Category Archives: Mortgages

A new home for newlyweds

Did you know February is National Weddings Month? In honor of this occasion, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about how all that wedding cash can be used for the best gift: a home of your own.

The good news is you can use all that money your … Continue reading

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Military gets foreclosure deal

Members of the military who were victims of wrongful foreclosures will receive substantial compensation from their mortgage servicers.
The U.S. Department of Justice has reached an agreement with four large lenders — JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citig… Continue reading

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FHA loans will cost more

If you plan to get an FHA mortgage or want to refinance with an FHA loan, act quickly.
A few weeks ago, I told you that mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration would get more expensive this year because of recently approved legislation … Continue reading

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Turn your home into a billboard

From the strange-but-true files: Struggling homeowners can find mortgage relief by allowing their home to be turned into a giant billboard. Apparently, 38,000 people are desperate or creative enough to submit their homes as potential advertisements to … Continue reading

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The cup-half-full mortgage deal

The $25 billion federal-state legal settlement with five of the nation’s largest banks over improper foreclosure, messed-up mortgage modifications, robosigning shenanigans and other abuses drew mixed responses from industry groups, economists and consu… Continue reading

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Mortgage deal questions answered

Since the $25 billion mortgage settlement with five of the nation’s largest banks was announced, borrowers across the nation wonder if or when they will benefit from it.
“This historic settlement will provide immediate relief to homeowners, forcing ban… Continue reading

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Upbeat forecast for home prices

Consumer confidence in the economy is rising slightly and so are predictions about home prices. Mortgage company Fannie Mae reports that its January survey showed 30 percent of respondents believe the economy is on the right track, up from 22 percent i… Continue reading

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Obama’s refinance dilemma

Is President Barack Obama’s latest plan to allow millions more struggling homeowners to refinance their mortgages actually further stalling a housing market recovery? Critics of the proposal, announced last week, say the chief drawback is that it’s set… Continue reading

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More jobs, higher rates — maybe

The economy added 243,000 jobs in January. That’s the biggest gain since April and more than analysts had expected. The unemployment rate also fell slightly to 8.3 percent.
Great news! But not good enough to cheer up the 12.8 million people who remain … Continue reading

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Banks can’t say no to refis? Huh?

Banks can’t say no to borrowers who want to refinance their mortgages.
In short, that’s what Shaun Donovan, secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said when asked by a reporter if he believed lenders were going to embrace the Fed… Continue reading

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