RISMEDIA, March 10, 2009-(MCT)-It's coming. But will it help? The long-awaited federal program to try to get up to $1 trillion in loans flowing into the hands of consumers and small businesses is ready to be launched March 17, but it has taken so long in coming that some analysts wonder if it will be the boon for the economy that many envisioned. The Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, known as TALF, is aimed at providing money for loans to people for cars, college, credit cards and small businesses.

RISMEDIA, March 9, 2009-I'm often asked by brokers and agents where we see foreclosures heading, and what it takes to be successful in a market seemingly dominated by distressed properties. I'll try to address five of the most popular questions I receive in this column. First of all, we're not nearly at the end of this foreclosure cycle. While the number of new foreclosures might peak this year (if everything goes right), we're still going to be dealing with near-record numbers of foreclosures being processed and then with a massive inventory of bank-owned properties throughout 2010 and into 2011.

RISMEDIA, March 9, 2009-(MCT)-The American Dream of homeownership continues to unravel. On Thursday, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported that 48% of the nation's homeowners who have a subprime, adjustable-rate mortgage are behind on their payments or in foreclosure. ...

RISMEDIA, March 6, 2009-This week's headlines from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS? include: The introduction of the Right Tools, Right Now initiative; Marketing tools available through the REALTOR Benefits® Program Partners; and read what NAR President Charles McMillan had to say about Obama's plan for affordable housing. ...

RISMEDIA, March 6, 2009-Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, one of the nation's largest home mortgage originators and servicers and part of Wells Fargo & Company, said it fully supports and will implement the administration's plan to prevent foreclosures and help more Americans lower their mortgage payments. ...

RISMEDIA, March 5, 2009-If your housing market is anything like my housing market, you are probably fielding plenty of questions about President Obama's $75 billion foreclosure plan. Most homeowners want to know what it means for them, whether they are likely to qualify, and what they need to do to obtain relief. Although the eligibility requirements and other details are likely to become clearer in the next few weeks, you can glean some information from the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan. Here, I highlight some of the key points mentioned in the plan.

RISMEDIA, March 5, 2009-(MCT)-Hoping to vault over the frozen credit markets and directly reach consumers and businesses, the Federal Reserve and Treasury Department unveiled a $200 billion plan they hope will spur up to $1 trillion in new lending. ...

RISMEDIA, March 5, 2009-The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending February 27, 2009. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 649.7, a decrease of 12.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis from 743.5 one week earlier, which was ...

RISMEDIA, March 4, 2009-Pending home sales declined on the heels of a weakening economy and with some buyers waiting for clarity on housing stimulus provisions, the National Association of Realtors® announced this week. he Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in January, fell 7.7% to 80.4 from a downwardly revised reading of 87.1 in December,

RISMEDIA, March 4, 2009-Amidst the announcement of President Barack Obama's housing plan, and with mortgage rates reaching historic lows, real estate website Zillow.com reports record-breaking traffic and loan request activity within its free marketplace for custom mortgage quotes, Zillow(R) Mortgage Marketplace. ...

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RISMEDIA, March 4, 2009-(MCT)-What a difference nine months make. In the not-long-ago credit-card binge days, one of the "in" things was to own a TV the size of a bus. Today, it's to have six months of living expenses saved in case you get laid off.

RISMEDIA, March 3, 2009-No! But, one of the lessons often forgotten when economic news gets this gloomy is that these are also times of great opportunity for some. As a matter of fact, sucking the prosperity out of America has already been very lucrative for a few, such as Halliburton ...

RISMEDIA, March 3, 2009-When trying to contact your lender to work out a payment plan or some other deal, knowing who owns your mortgage can be very helpful. Unfortunately finding out is not as easy as it sounds. You should be able to call the phone number on your last ...

RISMEDIA, March 2, 2009-The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) raised concerns about the limitation on itemized deductions in the President's budget and expressed support for the budget increase in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). ...