Don't let mortgage fear derail a dream - 2004-02-01
Karen Okulicz still intimately remembers the fears she felt as she went about purchasing her first home 15 years ago.

"When you buy your first home, you're terrified -- because it's the unknown. There's all that new terminology, which is not renters' terminology. You worry about your mortgage payments. And you wonder if you'll be able to fix things when they break down," she says.
Read the full story at Contra Costa Times

Metropolitan Mortgage faces bankruptcy; believed file this week - 2004-02-01
Metropolitan Mortgage & Securities revealed late Friday that it expects to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week.

Met Mortgage and its sister company, Summit Securities, said they are considering a plan that would reorganize their operations and allow creditors to swap their debt for ownership stakes in the companies.

The Spokane financial conglomerate has been shaken by accusations of fraud, deceitful selling practices and other scandals.
Read the full story at Seattle Times