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Your search for articles by Kenneth R. Harney returned 448 results.
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| Row number | Title link and text description | Topic category |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pressure on FHA to toughen terms | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — For the past several years, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has been the go-to financing resource for cash-strapped homebuyers who can't come up with a big down payment. It has zoomed from barely a 3 percent market share to nearly 30 percent of home-purchase loans. | ||
| 11/21/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 2 | $6,500 tax credit for homebuyers may be a good move | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — Take a close, hard look at the new $6,500 federal tax credit for so-called "move-up" homebuyers that passed the Senate and House recently. | ||
| 11/14/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 3 | An era of unchecked fees, thankfully, about to end | Real Estate |
| Remember when the "good-faith estimates" your lender gave you upfront said closing costs would be about $2,000, but somehow they ballooned to $3,500 on the final settlement sheet? | ||
| 11/7/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 4 | Unpopular home-appraisal code may get overhauled | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — Could the controversial appraisal system imposed nationwide by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac last May — and now tied to lowball property valuations, busted home-sale transactions and higher fees to consumers — be on its way out? It just might be. | ||
| 10/31/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 5 | Disputes that can be loan killers | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — Could a little-known and potentially controversial practice by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac kill or stall your next loan application? Absolutely. Picture this scenario: You've got outstanding credit scores close to 800 and solid equity in your home. | ||
| 10/24/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 6 | Be wary of quick-fix pitches to repair credit | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — With Americans' credit scores plunging after record numbers of mortgage and credit-card delinquencies, companies that promise quick fixes — eliminating negative information in credit-bureau files — are proliferating, say federal officials. | ||
| 10/17/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 7 | A form to take seriously | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — You might assume it's just another boring-looking piece of the paper blitz you're hit with when you apply for a home loan. But given IRS Form 4506-T's new prominence in the fraud-shocked mortgage market, it's much more than just another document to sign. | ||
| 10/10/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 8 | Popular reverse mortgages feel FHA's pinch | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — Declining home values have put a serious squeeze on one of the mortgage market's most popular and fastest-growing financing concepts: the Federal Housing Administration's reverse-mortgage program for people 62 and older. In a letter to reverse-mortgage lenders Sept. | ||
| 10/3/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 9 | Popular homebuyer tax credit may get new life | Real Estate |
| That's a question generating huge pressure on Capitol Hill, from would-be buyers who haven't found the right house to realty agents, builders, lenders and squads of lobbyists working on their behalf. But here's the first hint of an answer: On Sept. | ||
| 9/26/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 10 | When defaults become a deliberate strategy | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — Who is more likely to walk away from a house and a mortgage — a person with super-prime credit scores or someone with lower scores? Hint: It's probably not who you think. | ||
| 9/19/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 11 | How to protect your credit rating when mortgage problems hit | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — When you do a short sale of a house, or modify the mortgage, is there much of an impact on your credit score? What if you walk away from the mortgage altogether? | ||
| 9/12/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 12 | Mortgage meltdown spawns scams | Real Estate |
| You send each homeowner on the list a personalized letter with this urgent message: We know you're having a tough time right now, but WE CAN SAVE YOUR HOME! It's not too late! We know how to get through to your lender and work things out to save your house. Call this toll-free number immediately! | ||
| 9/5/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 13 | The push to extend first-time buyer's tax credit | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — It's one of the biggest unknowns bugging would-be buyers of houses and condos this summer: Will Congress let the $8,000 nonrepayable tax credit for first-time purchasers expire as scheduled at the end of November? | ||
| 8/22/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 14 | Kenneth Harney: New consumer protection agency to be next hot topic | Real Estate |
| Legislation creating the new agency already is pending in the House, pushed by Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who is its principal author. The Obama administration had outlined a similar plan at the end of June and considers passage of a bill a top priority. | ||
| 8/2/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 15 | Government's green home push can save you money | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — You're probably familiar with some of the federal government's 2009 incentives for home energy efficiency — heftier tax credits for solar panels, solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps, heavy-duty insulation, windows, air conditioning and the like. | ||
| 7/25/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 16 | More protections for mortgage borrowers at closing time | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — If you're applying for a loan to purchase a primary or secondary home, or planning to refinance, you should be aware of a little-publicized set of federal consumer-protection rules that take effect July 30. | ||
| 7/18/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 17 | Carefully crafted strategies behind some mortgage defaults | Real Estate |
| That's a trickier question than you might assume, according to new research from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. | ||
| 7/11/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 18 | New appraisal rules under fire | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — It's by far the hottest controversy in real estate this summer and it could directly affect the value of your house — probably negatively — by tens of thousands of dollars. | ||
| 7/3/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 19 | Loan rules hit 'trailing spouses' | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — Real estate may be showing signs of a turnaround in many local markets, but the nation's largest mortgage players continue to ratchet up their underwriting rules, making home purchases more difficult for some buyers. | ||
| 6/20/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||
| 20 | Tax credit for all homebuyers gains support | Real Estate |
| WASHINGTON — Since first-time buyers are getting thousands of dollars in tax credits from the federal government to stimulate the economy, why shouldn't all homebuyers get equal treatment? | ||
| 6/13/2009 | seattletimes.com | find similar results | ||