The San Diego Union Tribune - "Mortgages are plentiful, but credit standards are higher" (9-29-07)

"The term 'mortgage meltdown' has become so commonplace – on TV, in headlines and even casual conversations – that you might assume that this is a tough time to get a mortgage. But the reality is starkly different: Mortgage money is plentiful, the majority of mortgage products remain relatively unaffected by troubles in the subprime segment, and interest rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans remain in the low 6 percent range for people with reasonably good – not necessarily perfect – credit backgrounds. Even interest rates on jumbo loans – those over $417,000 – have fallen after spiking this summer."

The San Diego Union Tribune - "Rating the real cost of inflation" (9-29-07)

"If you're like the average American, when you fill your car up at the gas pump, you're paying 84 percent more than you were in 2000, for an average price rise of 12 percent per year, according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics."

Ventura County Star - "When a crisis occurs, a homeowner with little cash saved becomes vulnerable to foreclosure" (9-30-07)

"Many homeowners are a life-changing moment away from catastrophe: job loss, bad investment, divorce or death in the family. And when a crisis occurs, some homeowners have little money squirreled away, leaving them vulnerable to foreclosure. It's gotten worse with the collapsing housing market that is draining home equity, once a buffer from hardships."

Ventura County Star - "Bargains hard to find at county trustee sales" (9-30-07)

"Erik J. Beckstrom, an auctioneer who handles trustee sales, has seen a growing crowd congregate at public auctions held at 11 a.m. weekdays outside the Ventura County Government Center. There's been a 50 percent increase in trustee sales during the past three months, he said."

Market Watch - "UBS to report large loss from fixed-income unit" (9-30-07)

"UBS AG is expected to report on Monday a large loss from its fixed income division for the third quarter, according to a report in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal citing people familiar with the matter. UBS is projecting a third-quarter loss of swiss francs 600 million to swiss francs 700 million based on a writedown of swiss francs 3 billion to swiss francs 4 billion for fixed income assets, according to the Journal report. The bank is reporting the fixed-income loss ahead of its third-quarter results, due Oct. 30. The bank in August told investors that the third quarter would be difficult if credit markets continued to struggle, the report notes."