Mortgages
Tax credit for first-time buyers giving little boost to housing (MarketWatch)
Over the summer, many in the housing industry applauded the temporary first-time home buyer tax credits written into the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. But apparently buyers werenât as impressed. Read
Pay attention to credit scores today to buy home next year (MarketWatch)
If youâre planning on waiting out this housing downturn, intending to buy a home when the coast is clear, you better start checking your credit reports now. There may be some surprises waiting for you. Read
Community Reinvestment Act may gain new prominence (MarketWatch)
As the market evolves during the financial crisis, the Community Reinvestment Act may achieve new prominence among consumers, regulators and institutions. Read
What President-elect Obama will do to improve housing (at MarketWatch)
Economic concerns were at the forefront of votersâ minds this week. And for many Americans, those financial issues begin at home. Read
Mortgage roller coaster continues as rates drop (at MarketWatch)
Mortgage rates move down after jumping the previous week, continuing five weeks of volatility that have seen rates rise and fall more than usual as the financial crisis keeps credit markets in turmoil. Read
If lender won't respond to your pleas, call mortgage insurer (MarketWatch)
Question: I've tried everything I can think of to get my lender to talk to me about my pending ARM adjustment, but every time I call, I either get stuck on hold for what seems like forever or I am told someone will get back to me and they never do. Read
The election, the American dream and housing policy (at MarketWatch)
The subprime mortgage mess, which in large part precipitated the broader financial meltdown the world is wallowing through today, was itself rooted in U.S. housing policy that promoted homeownership for all who reached for it. Read
A discount mortgage program would revive the housing market (at MarketWatch)
On the outskirts of the San Francisco Bay Area, the depth of the housing-market collapse is evident in foreclosed homes that sold for $500,000 two years ago and yet arenât attracting buyers at a third of the cost. Read
Fixed-rate mortgages reverse big gains of a week ago (at MarketWatch)
CHICAGO -- The benchmark 30-year mortgage headed down again this week, erasing most of the big gain it recorded a week earlier as interest rates continued to gyrate in response to the ongoing credit crisis, according to the latest Freddie Mac mortgage survey. Read
Protesters link mortgage lenders to broader economic crisis (at MarketWatch)
If you blinked, you might have thought you were watching a scene from the 2006 âBoratâ movie: Mortgage executives gathered in a large room are caught off-guard by disturbances in the audience, making for moments of uncomfortable silence. Read
Foreclosures could keep topping records as job losses mount (MarketWatch)
If 2008 was a record year for mortgages entering foreclosure, 2009 could look even worse: While home-price declines have been driving foreclosure starts recently, mounting job losses could add another layer of stress on American homeowners. Read
Financial tornado rakes mortgage bankers, but rainbow on horizon (at MarketWatch)
Despite being battered by a year of staggeringly bad news, and even with a couple of dozen people protesting outside, the Mortgage Bankers Association kicked off its annual meeting with a fair bit of hope for the future. Read
Foreclosure aid at top of agenda for revamped Fannie, Freddie (at MarketWatch)
Under their new government-appointed chief executives, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are focused on reducing foreclosures, improving liquidity in the mortgage market and restructuring aspects of their business. Read
After steep rise last week, where will mortgage rates go next? (at MarketWatch)
Mortgage rates jumped this week, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage taking its biggest weekly leap in 21 years. The 30-year mortgage averaged 6.46% for the week ending Oct. 16, according to Freddie Macâs weekly survey. Read
With mortgage money harder to get, some sellers are making loans (MarketWatch)
Itâs much harder to get a mortgage today than it was a couple of years ago. Thatâs why some home sellers are stepping in and financing deals on their own. Read
Mortgage payments aren't the only housing costs crimping budgets (MarketWatch)
Much attention has been given to homeowners struggling to make their mortgage payments but other household costs are also hammering both homeowners and renters alike. Read
Realtors say pending home-sales index up 7.4% in August (at MarketWatch)
Despite the credit crunch gripping the U.S. economy, the National Association of Realtors says an index of sales contracts on previously owned homes rose in August from the prior month and from the same month during 2007. Read
The five key areas where the bailout will hit home for consumers (at MarketWatch)
The proposed multi-billion-dollar bailout package is aimed at Wall Street, but how will it affect U.S. homeowners, consumers and savers? Read
Bailout talks advance as Bush, Democrats turn optimistic (at MarketWatch)
Washington bargaining on the bailout package presses ahead, as House Republicans return to the negotiating table and lawmakers said theyâll put off a scheduled recess to complete work on the $700 billion package. Read
U.S. says home prices down 0.6% in July; annual drop is 5.3% (at MarketWatch)
Even as Washington debates a massive rescue plan to cure the housing marketâs ills, the government issues data that show U.S. home values declined by 0.6% in July from June and by 5.3% from July 2007. Read
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