WASHINGTON - Lenders are ramping up efforts to avoid home foreclosures, but a report by bank regulators says more than half of borrowers who get help fall behind again. More than 50 percent of homeowners with loans modified in the first half of last year had missed at least two months [ Read More → ]

CHICAGO — Few words sting like the ones that inform you that you’re being laid off — especially today, with jobs so hard to come by. If you’re a homeowner, the blow of a job loss can be even worse. In households with more than one wage earner, halving the monthly [ Read More → ]

With housing prices still in the dumps, many Americans are finding themselves in the uncomfortable position of landlord. Some have been forced to relocate for a job and can’t sell their houses. Others have moved, but are holding on to their previous homes, hoping for prices to rebound before selling. Many [ Read More → ]

Helping borrowers with little or no equity in their homes refinance their mortgages has turned out to be far more difficult than government officials expected. When the Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP, was rolled out in March, the Obama administration said that millions of borrowers would be able to refinance. [ Read More → ]

Reporting from Sacramento - As California heads into another season of wildfires that have been growing more frequent and more ferocious, homeowners are facing higher prices to insure their property. In the last year, some big insurance companies have [ Read More → ]

Homeowners under threat of repossession and tenants on the brink of eviction have a new resource available at www.direct.gov.uk. The site now contains articles and videos prepared by the Ministry of Justice, aimed at informing people with both mortgage and rent arrears. The advice addresses a wide range of problems and [ Read More → ]

Getting a loan modification is no easy task, especially if you go it alone. Banks, swamped with borrowers seeking help, are overwhelmed and understaffed. Homeowners complain of their files getting lost, months and months of waiting, and flat-out rejection, even when they have followed all the [ Read More → ]

BOYNTON BEACH — Senior staff members of Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state’s largest homeowners insurer with more tha 1 million policies, will be in Palm Beach County Tuesday to help people who have difficulty with their policy. Citizens staffers will hold office hours from 10 a.m.-noon, at the office [ Read More → ]

CHICAGO (AP) - The average American household uses almost 100 gallons of water each day, indoors alone. Multiply that by 365, and you could fill a swimming pool. That doesn’t count typical outdoor tasks like lawn care and car washing. For residents of 16 states experiencing some drought conditions and more [ Read More → ]

Motorists are wasting over £411 million every year by not shopping around for insurance, while only 14% of travellers use comparison sites to secure the best deal, according to research from Confused.com. The research suggests that one-in-four homeowners have cancelled their policies in an attempt to shave costs off monthly outgoings [ Read More → ]