Home buyers, start your search engines - 2004-02-05
Prime home-buying season is near. If you intend to join the house-hunting hordes in the spring and early summer, start preparing soon.

May through August mark the busiest months for home sales. Savvy buyers lay the groundwork in advance by educating themselves about the home-buying process and its terminology, checking their credit reports for errors, figuring out how much they can pay for a house, finding mortgage and real estate professionals whom they trust, and narrowing down their choices of neighborhoods.
Read the full story at Bankrate.com

Mortgage closure costly to Cowlitz Bank - 2004-02-05
Cowlitz Bank's recent decision to shut down part of its Bay Mortgage division in December has taken its toll on the company's finances, pushing it to a loss of more than $1 million in the quarter.

For the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, Cowlitz Bancorporation, Cowlitz Bank's parent company, saw its profits fall from $1.5 million in 2002 to $117,000 in 2003.
Read the full story at The Daily News