WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Federal regulatory agencies are asking Americans to put more money on the table when they get a mortgage. The idea is to stop homeowners from walking away if their loan goes sour.

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

Home prices around the country have fallen into a double dip. After declining around 30 percent from their peak, they started to rise a bit last summer with the help of a federal tax credit.But with that stimulus gone, prices are now sliding again to new lows.

Fixed mortgage rates slid for the seventh consecutive week to their lowest levels of the year.Freddie Mac says the average rate on the 30-year loan fell to 4.55 percent from 4.60 percent.

One of the nation’s largest banks Friday provided details about an agreement with some nonprofit groups in Chicago-area neighborhoods devastated by foreclosures. The deal, revealed Wednesday by WBEZ, stems from the collapse of Oak Park-based banking chain FBOP Corp.

One of the nation’s largest financial firms will fund some nonprofit groups in Chicago-area neighborhoods devastated by foreclosures. Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp, the parent of U.S.