Consumers Strapped by Heavy Credit Obligations Face Little Options - 2004-03-14
Bryan Haas, a Dallas sales executive, is worried. He's has almost $20,000 in credit card debt and about $190,000 in mortgage debt.

"I am very uncomfortable about my credit card debt," said Mr. Haas, 31. He and his wife, Natasha, make nearly $6,000 a month. "We aren't bad managers of our money. We realize what's coming in and roughly what's going out. But we just couldn't get ahead of the curve."
Read the full story at Miami Herald

Low rates mean 'more home for less money' - 2004-03-14
With mortgage interest rates plumetting to lows last seen in the summer, local mortgage brokers and Realtors say they expect people may soon refinance their home or start shopping for a new one.

The average fixed rate for a 30-year mortgage was 5.41 percent last week, down from 5.59 percent a week ago and 5.61 percent a year earlier, mortgage lender Freddie Mac reported Thursday. The decline brought rates close to last June's record low of 5.21 percent.
Read the full story at Newark Advocate