Articles by Subject

Should You Refinance Your Mortgage as a Debt Consolidation Loan?

By:
Kirk Haverkamp - MortgageLoan.com | 09/10/2009 - 12:22am

Thinking about a debt consolidation loan? For someone with a lot of credit card debt and other obligation, rolling all those bills into one monthly payment can seem like an attractive option, particularly when you can get a lower interest rate in the bargain. But there are downsides

Can Bankruptcy Help You Avoid Foreclosure?

By:
Kirk Haverkamp - MortgageLoan.com | 08/20/2009 - 12:35am

So you're in default on your mortgage. You've several months behind on your payments. You've tried and failed to get a loan modification and work out a repayment schedule, and foreclosure is looming. Should you consider declaring bankruptcy?

Bottomless Pit: Consumers Falling Deeper into Debt

By:
Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | 02/03/2009 - 1:13am

Consumer debt may be moderating, but debt delinquencies are ticking up. Those rising delinquencies foreshadow more economic turmoil for U.S. households and domestic credit card issuers.

Debt Concepts Confuse too many Americans

By:
Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | 01/29/2009 - 1:42am

A new survey from Opinion Research Corporation for the Center for Economic and Entrepreneurial Literacy makes some discouraging conclusions about the financial management skills of American households.

Positive Mortgage Crisis Side Effect: U.S. Household Debt Declines

By:
Greg Mischio - MortgageLoan.com | 01/16/2009 - 1:00am

In the midst of a financial crisis, the likes of which the U.S hasn't seen in more than 50 years, an interesting side effect has taken place: Consumer debt has declined. This trend, startling for a country that has long relied on credit cards, may be an indication of a nationwide shift in spending habits.

Treasury Gets Free Money: A Good or Bad Thing?

By:
Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | 01/15/2009 - 1:52am

At a Treasury auction in early December, investors accepted Treasury rates of zero percent on four-week T-bills. While this is a positive development with respect to the cost of government debt, it might foreshadow the bursting of another bubble.

Can a $1 Trillion Budget Deficit be a Positive Event?

By:
Catherine Brock - MortgageLoan.com | 01/14/2009 - 1:38am

The federal debt has already surpassed $10 trillion, and current estimates indicate that this fiscal year's budget deficit could exceed $1 trillion. Strangely enough, even conservative-minded economists aren't balking at the spending, even though it's likely to lead to more government borrowing.