HUD investigating possible kickbacks involving mortgage refinancing loans - 2005-03-30
U.S. housing authorities are looking into title insurance practices in Wisconsin that possibly illegally share fees with real estate agents and lenders, industry professionals said Monday.

Lenders require home buyers and home loan mortgage refinance customers to get title insurance policies that assure that the property is free of financial claims known as liens. Policies typically cost $200 to $1,300, according to the financial Web site Bankrate.com.
Read the full story at Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Mortgage lending boosted by credit card decline - 2005-03-30
The drop in mortgage lending is starting to bottom out, as consumers slashed credit card spending. The number of loan approvals for home purchases surged in February, after an eight-month decline, the British Bankers’ Association (BAA) said yesterday.

They climbed 42 per cent on January, but were still 35 per cent down on February 2004. That, said David Dooks, the BAA’s statistics director, signified renewed signs of support for mortgage market.
Read the full story at Scotsman