HUD Foreclosures in Tulsa

Looking at President Bush and His Place in History (New York Times)
To the Editor:.

Obama Plans to Name Panetta to Head CIA (Washington Post)
President-elect chooses President Bill Clinton's chief of staff to head intelligence agency and Dennis Blair to be director of national intelligence.

Memo to lenders, appraisers: Go, sin no more (The Oklahoman)
The "reform” phase of the late national housing bubble — rest in pieces — fell this week on the relationship between lenders and property appraisers.It’s twilight in the timeline of the bubble.Demand created a hot market in the wee hours. Then came dawn, a stampede and buying frenzy. At high noon came leveraging and claims of "something new” — the kind always made, whether it’s Holland tulips! ...

Foreclosures in NC skyrocketed to record levels in 2008 (Asheville Citizen-Times)
RALEIGH – For the first time in North Carolina history, more than 50,000 property foreclosures were filed in one year. Foreclosure filings in the state shot up to record levels in 2008 – and experts say it could have been even worse without new state programs and voluntary foreclosure moratoriums.

Foreclosures Up 9% in N.C. During 2008 (MyNC.com)
New data shows North Carolina foreclosures jumped by 9 percent in 2008, reported the Triangle Business Journal.

North Carolina Foreclosures up in 2008 (WCNC Charlotte)
UNDATED -- The Tarheel State saw a nine percent increase in foreclosures last year when compared to 2007. The new numbers out Tuesday are compiled by the Office of the Commissioner of Banks and show 53,995 homes or businesses foreclosed in 2008, up from 49,695 the year before.

Mortgage foreclosures continue to rise in NH (Boston Globe)
The number of home mortgage foreclosures has been climbing for several years in New Hampshire, with the last few years showing a dramatic spike.

Credit crunch shows little sign of easing (The Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo! News)
In the aftermath of a historic lending boom, a key challenge for America in 2009 is to find the right footing on debt – allowing the credit bubble to deflate while not depriving the economy of needed fuel.

Economy permeates ‘08 (Tri-Lakes Tribune)
Adam Smith is often considered the father of modern economics and described market forces as an “invisible hand.” The nation felt its trembling fingers this year and northern El Paso County has not escaped its shaky reach. After the housing bubble burst, gas prices spiked and a monolithic federal bailout ensued intended to keep credit flowing in a floundering market — and the full effects of the ...

Obama Supports Corporate Tax Refund That Was Rejected Twice in 2008 (CQPolitics.com via Yahoo! News)
Some of the biggest winners in the economic stimulus package might be the biggest money losers in corporate America.

Paulson’s Pellegrini Said to Resign to Start Own Hedge Fund (Bloomberg)
Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Paolo Pellegrini , the hedge-fund manager who helped Paulson & Co. make more than $3 billion in 2007 on bets the U.S. housing bubble would burst, resigned to start his own fund, a person familiar with the matter said.

Stocks close out worst year since 1931; Dow drops 33.8% (USA Today)
Wall Street closed out its worst year since the Great Depression Wednesday wiping out $6.9 trillion in stock market wealth after the bursting of the housing bubble began a long chain of events culminating in the worst credit crisis in a generation and a dreadful economic outlook that left investors questioning their faith in stock markets.

Foreclosures well below national average in East Texas (KTBS Shreveport)
Home foreclosures have hit all-time highs around the country -- but not in parts of East Texas. Gaylene Swanson with Texas Bank and Trust said the East Texas area is not experiencing the housing crisis like other areas. For people having a tough time paying their mortgage, Swanson is surprised more homeowners are not taking advantage of the low interest rates -- below 5 percent for those with ...