The news

AIG to decide on AIA pre-IPO sale by next week: sources (Reuters)

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:27:17 +0000

Reuters – American International Group Inc is expected to decide by early next week whether to enter formal negotiations with strategic investors for its Asian life insurance business, AIA, sources familiar with the process told Reuters on Wednesday.

Low prices and rates can’t slow fall in home sales (AP)

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:27:12 +0000

AP – Home prices in many parts of the country scream bargain, and mortgage rates haven’t been this low for decades. So why are houses across the nation sitting on the market for so long?

Re-defaults on modified mortgage loans falling (AP)

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:27:12 +0000

AP – Homeowners who had mortgages modified recently are faring better than those who did so earlier in the housing crisis, according to a report released Tuesday, possibly debunking predictions of a huge wave of defaults to come.

Fed wanted to avoid unintended tightening: Fisher (Reuters)

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:27:12 +0000

Reuters – The Federal Reserve decided to reinvest proceeds from its mortgage-related assets to avoid unintentionally clamping down on monetary policy when the recovery was showing signs of weakening, a top Fed official said on Tuesday.

Why Did Intel Buy McAfee? (The Motley Fool)

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:27:12 +0000

The Motley Fool – If Intel’s (Nasdaq: INTC – News) acquisition of security software giant McAfee (Nasdaq: MFE – News) is any indication of what technology companies will be doing with the abundant cash on their balance sheets, perhaps they should follow Skyworks’ (Nasdaq: SWKS – News) lead and just buy back shares instead.

Six Popular Credit Score Myths (U.S. News & World Report)

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:27:09 +0000

U.S. News & World Report – Your credit score is one of the most important numbers in your life and one of the most misunderstood. So many people don’t understand how the credit scoring system works because Fair Isaac Corporation, the designers of the FICO credit score, gives only vague hints as to how they calculate it. It’s specially designed to be difficult to understand and impossible to guess.

SEC: Ex-Countrywide chief approved special loans (AP)

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:27:09 +0000

AP – Federal regulators say former Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo personally approved mortgages for favored borrowers that violated the company’s policies and lending standards.

EU clears MetLife takeover of AIG unit (AFP)

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:27:07 +0000

AFP – US life insurance giant MetLife won clearance from European Union regulators on Tuesday to acquire a unit of American International Group for 15.5 billion dollars (12.3 billion euros).

Court dismisses mortgage claims vs Morgan Stanley (Reuters)

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:27:07 +0000

Reuters – A mortgage servicing company’s claims that would push responsibility for faulty mortgage loans onto Wall Street titan Morgan Stanley were dismissed by a Delaware court, according to a court filing.

6 Bond ETFs for Today’s Market (The Motley Fool)

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:27:07 +0000

The Motley Fool – Shaken by recent years’ stock market turmoil, investors are showing no sign of dialing back their appetite for fixed income. According to data from the Investment Company Institute, bond funds attracted more assets than equity funds for the past 30 straight months. That amounts to billions and billions of dollars heading out of stocks and into bonds. And given recent economic weakness, it doesn’t look like investors are terribly motivated to make peace with stock funds anytime soon.