WASHINGTON (AP) - An alarming half-million American jobs vanished virtually in a flash last month, the worst mass layoffs in over a third of a century, as economic carnage spread ever faster and the U.S. hurtled toward what could be the hardest hard times since the Great Depression. ...more

December 7, 2008

An alarming half-million American jobs vanished last month, the worst mass layoffs in more than a third of a century, as economic carnage spread ever faster and the nation hurtled toward what could be the hardest hard times since the Great Depression. ...more

December 6, 2008

Gov. Charlie Crist announced today that Florida banks and mortgage lenders have agreed to delay certain foreclosure proceedings – an agreement industry leaders described as a "reaffirmation" of their practices rather than a major change. The announcement fell short of expectations that built up around Crist's initial comments last week about declaring a moratorium on foreclosures, possibly by executive order. Today, Crist made clear that the 45-day foreclosure freeze would be voluntary on the part of bankers and other participating lenders, giving homesteaded property owners the opportunity to renegotiate their payment plans. ...more

December 1, 2008

A four-bedroom, 2,952-square-foot town home in the sought-after FishHawk Ranch neighborhood has been sitting empty for more than a year. ...more

November 30, 2008

TAMPA Homeowners facing foreclosure could find help in an unlikely place — the company that insures their mortgage. Buyers who took out conventional loans and had a down payment of less than 20 percent typically were required by lenders to carry PMI insurance. ...more

November 25, 2008

It's the new "F" word: foreclosure. At the Tampa Housing Authority's Center for Affordable Homeownership, counselors encourage people to say it, talk about it and learn how to avoid it. ...more

November 22, 2008

Thousands of homeowners on the brink of foreclosure can rest easy that they won't be evicted until at least early January. The nation's two largest providers of mortgages said this week they'll be working with homeowners to find a way to keep them in their homes. ...more

November 22, 2008

The economic realities of the present moment are stark: the nation's financial system has been teetering on the brink of disaster; businesses are finding it nearly impossible to borrow money; people are having trouble finding the money to buy houses and many of the people who have houses are finding it difficult to keep up with mortgage payments; the unemployment rate is rising; the revenue from taxes and fees governments rely on is coming in way below the estimates of only a few months ago. ...more

November 22, 2008

It's the new "F" word: foreclosure. At the Tampa Housing Authority's Center for Affordable Homeownership, counselors encourage people to say it, talk about it and learn how to avoid it. ...more

November 21, 2008

Mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are suspending foreclosures for about 16,000 households during the holiday season. ...more

November 20, 2008