30-year mortgages fall for fourth-straight week Updated: Thu, May 24, 2012 The average U.S. rate for the 30-year fixed mortgage fell to a record low for a fourth straight week. Read More

Questions for GOP candidates Updated: Sat, Sep 3, 2011 WASHINGTON — Wednesday's Republican "debate" in California will not resemble the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates, in which one candidate spoke for 60 minutes, the other responded for 90 minutes, and his opponent had 30 minutes for rebuttal. Still, today's debates can illuminate. So, some questions. For Mitt... Read More

Survey shows consumer confidence slips in December Published: Tue, Dec 28, 2010 Consumer confidence slipped this month as more people worried that the job market is worsening. The latest survey from Conference Board showed a decline even after reports are showing that people increased their holiday spending at the biggest rate in four years and other indicators suggest the economy is... Read More

Money Woes Should Be the Mother of Invention Published: Tue, Nov 3, 2009 Is there any way out of America's financial woes? If you stand back and take an honest look at the growing debt and the promises we've made, the situation seems hopeless. Not only have we promised baby boomers their Social Security and Medicare benefits, we're now close to adding health care for all and money to buy... Read More

Mortgage chief faces accounting questions Executives put on defensive in bitter quiz on misdeeds Updated: Fri, Jun 16, 2006 WASHINGTON - The chief executive of mortgage giant Fannie Mae, who was the top operations official at the time of accounting misdeeds, endured pointed questioning Thursday from senators demanding details of his actions. With Fannie Mae enmeshed in a $11 billion accounting scandal and government pressure on it... Read More

Lumber company opens in Edmond Updated: Tue, Apr 25, 2006 A Pennsylvania-based lumber company is celebrating the grand opening of its second metro area location. 84 Lumber, based in Eighty Four, Pa., will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6:30 this evening at the Edmond location, 14200 Lincoln Blvd. The building materials supply company opened an Oklahoma City location... Read More

September consumer confidence plummets Updated: Wed, Sep 28, 2005 NEW YORK - Consumer confidence suffered its biggest drop in 15 years in September as Hurricane Katrina made Americans anxious about the rising costs of heating their homes and filling their gasoline tanks. The decline raised questions about consumer spending for the rest of this year, including the holiday shopping... Read More

Consumer complaints top survey Updated: Sat, Apr 14, 2001 For the first time since the beginning of the Consumer Federation of America consumer complaints survey, this year home improvement and construction passed auto sales and auto repair as the top generator of consumer complaints. This news confirms a long slide in consumer confidence in the building and construction... Read More

Go figure -- home values are up Updated: Sat, Mar 3, 2001 Home values in the Oklahoma City metro area increased 4.5percent last year. Home values in the Oklahoma City metro area increased 2percent last year. The first figure came from the Office of Federal HousingEnterprise Oversight. The second figure came from the Oklahoma City Metro Association of Realtors. Which should... Read More

Greenspan lends Fed strength Updated: Sat, Oct 28, 2000 In the forest of easily swayed, weak-trunked political appointees, Alan Greenspan is an oak. Bob Mitchell actually had an audience with the Federal Reserve chairman earlier this year, after the fifth, but before the sixth, interest rate hike since mid-1999. Mitchell, a home builder from Rockville, Md., is... Read More

Starting Out
Home inventory rise to buyers' advantage Updated: Sat, Oct 21, 2000 For the past few years, it has been a seller's market in many areas of the country.Low inventories of homes for sale and high buyer demand pushed home prices higher. But now the market is changing. Interest rates are higher than they were a year ago,new housing starts are down, and existing home sales are up one... Read More

Oh no! Not the R word! Updated: Sun, May 28, 2000 WHO'S that lurking around the corner? Could it be the unimaginable? That dreadful guy no one wants to mention? You don't know what I'm talking about? Well, here are a few hints -- resales are down 13 percent, all of which have appeared in the Business section in recent weeks: The housing market is showing some... Read More

Business in Brief Updated: Wed, Apr 19, 2000 Housing starts fall in March Housing construction, dampened by an upswing in mortgage rates, took its biggest dive in six years last month -- down 11.2 percent from the previous month. Economists said the plunge won't stop the Federal Reserve from pushing interest rates higher to slow the speeding... Read More