Seniors Now Able to Tap Reverse Mortgage for Home Purchase

Wouldn't it be nice to buy a home without having to make mortgage payments? Senior citizens can now do just that, thanks to a new wrinkle in federal housing law that allows them to purchase a new home using a reverse mortgage. Qualified buyers who can put up a substantial portion down payment can finance the rest using a reverse mortgage, and live mortgage-free the rest of their lives.

Fed to Run Foreclosure Scam Trailer in Movie Theaters

Foreclosure avoidance scams are on the rise. As more and more homeowners experience financial difficulties and fall behind on their mortgages, they become the targets of an army of con artists who seek to fleece them out of their money and even their actual homes in return for a promise of assistance

Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows Following Fed Action

Mortgage rates hit their lowest point in half a century this week, following last week's announcement by the Federal Reserve that it would buy up more than a $1 trillion in Treasury debt and mortgage-backed securities to help free up credit.

Mortgage Bankers Call for New Regulations to Police Industry, Protect Borrowers

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is calling on Congress to adopt new legislation to establish uniform regulation of the industry nationwide and establish a new framework to protect borrowers.

Commerce Department Says New Home Sales Rose in February

Sales of new, single-family homes rose unexpectedly in February, according to figures released Wednesday morning by the Commerce Department. Coming on the heels of a reported similar increase in sales of existing homes, it's the latest in a number of recent indicators that the ongoing recession may be starting to loosen its grip.

Credit Unions Swim Against the Tide, Increase Mortgage Lending

At a time when most mortgage lenders are tightening up credit and cutting back on loans, at least one part of the industry is showing remarkable growth - credit unions.

MBA Boosts Mortgage Originations Forecast By Over $800 Billion

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) has sharply increased its prediction of the volume of mortgages that will originate this year, increasing its 2009 forecast by 800 billion, a 67 percent increase over previous estimates.

New FDIC-Type Authority Urged for Closing Troubled Financial Institutions

Taking a page from the 1930s, the Obama administration is calling for a new authority, modeled after the FDIC, to allow the government to restructure failed large financial institutions in much the same way the FDIC is able to restructure failed banks.

Markets Up on Treasury Plan to Purchase Mortgage Assets, but Pessimism Remains

Stocks rose sharply at Monday's opening, following Treasury Secretary Paul Geithner's announcement of a plan to generate up to $1 trillion in public and private funds to buy up distressed bank assets and related securities to get the economy moving again.

Time to Break the 401K Piggy Bank for Your Mortgage?

In the current economic downturn, financially stressed homeowners are becoming increasing desperate to do what they can to avoid foreclosure. At the same time, others whose finances are secure may be looking at falling home prices and historically low interest rates and thinking that now would be a good time to buy their first home, if they could only put up enough for the down payment.

Fed Actions Stir Early Concerns of Inflation

The Federal Reserve's aggressive action on Wednesday to buy up Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities is designed to jolt the economy out of its doldrums, but at a potentially high price - the risk of triggering rapid inflation.

Online Tools Help Homeowners Find if They Have a Fannie or Freddie Mortgage

Borrowers who would like to refinance their homes but aren't sure if they have a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac mortgage needed to qualify for the government's new Making Home Affordable mortgage relief program now have an easy way to get their answer.

Market, Economy Waits for Bernanke and FOMC's Next Move

What will be the Federal Reserve's next move? Bernanke and the Federal Open Market Committee wrap up a two day meeting this afternoon. Faced with an economy that continues to post negative results and interest rates effectively at zero, theFOMC will need to rely on more creative moves to revive the economy.

Loss of Mortgage Deduction Stirs Homeowners and Mortgage Industry

Embedded in President Barack Obama's budget is an attack on something as American as baseball and apple pie--the mortgage-interest deduction. "Buy a home and get a tax break" is practically a national anthem in the US.

Bernanke Takes Plea for Political Will Straight to the American Taxpayer

In an interview straight out of President Obama's media playbook, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke takes his case straight to the American people on "60 Minutes." A case that is sure to require more of the taxpayer's money to achieve what he claims is a fundamental underpinning to economic recovery--stabilizing the US banking system.

Kenneth Lewis Pleads for Facts to Guide Debate on Economic Crisis

Taking to the Opinion section of the Wall Street Journal this morning, Kenneth Lewis calls for clear facts and undistorted information to guide debate on the path to recovery. His op-ed argues that the crisis is increasing fueled by misinformation that stifles options and confidence to recover our economy.

Mortgage Cram-Down Bankruptcy Legislation Passes in House

A controversial bill that would allow loan modifications by Federal judges, forcing banks to reduce the payments of borrowers in bankruptcy got one step closer to becoming a law. The so called mortgage "cram-down" law passed in the House of Representatives yesterday 234-191 and heads to the Senate.

Mortgage Crisis Expands as Economy Weakens

Recent mortgage industry data reports are showing that the mortgage crisis continues to alarming deepen despite a variety of government assistance programs and capital. One of the major contributors in the expansion of job loss to multiple sectors and an increasing number of States.

Mortgage Tax Deduction May Be at Risk, Quietly Wounding Mortgage Payers

President Obama's recent budget proposal may wipe out your mortgage deduction. Is this the right time to cut incentives to homeownership? The housing industry, at record lows and bulging with home inventory, is loudly protesting.