Banks not exempt from LA, Arkansas loan laws - S&P - 2004-03-03
National banks are not exempt from laws in Arkansas and Los Angeles to lower lending abuses, even though a federal bank regulator found that local laws do not apply to banks that it oversees, rating agency Standard & Poor's said on Wednesday.

The Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on Jan. 7 issued a final decision that said it has the power to exempt national banks and their operating units from these local laws that concern mainly mortgage loans.
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US mortgage refinancing requests touch 7-month high - 2004-03-03
Americans last week filed applications to refinance their mortgages at their strongest levels in seven months, and pushed overall weekly mortgage activity higher for a third straight week, an industry trade group said on Wednesday.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted refinancing index increased 5.1 percent to 3,532.2 from previous week's 3,361.9.
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