Saturday, October 8, 2011

NYTimes: Triggers for Rejection

The Mortgage Bankers Association estimates that about half of those who try to refinance and 30 percent of home buyers are either denied or drop out of the application process.

http://nyti.ms/nNW4kv

NYTimes: Charging for Debit Cards Is Robbery

Banks that charge customers to use debit cards are trying to rationalize one of the largest illegal transfers of wealth from consumers to banks in American history.

http://nyti.ms/o829e4

NYTimes: Checking Account Wars, Behind the Scenes

As the battle is joined over fees, the big banks want to make you pay, and the most aggressive of the little institutions want to pay you.

http://nyti.ms/p6oSQW

Thursday, October 6, 2011

NYTimes: Freddie and Fannie Reject Debt Relief

Loans are not eligible for debt reduction if they were bought and held or securitized by the two companies, which guarantee more than 70 percent of the country's home loans.

http://nyti.ms/nJ5XJP

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

NYTimes: Fannie Mae Knew Early of Abuses, Report Says

Fannie Mae, the mortgage finance giant, learned as early as 2003 of extensive foreclosure abuses, but did little to correct the practices, according to a new report.

http://nyti.ms/ntuKV0

Sunday, October 2, 2011

NYTimes: Expenses, Lender Games and Illness Added Up

After Wanda Carter bought her first home on her own, she ran into unexpected repair needs, lender manipulation and her husband's terminal illness. Now she is one more Chicago foreclosure statistic.

http://nyti.ms/o5PVBG

NYTimes: Determining a Home’s Value

Homeowners can pay for an appraisal before approaching a lender, but a less costly option is to check the "comps" — recent sales of comparable homes nearby.

http://nyti.ms/qIsCWM

NYTimes: The Bank Case That Refuses to Die

A judge ruled that the government should pay $205 million in damages for Carteret Savings Bank's failure. But the Justice Department won't let the case go.

http://nyti.ms/odMIrD

NYTimes: Profits, but No Joy, for Merrill

Merrill Lynch was a weight when it first collapsed into the arms of Bank of America in 2008. Now the tables have turned.

http://nyti.ms/rtsl4J