Who's afraid of a bad mortgage loan crisis? - 2004-02-19
For Sujatha Singhal, a phone company executive who resides near the Indian capital of New Delhi, being able to shop around for her $55,000 home loan was a luxury.

Some banks face "suicide" by lending the equivalent of five years' salary, said Deepak Parekh, chairman of India's biggest mortgage lender, Housing Development Finance. India's 1 billion people earn an average of $470 each a year, according to the World Bank.
Read the full story at IHT

New year sees lower mortgage lending - 2004-02-19
Mortgage lending abated during January as the housing market experienced its traditional post-Christmas slump, figures revealed today.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders said total lending was 10% lower than it had been during December, at £21.5bn. However, it added that remortgaging remained relatively strong, as the fall was driven entirely by a drop in lending for people buying a new home.
Read the full story at Guardian Unlimited