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Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST
Lawsuit Paints Loan Crisis In Black, White and Brown :
In what appears to be the first legal action of its kind, an association of community-based organizations has filed a federal civil rights complaint against two of the three largest Wall Street ratings agencies, charging that their inflated ratings on subprime mortgage bonds disproportionately caused financial harm to African American and Latino home buyers.
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Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST
The Fine Print of the Foreclosure Fight :
You may have read about the latest public and private efforts to help financially distressed homeowners cope with their mortgage payments. But you might not have caught key details that could have an effect on you or people you know -- now or in the months ahead.
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Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST
Will Obama Bring Back 'Buy-Downs'? :
What will it take to get people off the sidelines to buy houses and help stimulate the economy?
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Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST
In Times Like This, Only the Freshest Comps Will Do :
How fresh are your "comps," the comparable sales of properties used as benchmarks in home real estate appraisals? Buyers and sellers rarely had to be concerned about such a question -- or even understand it -- when values were on the upswing.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843314254" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843314254" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EDT
A Crackdown on Credit 'Fixes' :
With foreclosures, short sales and credit card defaults at record levels, an aggressive breed of firms has sprung up, offering to power-wash consumers' damaged credit files and boost credit scores, thus eliminating records of bankruptcies and mortgage delinquencies, even when the information is accurate.
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Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Trying for a Bigger Tax Credit :
Reluctant potential home buyers could be in line for some additional tax and financing enticements, either through a post-election lame duck congressional session or from the new Congress arriving in January.
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Sat, 18 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Surrounded by Ruins, Mortgage Market Remains Intact :
Everybody knows how severe and painful the global financial breakdown has been, with banks unwilling to lend even to other banks. But what about mortgages and real estate? Can you still get a home loan with less than 20 percent or 30 percent down? Or with a credit score below 720?
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Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT
What the FHA Needs To Get the Job Done :
In the current credit squeeze, if you have less than a 20 percent down payment, there's pretty much only one major source of mortgage financing available: the Federal Housing Administration, the Depression-era home loan insurance agency that still offers 3 percent down, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages with consumer-friendly credit standards, even on jumbo loans in high-cost areas of California and the East Coast.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843315202" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843315202" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT
How the Rescue Affects Homeowners :
Whether you see it as an exorbitantly costly taxpayer bailout of Wall Street and the banks or you're cheering from the sidelines, you can agree: The new federal moves to rescue the mortgage system could have huge effects on consumers in the months ahead.
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Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Settlement Sheds Light on the Boom's Bad Practices :
Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers have dominated recent headlines, but a little-noticed $28 million settlement earlier this month between the Federal Trade Commission and what's left of Bear Stearns symbolizes the housing boom era products -- and practices -- that started a lot of the trouble.
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Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT
These Home-Equity Loans Come With Big Risks :
(Second of two articles)
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Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT
A New Way to Tap Home Equity :
Improbable as it sounds at a time when U.S. homeowners have lost billions of dollars in equity, an industry is taking shape to help them tap portions of their equity wealth without incurring traditional mortgage debt or making interest payments.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843319412" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843319412" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Fewer Loans, But Still More Fraud :
You might assume that with home purchases and new mortgage volume off by 30 percent or more in many markets in the past year, loan fraud would be down as well.
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Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Appraisers, Still Feeling Pressure :
Have the real estate valuation shenanigans and inflated home appraisals that characterized the boom years disappeared?
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Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Winners and Losers As Loan Fees Change :
The two biggest sources of mortgages for American home buyers plan to raise their base fees to counter what they call continuing "adverse conditions" in the real estate market.
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Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Tax Break on Capital Gains Narrows :
Deep in the nearly 700 pages of the new housing bill is a complicated change in the tax code that could affect substantial numbers of people who purchase second homes or investment real estate in the coming decade with an eye to occupying those homes as their main residence later.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843320259" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843320259" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT
New Tax Credit Amounts To a Free Loan for $7,500 :
Anyone who has been hesitant about jumping into real estate until conditions settle down should keep in mind these dates: April 9, 2008, through June 30, 2009.
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Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Tax Relief, Sans Itemizing :
The giant federal housing and foreclosure relief legislation heading for enactment contains a little-noticed -- but potentially far-reaching -- change in real estate tax policy.
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Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT
A Look at Congress's Long-Promised, Long-Delayed Mortgage Relief :
After six months of haggling and political gamesmanship, a massive housing relief bill is heading for final approval.
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Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Keeping Closer Tabs On Brokers :
Should your mortgage loan officer's fingerprints be on file in a national electronic database, even if he or she has never been convicted of a crime?<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843320992" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843320992" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Help for Homeowners Hangs in the Balance :
Congress left town for the July 4 recess with a half-baked cake in its legislative oven -- one that has huge potential significance for the housing and mortgage markets. The relief package left unfinished is designed to help hundreds of thousands of homeowners heading for foreclosure, pull buyers back into the real estate market, and permanently raise conventional and FHA loan limits in high-cost markets.
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Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Keep Watch on Your Credit Report -- Free :
If you're thinking about buying a home or refinancing a mortgage, you may want to avail yourself of a forthcoming free service that could help you get a better mortgage rate.
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Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT
FHA Calls for an End To Seller-Funded Down-Payment Charities :
What's wrong with down-payment "gift" programs in which all or most of a home buyer's equity stake comes from the seller, funneled through a third party? And why is the federal government determined to ban them?
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Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Equity Losses Aren't Felt Evenly :
As a homeowner, seller or buyer, what should you make of the Federal Reserve's latest report on Americans' declining home-equity positions?<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843322320" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843322320" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Never Pay In Advance To Fix Your Credit :
Picture this: You're eager to take advantage of today's troubled real estate market and buy a foreclosed house at a fire-sale price. But you don't have much money for a down payment. And your credit files are scuffed up with late payments.
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Sat, 31 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT
An Alarm System For Inaccurate Credit Scores :
When you're quoted a higher interest rate than you deserve because of information in your credit file, wouldn't you appreciate it if someone red-flagged it for you?
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Sat, 24 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Looser Credit on the Way In 'Declining' Markets? :
Could the mortgage industry scrap its controversial practice of listing hundreds of local real estate markets as "declining" -- and restricting lending there through higher down payments or credit scores?
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Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Appraisal Changes Face Resistance :
A legal brawl is breaking out over how homes are appraised, at what cost and by whom. The outcome could directly affect how much you pay for your next piece of real estate and how much money you can borrow.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843324038" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843324038" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 03 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Restrictions Are the Rule For All Sorts of Once-Easy Credit :
Like a spreading infection, restrictions on credit are moving into new and more specialized niches of the mortgage market.
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Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT
'Declining Markets' and Self-Fulfilling Prophecies :
Could designations of Zip codes, metropolitan areas and entire states as "declining markets" hinder a real estate recovery and hurt minority groups and moderate-income buyers disproportionately? Growing ranks of critics say yes.
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Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Putting a Big Squeeze On Condo Loans :
If you own or plan to buy a condominium, an ominous new phase of the mortgage-credit squeeze could be looming for you.
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Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Walking Out of a Mortgage And Into Years of Hurt :
The country's two largest sources of mortgage money have a blunt warning for anyone thinking about joining the growing "walkaway" trend, in which homeowners stop making payments and months later send the house keys back to their lender: You will feel the pain.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843324771" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843324771" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Up With the Down Payment :
Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, proposed something last week that no other major presidential candidate has advocated in decades: raising minimum down-payment levels for home mortgages.
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Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Jumbo Loans Are Reborn, But Terms Are Stiffer :
Your tax rebate check won't arrive until May, but the economic stimulus plan's new super-size loans for buyers in high-cost housing areas have hit the market.
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Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Help From HUD To Simplify Settlement :
Almost anyone who has bought a house or taken out a mortgage in recent years knows the problems:
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Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT
Fighting Back Against Corrupt Appraisals :
Property appraisers have been warning about it for a decade, and the real estate market is reaping the whirlwind: The home price declines around the country are partly the result of systemic, intentional overvaluations on home appraisals -- much of them at the behest of loan officers illegally influencing or threatening appraisers to get them to "hit the number" needed to close the deal.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843326758" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843326758" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST
Veterans' Loans Left Out of Stimulus Plan :
When Congress and the White House put together the $150 billion economic stimulus package, they raised the maximum mortgage limits in high-cost areas for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Administration.
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Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST
Roadblock to Refinancing :
Everybody wants to help keep people in their houses and out of financial stress and foreclosure, right?
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Sat, 23 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST
With New Limits, New Reasons To Question Mortgage Costs :
A seemingly arcane policy change by mortgage investor Freddie Mac sheds new light on issues of much broader concern for consumers: Do you really understand where the money flows -- all the nooks and crannies -- when you take out a mortgage and pay thousands of dollars in fees at settlement?
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Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST
Mortgage Insurer Tightens Up :
First it was the lenders. Now it's the mortgage insurers. Entire product lines are being yanked, potentially squeezing large numbers of home buyers and refinancers out of the marketplace.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843329612" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843329612" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 09 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST
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: mysterious fees charged by real estate brokers, lenders, builders and title agents -- "admin," "processing," "doc-prep" and "regulatory compliance" are among the opaque names -- that added $200 to $500 to the bottom line at settlement.
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Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST
Zip Code 'Redlining': A Sweeping View of Risk :
Critics call it the new redlining: Many of the country's largest mortgage lenders are imposing loan restrictions in entire counties or Zip codes that they rank as risky or "declining."
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Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST
Appraiser's Lawsuit Puts Lenders on Notice :
Real estate appraisers have complained for years about demands from loan officers that they fudge and inflate numbers to allow mortgage deals to close.
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Sat, 19 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST
Lower Rates, Coming Resets: An Opening For Refinancing :
Is it a refi renaissance? Or a fast-closing window of opportunity?<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843330399" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843330399" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 12 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST
Borrowers Seeking Help May Feel Lost at Sea :
The rolling tsunami of home-loan delinquencies and foreclosures is exposing serious problems in the mortgage industry's capacity to quickly handle borrowers' requests for help -- whether loan modifications, rate freezes or short sales to ward off foreclosure.
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Sat, 29 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST
There's Reason For Hope Next Year :
Queen Elizabeth II once famously referred to her "annus horribilis," a horrible year during which almost everything went badly, from royal-family scandals to a fire in Windsor Castle.
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Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST
Senate Finally Acts to Help Borrowers :
Reversing months of inaction in a single day, the Senate recently passed two major bills that could help thousands of homeowners struggling with unaffordable mortgages or heading for foreclosure.
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Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST
A Good Credit Score Puts Help at Risk :
It may be the only test you flunk if you score too high: It's called the FICO credit-score test, and it is a key element of the sometimes-arcane guidelines governing which homeowners qualify for "fast-track" interest rate freezes on their subprime mortgages and which don't.<br clear="all"/><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843330908" target="_blank"><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/wpni.rss/opinion/columns;pos=ad9;tile=9;ad=rss;sz=479x40;ord=482843330908" border="0" vspace="5"></a>
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Sat, 08 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST
Once Ranked Prime, Now They're Pinched :
Call it the credit risk hangover after the housing boom binge. Home buyers and refinancers who cannot come up with sizable down payments and whose FICO credit scores are below 680 are about to get squeezed in the mortgage market.
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Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST
Big Rebukes On Title Referrals :
Rigged appraisals, lax underwriting and toxic loans may dominate the headlines, but they are hardly the only issues causing problems in residential real estate.
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