6 Banks Repay Bailouts; Program Nears Break-Even
For more: http://bit.ly/gF4aMp
Six more banks repaid their government bailouts, bringing the bank capital program close to 99 percent recovery, the Treasury Department said Wednesday.

In Proposed Mortgage Fraud Settlement, a Gift to Big Banks
For more: http://nyti.ms/fYbkyA
Lurking in a proposed mortgage fraud settlement with the state attorneys general is a clause that could be worth billions for the big banks.

Gloomy homebuilder outlook improves slightly in March
For more: http://bit.ly/ieFoHd
Homebuilders’ pessimistic outlook improved slightly this month, but it remains dim amid falling home prices and a weak pace of construction.

Quick fix? Geithner seeks speedy foreclosure pact with banks
For more: http://nydn.us/hsQLlB
A comprehensive settlement between U.S. authorities and banks over alleged abuses of mortgage servicing needs to be reached quickly to help the housing market heal, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday.

Tax Tip: 6 facts about choosing the standard or itemized deductions
For more: http://bit.ly/g5oqKl
A tax tip from IRS.gov: When filing your federal income tax return, taxpayers can choose to either take the standard deduction or to itemize their deductions. The IRS has put together the following six facts to help you choose the method that gives you the lowest tax.

9 Senators Seek to Delay Debit Card Fee Changes
For more: http://nyti.ms/hBeC4N
A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill on Tuesday that would delay a new federal regulation to lower the swipe fees that banks could charge merchants for processing debit card transactions.

Geithner Backs New Financing Approach for Mortgages
For more: http://nyti.ms/gq4SUn
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner on Tuesday backed legislative efforts to create a new market for financing mortgages that would help wean the $10.6 trillion United States mortgage market from government support.

Freddie Mac’s Former Chief May Face S.E.C. Action
For more: http://nyti.ms/gTVnR4
The former chief executive of Freddie Mac may face a civil action as the government ramps up an investigation of disclosure practices at the mortgage finance giant and its sister company, Fannie Mae, people briefed on the investigation said.

How to prioritize which bills to pay
For more: http://bit.ly/fJmzCv
If you're like most Americans, you pay plenty of bills every month. In addition to food, clothing and utilities, most people carry revolving (such as credit card) and non-revolving (such as mortgage) debt. The biggest debt homeowners carry usually is their mortgage. Many homeowners and renters alike carry both credit card and auto debts.

OPINION: Another Inside Job
For more: http://nyti.ms/hyHinY
Count me among those who were glad to see the documentary “Inside Job” win an Oscar. The film reminded us that the financial crisis of 2008, whose aftereffects are still blighting the lives of millions of Americans, didn’t just happen — it was made possible by bad behavior on the part of bankers, regulators and, yes, economists.

First-time home buyers set aside fears
For more: http://bit.ly/gI05jV
Everybody knows that the one-two punch of the recession and falling home values has convinced potential homeowners to keep renting instead of buying their first houses. Well, Brittany McLamb says "everybody" has it wrong.

Metro economies grow but job growth slow
For more: http://bit.ly/faCiNb
The economies of the biggest U.S. metropolitan areas began to grow again by the end of last year, but the recovery was "slow, uneven and inconsistent" and failed to spur much jobs growth, according to a study by the Brookings Institute released on Monday.

Self-employed people finding it harder to get home mortgages
For more: http://bit.ly/fDaNnH
While the housing market is past the housing bust which had struck the U.S. economy after recession in 2008, it is still not easy to get a home loan. As compared to the period before recession, when getting a loan was not too difficult once you just filled the applications, people now have to file a lot of paperwork for getting one.

More Loan-Modification Options for the ‘Underwater’
For more: http://nyti.ms/ebCojH
The F.H.A. program — called Short Refi — requires major concessions from lenders, which must agree to write off at least 10 percent of the principal balance, and from investors, who, if they own the mortgage, must also agree to the deal.

New Worries for Buyers Seeking Mortgages
For more: http://nyti.ms/eWFQ9R
The dread of not finding a lender after the market collapsed in 2009 has been replaced by uncertainty, confusion and frustration. According to brokers and lenders, the list of demands that stand between finding a place to buy and signing on the dotted line simply never stops morphing.