Grant Program Provides Home Buyers Down Payment Money - 2004-01-25
Higher costs continue to make home ownership out of reach for many due to down payment requirements, but now there is help through a new grant.

The Buckleys are like many young couples today. They are actually paying more per month in rent than what they might pay for a mortgage payment, so there is no question that they can afford to own a home. Their problem is that of many others – they have not been able to save enough for a down payment and closing costs.
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Japan's big 4 banks increase new mortgages by 27 pct in April-Dec - 2004-01-25
Japan's top four banks -- Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and UFJ Bank -- increased their new mortgage loans 27 pct, or 930 bln yen, year-on-year to 4.3 trln yen in April-December, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun revealed, without citing sources.

The four banks began offering new types of housing loans and stepped up marketing via real estate firms, the newspaper said, adding that the banks also picked up the slack created by the government-affiliated Housing Loan Corp.
Read the full story at Interactive Investor International