Inside Lending

INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE...Last week included both problems and progress in the housing market. Getting the probs out of the way, June Existing Home Sales came in down 0.8% versus May, to an annual rate still below 5 million units, lifting the months' supply to 9.5. But all the sales decli...

Review of Last Week DEBT WORRIES WOBBLE STOCKS...The word of the week was "debt" as investors worried about both Italy's sovereign debt problems and the inability of the politicians in Washington to get to agreement on raising the U.S. debt ceiling. With these uncertainties, stocks wobbled off th...

WITH HOME FIXES, SAFETY FIRST!More and more people are doing their own home upgrades. Here's how to be safe:1. Always wear safety glasses.2. Wear earplugs if it's noisy.3. When spraying paint or herbicides or installing insulation, cover up head to toe and wear a respirator. 4. The 4-to-1 rule wi...

INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE...It finally appears seeds are being planted for a housing recovery. Fannie Mae's monthly survey reported that Americans expect home prices to drop just 0.5% in the next year. Some reported this as a negative because a 0.7% price gain was expected last month. But o...