S. regulators, 14 financial institutions have until mid-June to lay out plans to clean up their mortgage-servicing operations—and ...
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Mortgage Regulator Is Tapped
WSJ.comPresident Barack Obama tapped North Carolina Banking Commissioner Joseph A. Smith Jr. on Friday to head the regulatory agency that oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Interview With Freddie Mac CEO Charles Haldeman Jr. Haldeman has to convince people that the mortgage giant needs to stick around.
SmartMoney.comThe tasks in front of Charles "Ed" Haldeman Jr. might make even Hercules pause. As chief of mortgage giant Freddie Mac, Haldeman is trying to turn around a company that's lost $36 billion in the past two years, resolve the ...
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'Strategic Defaults'? I Agree With Fannie
WSJ.comFannie Mae ignited a chorus of criticism last week when it said it would deny government-backed mortgages for seven years to borrowers who walked away from their existing mortgages, had the ability to pay and didn't make a good-faith ...
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Judges See Little Improvement in Foreclosure Procedures
WSJ.comSome judges are skeptical of claims by lenders that they have substantially improved their foreclosure procedures since controversy over the practices exploded last fall.
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Banks Keep Failing, No End in Sight; Since WaMu Fell, 279 Lenders Have Collapsed; Lost Jobs, Curtailed Lending and the Big Get Bigger
WSJ.comThe largest number of bank failures in nearly 20 years has eliminated jobs, accelerated a drought in lending and left the industry's survivors with more power to squeeze customers.
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Fortress shares fall; executives sell some stock
MarketWatchSAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Fortress Investment Group shares fell more than 5% Monday after recent regulatory filings showed executives at the hedge fund and private-equity firm sold some stock.
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The Reverse Mortgage Gets a Makeover
WSJ.comA reverse mortgage has long been considered a loan of last resort because of its high fees. Now, a new type of reverse mortgage is attracting the attention of more-affluent borrowers eager to extract cash from their homes. But older ...
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Text of Geithner's speech on Fannie and Freddie
MarketWatchWASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The following is an edited transcript of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's comments to the conference on the future of housing finance. (RELATED ARTICLE: Geithner: Housing system needs government ...
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Fannie conference sees call for subsidy reduction
MarketWatchWASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Participants at a housing finance conference Tuesday largely agreed that subsidies for housing need to be reduced but not eliminated even as they disagreed on how far government assistance to the mortgage market ...
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Foreclosure ruling may be good news for homeowners; Lenders may become more willing to cut deals with homeowners
MarketWatchCHICAGO (MarketWatch) — A ruling against two lenders in Massachusetts on Friday sends a warning to the industry: Before foreclosing on what is for many Americans their most valuable asset — their home — lenders must have proof they have the ...
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Mortgage Refinancings Soar to Highest Level Since May 2009
WSJ.comThe much-anticipated rise in applications to refinance existing mortgages finally came through over the past week. The Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday its refinancing index jumped 17% to 4676.70 in the week to Wednesday, soaring ...
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A Foreclosure Sitcom
WSJ.comFirst we learned America's biggest banks couldn't properly lend. Then we learned they couldn't keep themselves solvent without taxpayer assistance. Then we learned they couldn't effectively work with troubled borrowers in ...
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Refinance in Under a Year? Maybe; 'Window of Opportunity' Opens for Some as Mortgage Rates Hover Near Lows
WSJ.comLow mortgage rates have some homeowners considering refinancing, even if it has been less than a year since they last refinanced or bought their home.
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Consumers, banks clash on foreclosures; Banks say problem isn’t systemic
MarketWatchWASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Consumer advocates and bank executives clashed on Thursday over the financial industry’s handling and the severity of the so-called “robo-signing” crisis that the government says could derail the housing market.
The FHA Rethinks Its Mortgage Lending
SmartMoney.comIs this the end of the cheap Federal Housing Administration mortgage? Over the last few years, as the private mortgage market has remained in lockdown, the FHA, which is backed by the government, has increased its lending activity. Instead ...
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The New Bank Fees: How to Fight Back
WSJ.comBank on it: Higher fees, and more of them, are coming soon to a financial institution near you. Regulators in the past year have pushed through a raft of changes designed to rein in banks' most abusive practices, from excessive ...
Aflac's Outlook Is Just Ducky
SmartMoney.comThe Aflac duck enjoys enormous popularity. Too bad the same can't be said for the insurance company it represents. Columbus, Ga.-based Aflac long was admired by investors for the rich returns it generated, especially in Japan, where it ...
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New Rules for Mortgage Lenders
WSJ.comIn some parts of the country, it doesn't take much to become a mortgage-loan officer. Not a license, not much training. That's changing.
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New financial regulations may end era of free checking; Big banks, facing limits on ways to profit from deposits, to impose monthly fees
MarketWatchSAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The sweeping financial regulation signed into law Wednesday by President Barack Obama may have a direct and visible effect on millions of bank account holders in the U.S.
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Five Spanish savings banks fail stress test; BBVA, Santander pass; Portugal banks also pass
MarketWatchA previous version gave the incorrect Tier one level for BBVA, which was 9.4% at the end of 2009 and edges up to 9.6% under the adverse scenario.
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Thirty-Year Mortgage Rises for First Time Since June
WSJ.comAfter weeks of falling, the average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate home mortgage rose slightly this week, according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgage rates, released on Thursday. And the average rate on a ...
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S&P: Fannie, Freddie Overhaul Could Cost $685 Billion
WSJ.comThe total cost to rescue and then overhaul mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could reach $685 billion, according to estimates published Thursday by Standard & Poor's.
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The Jumbo-Mortgage Comeback; Some Areas Are Seeing the First Signs of a Resurgence in High-End Home Loans
WSJ.comBanks are starting to make "jumbo" mortgages again. When the credit crisis hit more than two years ago, many banks cut back or stopped making loans for more-expensive homes. Now, smaller and regional lenders are issuing more new ...
Banking Law Hung Up On Down Payments
SmartMoney.comBanks are sparring over looming U.S. mortgage-lending rules that could raise costs for millions of borrowers. As regulators race to meet an April deadline for issuing the regulations, triggered by last summer's Dodd-Frank ...
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Freddie, Fannie urge lenders to resolve ‘robo-signers’ quickly; Dodd-Frank rules, future of Fannie, Freddie hot topics at MBA conference
MarketWatchATLANTA (MarketWatch) — Top executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-seized mortgage-buying giants, urged lenders to revisit their foreclosure practices as they refrained from endorsing a nationwide ban, at a panel ...
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Trial Near of Mozilo; Politicians Draw Heat
WSJ.comLOS ANGELES—Federal investigations into Countrywide Financial Corp. are heading toward decisions that could determine the futures of former company executives as well as public officials who did business with the fallen mortgage giant.
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Debit-Card Issuer Sues the Fed
WSJ.comRegional bank TCF Financial Corp. filed a lawsuit against the Federal Reserve seeking to halt forthcoming rules on debit-card transactions that could hurt the bank's revenue.
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Geithner: Housing system needs government support; HUD chief Donovan urges reduced Washington involvement in mortgages
MarketWatchWASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Without government backing for the housing finance system, future economic downturns could be harsher, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Tuesday at a conference on the future of housing finance.
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J.P. Morgan to scrutinize foreclosure paperwork; Taking ‘file by file’ look at affidavits; $1.3 billion added to reserve
MarketWatchThis update corrects the spelling of the name of J.P. Morgan Chase’s chief financial officer. CHICAGO (MarketWatch) — J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., noting that it had “identified issues” tied to mortgage foreclosure affidavits, is stepping up ...
Would a Reverse Mortgage Affect My Taxes?
SmartMoney.comWhile real estate remains in the doldrums, many older individuals own homes that are still worth plenty. Some of these folks may be “house rich” but “cash poor.” Taking out a reverse mortgage could solve that problem, but what are the tax ...
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White House sees no ‘structural’ foreclosure issue; Nation’s top housing official repeats opposition to foreclosure halt
MarketWatchWASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — There’s no “structural” issue requiring a halt to foreclosures and the government won’t interfere with Bank of America’s decision to resume them, the nation’s top housing official said Wednesday.
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Other Ways the 'Foreclosure Crisis' Could Sting Homeowners
WSJ.comThe foreclosure mess could hurt homeowners in another way: The costs of buying a home and paying off the mortgage are likely to go up, say housing experts.
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Time to Refinance? Jumbo Mortgage Rates Plunge
WSJ.comNearly two years after the credit crunch virtually froze mortgage markets, high-end borrowers are seeing some relief: Rates for "jumbo" mortgages on pricier homes are at their lowest since 2003.
Jumbo Mortgage Rates Plunge
SmartMoney.comNearly two years after the credit crunch virtually froze mortgage markets, high-end borrowers are seeing some relief: Rates for "jumbo" mortgages on pricier homes are at their lowest since 2003.
Unclaimed Cash from Washington Mutual
SmartMoney.comCustomers of now-defunct Washington Mutual may have one last withdrawal coming their way. Millions of dollars in accounts dormant at the time of the bank’s 2008 demise are making their way to states’ unclaimed property offices.
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Stress-test success may require that some banks fall short; Analysts skeptical over whether EU tests will inspire confidence in sector
MarketWatchLONDON (MarketWatch) -- A string of banks failing the European Union's stress tests could be one of the strongest signs the process has been a success, but analysts fear the tests could end up a big disappointment, offering too little ...
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Seven European banks fail stress tests; Lenders had shortfall of around $4.5 billion under toughest test
MarketWatchLONDON (MarketWatch) -- Seven out of 91 European banks failed the region's long-awaited stress tests and may need to raise more than 3.5 billion euros ($4.5 billion) of additional capital, the Committee of European Banking Supervisors ...
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Doubling Down on Housing; Record-Low Interest Rates and a Scary Stock Market Are Prompting Investors To Sink Even More Money Into Their Homes
WSJ.comThe housing crash has left at least 11 million people in the unenviable position of owing more on their homes than they are worth—and many more millions with properties worth far less than they paid for them.
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Capital buildup at banks sets up future activity; Protective measure may decide who's a sellers and who's a buyer
MarketWatchNEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Growing capital levels among U.S. regional banks have been a defensive play in anticipation of stricter regulatory requirements and further loan write-offs. But, as the sector moves into the clear, extra capital ...
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Scrutiny for Transfer Fees; Charges Can Fund Subdivision Improvements; Some Object
WSJ.comIf you are in the market for a newly built home, you may be subject to a debated cost called a private-transfer fee. It has gotten the attention of Congress and could change how homeowners value their homes.
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Legislative battle on horizon for future of Fannie and Freddie; White House continues work on developing housing-reform proposal for 2011
MarketWatchWASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Now that the most sweeping financial reform bill since the Depression is law, Washington is finally getting around to dealing with the hard part: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
For Housing War Vets, a Long Wait for Low Rates
SmartMoney.comHousing remains at the center of the slumping national economy, and the people hit hardest by the ongoing slump face longer waits before they can own their own homes again.
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States to Probe Mortgage Mess; Attorneys General Hope Lenders Will Re-Write Loans With Troubled Documents
WSJ.comA coalition of as many as 40 state attorneys general is expected Wednesday to announce an investigation into the mortgage-servicing industry, an effort some of them hope will pressure financial institutions to rewrite large numbers of ...
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Reports find widespread failure in Irish crisis; Government, regulators and banks all contributed to Ireland's dire straits
MarketWatchLONDON (MarketWatch) -- Two inquiries into Ireland's banking crisis have found that the government, financial regulator and banks all shoulder blame for the country's predicament.
How to Navigate the Foreclosure Freeze
SmartMoney.comUntil now, foreclosed homes have offered buyers an inexpensive entry into the housing market. But the recent foreclosure freeze announced by several big lenders makes pending deals in all 50 states far more tenuous.
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Fannie, Freddie to scrap NYSE stock listings
MarketWatchNEW YORK (MarketWatch) - In another sign of the firms' financial disintegration, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the giant mortgage finance companies operating in government conservatorship, said Wednesday they are delisting their common ...
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Home-Mortgage Rates Hit New Lows
WSJ.comWASHINGTON—Rates on fixed-rate home mortgages dropped this week, according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey— of conforming mortgage ratesthe ninth week in a row that fixed-rate mortgages have met or set a record low, according to Freddie ...
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Mortgage Rates Decline to 4-Week Low
WSJ.comHome-mortgage rates declined for a second straight week, according to data released Thursday by Freddie Mac, but the housing market continued to face headwinds from a supply glut and the struggling employment situation.
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BofA Sets Timetable for Foreclosure Review
WSJ.comBank of America Corp. on Monday began preparing new affidavits for 102,000 pending foreclosure actions where court approval is required, applying new signatures to documents in 23 states.
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Lenders Talking to States; Some Banks Move Toward Resolving Foreclosure Inquiries
WSJ.comSeveral lenders and their legal advisers have initiated discussions with state attorneys general as they take initial steps to resolve a nationwide investigation of foreclosure practices.
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Cash-in refinancing rise in second quarter: Freddie Mac; 22% of borrowers lower debt by bringing cash to the closing table
MarketWatchCHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- The portion of homeowners who brought money to the table for a cash-in refinance in the second quarter tied for the third-highest level since Freddie Mac started tracking refinancing trends in 1985, the housing ...
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California Files Suit Against Fannie, Freddie Over Energy Loan Program
WSJ.comCalifornia Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a lawsuit Wednesday against mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and their federal regulator over their opposition to a home energy-improvement program backed by the Obama administration.
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Mortgage Rate Drops Below 4.5%
WSJ.comFixed-rate home-mortgage rates continued their fall to record lows this week, following the release of second-quarter GDP data, Freddie Mac said.
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Freddie taps Treasury for additional $1.8 billion in support; Government-controlled mortgage giant loses $6 billion in second quarter
MarketWatchSAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Freddie Mac said it will tap the Treasury Department for $1.8 billion of government support after the mortgage giant lost $6 billion during the second quarter.
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Home-Mortgage Rates Steady
WSJ.comReports indicating that inflation remains tame kept home-mortgage rates relatively steady this week, Freddie Mac's chief economist said on Thursday.
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Foreclosure Crisis, Part 2: Modifications
WSJ.comThe Obama administration's program to help struggling borrowers keep their homes is being hurt by the same miscommunication, botched documents and other snafus that caused the original foreclosure crisis.
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Modifications rise sharply on some mortgage loans; 60-day-delinquent loans fall for first time in two years, Fannie and Freddie say
MarketWatchCHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Loan modifications through the government's Home Affordable Modification Program tripled in the first quarter compared to the fourth quarter, according to data that covers loans held by Fannie Mae and Freddie ...
Financial Reform's Impact on Mortgages
SmartMoney.comPlanning to buy a home in the near future? Keep an eye on the financial reform bill, which should go to a vote by the House and Senate next week.
Defending a Crackdown at Fannie Mae
SmartMoney.comFannie Mae ignited a chorus of criticism last week when it said it would deny government-backed mortgages for seven years to borrowers who walked away from their existing mortgages, had the ability to pay, and didn’t make a good faith ...
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Ally Financial Suspends Some Foreclosures
WSJ.comGMAC Mortgage, one of the nation's largest servicers of home loans, said it is suspending sales of foreclosed homes and putting a moratorium on evictions of borrowers who have fallen behind on their mortgages in 23 states.
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Fannie Set to Penalize Defaulters
WSJ.comFannie Mae said Wednesday it would "lock out" borrowers from getting a new loan for seven years if they default on a mortgage they could afford to pay.
Are Financial Advisers on Your Side?
SmartMoney.comOver the weekend, the Securities and Exchange Commission called for stockbrokers to put clients' interests ahead of the bottom line. But brokers aren't the only advisers who put themselves first. Consumers depend on financial ...
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Big banks face 'jarring shake-up' from new regulations; Limits on derivatives business may hit profits of Goldman, J.P. Morgan, others
MarketWatchSAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Financial reforms finalized this week may trigger a "jarring shake-up" of the industry, forcing some of the largest companies to change how and where they do business in a bid to preserve profits, ...
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The Stealth Wedding: Saying 'I do' in a Public Space
A new wedding trend trades "walking down the aisle" for a walk on the wild side.
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The Reignited Tech Sector
Technology stocks have rebounded and are once again the darling of the market. Can the resurgence last?
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Why a 'Balanced' Portfolio May Not Work
Arends: That 60/40 portfolio of stocks and bonds your adviser is pushing might not work.
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The Corner Office
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General Dynamics Changes Tactics
The defense contractor faces a tough enemy: potential cuts in defense.