I didn't know about it either. Yes, the US Department of Agriculture has a program, instituted back in the 1940s, to assist in rural development, that has become extremely popular during these days of crunching credit. These are USDA-backed loans, so approved lenders can offer no-money down.    Read More

A lot of housing data hit the wires today, much of it unexpected and confusing, so let's start at the top.    Read More

The home buyer tax credit was extended and expanded, and mortgage interest rates have actually been trending even lower, but housing's recovery is still being hampered by new appraisal rules.    Read More

A new survey shows that even in those markets where investor competition has returned and prices on the low end are beginning to stabilize, homeowners still owe far more on their mortgages than their homes are currently worth.    Read More

I knew it was coming, but I guess I was hoping it wouldn't be quite so tunnel-visioned. The Realtor's chief economist, Lawrence Yun, released his Housing and Economic Forecast this afternoon. The extension and expansion of the first time home buyer tax credit was the lead, as expected, with Yun claiming it would bring not only home sales but home prices back out of the basement in 2010.    Read More

FHA: "Bailout Doesn't Apply." Those are not my words, but the words of HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan toward the end of a lengthy explainer on the FHA's annual actuarial report, released this morning.    Read More

I'm back on the foreclosure bandwagon again, especially after getting the Treasury's Home Affordable Modification Program status report this morning, and its glaring omission of any information as to how many borrowers are actually keeping up with the payments on their trial modifications.    Read More

While we all worry so much about the auto industry, I find it astounding that we don't pay all that much attention to the battered industries behind the battered housing market.   Read More

While the Realtors and Home Builders and Mortgage Bankers all bask in the glow of the home buyer tax credit extension/expansion, we all need to turn our attention to the real drag on a housing recovery: Foreclosures.    Read More

Friday's Labor Department report showed that unemployment rate unexpectedly jumped to 10.2 percent in October, even though the pace of job losses slowed. How do the numbers affect the markets? David Joy, chief market strategist at RiverSource Investments, and Keith Goddard, president of Capital Advisors, shared their insights.   Read More