Faces In The News - 2004-02-19
Fannie Mae Chief Executive Franklin Raines predicts 2004 will make history. "There's a growing unanimity that this is going to be a terrific year for housing," Raines said to reporters at a meeting of the Business Council, an organization of CEOs.

As mortgage rates hold near four-decade lows, Raines maintains that "even now, half of the loans that are out there could be economically refinanced."
Read the full story at Forbes

Thousands likely to be dealt worsening mortgage shortfall - 2004-02-19
Just three weeks after it decreased policy bonuses and payouts, Standard Life yesterday gave its 2.3m with-profits policyholders a new blow with long-suffering endowment holders hit hardest.

These reductions from the yearly growth rates range from 0.25% for with-profits bonds to 0.75% for older conventional with-profits mortgage endowments and conventional with-profits pensions. For most mortgage endowments taken out since 1992 the deduction will be 0.5%.
Read the full story at Guardian Unlimited