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| Consumers can expect increasing bank fees
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| In the current economic environment, consumers can’t afford not to pay attention to what their bank is charging for services.
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| @ Bradenton Herald | Posted: 07/08/09 at 0201 EDST
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| Are mortgage writedowns the key to solving the housing crisis?
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| Back from a week’s vacation to find that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are throwing a lifeline to struggling homeowners. But local mortgage brokers say it still isn't enough help. The government-run mortgage companies said last week they will refinance existing mortgages with loan-to-value ratios up to 125 percent. Under President Barack Obama’s foreclosure-prevention plan announced earlier this year, the loan-to-value ceiling had been raised to 105 percent from 80 percent.
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| @ Ft. Lauderdale Sun Sentinel | Posted: 07/08/09 at 0315 EDST
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| Options up, insurance premiums down in Florida
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| Homeowners are saving hundreds of dollars on their property insurance thanks to increased coverage options and their own efforts to claim discounts for their homes' storm resistance. Agents report customers are paying 10 to 20 percent less than a year ago
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| @ Ft. Myers News Press | Posted: 07/08/09 at 0320 EDST
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| Your home's true worth: Who can tell these days?
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| Appraisers, real-estate agents, buyers and sellers across Central Florida are in a quandary about whether to include bargain-basement sales in the price mix when determining the value of a nearby, comparable home.
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| @ Orlando Sentinel | Posted: 07/08/09 at 0330 EDST
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| Condo sales in Chicago still in basement
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| If you are buying or selling a condo in Chicago, it is becoming the worst of all possible worlds. Sale prices are falling at an accelerating rate, yet the pace of sales is down substantially. Prices need to drop further before the dizzy market regains any balance.
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| @ Chicago Sun Times | Posted: 07/08/09 at 0345 EDST
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| Budget cuts apparently will mean fewer Illinois inmates
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| More than 500 employees will be laid off from prisons in East Moline, Lincoln, Decatur, Vandalia and Vienna effective Sept. 30. Another round of layoffs that will result in 500 more employees losing their jobs will be announced in the future. Low-level offenders with less than a year on their sentences who could be released early and put on parole.
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| @ Springfield Journal Register | Posted: 07/08/09 at 0400 EDST
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| U.S. apartment vacancies near historic high
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| The vacancy rate for U.S. apartments reached its highest level in more than 20 years in the second quarter and could soon exceed record highs if the recession persists.
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| @ Reuters | Posted: 07/08/09 at 0415 EDST
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| Mapping a Bird’s-Eye View of Foreclosure Misery
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| When it came to representing the sprawling nature of the foreclosure crisis in New York City, the artist Damon Rich figured out that the best thing to do was to shrink it down to size.
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| @ New York Times | Posted: 07/08/09 at 0419 EDST
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| U.K. June Home Values Unexpectedly Fall
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| Home values declined 0.5 percent to an average of 157,713 pounds ($253,400), after jumping 2.6 percent in the previous month.
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| @ Bloomberg News | Posted: 07/08/09 at 0646 EDST
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| Montreal housing market rebounding
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| The housing market in Montreal is the most balanced between buyers and sellers it has been in decades, according to the Quebec director of Royal LePage Real Estate Services. As a result, Dominic St-Pierre predicts the average house price will rise a moderate 2.1 per cent this year to $263,500.
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| @ Montreal Gazette | Posted: 07/08/09 at 0652 EDST
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| Canadian building permits increase
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| Statistics Canada said the value of building permits issued in May surpassed the $5-billion mark for the first time since October. That represents a "whopping" 14.8% hike over April.
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| @ Financial Post - CA | Posted: 07/08/09 at 0655 EDST
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