According to The Business Journals, Texas created 732,800 jobs over the last 10 years. No other state tops 100,000 jobs! Arizona and Utah were right behind Texas at 92,000 and California suffered the largest decline across the nation.
View the chart of all 50 states: http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/on-numbers/scott-thomas/2011/05/texas-adds-732800-jobs-in-10-years.html?ana=twt
The banks claim few, if any borrowers suffered wrongful foreclosure and they have offered a $5 Billion settlement. The Justice Dept is seeking up to another $1 Billion in penalties.
Loan delinquencies are also on the decline, causing many to believe that Texas has the best lending landscape in the country.
Read More: http://www.dsnews.com/articles/foreclosure-numbers-continue-to-drop-in-texas-2011-05-23
Even if you’ve already got a low mortgage rate, consider going shorter term, lowering your rate even further, and owning your home debt-free sooner!
Call it the new mortgage reality. Lenders that got burned when the housing market collapsed are taking extra steps to protect themselves and are requiring more financial documents than ever. But that doesn’t mean getting a mortgage has to be too stressful as long as you’re prepared.
You won’t receive a score, but it’s important to review a report from the three credit reporting agencies: Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. Make sure the information on each is correct. If you have any late payments or recent inquiries on your report, prepare to explain the circumstances to a lender in writing. You’ll have to settle any open collections, tax liens or judgments before you close the mortgage.
Read more: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110515/business/705159975/#ixzz1MRoDmgP3
By Lew Sichelman | LA Times | May 15, 2011
Amy Fontinelle | San Francisco Chronicle | May 12, 2011
Since the housing crisis began, mortgage lending guidelines and regulations have been continually changing in an attempt to eliminate the problems that caused the crisis. Each step in the process has had consequences for borrowers, lenders, the housing market and the broader economy. (For more, check out Are You Ready To Buy A House?)
Recently Enacted Changes
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act passed in July 2010 is the source of the latest changes as it became effective in April. The act addresses numerous components of the financial services industry. One provision, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, contains several new laws specifically related to housing finance
click here to use their interactive tool: http://www.dallasnews.com/business/area-home-sales/
Salaries are higher in Durham, N.C., than anywhere else in the South.
The typical worker in the Durham area earned $50,480 in 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The presence of two major colleges (Duke University and the University of North Carolina) and a sizable research sector have made Durham the wage leader throughout the South.
Neck and neck as runners-up are the Huntsville, Ala., metropolitan area and the Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas, metro division. (A division is a subset of a major metro area.) Their respective annual averages are $46,220 and $46,110 per worker.
On Numbers broke down U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data to isolate the pay levels for 772 occupations in 140 Southern metros.
Our previous reports this week have listed pay levels for 801 occupations across the country and 772 in the East. (Stories on the Midwest and West will follow on Thursday and Friday.)
The following are the 10 Southern metros with the highest annual average pay for all occupations:
