Category: Great Articles
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Nonprofit Counseling: Protecting and Preserving a Vital Service to American Homeowners and the Finance Community
The past decade has taught us a great deal about housing loss and preservation. Many of us were personally affected, or know someone affected, by the 2007-08 economic downturn period our country experienced. There have been several lessons learned. Most of all, we learned that too many U.S residents have too much debt and lack…
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4th Annual NAWRB Conference
Scores of executive women and industry leaders came together for women’s economic growth, million-dollar contracting opportunities and invaluable resources at the 2017 NAWRB Nexus Conference: Women’s Collaboration for the Future. From July 16th-19th, 2017, NAWRB’s expert panelists equipped attendees with actionable solutions and specialized forecasts, providing a comprehensive inside look at the near future of…
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Addressing the Concerns of American Families
Since founding the Women2Women Conversations Tour in 2014, I have joined six of Main Street’s Congresswomen and many state officials across the country to speak with local women business owners and community leaders who are a seeking a greater voice and role in their government. I wanted the tour to give female members of Congress…
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Life of a Female Veteran: U.S. Army Combat Veteran Erica Courtney
I am proudly part of the 1.4 percent of American women who served in the military. The day I signed the paperwork to join as a teenager the Gulf War kicked off and I watched tanks fire through the night on TV thinking, “What in the world did I do?” Having grown up in surf…
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The Gender Gap: Women as Mortgage Consumers
In the last 200 years, women’s voice and role in society has evolved quite substantially in the United States and around the world. The mortgage industry is no exception. As first-time homebuyers, women face patterns of discrimination. These discriminatory lending patterns, in violation of many regulations including those promulgated by the U.S. Department of Housing…
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Americans have “No Preference” between Male and Female Bosses
It’s true, according to new research from Gallup, 55 percent of Americans have no preference between a male or female boss. The percentage of U.S. adults who currently prefer a female boss sits at 21 percent, compared to 23 percent who would opt for a man. This is the first time Americans have said their…
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Democrats and Republicans Introduce Legislation to Nullify CFPB Rule
House Democrats and Republicans have introduced legislation to stop the recently finalized Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) small dollar lending rule. The rule, which was issued by former CFPB Director Richard Cordray, aimed to protect consumers from the negative consequences of “payday loans” which are usually small-dollar amounts that are due in full before the…
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Helping Women have a Home for the Holidays
Held on October 26, 2017, the 18th Annual WISEPlace “A Home for the Holidays” took place in Orange, CA celebrating the success stories of women creating better lives. WISEPlace transforms the lives of women every year by providing “safe, affordable transitional housing, healthy meals, financial-empowerment curriculum and employment assistance” helping women escape homelessness and gain…
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U.S. Home Prices Continue to Climb
U.S. home prices continued to increase in the third quarter of 2017 by 1.4 percent, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI). The index, which is calculated with home prices from mortgages sold to and guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, depicts a 6.5 percent uptick from the third…
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FHFA Announces Increased Loan Limits for Freddie and Fannie in 2018
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that it will increase the conforming loan limits for mortgages that can be sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2018. The 2018 maximum conforming loan limit for single-family homes will be $453,100, up from $424,100 in 2017.