Today in Money & Finance -- Friday, August 31 -- Help for At-Risk Mortgages, Best Renters' Markets, Credit Card Ratings
In the News:
FHA to Help Refi At-Risk Loans
Some homeowners with risky "subprime" adjustable-rate mortgages will be able to refinance before they lose their home to foreclosure, with the help of steps President Bush will announce Friday, senior administration officials said Thursday night. An estimated 80,000 homeowners with bruised credit and subprime ARMs they can no longer afford will be able to refinance loans, which the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) would insure.
Best Renters' Markets
If you're looking to rent property -- for whatever reason -- the best place to try is Atlanta, where rental vacancies are expanding and prices are going up slower than inflation. Not far behind are Denver and Phoenix, where yields and supply problems are giving investors fits, but making life easy for renters.
The Best & Worst Credit Cards
When it comes to swiping plastic, consumers gave high ratings to American Express, Discover, as well as to cards issued by credit unions in a report released Thursday rating the best and worst credit cards. In a survey of more than 36,000 cardholders conducted by Consumer Reports, five of the largest MasterCard and Visa issuers, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, Capital One, and HSBC -- which together control about 80 percent of the market -- earned mediocre rating scores.
10 Cars With Bad Reputations
Whether for being "nerdy" (AMC Pacer) or "unreliable" (Yugo), when asked to name the "Most questionable cars" of all time, these were the top vote-getters.
The 12 Worst U.S. Airports for Delays
Long lines, late flights, near collisions -- everyone is unhappy with the U.S. air travel system. And no one, not even the FAA, seems able to do anything about it. BusinessWeek takes a look at the problem and shares the 12 airports ranked poorest in terms of percentage of delayed departures for the first six months of 2007.
Slash Insurance Costs
Getting the right insurance coverage can save you big. See how implementing a few strategies can save you hundreds -- or thousands -- of dollars.










