04/30/2009 - - bloomberg.com - Treasury Announces New Plan to Aid Mortgage Holders (Update2) - The Obama administration unveiled a new program to help borrowers with second mortgages stay out of foreclosure, offering cash to servicers, investors and borrowers who modify loan terms.
04/30/2009 - - huffingtonpost.com - Obama: Mortgage Help For Homeowners To Be Expanded - offering mortgage lenders incentives to lower borrowers' bills on second mortgages.
04/29/2009 - - huffingtonpost.com - Dick Durbin: Banks "Frankly Own The Place" - On Monday night in an interview with a radio host back home, he came to a stark conclusion: the banks own the Senate.
04/28/2009 - - huffingtonpost.com - Obama: Mortgage Help For Homeowners To Be Expanded - "We're offering even more opportunities for borrowers," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in a statement.
04/28/2009 - - huffingtonpost.com - Comes As Home Prices Plummet Nearly 19% In February... - Home prices post 18.6 percent annual drop in Feb.
04/28/2009 - Florida - The PONZI State - Report by George Packer (registration required) - newyorker.com - VIDEO -
04/28/2009 - huffingtonpost.com - How Mortgage Modification Scammers Dupe Desperate Homeowners - Mortgage Vultures Dupe Cash-Strapped Homeowners
04/28/2009 - huffingtonpost.com - Bankruptcy Bill Watered Down, Still Fiercely Opposed By Banks - Bankruptcy Bill Watered Down, Still Fiercely Opposed By Banks.
04/27/2009 - huffingtonpost.com - Bankruptcy Relief for Homeowners at Risk of Foreclosure - The United States Senate will likely take up a housing bill next week.
04/24/2009 - money.cnn.com - New home sales show signs of revival - Despite a decline in March, the annual rate remains above what economists expect after an even stronger than originally reported February.
04/23/2009 - washingtonpost.com - Federal Program to Boost Private Lending Struggles to Get Money to Consumers - Federal Program to Boost Private Lending Struggles to Get Money to Consumers...
04/23/2009 - money.cnn.com - Hope seen, despite home sales downturn - Realtors say home resales fell 3% in March, but analysts point to signs of a stabilizing market.
04/23/2009 - NYTimes.com - The Displaced - After the House Is Gone - MORE than a million homes have been lost to foreclosure in the last two years. And according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association, banks are now in the process of foreclosing on 1.5 million more.
04/23/2009 - In Untended Lawns, Signs of Bigger Problems - In Fort Myers, Fla., city employees attempt to fight blight by mowing the lawns of abandoned properties. - NYtimes.com - VIDEO -
04/23/2009 - NYTimes.com - Banks Starting to Walk Away on Foreclosures - Banks are quietly declining to take possession of properties at the end of the foreclosure process, most often because the cost of the ordeal - from legal fees to maintenance - exceeds the diminishing value of the real estate.
04/23/2009 - freep.com - Home sales signal stabilizing market, some say - The monthly ups and downs seem to be smaller, a sign that the market is stabilizing, said Lawrence Yun, the association's chief economist.
04/23/2009 - money.cnn.com - Obama in credit card face-off - President to meet with execs to press his case for consumer protections - a day after House panel OKs bill limiting increases on rates and fees.
04/22/2009 - U.S. credit card bill advances on eve of Obama meet - Legislation to curb credit card fees and limit consumer penalties cleared a congressional panel. - reuters.com - VIDEO -
04/22/2009 - reuters.com - Treasury weighs new mortgage subsidies: - The Treasury Department is considering giving banks and investors billions of dollars in fresh incentives to modify troubled mortgages and save homeowners from foreclosure.
04/22/2009 - huffingtonpost.com - Banks Playing Both Sides On Bankruptcy Bill, Have Reform On Life Support - major banks hoping to come to a compromise on bankruptcy legislation that moved with great fanfare through the House in early March.
04/22/2009 - nytimes.com - For Housing Crisis, the End Probably Isn't Near - The closest thing to a real estate crystal ball in the last few years has been the house auctions that are regularly held around the country.
04/22/2009 - Too Many Houses Are Keeping Prices Low: LeFrak - Excess inventory is the mortal enemy of housing prices, according to Richard LeFrak, president of the LeFrak Organization. 2,000,000 extra new built houses in inventory - video.cnbc.com - VIDEO -
04/21/2009 - Watchdog says bank bailout vulnerable to fraud - In a 250-page quarterly report to Congress, concludes that a private-public partnership designed to rid financial institutions of their "toxic assets" is tilted in favor of private investors and creates potential unfairness to the taxpayer. - video.aol.com - VIDEO -
04/21/2009 - Un-saleable homes - CNN's Drew Griffin on why millions of foreclosed homes nationwide are so badly damaged they may never be sold - video.aol.com - VIDEO -
04/21/2009 - money.cnn.com - Let big banks fail, bailout skeptics say - Top economists tell Congress the administration must change its approach to saving troubled financial firms or risk strangling an economic recovery.
04/21/2009 - huffingtonpost.com - The Credit Card Debt Crisis: The Next Economic Domino - Hot on the heels of the banking crisis, the employment crisis, and the mortgage/foreclosure crisis, the country is on the verge of experiencing a credit card crisis.
04/21/2009 - huffingtonpost.com - Policy Makers Take Aim at Credit-Card Practices - Congress and the White House are taking aim at controversial credit-card practices, from higher interest rates on past balances to fees for paying by phone or online.
04/21/2009 - huffingtonpost.com - Menendez To Geithner: Stop Bailed-Out Banks From Hiking Credit Card Rates On Consumers - In a bid to aid consumers hit hard by the recession, lawmakers are pushing legislation this week that would ban a long list of credit-card practices that essentially amount to higher costs for consumers.
04/20/2009 - pe.com - Cities seeing to it that foreclosed Inland homes are registered to prevent blight - For the most part, cities say the laws hold banks and other foreclosed property owners responsible for the condition of their homes. Thousands of homes have been registered since the laws took effect.
04/20/2009 - huffingtonpost.com - Most Bailed Out Banks Reduced Lending Since Getting Funds - Lending By Goldman Sachs Dropped More Than 50% From October '08 To February '09... Chase: 35%... Citi: 24%...
04/19/2009 - Pessimist Porn for thr Hard Times - ABC News' Dan Harris recently reported on the phenomenon of pessimism porn, the epidemic of doom-and-gloom financial reporting. - abcnews.com - VIDEO -
04/19/2009 - huffingtonpost.com - A Simple Solution: A National Debt Moratorium - In essence, this moratorium would freeze all payments of debt to financial institutions for a certain period, to allow debt holders to be able to raise a cushion of cash and prepare for further economic turmoil
04/18/2009 - mlive.com - Trading homes a growing trend as house sellers get creative in tough housing market - That doesn't mean assuming someone's mortgage, it just means that buyers and sellers come together to buy each other's homes.
04/18/2009 - cnbc.com - Freddie Mac Chief: Housing Sales Near Bottom - U.S. housing sales are near a bottom, and a third of sales are now of foreclosed properties, the chief economist of Freddie Mac, Frank Nothaft, said on Saturday.
04/18/2009 - huffingtonpost.com - White House To Address Credit Card Abuses - The White House says that it will back congressional efforts to clamp down on credit card abuses in an effort to address the recession's effect on Main Street.
04/17/2009 - Bernanke Says Crisis Damage Likely to Be Long-Lasting - The collapse of U.S. lending will probably cause "long-lasting" damage to home prices, household wealth and borrowers' credit scores. - bloomberg.com - VIDEO -
04/16/2009 - huffingtonpost.com - March housing construction falls 10.8 percent - The Commerce Department said Thursday construction of new homes and apartments dropped 10.8 percent last month. Second lowest construction pace in records that go back 50 years.
04/16/2009 - money.cnn.com Folks losing homes dial 1-800; no one answers - Banks and lenders say that they have been overwhelmed with calls and that they're doing all they can to help ease the situation for Americans in distress.
04/16/2009 - money.cnn.com Donald Trump: Be bold and buy real estate now - This is the best time to think like a champion. As an example, the house is being foreclosed. You go see your bank -- maybe you can make a deal, maybe you can't. But you can make a deal with a bank on another house, and much better than the one you're living in. ... They'll do any deal to get rid of their product.
04/16/2009 - huffingtonpost.com Foreclosure filings jump 24% in 1st quarter - Foreclosures skyrocketed in March and the first quarter of 2008 to their highest levels on record as banks lifted moratoria on filings. Repossessions fall 3%.
04/15/2009 - money.cnn.com 6 companies to get $9.9B under mortgage program - The Obama administration on Wednesday named the first six companies participating in a $75 billion program designed to help millions of struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure.
04/15/2009 - bloomberg.com Say Good-Bye to Fannie, Freddie as Housing Woes Wreck Status - The bailed-out mortgage finance companies will emerge from their travails combined as one, broken up or with substantially reshaped missions..
04/15/2009 - reuters.com U.S. housing rescue threatened by second liens - The U.S. Treasury Department's effort to help 5 million homeowners win reworked mortgages, part of a plan to stabilize housing, could fall flat
04/15/2009 - times.com The Great Recession: America Becomes Thrift Nation - Now we're stripping down and starting over. A platoon of TIME reporters and pollsters report - anecdotally and empirically - what's changed in the way we set our priorities and spend our money since the Great Recession began.
04/15/2009 - cityroom.blogs.nytimes.comBronx Tenants Fault Banks for Shoddy Conditions - Private equity groups, which went on a spending spree in gobbling up moderate-income housing in the boroughs outside Manhattan. Advocates say the banks are partly responsible.
04/13/2009 - canada.com IMF: Financial Institutions Hold $4 Trillion in Toxic Assets - This is nearly double the worst estimate we've heard so far. The forecast of U.S.-originated assets swirling around the world is due to be announced Apr. 21.
04/11/2009 - LAtimes.com Mortgage modifications may not stem foreclosures, Fed economists say - They say the government should consider more direct aid to homeowners, such as loans to bridge the loss of income.
04/11/2009 - CBSnews.com The MORTGAGE MELTDOWN - A Second Mortgage Disaster On The Horizon? Scott Pelley reports on the mortgage crisis that's far from over, with a second wave of expected defaults on the way that could deepen the bottom of the U.S. recession.
04/09/2009 - Foreclosure Grace Period Bill Signed Into Law
04/09/2009 - TARP Recipients Required to Modify Loans, HUD Says (Update3)
04/09/2009 - Vulture investors are looking for prey.
04/09/2009 - Miami housing: The power of cheap. Buyers are venturing back. Meet Theresa Caccamise, owner of an $85,000 fixer-upper.
04/08/2009 - Heartbreak: Firm Offering People "Second Chance" Mortgage Help Accused Of Fraud
04/08/2009 - The Banker Who Said No - While the nation's lenders ran amok during the boom, Andy Beal hoarded his money. Now he's cleaning up--with scant help from Uncle Sam.
04/08/2009 - Mortgage cramdown faces critical test - Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) has given housing advocates two weeks to find a compromise
04/07/2009 - Mortgage cramdown faces critical test to allow bankruptcy judges to restructure mortgages
04/06/2009 - Ex-Countrywide exec heads new mortgage firm
04/06/2009 - Rocket Docket - Speed Dating of Foreclosure Hearings
04/06/09 - Dispatches From The Displaced: A Short Sale Realtor Sheds Light On The Housing Crisis
04/06/2009 - GMAC resumes loans to subprime borrowers
04/06/2009 - Signs of life in California real estate - There's is a lot of activity out on the coast that may indicate a reawakening of the housing market there - and across the country.
04/06/2009 - Qualifying for a low-down FHA loan - Federal Housing Administration lending is soaring - with good reason. These mortgages are affordable, flexible and available.
04/06/2009 - Foreclosure prevention: Don't get scammed
04/06/2009 - Crackdown on housing scams
04/03/2009 - Report: Banks' Efforts To Modify Mortgages Isn't Helping Homeowners: Loan Modifications Not Helping Homeowners
04/02/2009 - California $500K homes now selling for $200,000
04/02/2009 - U.S. property bust threatens condo "death spiral". The condo association has been forced to cut expenses.
04/01/2009 - Check the future of home prices - Real Estate 2009 - Click on any city to see where it ranks and details on where home prices are headed.
04/01/2009 - Bidding Wars Over a House? Real Estate Pros See Bottom
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