Real Estate, Homeowner | featured news

The number of underwater homeowners in the Washington area decreased again in the last quarter of 2012, continuing a trend that has brought relief to thousands of borrowers.

Almost 2 million American homeowners were freed from negative equity in 2012, and the overall percentage of all homeowners with a mortgage in negative equity fell to 27.5 percent at the end of the fourth quarter, according to Zillow’s fourth quarter Negative Equity Report.

Consumer advocates have complained that U.S. mortgage lenders are getting off easy in a deal to settle charges that they wrongfully foreclosed on many homeowners....

Those who own homes outright include retirees and a surprisingly high percentage of young adults, real estate website Zillow finds.What mortgage meltdown?

...Critics worry that the FHA is foolishly allowing marginal buyers to get loans just three years after foreclosure with as little as 3.5% down. What's more, the agency doesn't even track how many rebound borrowers it backs. Exactly how much money is hemorrhaging from the agency could be revealed Thursday, when the agency files a self-evaluation report to Congress. Analysts say the FHA could request a bailout from the U.S. Treasury for the first time in its history.

Spain's conservative prime minister and the leader of the opposition aim to agree measures on Monday to stop banks evicting homeowners after a woman's suicide before her property was repossessed caused public outrage.

U.S. President Barack Obama is urging the Republicans in Congress to pass legislation that would help responsible homeowners refinance their mortgages at historically low rates.

Seeking to make Congress a major issue in his re-election bid, President Obama called on lawmakers today to pass a bill designed to help struggling homeowners re-finance their properties.

U.S. homeowners are getting better about keeping up with their mortgage payments, driving the percentage of borrowers who have fallen behind to a three-year low, according to a new report.

The elderly and other vulnerable homeowners are losing their homes because they owe as little as a few hundred dollars in back taxes, according to a report from a consumer group....