Mortgage

How to Do Your Taxes if You're a Homeowner

If you're a homeowner, you've got a slice of the American dream, and the tax breaks that go along with it. Whether you bought, sold or just happily lived in your home this year, we'€™ll walk you through all the tax stuff you need to know.

Do You Really Need a Credit Card?

Business Insider tapped two of their favorite credit experts, Bethy Hardeman of CreditKarma.com and John Ulzheimer of SmartCredit.com, to weigh in on the pros and cons of carrying plastic.

Even God Can't Get a Loan: Church Foreclosures Soar

During the heady days of the real estate bubble, many congregations took out 5-year loans to refurbish and enlarge their churches. Now, with balloon payments due, real estate values down, and refinancing not an option, church foreclosures have hit record highs.

Bad 'Dream': Renters Often Do Better than Homeowners

Becoming a homeowner is a rite of passage in America, while renting gets no respect. But when you look at how we really live, it turns out that, even ignoring the recent crash, home ownership isn't the great deal for our finances that we've been led to believe.

Thanks, Mitt and Newt: 12 Tax Tips for the Rest of Us

While the pundits debated the vices and virtues of Mitt Romney's and Newt Gingrich's tax returns, the folks at Kiplinger were scouring them for ideas that could help you. Even if you'll never have a Swiss bank account or own complex foreign assets, these dozen moves could help you lower your IRS bill.

Music Video Moves BofA on Stalled Mortgage Loan

It might not be the right method for everyone seeking a home loan, but it worked for one Georgia couple: A music video that went viral got Bank of America to close on Ken and Meredith Williams' long-delayed mortgage.

What to Do First: Save or Pay Down Your Debts?

For many households, it's a personal fiance dilemma: Should they try to pay down debt first, or build up savings? In the aftermath of the Great Recession, opinions have clearly tipped toward the ditch-your-debt side. But that's not always the right answer.

Homeowners Move Away From 30-Year Mortgages

With the historically low interest rates, many homeowners with 30-year mortgages have been leaving their loans for younger models. According to a new report from Freddie Mac, more homeowners are refinancing into 15- and 20-year mortgages than ever before.

Is It Time to Refinance Your Mortgage?

With interest rates dipping to historic lows, many homeowners are refinancing their mortgages to shorten either the terms of their loans or their monthly payments. Here's what you need to know to decide whether refinancing now is right for you.

The Housing Bottom Is Here, Says Economist Russell Price

For nearly two years, economists and real estate experts have been on the lookout for the bottom of the housing market. That time is here, says Russell Price, a senior economist with Ameriprise Financial, a financial services company.

Obama's Balanced Approach to the (Household) Budget

During an impromptu drop-in at a conference of personal finance writers, President Obama was asked: How does he approach his own household finances? His response was timeless, irrefutable, and not quite consistent with his prescription for the federal government.

Relief for Homeowners in Mortgage Mess Settlement?

Will homeowners see a penny of the reimbursements that the government has ordered 16 mortgage lenders to pay? Not likely, foreclosure victims and housing activists say, because the independent review ordered by regulators is too weak.