Business - Real Estate

McLEAN, Va. - Mortgage rates rose this week but still remained below 5 percent, Freddie Mac said Thursday. Full Story »

MODESTO, Calif. - A Northern California mortuary has offered to cover the funeral costs for a 5-year-old Modesto boy crushed by furniture as his family moved out of their foreclosed house. Full Story »

HONOLULU - A real estate research firm counted 875 foreclosure-related filings throughout Hawaii in November. Full Story »

The real estate slump sucked nearly $500 billion in value from American homes through the first 11 months of the year--a notable improvement from the $3.6 trillion of housing wealth that evaporated in 2008, according to new data from real estate firm Zillow. The figures, which come on top of firming home sales and dwindling inventories, represent further encouragement for a housing market that's been in retreat since its 2006 peak. "Home values stabilized significantly during the second half of 2009, with the total dollar value of U.S. ... Full Story »

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The state of Illinois is putting up for auction the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center in Springfield. Full Story »

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. fixed home loan rates edged above record lows in the past week, tracking bond yields higher following surprise improvement in November employment, home funding company Freddie Mac said on Thursday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Treasury Department said on Thursday that losses from the government's $700 billion financial rescue fund are likely to rise as disbursements to battle mortgage foreclosures increase. Full Story »

PHOENIX - Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard will be in Washington on Thursday to meet with executives from some of the nation's largest banks. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - The number of homeowners on the brink of foreclosure fell in November, the fourth straight monthly decline, as mortgage companies evaluated whether borrowers were eligible for help. Full Story »

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Three men were under arrest and two other suspects were at large Wednesday after a violent robbery at an Orange County mansion owned by the founder of a collapsed subprime mortgage lender. Full Story »

NEW YORK - SL Green Realty Corp. said Wednesday it bought the first mortgage loan secured by property at 510 Madison Ave in New York from Union Labor Life Insurance Co. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. wholesalers started restocking in October for the first time in more than a year, suggesting the economy could get a lift as a long-running effort by businesses to pare inventories reaches an end. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department sought to assure lawmakers on Wednesday that prosecutors are rooting out mortgage and corporate fraud after Wall Street's meltdown wiped out trillions of dollars in investments and laid bare the gaps in regulation. Full Story »

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Demand for U.S. home loans rose last week to the highest level in about two months, mostly from borrowers taking advantage of low mortgage rates to refinance, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government's $700 billion bailout program helped stabilize the financial system, but has done little to boost lending or stave off millions of home foreclosures, a government watchdog group said on Wednesday. Full Story »

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland (Reuters) - The recovery of many U.S. low income areas remains stymied as lenders decide completing some foreclosures simply isn't worth the cost, casting many properties into "legal limbo," Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth Duke said on Wednesday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON - Mortgage application volume increased 8.5 percent during the week ending Dec. 4, as more borrowers refinanced loans to lock in interest rates near record lows, according to a report Wednesday from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Full Story »

PHILADELPHIA - Five people were charged with using a supposed mortgage-rescue program to steal nearly $15 million in home equity from homeowners facing foreclosure in suburban Philadelphia. Full Story »