FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - Weyerhaeuser said Tuesday its board has approved a conversion of the forest products giant into a real estate investment trust, letting the company take advantage of certain tax benefits. Full Story »
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Forest products maker Weyerhaeuser Co plans to convert into a real estate investment trust and pay a special dividend, a plan that will give it greater financial flexibility as the recession fades. Full Story »
NEW YORK - Hundreds of people have entered the JPMorgan Chase & Co. offices to protest what they say is the bank's insufficient efforts to help struggling homeowners save their homes. Full Story »
BALTIMORE - A federal judge suggested Monday that he might restrict the scope of a first-of-its kind lawsuit filed by the city of Baltimore against mortgage giant Wells Fargo Bank N.A. Full Story »
More than one in five borrowers of federal student loans who attend for-profit colleges default within three years of repayment, new figures made available by the U.S. Department of Education on Monday show. Full Story »
Reuters
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc played a bigger role in fueling the mortgage bets that crippled American Insurance Group Inc than has been publicly disclosed, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Full Story »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a win for the banking industry, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on Friday to reject a measure that would have allowed bankruptcy judges to change the terms of mortgages for distressed homeowners. Full Story »
AP
WASHINGTON - The House passed the most ambitious restructuring of federal financial regulations since the New Deal on Friday, aiming to head off any replay of last year's Wall Street failures that plunged the nation deep into recession. Full Story »
While the Obama administration is temporarily reducing mortgage payments for a growing number of troubled borrowers, it has failed to find permanent fixes for all but a precious few. A little more than 4 percent--or 31,382--of the more than 728,000 modifications underway through November have advanced from the program's trial period to the permanent phase. News of the dismal conversion rate comes shortly after the administration announced new efforts to pressure mortgage servicers to do more to keep struggling borrowers in their homes. ... Full Story »
It's a given for many academics and investors that over the long run stocks outperform bonds. But those in the top tax bracket may want to rethink that axiom, especially if they live in states with high income tax rates. That's because for tax purposes, most states generally don't treat stock gains or dividends any differently than ordinary income. Full Story »
AP
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration's embattled mortgage relief plan has provided permanent help to only 4 percent of borrowers who have signed up, weak results that could threaten the housing market's recovery. Full Story »
McLEAN, Va. - Mortgage rates rose this week but still remained below 5 percent, Freddie Mac said Thursday. Full Story »
BOSTON (Reuters) - BlackRock Inc plans to launch a portfolio that will let wealthy individual investors access hedge funds that have boosted pension funds' and endowments' returns, the company said in a regulatory filing on Thursday. Full Story »
AP
NEW YORK - While others are blowing their holiday budgets, you can set an example and send a message by giving a gift with a focus on personal finance. Full Story »
BOSTON - Spicy numbers make it easy to see emerging markets' allure: The average Latin American stock fund has more than doubled this year. 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 »
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