Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Just Listed in Fairfax County, VA! Listings for Sale in Vienna, Fairfax, Lorton
Monday, December 21, 2009
Top Updates: Week of December 21st, 2009
Anatomy of a Crisis. How did we get here?
The Washington Post's Frank Ahrens looks back and breaks down the forces that led to the financial market meltdown.
Fed's approach to regulation left banks exposed to crisis
By Binyamin Appelbaum and David Cho
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 21, 2009
Foreclosures already pocked Chicago's poorer neighborhoods but the downtown still was booming as the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago convened its annual conference in May 2007.
The keynote speaker, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, assured the bankers and businessmen gathered at the Westin Hotel on Michigan Avenue that their prosperity was not threatened by the plight of borrowers struggling to repay high-cost subprime loans.
Friday, December 18, 2009
How to make a home look like Christmas
By Jura Koncius
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 17, 2009
In early December, the shingle-style Gibson Island home of Erin and Gregory Pitts gets dressed for the holidays in the natural colors of this small island in the Chesapeake Bay.
"The colors of my home are a reflection of my surroundings," says Erin Paige Pitts, an interior designer with three small children. "Blues from the sky and water, the grays and silver of driftwood, and the natural cream of sand and shells." For Christmas, her house is filled with armloads of fragrant greens and branches she cuts nearby, mixed with shells and blue and silver balls. "Everything in the stores is red and green, but personally, I feel more comfortable with neutrals and blues," she says.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 17, 2009
In early December, the shingle-style Gibson Island home of Erin and Gregory Pitts gets dressed for the holidays in the natural colors of this small island in the Chesapeake Bay.
"The colors of my home are a reflection of my surroundings," says Erin Paige Pitts, an interior designer with three small children. "Blues from the sky and water, the grays and silver of driftwood, and the natural cream of sand and shells." For Christmas, her house is filled with armloads of fragrant greens and branches she cuts nearby, mixed with shells and blue and silver balls. "Everything in the stores is red and green, but personally, I feel more comfortable with neutrals and blues," she says.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Top Updates: Week of December 14th, 2009
Citigroup, Wells Fargo to repay bailouts
NINE BIG BANKS NOW HAVE DEALS
Both sides eager to wind down TARP
By David Cho and Binyamin Appelbaum Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The federal government continued to wind down its bailout of the nation's biggest banks on Monday, reaching an agreement to eliminate its stakes in Citigroup and Wells Fargo.The willingness of banking regulators to strike a deal with the two firms -- both of which continue to face serious problems -- underscored the eagerness of both sides to end an extraordinary period of federal support for the financial industry. Banks have chafed at some of the conditions placed on the federal rescue money, such as limits on executive pay, while the administration has been criticized for using taxpayer funds to bail out Wall Street.
House Democrats discard larger debt limit
By Paul Kane, Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
House Democratic leaders, bowing to their party's deficit hawks, will move the year's final must-pass piece of legislation without a long-term increase to the national debt and without a large boost in infrastructure funding that was aimed at creating jobs.
Obama calls on banks to ramp up lending
Executives brought to White House as loans dry up in recession
By Binyamin Appelbaum and Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday
December 15, 2009
President Obama exhorted the nation's biggest banks on Monday to make "extraordinary" efforts to increase lending, even as some of those firms are racing to distance themselves from government control.
Ending the Housing Crisis One Short Sale at a Time – How One Company Provides Security to the Process
By Paige Tepping, RISMEDIA
December 14, 2009
Short sales and home warranties seem to go hand in hand, especially considering the realities of today’s real estate market. “Short sales have a hundred moving parts; a hundred problems that all need to be solved at the same time,” says Bonnie Overbeck of Three Blondes and a Short Sale. “While you are dealing with a stressed seller, a buyer who doesn’t entirely trust the situation and money problems everywhere, the home warranties we provide through HSA Home Warranty act as an extra layer of security.”
Obama presses bank chiefs to lend more
White House to push for greater regulation, curbs on executive pay
By Binyamin Appelbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 14, 2009
President Obama, who lashed out Sunday at "fat cat bankers" who "still don't get it," plans to gather the heads of major banks at the White House on Monday to urge them to make more loans and to accept the necessity of greater regulation...
Turnaround seen for area retailers
STUDY POINTS TO NEW D.C. JOBS.
Dismal sales in 2009 mirrored rest of U.S.
By V. Dion Haynes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 14, 2009
While steady expansion of the federal government has shielded metropolitan Washington from the soaring unemployment rates seen elsewhere, troubles among the region's retailers are mirroring national losses in that sector with steep job cuts and a sales decline projected to reach 7 percent this year, a new study says.
Home buyers can afford to wait awhile
By Steven Goldberg
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Mortgage interest rates are at a 50-year low. Congress has extended a tax credit for home buyers through April. The economy is beginning to crawl out of what by some measures is the deepest recession since the 1930s. One survey already shows housing prices beginning to rise.
So isn't it time to buy a house? If I were in the market for a new home, I would wait. Housing prices typically don't rebound quickly after a bust; instead, they level out and stay near that low base line for years.
NINE BIG BANKS NOW HAVE DEALSBoth sides eager to wind down TARP
By David Cho and Binyamin Appelbaum Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
The federal government continued to wind down its bailout of the nation's biggest banks on Monday, reaching an agreement to eliminate its stakes in Citigroup and Wells Fargo.The willingness of banking regulators to strike a deal with the two firms -- both of which continue to face serious problems -- underscored the eagerness of both sides to end an extraordinary period of federal support for the financial industry. Banks have chafed at some of the conditions placed on the federal rescue money, such as limits on executive pay, while the administration has been criticized for using taxpayer funds to bail out Wall Street.
House Democrats discard larger debt limit
By Paul Kane, Washington Post Staff WriterTuesday, December 15, 2009
House Democratic leaders, bowing to their party's deficit hawks, will move the year's final must-pass piece of legislation without a long-term increase to the national debt and without a large boost in infrastructure funding that was aimed at creating jobs.
Obama calls on banks to ramp up lending
Executives brought to White House as loans dry up in recession
By Binyamin Appelbaum and Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday
December 15, 2009
President Obama exhorted the nation's biggest banks on Monday to make "extraordinary" efforts to increase lending, even as some of those firms are racing to distance themselves from government control.
Ending the Housing Crisis One Short Sale at a Time – How One Company Provides Security to the Process
By Paige Tepping, RISMEDIA
December 14, 2009
Short sales and home warranties seem to go hand in hand, especially considering the realities of today’s real estate market. “Short sales have a hundred moving parts; a hundred problems that all need to be solved at the same time,” says Bonnie Overbeck of Three Blondes and a Short Sale. “While you are dealing with a stressed seller, a buyer who doesn’t entirely trust the situation and money problems everywhere, the home warranties we provide through HSA Home Warranty act as an extra layer of security.”
Obama presses bank chiefs to lend more
White House to push for greater regulation, curbs on executive pay
By Binyamin Appelbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 14, 2009
President Obama, who lashed out Sunday at "fat cat bankers" who "still don't get it," plans to gather the heads of major banks at the White House on Monday to urge them to make more loans and to accept the necessity of greater regulation...
Turnaround seen for area retailers
STUDY POINTS TO NEW D.C. JOBS.
Dismal sales in 2009 mirrored rest of U.S.
By V. Dion Haynes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 14, 2009
While steady expansion of the federal government has shielded metropolitan Washington from the soaring unemployment rates seen elsewhere, troubles among the region's retailers are mirroring national losses in that sector with steep job cuts and a sales decline projected to reach 7 percent this year, a new study says.
Home buyers can afford to wait awhile
By Steven Goldberg
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Mortgage interest rates are at a 50-year low. Congress has extended a tax credit for home buyers through April. The economy is beginning to crawl out of what by some measures is the deepest recession since the 1930s. One survey already shows housing prices beginning to rise.
So isn't it time to buy a house? If I were in the market for a new home, I would wait. Housing prices typically don't rebound quickly after a bust; instead, they level out and stay near that low base line for years.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Top News, Week of Dec 7th, 2009
The Nation's Housing. In trouble and thinking about a short sale? Help is on the way.
By Kenneth R. Harney
Saturday, December 12, 2009
If you're in trouble on your mortgage and can't get a loan modification, check out the Obama administration's new standardized short-sale plan that's scheduled to roll out during the next several months. The program, outlined Dec. 1 by the Treasury Department, is an attempt to streamline what has traditionally been a contentious, time-consuming process by requiring lenders and others to use nationally uniform documents, timelines and financial incentives...
Short sale plan should standardize, quicken the process
By Kenneth R. Harney, Special to the Times
In Print: Saturday, December 12, 2009
Short sale plan should help standardize, quicken process. WASHINGTON — If you're in trouble on your mortgage and can't get a loan modification, check out the Obama administration's standardized short sale plan that's scheduled to roll out during the coming months. The program, outlined Dec. 1 by the Treasury Department, is an attempt to streamline what has been a contentious, time-consuming process by requiring lenders and others to use nationally uniform documents, time lines and financial incentives.
Standardized short-sale plan may relieve big headache
By Kenneth R. Harney Syndicated columnist, The Seattle Times
WASHINGTON — If you're in trouble on your mortgage and can't get a loan modification, check out the Obama administration's new standardized short-sale plan scheduled to roll out during the coming months. The program, outlined Dec. 1 by the Treasury Department, is an attempt to streamline what has been a contentious, time-consuming process by requiring lenders and others to use nationally uniform documents, timelines and financial incentives.
Ginnie Mae enables the firms to issue more taxpayer-backed loans
By Brian Grow and Zachary A. Goldfarb Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The trouble signs surrounding Lend America had been building for years. A top executive was convicted of mortgage fraud but still helped run the company. Home loans made by its headquarters were defaulting at an extremely high rate. Federal prosecutors alleged in a civil suit that the company falsified loan documents and committed fraud.
JUST 4 PERCENT IN FINAL STAGE
Thousands now risk losing mortgage help
By Renae Merle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 11, 2009
The government's foreclosure relief program is sputtering, according to government data released Thursday showing that the pace of help being offered to struggling homeowners slowed last month and many borrowers are at risk of losing the aid they have already received.
Lawmakers growing frustrated with mortgage-relief failures
By Renae Merle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 Most of the struggling homeowners who have enrolled in the Obama administration's marquee mortgage-relief program still haven't proved they qualify for help, illustrating lingering weakness in the effort to aid distressed borrowers. About 70 percent of the borrowers who have signed up for the program, called Making Home Affordable, have yet to provide adequate documentation, and many homeowners continue to struggle even after their mortgage payments are lowered, industry and government officials told the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday.
By Kenneth R. Harney
Saturday, December 12, 2009
If you're in trouble on your mortgage and can't get a loan modification, check out the Obama administration's new standardized short-sale plan that's scheduled to roll out during the next several months. The program, outlined Dec. 1 by the Treasury Department, is an attempt to streamline what has traditionally been a contentious, time-consuming process by requiring lenders and others to use nationally uniform documents, timelines and financial incentives...
Short sale plan should standardize, quicken the process
By Kenneth R. Harney, Special to the Times
In Print: Saturday, December 12, 2009
Short sale plan should help standardize, quicken process. WASHINGTON — If you're in trouble on your mortgage and can't get a loan modification, check out the Obama administration's standardized short sale plan that's scheduled to roll out during the coming months. The program, outlined Dec. 1 by the Treasury Department, is an attempt to streamline what has been a contentious, time-consuming process by requiring lenders and others to use nationally uniform documents, time lines and financial incentives.
Standardized short-sale plan may relieve big headache
By Kenneth R. Harney Syndicated columnist, The Seattle Times
WASHINGTON — If you're in trouble on your mortgage and can't get a loan modification, check out the Obama administration's new standardized short-sale plan scheduled to roll out during the coming months. The program, outlined Dec. 1 by the Treasury Department, is an attempt to streamline what has been a contentious, time-consuming process by requiring lenders and others to use nationally uniform documents, timelines and financial incentives.
Ginnie Mae enables the firms to issue more taxpayer-backed loans
By Brian Grow and Zachary A. Goldfarb Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The trouble signs surrounding Lend America had been building for years. A top executive was convicted of mortgage fraud but still helped run the company. Home loans made by its headquarters were defaulting at an extremely high rate. Federal prosecutors alleged in a civil suit that the company falsified loan documents and committed fraud.
JUST 4 PERCENT IN FINAL STAGE
Thousands now risk losing mortgage help
By Renae Merle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 11, 2009
The government's foreclosure relief program is sputtering, according to government data released Thursday showing that the pace of help being offered to struggling homeowners slowed last month and many borrowers are at risk of losing the aid they have already received.
Lawmakers growing frustrated with mortgage-relief failures
By Renae Merle
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 Most of the struggling homeowners who have enrolled in the Obama administration's marquee mortgage-relief program still haven't proved they qualify for help, illustrating lingering weakness in the effort to aid distressed borrowers. About 70 percent of the borrowers who have signed up for the program, called Making Home Affordable, have yet to provide adequate documentation, and many homeowners continue to struggle even after their mortgage payments are lowered, industry and government officials told the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday.
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