You know this country is in the midst of a housing crisis. It's been the headliner on the six o'clock news and the front-page story in all the papers, for months. ...more

September 7, 2008

Troubled borrowers with home loans from IndyMac Federal Bank will be able to switch to fixed-rate mortgages under a new plan from federal regulators, who seized the bank last month after it became the largest regulated thrift to fail. ...more

August 21, 2008

The Live Oak 1 Community Development District took another step toward homeowner control this month, when its board of supervisors appointed resident Scott Keen to fill the seat left vacant by former Engle Homes executive Joe Hennessey. ...more

July 23, 2008

What are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the largest purchasers and insurers of mortgages in the country. ...more

July 12, 2008

SEBRING — The idea is to help children learn about financial concepts, but adults — perhaps lots of them — could also benefit from the knowledge from workshops dealing with money. A parent workshop on "The ABCs of Teaching Your Kids About Money" was held last Tuesday at the Highlands County YMCA. Two workshops involving pre-teens and teens are tentatively planned for the first week of August. ...more

July 6, 2008

This is the time of year when the buzz starts up about student loan consolidation. Some people benefit from consolidating, others don't, and borrowers want to know which camp they fall in. ...more

June 22, 2008

The United States has been borrowing money from many nations, where we have been paying for their security with the American tax dollars. The many military bases cost millions of dollars each and every day, creating a huge economy for the nations involved, plus security for that nation. They, in return, loan America huge loans at very high interest rates, a win-win situation for their nation. The new proposed loan to bail America out of its financial mess is from China, which is also a win-win situation for them. ...more

February 11, 2008

President Bush's plan to offer a little help for a few homeowners straining to repay adjustable-rate mortgages falls far short of financially rescuing anyone, but if it begins to restore market confidence it will be a success. ...more

December 12, 2007

Some credit card companies are raising interest rates on good customers even if they pay down their balances on time every month. The reason they cite is that the customer's credit rating has fallen elsewhere. A Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing on credit card practices heard the testimony of people who had a nasty surprise when they thought they were paying down their balances, but it turned out they were only paying off interest. Major credit card companies such as Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase & Co. have said they will discontinue the practice of raising a customer's interest rate based solely on a change in their credit score. Capital One said its policy is not to change customers' interest rates if their credit scores go down. ...more

December 5, 2007

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday hinted that another interest rate cut may be needed to bolster the economy. The worsening credit crunch, a deepening housing slump and rising energy prices probably will create some "headwinds for the consumer in the months ahead," he said. ...more

November 30, 2007