Consumer finance agency will probe overdraft fees

Of all the bank fees that customers love to hate, overdraft charges on checking accounts have to be near the top. The government's new consumer protection agency appears to agree.

Experienced Energy Finance Banker Joins Growing Green Campus Partners Team

EDISON, N.J., Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- New Jersey based energy project developer and financial solutions provider Green Campus Partners, LLC ("GCP") announced that Bryan Ryscavage, former ...

Romney proposes 28 percent top income tax rate (Reuters)

Reuters - Republican Mitt Romney, looking for a boost in his presidential campaign, proposed an overhaul of the tax system on Wednesday that he said would cut Americans' tax rates by 20 percent and limit deductions for the wealthy.

JPMorgan, Citi, BofA sued for $949 million by Sealink (Reuters)

Reuters - JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp. and more than a half dozen other major banks are being hit with a new lawsuit over $949 million in residential mortgage-backed securities.

NorthStar Realty Finance Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Common Stock

NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. (NYSE: NRF - News) (the "Company") announced today that it has priced an underwritten public offering of 15,000,000 shares of common ...

GE Capital, Franchise Finance provides $15MM in senior secured debt to Temple REIT to acquire Radisson Fort McMurray ...

GE Capital, Franchise Finance provides $15MM in senior secured debt to Temple REIT to acquire Radisson Fort McMurray, Alberta

Consumer-finance watchdog probes overdraft fees (AP)

AP - The government's new consumer-watchdog agency is launching a probe into costly overdraft fees charged by big banks.

U.S. mortgage applications sagged last week: MBA (Reuters)

Reuters - Applications for U.S. home mortgages tumbled last week as demand for loan refinancing sagged, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Kenya's Housing Finance 2011 pretax profit, loans up

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's second-largest mortgage lender Housing Finance posted a 74 percent jump in 2011 profit, as its loan book grew by a third despite high interest rates, it said on Wednesday, adding it planned to raise long-term financing abroad. Housing Finance said its pretax profit rose to 975.8 million shillings, while its loan book grew by 31 percent to 24.2 billion shillings and ...

U.S. proposes to reduce top corporate tax rate: report (Reuters)

Reuters - The Obama administration will propose slashing the top income tax rate for corporations to 28 percent from the current 35 percent, as part of a corporate tax reform plan that is set to be announced on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal said.

Fannie, Freddie need to tighten legal expenses: regulator (Reuters)

Reuters - A government watchdog on Wednesday said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's regulator needs to curtail the rising cost of their legal expenses since there is no end in sight to the widening taxpayer tab keeping the two firms afloat.

Watchdog: Limit Fannie, Freddie legal fees more (AP)

AP - The U.S. government regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must do a better job limiting legal expenses paid by the two mortgage giants to their former executives facing lawsuits, a new watchdog report says.

Wells Fargo Capital Finance Launches Channel Finance Division

Wells Fargo Capital Finance, part of Wells Fargo & Company , today launched its Channel Finance Division, which will provide innovative, worldwide channel financing

Colorado woman must turn over computer password (AP)

AP - Sophisticated encryption software has become so readily available and so effective, it's surpassed the federal government's ability to seize computers and gather evidence in criminal cases.

Horizon Technology Finance Announces Fourth Quarter 2011 Conference Call and Webcast

FARMINGTON, Conn. -- Horizon Technology Finance Corporation (the "Company" or "Horizon"), a leading specialty finance company that provides secured loans to venture capital and private ...

NorthStar Realty Finance Announces Public Offering of Common Stock

NEW YORK, Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. (NYSE: NRF - News) (the "Company") announced today that it has commenced an underwritten public offering of 15,000,000 shares of ...

Regulator outlines new plan for Fannie, Freddie (Reuters)

Reuters - The regulator of housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Tuesday outlined a new strategic plan for the two government-controlled firms, stepping into a void left by congressional inaction.

I Was Told There Would Be No Math (The Motley Fool)

The Motley Fool - In a 2009 NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 8 in 10 Americans said they were concerned about the federal deficit and growing national debt.

Gov't seeks smaller role for Fannie, Freddie (AP)

AP - The government regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has submitted a plan to Congress that would shrink the mortgage giants' role in the housing market.

Greek finance minister on EU/IMF bailout

ATHENS (Reuters) - Here are highlights of Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos's news conference in Athens on Tuesday after returning from Brussels talks where euro zone finance ministers clinched a 130-billion-euro bailout package. "I wonder what would have happened today in Greece, in the euro zone, in Europe, and to the world economy if early this morning after 15 hours of talks and ...

Comments from meeting of EU finance ministers

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers and private sector representatives finalized a deal early on Tuesday morning to provide 130 billion euros of new financing to Greece in return for cuts and reforms. The deal relies on private creditors accepting a loss on the nominal value of their holdings of more than 53 percent, which will help reduce Greece's debt by around 100 billion euros ...

Banks to gulp half a trillion euros from ECB (Reuters)

Reuters - The European Central Bank will lend nearly half a trillion euros to banks at rock-bottom rates next week through its three-year refinancing operation, despite signs institutions already have adequate liquidity, Reuters polls showed on Monday.

Citigroup whistleblower: I have no regrets (Reuters)

Reuters - It wasn't Sherry Hunt's original intent to go public on the shoddy quality control at a mortgage unit at Citigroup Inc , her employer since 2004.

$923,411: What Santorum Made in 2010, but Still Much Less than Romney (ContributorNetwork)

ContributorNetwork - Politico reports Rick Santorum has released four years' worth of federal income tax returns. The news outlet posted all four returns as PDF files for anyone to examine from 2007 to 2010. It was noted that Santorum released four years of income tax data, more than competitors Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

Can the small-cap stock rebound last? (AP)

AP - Optimism has returned to the market. And the clearest evidence is the rebound of small company stocks.

Fewer Americans at risk of foreclosure in Q4. (AP)

AP - The number of Americans at risk of foreclosure is declining, as more homeowners climb out of debt and find steady work.

Rate on 30-year mortgage stays at record 3.87 pct. (AP)

AP - The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage held steady at a record low for a third straight week, offering more incentive to those looking to buy a home or refinance.

Mortgage rates for the past 52 weeks, at a glance (AP)

AP - Mortgage rates for the past 52 weeks, at a glance

US housing starts rise modestly to start new year (AP)

AP - Construction of single-family homes cooled off slightly in January after surging in the final month last year. But a rise in permits suggests builders are growing more confident that more buyers are ready to come off the sidelines.

Citigroup pays $158 million in mortgage fraud pact (Reuters)

Reuters - Citigroup Inc has agreed to pay $158.3 million to settle U.S. civil claims that it defrauded the government into insuring thousands of risky home loans made by its CitiMortgage unit.