INVESTING TIPS / FINANCIAL INFORMATION / RETIREMENT TECHNIQUES

Bernanke recouped personal losses in 2009 (Reuters)

Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:25:27 +0000

Reuters - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's personal finances recovered in 2009, disclosure forms released by the central bank on Friday showed.

Cuomo widens insurer probe with 6 more subpoenas (Reuters)

Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:32:25 +0000

Reuters - New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has subpoenaed six more insurers as the state widens a probe into whether life insurance companies have defrauded families of deceased members of the military.

Reverse Mortgages Aren’t Catching On (U.S. News & World Report)

Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:51:45 +0000

U.S. News & World Report - The reverse mortgage industry, hammered for high fees and high pressure sales tactics, has steadily improved its procedures and its image. Loan fees and interest rates have been lowered, consumer disclosure has improved, and the federal government's insured reverse mortgage program has provided stability and credibility to the industry. A-list lenders have expanded their presence in the market; Wells Fargo and Bank America are the nation's top two reverse mortgage lenders.

Fannie Mae portfolio grows, delinquencies decline (Reuters)

Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:22:48 +0000

Reuters - Fannie Mae expanded its mortgage portfolio in June, while the rate of late payments on loans it guarantees fell in May to the lowest level this year, the largest U.S. home loan purchaser said on Friday.

NY AG announces probe of life insurance industry (AP)

Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:45:28 +0000

AP - State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that he had opened a fraud investigation into how life insurers pay out benefits after policyholders die.

MetLife posts Q2 earnings of $1.5 billion, beating Street (Reuters)

Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:43:10 +0000

Reuters - MetLife Inc , the biggest U.S. life insurance company, posted a second-quarter profit of $1.53 billion, helped by higher premium revenue from sales domestically and abroad.

Florida mortgage firm settles federal charges (AP)

Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:30:00 +0000

AP - Federal regulators say a Florida company they accused of misleading borrowers who were seeking to avoid foreclosure has agreed to repay the consumers $2.4 million to settle those charges.

PMI Group narrows loss, but shares tumble (AP)

Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:29:53 +0000

AP - PMI Group Inc. on Thursday reported a nearly $151 million loss, narrower than a year ago but far wider than Wall Street expected. Shares of the mortgage insurer tumbled nearly 15 percent.

Congress to try to recoup Fannie, Freddie costs (AP)

Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 22:04:26 +0000

AP - Lawmakers plan to study ways to get back some of the $145 billion the government has pumped into giant mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Summary Box: Mortgage rates hit low of 4.54 pct. (AP)

Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:25:55 +0000

AP - RATES KEEP FALLING: Mortgage company Freddie Mac said the average rate for 30-year fixed loans this week was 4.54 percent, down from 4.56 last week.