In 2013, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act introduced the qualified mortgage concept, which was designed to eliminate the market abuses that had led to the financial crisis a few years earlier. Like most crisis-induced legislation, Dodd/Frank is replete with flaws, and the qualified mortgage concept (henceforth QM) is...Read more

In 2013, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act introduced the qualified mortgage concept, which was designed to eliminate the market abuses that had led to the financial crisis a few years earlier. Like most crisis-induced legislation, Dodd/Frank is replete with flaws, and the qualified mortgage concept (henceforth QM) is...Read more

Q: I live in a two-story condo on the second floor. I have access through a trap door in the ceiling of my unit to the attic. I placed a small deck of plywood and use the space in the attic to store holiday decorations. The fire marshal said it was OK to use the area for noncombustible items. Our board members now say we cannot store anything ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- A dozen people sat at a table in a rec center in south Minneapolis, debating the city's comprehensive plan as a giant fan roared nearby.

A city staffer explained the rising burden of rental prices on poor residents, and gently pushed a central theme of the draft plan -- that the city must build more homes in more places -- to a ...Read more

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and established a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Let's put these new goals into a good news/bad news context.

Between 2000 and 2015, the world made enormous progress on some of its most pressing problems. For example:

--The global mortality rate for ...Read more

Let's stop blaming colleges for ruining retirement.

To be sure, student loan debt topped $1.5 trillion in the first quarter, according to the Federal Reserve. That's a huge number.

It's also true that more 60-plus people are carrying education debt, either for themselves, children or grandchildren, though that's a little misleading because due...Read more

Wall Street's rocky ride in 2018 -- a level of chaos we've not seen in quite some time -- has everyday investors fearing for their 401(k)s.

But many times, panic can drive you into pretty risky deals. The same applies to rushing into something you don't understand because your neighbor has a convincing story on a hot new way to make money.

...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- You could call it 68 million shades of Grey.

The Grey Estate, the Holmby Hills home of late Paramount Pictures Chairman and Chief Executive Brad Grey, has sold for $68,822,500.

Even for this tony Westside pocket, tucked in between Beverly Hills and Bel-Air, that's a lot of money.

Designed by Howard Backen, the modern farmhouse-...Read more

SACRAMENTO -- Just as a ballot initiative that would dramatically expand Proposition 13 tax benefits for longtime homeowners was deemed eligible for the November ballot on Thursday, its proponents said they were negotiating with the Legislature on a compromise to avoid a bruising and costly initiative battle.

"We're prepared to proceed," said ...Read more

Chicago is again seeking city residents interested in buying vacant lots in their neighborhoods for $1.

The city is marketing 3,219 empty lots on the South and West sides as part of its Large Lots program. About one-third of the properties offered for sale are new to the program while the others previously have been offered and either had no ...Read more

What does it really take to buy a home in the Seattle area? There are the skyrocketing prices, of course.

But nowadays, to compete in this feverish market, buyers have to deal with so much more: Pay for damage the seller doesn't disclose. Decide whether to buy a house just a couple days after it hits the market. Have a six-figure cash nest egg ...Read more

What do these two places have in common: Hale County, Ala., one of the nation's poorest communities, and Silicon Valley, one of the nation's richest?

People can't afford homes in either place, says Pam Dorr, director of affordable housing at Menlo Park-based nonprofit Soup.

That's why after spending 15 years helping to produce affordable homes...Read more

Q: Why have mortgage interest rates been creeping up over the last few months?

A: Recent declines in unemployment to rock bottom levels and the accompanying increase in the inflation rate have induced the Federal Reserve to tighten credit in order to dampen further price increases. The process will continue until the emergence of the next ...Read more

Q: Why have mortgage interest rates been creeping up over the last few months?

A: Recent declines in unemployment to rock bottom levels and the accompanying increase in the inflation rate have induced the Federal Reserve to tighten credit in order to dampen further price increases. The process will continue until the emergence of the next ...Read more

In light of recent arrests in what the Broward County, Fla., Sheriff's Office is calling a fraudulent real estate ring, I want to take this opportunity to provide you with tips on how to protect yourself. With this type of fraud, authorities say homes are illegally taken without owners' consent.

The rise of technology has made it very easy to ...Read more

CHICAGO -- The owners of the Aon Center, Chicago's third-tallest skyscraper, on Monday unveiled plans for an observatory atop the building, potentially setting up a heated competition for tourist dollars with established observatories at Willis Tower and 875 N. Michigan Ave., the former John Hancock Center.

The stakes are as high as the ...Read more