Archive of Money Matters

Bellevue Loan Officer Sentenced to 7 Years for Mortgage Fraud Thumbnail

Bellevue Loan Officer Sentenced to 7 Years for Mortgage Fraud

Bellevue loan officer Christopher Brooks, whose own attorney said he could be a "poster child" for the nation's mortgage mess, was sentenced Friday to seven years in federal prison and ordered to pay

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Economic Stimulus Projects in Washington

Below is  a link to the "shovel-ready" projects the mayors of Washington State submitted in the 2008 U.S. Conference of Mayors report. You can click on a project to read (and add to) its

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30Oct2008

Washington Foreclosure Rate Low

The Washington Realtor News (Nov/Dec 2008) tells us that Washington State stands pretty well on foreclosures in the housing market. Washington is currently performing 62% better than the national rate.

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27Oct2008

Evergreen Virtual Advisor – Investment Newsletter by David Hay

Past EVAs have noted that the trailing 10-year return on the stock market now trails that of the 1930 to 1939 period. As you can see from the chart below, the last decade is now essentially tied with the fourth worst 10-year period going all the way back to the 1830s.

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23Oct2008
Mortgage Rates Plunge on Signs of Credit Thaw Thumbnail

Mortgage Rates Plunge on Signs of Credit Thaw

Mortgage rates reversed course in a big way this week, with the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropping from 6.74 percent to 6.32 percent. According to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey, the average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.39 discount and origination points.

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22Oct2008

Economic Insights – Schwab Center for Financial Research

Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors has stated in his forecast for 2009 that new existing home sales should rise despite economic struggles.

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16Oct2008
Zillow Quote API makes it easier and more efficient for lenders to provide custom quotes to borrowers Thumbnail

Zillow Quote API makes it easier and more efficient for lenders to provide custom quotes to borrowers

Real estate Web site Zillow.com today announced Zillow Quote API, a new feature within Zillow Mortgage Marketplace that allows participating lenders to automate custom quotes to borrowers who submit loan requests. Made possible through an application programming interface (API), the new automation program will be rolling out in the coming weeks, starting with five technology providers: Leads360, Mortech, Mortgagebot, NYLX and Optimal Blue.

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Rates Up or Down After the Election Thumbnail

Rates Up or Down After the Election

One mortgage advertiser puts forth that this is a good time to refinance the present mortgage. There was mention that after every presidential election, rates went up. Really? So with a presidential election about to be decided the time was ripe to make that call and get the new loan at lower rates. After the election might be too late.

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10Oct2008
Evergreen Virtual Advisor – Investment Newsletter by David Hay Thumbnail

Evergreen Virtual Advisor – Investment Newsletter by David Hay

Stock markets around the world remain under extraordinary pressure as do credit market such as corporate bonds and preferred stocks. The S&P 500 has now experienced its worst 10 year return in history. The odds are increasing that governments worldwide will more forcefully intervene to stabilize financial markets.

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10Oct2008

New Stock Market Terms

CEO --Chief Embezzlement Officer. CFO-- Corporate Fraud Officer. BULL MARKET -- A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius. BEAR MARKET -- A 6 to

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