NAHB - "Two Out of Three Americans Support $15,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit, New Poll Finds" (2-9-09)

"Two-thirds of Americans support a $15,000 home buyer tax credit now being considered by Congress as part of its economic stimulus package and believe it will be effective in stimulating home sales, according to results from a new nationwide survey."

Mortgage Bankers Association - "$171 Billion of Non-bank Commercial/Multifamily Mortgages Maturing in 2009; Significant Differences by Investor Group" (2-9-09)

"The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released the results of its new Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Survey of Loan Maturity Volumes that reports $171 billion of commercial/multifamily mortgages held by non-bank lenders and investors will mature in 2009. According to the survey, the volume of loans maturing varies considerably by the type of investor holding the loan."

Mortgage Bankers Association - "Wachovia, PNC/Midland, Capmark and Wells Fargo Lead National Rankings of Commercial/Multifamily Servicing Volumes" (2-8-09)

"The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) today released its annual ranking of commercial and multifamily loan servicers as of the end of 2008 during MBA’s Commercial Real Estate (CREF) Convention. On top of the list of firms is Wachovia Securities with $412.9 billion in U.S. master and primary servicing, followed by PNC Real Estate/Midland Loan Services with $310.3 billion, Capmark Finance, Inc. with $260.9 billion and Wells Fargo with $182.6 billion."

Bloomberg - "Geithner to Tell Democrats Banks Must Modify Loans" (2-8-09)

"Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has told Democratic lawmakers that banks tapping a U.S. rescue fund will be required to modify mortgages and help borrowers avoid foreclosure, according to a person at a briefing"

Yahoo - "Mortgage Rates Likely Headed to 4.5%: Pimco's Gross" (2-9-09)

"Government action to shore up the economy and improve the housing climate probably will send mortgage rates to 4.5 percent, Bill Gross, co-CEO at the Pimco bond fund, said Monday. In addition to driving down mortgage rates and stimulating home-buying, the government's efforts also could include a move to cap Treasurys rates to encourage investors to take more risk, Gross said during a live interview on CNBC."

Yahoo - "Official: Plan will buy some of banks' bad assets" (2-9-09)

"An administration official said Monday the overhaul of the government's $700 billion financial rescue program is likely to include a partnership with the private sector to buy troubled assets. The official said the plan would use government money to support private sector purchases of bad assets that are weighing on banks' balance sheets and keeping them from resuming more normal lending."

Reuters - "Fannie, Freddie to channel mortgage rescue: sources" (2-8-09)

"The Obama administration is crafting a mortgage-rescue program that would see Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ease payments for hundreds of thousands of borrowers and offer a model for Wall Street to do the same, sources familiar with the plan said. Late last week, officials from the Treasury Department and Department of Housing and Urban Development worked with the companies' regulator to agree on standards for who could get relief and how they might coax other finance companies to follow their lead, said two industry sources familiar with the deliberations."

Bloomberg - "Three U.S. Banks Shut by Regulators as Financial Crisis Deepens" (2-7-09)

"Three banks, two in California and one in Georgia, were seized by regulators, bringing this year’s tally of closings to nine as a recession and record foreclosures extend the biggest financial crisis in more than 70 years."

Bloomberg - "Senate’s Tax Credit Favors Higher-Income Homebuyers" (2-7-09)

"The U.S. Senate is working to boost home purchases among six-figure-income households, turning away from Bush administration policies that helped fuel a property bubble. By replacing a $7,500 tax credit for first-time homebuyers earning less than $150,000 with a $15,000 break for all income groups as part of the economic stimulus package, senators are encouraging purchases by higher-income households with a reduced risk of default."

Bloomberg - "U.S. Jobless Rate Soared in January and Payrolls Kept Plunging" (2-7-09)

"The jobless rate rose to 7.6 percent from 7.2 percent in December, the Labor Department reported yesterday in Washington. Payrolls fell by 598,000, the biggest monthly drop since December 1974. Losses spanned almost all industries, from construction and manufacturing to retailing, trucking, media and finance. "

Bloomberg - "U.S. Housing Market May Bottom in 2009, Zandi Says" (2-9-09)

"U.S. home prices will reach bottom by the end of the year, concluding a slide that will have cut values 36 percent, Moody’s Economy.com said today."

Bloomberg - "JPMorgan Analysts Double Jumbo-Mortgage Loss Forecast" (2-9-09)

"JPMorgan Chase & Co. analysts almost doubled their projections for losses on some prime-jumbo mortgages underlying securities, created at the start of the U.S. housing slump, because of soaring defaults."

Bloomberg - "Bank Failures May Reach 1,000 on Bad Loans, RBC Says" (2-9-09)

"As many as 1,000 U.S. banks may fail in the next three to five years, almost double the one-year tally at the height of the saving-and-loan collapse, as losses mount on commercial real-estate loans, RBC Capital Markets analysts said."