Mortgage defaults start to spread - 2007-03-01
The mortgage market has been hit by a sharp jump in bad loans made to borrowers with weak credit. Now there are signs that the pain is growing. At issue are mortgages made to people who are in the gray area between "prime" (borrowers considered the best credit risks) and "subprime" (borrowers considered the greatest credit risks). A record $400 billion of these midlevel loans were written last year, up from $85 billion in 2003.
Read the full story at Arizona Republic

U.S. Refinance Mortgage Rates Tumble a Second Week - 2007-03-01
Rates on 30-year refinance mortgage loans dropped for a second straight week to the lowest level since the start of the year. Mortgage giant Freddie Mac declared Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.18 percent this week, down from 6.22 percent last week. Analysts said this week's decrease reflected weak economic data and the huge 416-point plunge in the stock market on Tuesday.
Read the full story at MSN Money