Finance: Another opportunity at low mortgage rates - 2004-01-28
As the Pointer Sisters song say, jump. Mortgage rates decreased two weeks ago and now sit lower than they have in many months. Except for a brief dip last spring, that's as low as they've been for many years.

The traditional 30-year fixed rate loan is at 5.28 percent, reports Bankrate.com. That means homeowners who thought they'd missed the boat when rates spiked late last year can still line up a low-cost loan. But a recovering economy will eventually push those rates back up, so ... jump.
Read the full story at Reuters

Refinancings cut into Private Mortgage Insurance profits - 2004-01-28
Profits dropped during the fourth quarter at PMI Group Inc., a Walnut Creek-based mortgage insurance company that fought difficult conditions in its domestic operations but got a boost from units in Australia and the United Kingdom.

PMI posted net income of $77.2 million, or 82 cents a share, during the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with year-ago net income of $84.3 million, or 92 cents a share.
Read the full story at Contra Costa Times