Elections 2010 - Ballot Initiatives

 

After years of housing mess, no end in sight

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CHICAGO - America's housing mess came to the western part of Humboldt Park long before it hit wealthier neighborhoods, but like much of the country the crisis is apparently going nowhere.

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Deficit plan: no cause for snap investor decisions

WASHINGTON - There's no need for homeowners, investors, retirees, taxpayers or anyone else targeted in the controversial deficit-cutting plan unveiled on Wednesday to panic.

Bank of America urges dismissing robo-signing suit

NEW YORK - Bank of America Corp has urged a federal judge to throw out a racketeering lawsuit over its alleged use of "robo-signers" in foreclosures.

October foreclosures fall as processing stalls

WASHINGTON - The number of U.S. homes taken over by banks fell 9 percent in October as foreclosure processing was stalled by questionable paperwork, real estate data company RealtyTrac said on Thursday.

Home loan demand rises as rates stay near lows

NEW YORK - U.S. mortgage applications rose last week, driven by higher demand for both home purchase and refinance loans, as interest rates remained near record lows, an industry group reported on Wednesday.

Banks' mortgage practices reap more lawsuits

NEW YORK/WILMINGTON, Delaware - Lawsuits against banks over their mortgage lending and foreclosure practices continue to pile up, with JPMorgan, PNC Financial Services and Ally Financial disclosing suits on Tuesday.

Want to refinance your mortgage now? A checklist

Peggy Abkemeier, president of Rent.com, an eBay company in Santa Monica, California, refinanced her mortgage last year. And because interest rates are so low, she could cut costs again by refinancing that 5 percent loan now. "But I don't want to go through all of that again" without savings much greater than 1/2 percentage point, she said. "I felt like I had to sign over a first-born."

How to sell a haunted house

When realtor Scott FladHammer arrived fifteen minutes early for his appointment to show a 1909 farmhouse to prospective buyers, he was spooked to discover they were already there — sitting in the very barn in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where one of three gruesome murders had occurred.

Five ways to avoid foreclosure limbo

Homebuyers who have been hoping to score a good deal by buying a foreclosed property have been left in limbo by the recent rash of foreclosure freezes. Reports that many recent home seizures were based on faulty documentation have prompted big lenders like Bank of America to suspend foreclosure activity. Title insurance powerhouse Old Republic National Title has stopped covering some foreclosures. Class action attorneys are readying lawsuits and attorneys general in most states are calling for a

How to help underwater homeowners

An estimated 11 million homeowners - perhaps 25 percent of all homeowners - are "underwater", a situation where their mortgage exceeds the present value of their home. Many are making their payments faithfully each month, and virtually all would benefit from a chance to refinance. Since they are "underwater", they cannot.


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    McCain, Biden coming together for Sedona, Arizona forum

    These days Washington is not known for bipartisanship, but every now and then a breakthrough is made. It is noteworthy that Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and Senator John McCain, a Republican, are appearing together at a forum in Sedona, Arizona on Friday.

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