Archive for December, 2005

HUD’s day in the sun is deserved

Sunday, December 25th, 2005

The agency is to be applauded for its hurricane relief effort and other actions
Tom Kelly - Herald Columnist
In the past decade, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has been the subject of intense scrutiny - and the jokes that accompany that focus.
In fact, some members of Congress would like to see the Federal Housing [...]

Reverse mortgage could help senior’s finances

Thursday, December 22nd, 2005

If anything defies the adage “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” something called a reverse mortgage might be it - especially for older homeowners who find themselves struggling financially while sitting on a big pile of home equity.
A reverse mortgage allows older homeowners to tap into the equity in their [...]

Housing equity put to work to loosen financial bind

Monday, December 19th, 2005

Russ Wiles
The Arizona Republic
Financial advisers often talk about the three legs of retirement planning, made up of Social Security benefits, private savings and workplace retirement plans. But for millions of Americans, there’s a fourth leg: housing equity.
Your home is, most likely, your biggest asset. The trick is tapping into this wealth, if necessary, without having [...]

US House passes bill to drop reverse mortgage cap

Thursday, December 15th, 2005

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. House passed a bill late Wednesday to eliminate the cap on federally insured reverse mortgages, which allow the elderly to convert part of their home equity into income without selling their houses.
The bill, introduced by Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick, was passed by the House but similar legislation [...]

Reverse mortgage can offer security to senior citizens

Monday, December 12th, 2005

A growing number use the service to supplement their incomes
By MICHAEL BRAGA
michael.braga@heraldtribune.com
Ronnalyn Crain plans to retire in about three years, but she’s not as worried about her finances as she was in the past.
Crain has accumulated modest savings from her career as a rental property manager. She’s expecting a monthly Social Security check from the [...]