_Economy and Finance

UK: House Hunting David Tinsley One of the interesting and potentially useful developments in the UK recently has been some signs that the housing market might be firming up. The latest indicators in this regard will bear watching carefully over the first few months of this year.

How We All Suffer July 11, 2011 Kim Luu is the editor of Money and Risk and a principal at an independent brokerage firm specializing in retirement and 401(k)s. The federal Home Affordable Modification Program was badly designed, overly complicated and poorly communicated. Borrowers suffered through horrendous paperwork for months and years. People ran through their retirement savings during the process, and then lost their homes anyway. Meanwhile, banks are saddled with billions of dollars in losses and inventory that still need to be auctioned.

The Unemployment Factor July 11, 2011 Morris A. Davis is the academic director of the James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Updated July 12, 2011 10:07 AM Hanging On to Houses Introduction In his column on Monday, Paul Krugman said that the Obama administration has done almost nothing to help troubled homeowners. Of $46 billion set aside for mortgage relief, less than $2 billion has been spent.