_Economy and Finance

U.S. May Back Refinance Plan for Mortgages By SHAILA DEWAN and LOUISE STORY Published: August 24, 2011 The Obama administration is considering further actions to strengthen the housing market, but the bar is high: plans must help a broad swath of homeowners, stimulate the economy and cost next to nothing.

Mortgage Payments One Month Late Jump as Economy Weakens By Kathleen M. Howley - Aug 22, 2011 07:20 AM The percentage of U.S. mortgages overdue by one month rose to the highest level in a year in the second quarter as homeowners who lost jobs were unable to make their payments.

U.S. banks continue to ease lending standards: Fed WASHINGTON | Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:09pm EDT (Reuters) - U.S. banks continue to ease lending standards and most terms on all major non-real estate loans during the past three months, the Federal Reserve reported in its quarterly survey of senior loan officers.

Mortgages rates keep falling: 30-year nears record low By Les Christie August 11, 2011: 3:17 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Just when it seemed mortgage rates weren't going to get any lower, they started testing new lows.

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.

US Housing Crisis Is Now Worse Than Great Depression Published: Tuesday, 14 Jun 2011 | 12:04 PM ET By: Jeff Cox CNBC.com Staff Writer It's official: The housing crisis that began in 2006 and has recently entered a double dip is now worse than the Great Depression.

'Double-Dip' in Housing Prices Even Worse Than Expected Published: Tuesday, 31 May 2011 | 9:05 AM ET By: Reuters U.S. single-family home prices dropped in March, dipping below their 2009 low, as the housing market remained bogged down by inventory and weak demand, a closely watched survey said Tuesday.