mortgage

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Housing Dip Sends 1/3 of Owners Into Negative Equity

(Newser) - Nearly a third of US homeowners who bought in the last 5 years owe more on their mortgage than their house is worth, according to a report by Internet valuation site Zillow. Prices of houses dropped 9.9% in the second quarter, compared to the previous year, sending 29% of...

Freddie CEO Dismissed Bad Omens for Years

Execs charge Syron was warned of disaster

(Newser) - The CEO of Freddie Mac disregarded several warnings from inside the company that the mortgage giant faced imminent disaster. More than two dozen current and former high-ranking employees told the New York Times that Richard Syron dismissed repeated recommendations from as early as 2004 to limit its exposure to bad...

Bush Signs Housing Bill to Provide Mortgage Relief

(Newser) - President Bush today signed the massive housing bill intended to provide mortgage relief for 400,000 struggling homeowners and stabilize financial markets. The measure, signed without the ususal fanfare, is one he earlier threatened to veto. Regarded as the most significant housing legislation in decades, it lets homeowners who cannot...

Pelosi: 'I Am Not Giving the Gavel Away to Anyone'

Speaker muses on wielding power in contentious era

(Newser) - Newly minted author Nancy Pelosi launched her book tour this week, and one of the first stops is a sit-down with Politico. Of her hard-nosed blockade of GOP attempts to authorize offshore drilling, she says, “I’m trying to save the planet. I will not have this debate trivialized...

House Passes Huge Housing Rescue Bill

Measure should clear Senate soon; Bush says he'll sign it

(Newser) - The House today approved a massive bill to provide relief for struggling homeowners, communities hit hard by the housing crisis, and mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Hill reports. The bill passed 272-152 hours after President Bush switched course and said he would not veto it. The measure...

Mortgage Rates Surge to 5-Year High

Problems with Freddie, Fannie threaten further woes for housing market

(Newser) - Mortgage rates rose yesterday to a 5-year high of 6.71% as investors worried that—even with government intervention—Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac wouldn’t play as big a role in the $12 trillion US mortgage market as in the past, reports the New York Times. The rising rates...

Paulson's Imprimateur on Freddie/Fannie Rescue

Madcap weekend recasts Treasury Secretary in Clintonian mold

(Newser) - Henry Paulson had a very busy weekend. The treasury secretary had been formulating contingency plans for bailing out beleaguered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for weeks, but Friday’s crisis came before those plans were in place, the Wall Street Journal reports in a reconstruction of events leading to the...

Fannie/Freddie: It's Bad, but It Could Be Worse
Fannie/Freddie: It's Bad, but It Could Be Worse
OPINION
Jul 14, 2008 8:32 AM CDT

Fannie/Freddie: It's Bad, but It Could Be Worse

Regulation helped stave off real disaster, writes Krugman

(Newser) - The government's move to shore up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has led to new fears about the state of the American economy—but don't worry too much, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times. Fannie and Freddie are problematic institutions, but compared to the actions of big banks...

Washington Seeks Rescue of Freddie and Fannie

White House asks Congress to approve package

(Newser) - After a frenzied week that saw Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac teeter near collapse, the US Treasury and Federal Reserve are seeking to save the nation's two largest mortgage finance companies. Officials say that the plan, if approved by Congress, will let the government buy billions of dollars in Freddie...

Fannie, Freddie Edge Back From the Brink
Fannie, Freddie Edge Back
From the Brink
ANALYSIS
Jul 12, 2008 7:11 AM CDT

Fannie, Freddie Edge Back From the Brink

Panic eases after turbulent trading, but big test is yet to come

(Newser) - Fears of a collapse of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac finally eased yesterday after a stomach-churning rollercoaster ride that saw a 50% nosedive for the mortgage giants in early trading, writes the Wall Street Journal. A week of panic, prompted in part by reports that the government was preparing rescue...

What's So Great About Home Ownership?
What's So Great About Home Ownership?
Opinion
Jun 23, 2008 8:45 AM CDT

What's So Great About Home Ownership?

US policy is stacked against renters— for no good reason

(Newser) - “Owning a home lies at the heart of the American Dream,” George W. Bush once said, and US policy certainly seems to agree with him. Mortgage interest is tax deductible, and government-sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae provide cheap financing for home buyers. Why is that, asks Paul...

Rise in Renters Wiping Out Gains in Homeownership

Effects of subprime crisis evident as percentage of owners drops

(Newser) - Americans are shifting from being homeowners to renters in rising numbers, the New York Times reports, all but wiping out gains made during the boom. The percentage of homes headed by homeowners dropped from 69.1% to 67.8% this year, which sounds modest, but is, in fact, the biggest...

GOP Hesitates on Call for Mortgage Probe

Lawmakers wary of unearthing more Countrywide ties

(Newser) - GOP lawmakers are leery of investigating mortgage deals Countrywide may have arranged for members of Congress, even though a fellow Republican is leading the charge, Politico reports. More Democratic ties to the troubled lender would give the GOP ammo in a cycle seemingly stacked against it—but the people who...

Stocks Again Stuck in Neutral
 Stocks Again Stuck in Neutral 
MARKETS
Jun 4, 2008 3:42 PM CDT

Stocks Again Stuck in Neutral

Conflicting news on financials hinders the market

(Newser) - The markets finished mixed today as fears over the financial sector clashed with positive economic reports. Moody’s said it may downgrade ratings for Ambac Financial and MBIA because of continued mortgage-related losses, MarketWatch reports, helping the Dow down 12.37 to 12,390.48. The Nasdaq gained 22.66,...

Mortgage Deal Close in Senate
Mortgage Deal Close in Senate
May 15, 2008 1:11 PM CDT

Mortgage Deal Close in Senate

Bipartisan bill would expand insurance for refinanced loans, boost feds' oversight

(Newser) - A Senate committee is close to agreeing on expansion of a government insurance program for refinanced mortgages, the Wall Street Journal reports. Though ridden with partisan conflict as recently as a week ago, staff for Democrat Chris Dodd and Republican Richard Shelby said today the sides were nearing a compromise,...

Foreclosures Go Upscale
 Foreclosures Go Upscale 
May 15, 2008 10:11 AM CDT

Foreclosures Go Upscale

It's taken longer for ballooning loans to hit the wealthy, now facing the music

(Newser) - Luxury homes—once seemingly immune from the mortgage crisis—are starting to hit foreclosure lists across the nation, the Washington Post reports. And, real-estate agents predict, it’s just the beginning of a trend likely to grow as more buyers who bought beyond their means with adjustable-rate and interest-only mortgages...

House OKs Mortgage Rescue Plan, Despite Veto Threat

Plan would allow homeowners to get more stable government loans

(Newser) - The House today shrugged off a veto threat from President Bush and passed a wide-ranging rescue plan for US homeowners, Reuters reports. The centerpiece of the legislation would allow people to trade in risky, fast-rising mortgages for more stable government loans. The $300 billion measure would help an estimated 500,...

Big Fannie Mae Losses Prompt Fears of Failure

Crash would be big blow to US economy, housing market

(Newser) - Fannie Mae lost a worse-than-expected $2.2 billion this quarter, forcing it to cut its dividend and seek $6 billion in capital. The news is especially troubling as Fannie and Freddie Mac, the companies Washington relies on to keep the housing market functioning, are under unprecedented pressure, the New York ...

US Must Stop Foreclosures, Bernanke Warns

He warns of cascading crisis

(Newser) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke yesterday called for government intervention to halt home foreclosures, warning that to do nothing could "destabilize communities, reduce property values of nearby homes, and lower tax revenues." Bernanke said in a speech in New York that a million Americans were already three months...

Celebrity Foreclosure: Canseco's Out at Home

Former baseball star forced to move into smaller home

(Newser) - It can happen to the rich and famous, too: Jose Canseco's mansion is in foreclosure, and he's had to move into more modest digs, Inside Edition reports. Canseco owed more than $2.5 million on the California property his neighbors called the "hotel." He made $30 million in...

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