VA mortgages

In a housing market convulsed by tight credit, flattened prices and weak home sales, there is a silver lining for one segment of the market: U.S. military veterans seeking V.A. home loans. Most honorably discharged veterans are eligible for Department of Veteran Affairs home loans. What's the...

Let's not forget that unprecedented government intervention is the only thing keeping the the housing and mortgage markets afloat. This level of support is so massive that many are wondering what will happen when the government finally pulls the plug.

Low down payments, risky mortgages guaranteed by government entities, rising defaults -- haven't we been here before? Isn't this the same mix of easy money and poor risk-management that blew up the housing market in 2007 and 2008? You'd think the mortgage industry and the federal government would...