www.americanprogress.org With each passing release of housing-related data, the picture becomes bleaker for the estimated 1.8 million homeowners with subprime mortgages whose interest rates have reset this year or are due to reset before the end of next year. Many of these borrowers and their families hold the 22 percent of adjustable rate subprime loans currently delinquent or the 3.84 percent of subprime loans that entered foreclosure in the second quarter of this year. For those still current on their loans, they can look forward to increases in monthly payments averaging 30 percent to 50 percent when their rates reset. There have been a number of proposals offered to help these and other troubled borrowers, but the range of solutions suggested to date still leaves a significant number of families without any solution to their problems. For more of cap’s work on the current housing crisis please visit THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS www.AMERICANPROGRESS.org
Each year, families come to INHP looking for help in achieving their dreams of homeownership. INHP is a local resouce that offers the tools to prepare families for long-term, successful homeownership. With programs like educational classes, one-on-one mortgage and credit counseling, guideance and access to affordable lending options, and post-purchase support, INHP empowers families with life-changing skills. Find out how three families achieved the ultimate dream–the American Dream–through INHP. INHP: Dream. Prepare. Succeed.
www.the-crunch.com
First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, FHA Loans, Low Mortgage Interest Rate Program
European and US authorities are making noise that a bunch of hedge funds were strategizing, over “a dinner,” to destroy the Euro by exploiting the Greek financial crisis. So here we are again the victims of phony finance based capitalism, phony financial instruments of mass destruction “derivatives,” and a race to the bottom on the part of national-sovereign entities. Nothing is being done that could be considered constructive to the long term prospects of society. People wanting to build for a future don’t have the stability needed to do so, they don’t have the credit, they don’t have access to money or capital. As small-investors, we have huge risk in supposedly risk-less assets; and risk of total loss in speculative yield producing assets. People are chasing yield a very dangerous thing to do. Governments are either going to have to peg currencies near parity, negotiate down debt, and concurrently move to a settlement system or we will face total chaos.
bill maher interviews the TARP commissioner about the state of usury.
www.personalloanportfolio.com Walk through tutorial of creating a P2P loan portfolio on Lending Club. There are several person-to-person lending sites available such as Lending Club, Zopa, and Prosper.com. There are two others myc4 and Kiva which are philanthropic, where your loan does not earn a return but is loaned ton entrepreneur in a developing country such as Azerbaijan, Bolivia, or the Ukraine. If you have money to invest, P2P lending may be a way to increase your returns. Several sites such as Prosper and Lending Club are currently advertising approximately 12% average returns. Zopa offers lower returns but the money is not at risk since you are actually buying a CD from a credit union rather than directly lending to individuals. Zopa also combines some charity in their peer-to-peer lending strategy by allowing lenders to gift some of their earned interest to worthy borrowers. Why use a bank when you need a loan? Need to consolidate credit card debt? Peer-to-peer lending sites such as Zopa, Lending Club, and Prosper.com can probably give you a loan at a lower interest rate by cutting out the bank. I have even seen cases on Zopa where borrowers have received a negative interest rate due to the help lenders can offer. Lending Club Recently held a Lending Club viral video and commercial contest. If you search for lending club and contest, you will likely find those videos on youtube.
Erica Sandberg - Consumer Debt Trends
MULTIPLIK?CIJAS FILMA: Kred?tu kr?ze ar subt. latviešu valod? kop? 11min. Vienk?rš? valod?, ?emot talk? anim?cijas iesp?jas, autori skaidro glob?l?s finanšu kr?zes c?lo?us. Uzskat?mi tiek att?lota, t?kstošgades iesp?jams liel?k? iedz?vot?ju apkr?pšanas sh?ma. www.crisisofcredit.com
With a deteriorating security situation and an economy in crisis, Pakistan is facing some challenging times. Senior Pakistani officials say their country is within days of defaulting on its foreign debt repayments and is in dire need of monetary aid. But as is often the case, it’s the country’s poorest who are most desperately in need of help. Kamal Hyder reports.