WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

A new report suggests Illinois' rate of home foreclosure fell 3.5 percent between June and July. The RealtyTrac Group said the foreclosure rate is now almost 50 percent lower than last year. But there's still some bad housing news: a report from the Illinois Association of Realtors sa

For most people, their biggest investment is their home. Following Standard and Poor's downgrade of U.S.

On any given day, the Cook County Jail holds hundreds of inmates picked up on criminal charges who also happen to be wanted for an immigration violation. Sheriff Tom Dart’s office keeps them up to 48 hours beyond when the criminal cases would allow them out.

When you are the nation's largest owner of foreclosed homes, even little things can get expensive fast. Such is the case for mortgage giant Fannie Mae, which as of March 31 had a mind-boggling 153,000 foreclosed homes on its books.One example — mowing the lawn.

The housing market is still languishing this summer, leading some economists to believe prices won't begin to recover until 2014.

The role of fraud in the housing crisis is getting attention this week at a Chicago gathering of attorneys general from states across the country.Since last year, the AGs have been looking into procedures of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers, led by Bank of America, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Ch

The number of homes entering foreclosure in the United States continues to decline. California-based RealtyTrac's monthly report of foreclosure filings shows that foreclosures fell during the month of May and are down 33 percent from the same period one year ago.But Illinois foreclosure activit