Building boom goes on in December - 2004-02-05
The value of building permits handed out in Canada surged 12.8 per cent in December, setting the stage for a new full-year record and resulting in the highest total annual value on record as the country's building boom continued unabated.

The housing sector was boosted in 2003 by the positive impact of low mortgage rates on affordability, by the high level of employment and by strong consumer confidence,” Statscan said.
Read the full story at Globe and Mail

Washington Mutual to Close Columbus, Ohio, Service Center, 89 lose jobs - 2004-02-05
Washington Mutual plans to shut its Columbus loan-application service center less than a year after it opened.

The decision by the nation's No. 1 mortgage lender will put 89 people out of work, according to documents that the Seattle-based company filed with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Read the full story at Miami Herald