Headline News Archive

2007

August

31

• FHA to help refi at-risk mortgages. Some homeowners with risky "subprime" adjustable-rate mortgages will be able to refinance before they lose their home to foreclosure, with the help of steps President

30

• Mortgages are for paying off. African Americans are often the target of financial pitchmen trying to convince them they should never pay off their mortgages. Instead, the line goes, people

• Bernanke: Need new mortgage options. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke suggested that policymakers look for ways to encourage a wider range of mortgages geared for borrowers who have been hard

• Info hacked on millions of Monster users. The theft of contact information for job seekers in the database of Monster Worldwide (MNST) may have been much greater than the 1.3 million individuals reported

• Plight for renters gets tougher. As the credit crunch shakes up the mortgage market, one group that's suffering some severe collateral damage doesn't own a home at all: renters. Already,

29

• Financial advice: Get it in writing. If you're an investment news junkie, you may remember hearing about the SEC and NASD stepping up fines in recent years on financial firms that

• Census: Health benefits scarcer. New numbers from the Census Bureau will likely fuel political debate in Congress and statehouses about the growing problem of the uninsured: Their ranks rose

• Consumidores en apuros. La confianza de los consumidores se redujo en agosto debido a la turbulencia en los mercados financieros y a los requisitos más estrictos para

28

• Pressure mounts on student loans. The multibillion-dollar market for securitized student loan debt faces new stresses as Congress moves to reshape the troubled student loan industry. With concern over the

• California anti-class-action initiative withdrawn. A ballot initiative to limit class-action lawsuits was abruptly withdrawn from the state Attorney General's office today after the backers, a coalition of businesses and

• Gas hits five-month low heading into holiday. U.S. drivers heading into the last vacation weekend of the summer are enjoying the lowest gasoline prices in almost five months, the government said

• Home sales go from bad to worse. The news Monday from the National Association of Realtors was bad enough: Sales of existing homes fell in July to their slowest pace in five

27

• Online, pocket change not easily spent. The idea of micropayments — charging Web users tiny amounts of money for single pieces of online content — was essentially put to sleep toward the end

• Mortgages remain for some homebuyers. What credit crunch? Home buyers with solid credit and money for a down payment are now better positioned than they were a few weeks ago.

25

• Cards train kids to use plastic. we are, a nation deeply in debt. All told, America’s adults are on the hook for well over $2 trillion, and more than a third

24

• States move to limit subprime lending damage. Gov. Michael F. Easley of North Carolina signed legislation last week that would limit the ability of mortgage brokers to charge customers above-market rates and

23

• Monster.com users become prey for phishers. Hundreds of thousands of job seekers are at risk of being ripped off through a sophisticated scheme concocted by Internet criminals who have penetrated the

• Laid off? Cut back and get back out. Capital One's ubiquitous advertising campaign - "What's in your wallet?" - has taken on a different and jarring meaning for hundreds of workers in its

• 'Handcuffs' chafe wireless phone users. To many, the Apple iPhone is the ultimate wireless device — a seductive blend of technology, function and dead-on cool, all wrapped into a sleek package.

22

• Few know they are eligible for kids' health coverage. During the four years that her children were uninsured, Cassie O. Hall used the emergency room as their pediatrician. When Tayana had an asthma attack

• Consumers don't heed savings interest rates. Sixty percent of consumers surveyed in May said they "almost never" check the interest rates available on savings accounts, even though most respondents pointed to

• Billions stream into safe government funds. Amid concern about the credit crunch, institutional investors are shifting money out of money market funds that could potentially hold risky corporate debt and into

• Tenant screening could cost you rental. The process of finding the perfect rental house or apartment can range from hectic to nearly impossible. But it could be worse: Picture yourself locating

• California urged to help homeowners in foreclosure. Lawmakers and lenders called on the state's troubled home mortgage industry Tuesday to step up efforts to help financially strapped Californians avoid losing their homes