Local builder draws five-year sentence for mortgage fraud - 2004-04-03
Paul Alexander Robertson, 30, of Benton, owner of PAR Homes, recieved a five-year sentence in the Arkansas Department of Corrections on Tuesday, according to a press release from the Saline County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.

In connection with the federal charges, Robertson admitted that he had defrauded five different lending institutions on 31 separate mortgage loans that he obtained from March 2001 to December 2003.
Read the full story at Benton Courier

Low Rates Signal Another Round of Refinancing - 2004-04-03
Homeowners have a second opportunity at rock-bottom mortgage rates.

With rates not far above the 45-year lows that were reached briefly last summer, now may be an opportune time to refinance. The average rate on a conventional 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage - still the most popular home loan - was 5.38 percent last week, down from 5.41 percent the previous week, according to Freddie Mac, one of the nation's largest sources of mortgage financing.
Read the full story at New York Times