Tag Archives: financials

Down-on-their-luck homeowners who avoid foreclosure through short sales or loan forgiveness could owe the IRS big bucks because partisan wrangling is holding up extension of a popular tax break designed to help them. “We’re talking about people who are financially …

Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages eased slightly this week, remaining near historic lows. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate for a 30-year loan declined to 4.17 percent from 4.20 percent last week. The average for the …

The Federal Housing Agency is taking steps to expand access to mortgage credit for underserved borrowers. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan told a gathering of the National Association on Realtors May 13 that lending to potential …

Starting October 2015, MasterCard and Visa will usher in a major change in the U.S. credit card industry.  Credit cards will have microchips in them.  Consumers will use PIN numbers instead of signing credit card receipts.  And consumers will insert …

“Sears is undergoing a significant transformation, and we fundamentally are changing the way we do business,” says Edward S. Lampert, Sears Holdings’ chairman and CEO in a company release. “Our performance in the first quarter highlights the challenges we are facing …

Federal disaster policy should shift focus toward mitigation in order to reduce future disaster costs, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies says. The industry group recommends that the federal government create incentives for states to adopt and enforce strong …

The average characteristics of conventional mortgages used to buy newly built homes were little changed in April, according to data released earlier today by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).  The average contract interest rate declined a scant 2 basis points to 4.19 percent, while …

Going green is good for the environment, but it can also be good for a homeowner’s wallet – and that’s the aspect of eco-friendly improvements that seems most appealing to homebuyers. More than 80 percent of buyers said they would …