Minister pins hopes on new mortgage system for army - 2004-03-23
The accumulation and mortgage system giving housing for servicemen will ensure a normal development and modernization of the armed forces, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Tuesday after a meeting over this issue, in which President Vladimir Putin participated.

"Today, we have discussed at the highest level, with the supreme commander-in-chief and all the key ministers, the problem which prevents the armed forces from developing normally and modernizing," Ivanov said.
Read the full story at ITAR-TASS

Weak US jobs scene boosts mortgage industry hiring - 2004-03-23
Even gloomy unemployment figures have a silver lining for some job seekers -- at least those who know how to process home mortgage applications.

When the U.S. Labor Department reported earlier this month that only a paltry 21,000 jobs were added in February despite the economic recovery, it sent interest rates sliding and triggered refinancing of loans by homeowners who missed out on last summer's record low rates.
Read the full story at Forbes