Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac extended their disaster-relief policies to borrowers whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The aid applies to property owners living in towns and cities along the eastern United States that have been declared disaster areas by President Obama.
In the last few years, outreach events by banks and nonprofits have been held all over the country, offering help to distressed homeowners. But even when they get personal invitations to these events, the vast majority of people who need mortgage modifications or short sales aren't showing up.
The housing crisis continues unabated, and millions of unemployed Americans remain at risk of ending up homeless. But additional government help is arriving from the Obama administration, and nonprofit agencies are making a difference in the efforts of some families to get help from their lenders.
The long-struggling video-rental chain said Thursday that a delisting from the New York Stock Exchange is the likely result after it failed to receive enough shareholder votes to authorize a reverse stock split. Shares tumbled on Friday.