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WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 15, 2007 – A bill designed to address abuses in the lending market would leave consumers worse off than if Congress did nothing at all, a group of national and local consumer and poverty law organizations told lawmakers today. The group is urging lawmakers to defeat H.R. 3915, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007, scheduled for a vote today in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Triple-digit monthly parking fees, $12 movie tickets, clogged intersections and weekly grocery bills that rival some mortgage payments. Welcome to life in the Big Apple. And Los Angeles. And Chicago.

Reverse Mortgages are becoming popular in America. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) created one of the first. HUD's Reverse Mortgage is a federally-insured private loan, and it's a safe plan that can give older Americans greater financial security. Many seniors use it to supplement social security, meet unexpected medical expenses, make home improvements, and more.

Washington, DC – The House Committee on Financial Services today approved historic bipartisan mortgage reform legislation and anti-predatory lending practices by a vote of 45 to 19. H.R. 3915, the “The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007” will create a licensing system for residential mortgage loan originators, establish a minimum standard requiring that borrowers have a reasonable ability to repay a loan, and will attach a limited liability to secondary market securitizers.

Washington, DC, November 9, 2007 - Today, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) announced the first issuance of its new Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Mortgage-Backed Security (HMBS). The $116 million issuance is the first-ever government-guaranteed mortgage-backed security collateralized by Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured reverse mortgages (HECM).

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2007 — The House Judiciary Committee has decided to resume consideration next week of a bill that seeks to revise sections of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code and give judges power to modify certain terms in existing mortgages.

WASHINGTON, November 7, 2007 -- The Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Tuesday said it supports legislation intended to eliminate predatory mortgage lending practices, but advised that some provisions are "more appropriately tailored" for the mortgage brokerage industry than for depository institutions.

The Federal Trade Commission today released staff comments to the federal banking agencies – the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the National Credit Union Administration – in response to their request for comments on proposed illustrations of consumer information for subprime mortgage lending. In their comments, FTC staff support the agencies’ efforts to develop mortgage disclosures to help subprime borrowers make better informed decisions.

Washington, D.C., November 1, 2007 -- The Federal Trade Commission today released staff comments to the federal banking agencies – the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the National Credit Union Administration – in response to their request for comments on proposed illustrations of consumer information for subprime mortgage lending.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- As Congress debates how to solve the mortgage credit crunch, a new survey by Freedom Works indicates a majority of Americans don't want Uncle Sam to foot the bill

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 17, 2007 -- The president of the Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) says homeowners on the cusp of foreclosure due to subprime loans need to evaluate their options now, and not wait for a foreclosure notice before taking action

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 31, 2007 — The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending October 26, 2007. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 681.7, an increase of 3.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from 656.5 one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 3.6 percent compared with the previous week and was up 19.5 percent compared with the same week one year earlier.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Beginning November 19, the nation's largest mortgage servicers will be sending HOPE NOW letters to at-risk mortgage borrowers, asking them to get help

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 24, 2007 — The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending October 19, 2007. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, was 656.5, a slight increase on a seasonally adjusted basis from 656.3 one week earlier.

WASHINGTON, October 24, 2007 -- Comptroller of the Currency John C. Dugan today expressed support for provisions in a House bill that would set national standards for subprime mortgages comparable to federal banking agency standards, and provide enhanced regulation for all mortgage brokers, but expressed concern about some parts of the proposed legislation.

Washington, DC, October 10, 2007 --Thank you, Secretary Jackson, for being here today. And thank you to everyone here today with one common objective – helping homeowners stay in their homes. We all know well the turmoil in today's mortgage markets. A combination of stagnant or falling house prices, low down payment mortgages and resetting adjustable-rate mortgage rates are creating real challenges for many American homeowners.

Washington, DC, October 22, 2007 - Reps. Brad Miller (D-NC), Mel Watt (D-NC) and Barney Frank (D-MA) today introduced comprehensive legislation to combat abuses in the mortgage lending market, and to provide basic protections to mortgage consumers and investors. The bill, H.R. 3915, the “The Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2007” will reform mortgage practices in three areas.

Home Equity Lines of Credit --- Who Uses This Source of Credit? -- This report profiles single-family homeowners who used home equity lines of credit in 2001 and compares them to their counterparts from 10 years earlier, including age, home value, mortgage, age of home, number of loans for home improvements and proportion of people using home equity for debt consolidation.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Existing-home sales fell in August when mortgage availability problems were peaking, according to the National Association of Realtors(R)

COLLEGE STATION, TX – High-risk home mortgages are facing national scrutiny thanks to the recent rise in subprime foreclosures, but a noted research economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University is coming to their defense.