Reuters – Applications for home mortgages retreated last week, giving back some of the previous week’s surge as interest rates rose, an industry group said on Wednesday. Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News
Reuters – President Barack Obama used his last State of the Union speech before the November election to paint himself as the champion of the middle class, by demanding higher taxes for millionaires and tight reins on Wall Street. Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News
The Motley Fool – A risk-averse environment and lower trading levels resulted in mediocre results for U.S. trust banks. The largest of them all, Bank of New York Mellon (NYSE: BK – News), recorded a 26% fall in fourth-quarter profits on account of lower fee revenues. Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News
Reuters – The regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac told lawmakers that forcing the government-controlled mortgage firms to write down the principal on underwater home loans would require more than $ 100 billion in fresh taxpayer funds. Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News
Reuters – In the wake of news reports last week that presidential contender Mitt Romney owns an individual retirement account worth as much as $ 101 million, questions are growing over how it could have gotten so big when contribution limits are capped at $ 5,000 or $ 6,000 a year. Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News
Reuters – As state and federal officials near a deal with top banks to settle claims of foreclosure abuses, left-leaning activist groups have stepped up pressure on the officials to reach a deal that demands more from the banks. Yahoo! News: Personal Finance News
