Home loans and refinance mortgage activity slow down - 2006-01-19
Due to higher interest rates, the refinance mortgage market is down nationwide, and home mortgage volumes may be expanding more slowly than in recent years. To get market share, lenders and brokers are attempting to attract new home buyers and are competing harder for the traditional market. This competition has kept loan rates low, even as the costs to lenders and brokers have risen, putting the squeeze on profit margins.
Read the full story at The Missoulian

The Mortgage Trap - 2006-01-19
For first-time home-buyers, the attraction of a no-money-down mortgage can be hard to turn down. The latest survey by the National Association of Realtors revealed that 43 percent of first-time buyers opted for this type of mortgage last year. The risk is that those owners could actually end up owing more money than their home is worth. The new survey studies home buying activity for 2005 and found that the average age of first time home buyers last year was 32.
Read the full story at CBS News