Rate drop reboosts U.S. mortgage refinancing - 2004-03-17
Significantly lower interest rates gave U.S. mortgage refinancing its biggest boost in over a year last week, as homeowners who may have missed out on last summer's record low rates hurried to refinance, a report said on Wednesday.

"We just got a shot in the arm," said Bob Moulton, president of Americana Mortgage Group Inc., a mortgage broker in Manhasset, New York. "I had a lot of people sitting on the fence, and it (the rate drop in early March) was a catalyst for them."
Read the full story at Forbes

Greenspan Declares U.S. Banks in Good Shape - 2004-03-17
The U.S. banking system handled the last recession well and is now in good shape to provide the credit needed for a growing economy.

Greenspan said that while the demand on banks to make business loans has been weak since the recession and the past two years of sluggish economic growth, banks have continued to benefit from strong demand for household loans - including home mortgage loans - reflecting the booming housing market.
Read the full story at San Jose Mercury News