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Publication
Not just private lenders and
financial institutions, but there are many government agencies and
publicly traded corporations in the housing arena, such as housing
loans, mortgage, refinancing, and equity loans etc. You can have
tons of useful information at their sites and most of them publish
newsletters and special reports for the benefit of consumers from
time to time. Let's see some authentic and credible resources here:
Freddie Mac
(www.freddiemac.com) makes housing more accessible and
affordable for millions of families across America. Needless to say
it is country's leading economic research and study source. To do
all this they continuously follow market trends, produce analyses of
mortgage industry data, and perform studies that help them stay on
the cutting edge of business and allow them to inform general public
and consumers about issues related to housing, the mortgage industry
and the economy. Some of their publications are (but not limited
to):
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Monthly updates of the Economic and
Housing Outlook (www.freddiemac.com/news/finance/
ehforecast_archives.htm).
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Weekly results from the Primary
Mortgage Market Survey (www.freddiemac.com/dlink/ html/PMMS/display/PMMSOutputYr.jsp).
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A variety of
Research Reports And Publications (www.freddiemac.com/corporate/
reports).
-
Quarterly reports on
Cash-out Refinancing Activity (www.freddiemac.com/news/finance/
refi_ archives.htm).
-
Quarterly publication of the
Conventional Mortgage Home Price Index
(www.freddie mac.com/finance/cmhpi).
-
An
Adjustable-Rate Mortgage Annual Survey
(www.freddiemac.com/news/finance/ arm_archives.htm).
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Monthly
refinance and ARM shares (www. freddiemac.com/news/finance/refi-arm_
archives.htm).
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The Federal
Cost of Funds Index (www. freddiemac.com/news/finance/cof_index.htm).
Fannie Mae
(www.fanniemae.com) is another great resource for individuals and
families. Ever since it's beginning in 1968, they have helped more
than 63 million families achieve the American Dream of
homeownership. According to the company sources, they are working to
expand homeownership opportunities by joining with lenders and
community partners to create products and technologies to reach
underserved communities so that more people can own their own homes.
It has a large number of resources to help people, e.g. a separate
section For Home Buyers & Homeowners
(www.fanniemae. com/homebuyers/resources/index.jhtml?p=
Resources),
Fannie Mae Foundation (www.
fanniemaefoundation.org),
Homeownership Alliance
(www.homeownershipalliance.com),
Counselors & Agencies (www.fanniemae.com/homebuyers/
assistance/index.jhtml?p=Resources&s=Counselors+ &+Agencies) and
many more.
Consumer.gov:
(www.consumer.gov) Here you can learn more about credit
and home equity loans by visiting the federal government's web site
for consumers, www.consumer.gov (see
the Home and Community section
www.consumer.gov/ yourhome.htm).
In addition to that the following resources may prove very useful in
a variety of situations:
State Banks that Are Members of the Federal Reserve System
Division of Consumer and Community Affairs
Mail Stop 801
Federal Reserve Board
Washington, DC 20551
(202) 452-3693
www.federalreserve.gov
Federally Insured State Non-Member Banks and Savings Banks
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Consumer Response Center
2345 Grand Boulevard, Suite 100
Kansas City, Missouri 64108
(877) 275-3342
www.fdic.gov
National Banks and National Bank-Owned Mortgage Companies
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Customer Assistance Group
1301 McKinney Street
Suite 3450
Houston, TX 77010
(800) 613-6743
www.occ.treas.gov
Federally Insured Savings and Loan Institutions and Federally
Chartered Savings Banks
Office of Thrift Supervision
Consumer Programs
1700 G Street, N.W., 6th Floor
Washington, DC 20552
(800) 842-6929
www.ots.treas.gov
Federal Credit Unions
National Credit Union Administration
Office of Public and Congressional Affairs
1775 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 518-6330
www.ncua.gov
For state-chartered credit unions, contact your state's
regulatory agency.
Mortgage Companies and Other Lenders
Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20580
(877) FTC-HELP (877-382-4357, toll free)
www.ftc.gov
Other Information Sources
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Rights Division
950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, NWB
Washington, DC 20580
(202) 514-4713
www.usdoj.gov/crt/housing/hcehome.html
Federal Housing Finance Board
1777 F Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 408-2500
www.fhfb.gov
Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street, S.W.
Washington, DC 20410
800-669-9777 (voice)
800-927-9275 (TTY)
www.hud.gov
Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO)
1700 G Street, N.W.
4th Floor
Washington, DC 20552
(202) 414-6922
www.ofheo.gov
Last but not the least; remember all these resources that have been
mentioned above are some of the best resources available, but still
it can be a daunting task to find and zero-in on one lender or
organization until you are fully prepared. To get an instant
approval, less paperwork and best interest rates you need to do some
legwork and comparison-shopping to make sure you get the best deal.
However, feel free to use these free publications and online
resources as a great starting point in your quest for the best deals
available in the market. |
