Many newer readers of The Simple Dollar haven’t been exposed to the hundreds of great articles in the archives of the site, so this is a weekly series that highlights the five best posts from one year ago this week, two years ago this week, and three years ago…

Randy Johnson, president of Independence Mortgage Co. in Newport Beach, author of “How to Save Thousands of Dollars on Your Home Mortgage” and a mortgage broker since 1983, answers questions… Q. Is there any difference from paying an extra bit each month or one full payment a year or…

Note: this data is not seasonally adjusted. There is a very distinct seasonal pattern for imports, but not for exports. LA area ports handle about 40% of the nation’s container port traffic. Sometimes port traffic gives us an early hint of changes in the trade deficit. The following graph shows…

Our periodic recap of who got nabbed breaking mortgages laws! New Jersey police officer arrested for mortgage fraud (Ethiopian Review) San Jose man sentenced to 41 months in prison for loan fraud scheme (San Jose Mercury News) Man accused of masterminding mortgage fraud is denied bail reduction (Press-Enterprise) Consumer…

Bair’s troops march South, East Two gulf banks, engulfed by fail Will they rise again? by Soylent Green is People From the FDIC: Centennial Bank, Conway, Arkansas, Assumes All of the Deposits of Old Southern Bank, Orlando, Florida Old Southern Bank, Orlando, Florida, was closed today by the Florida…

Start Spread’n the news Park Avenue’s failed today Old Blue Eyes would weep… by Soylent Green is People From the FDIC : Valley National Bank, Wayne, New Jersey, Assumes All of the Deposits of the Park Avenue Bank, New York, New York The Park Avenue Bank, New York, New…

Earlier I linked to this podcast from Planet Money: We Bought A Toxic Asset! And the story is here: We Bought A Toxic Asset; You Can Watch It Die . And here is a PDF with the details of the bond (ht daddyo, based on details in story). There are…

Well, he’s hitting the road again with some pretty hard hitting talk about making the $10,000 homebuyer tax credit a reality for potentially 20,000 California home buyers. Following is the video posted on the Governor’s website as well as all of the important excerpts regarding the credit from his…

As home value rises who is entitled to the money in a reverse mortgage? Who keeps any profits from the sale of my home? Can I get a 2nd reverse mortgage? Over time, and in a good market, the value of your home will increase. If you have a…

These are things you must know before taking out a reverse mortgage. Read further to see how a reverse mortgage can affect your estate. For some seniors, retirement is not whet they thought it would be and they find themselves going without necessities such as enough money to pay…