Reuters - As U.S. banks mop up the mess from billions of dollars of bad home loans, buyers are finding the days of cheap money are over and, in many cases, tougher versions of old lending rules now apply.

AP - Rates on 30-year mortgages dipped below 6 percent this week, falling to their lowest level in five weeks.

Reuters - U.S. 30-year mortgage rates fell for a third consecutive week, according to a survey released by home funding company Freddie Mac on Thursday.

Reuters - The Bush administration rolled out pricing details on Wednesday for an urgent student loan market stabilization program mandated earlier this month by Congress, with key lawmakers expressing general support.

Reuters - U.S. Rep. Barney Frank on Tuesday said "a fight is brewing" over a Senate agreement to finance a new federal mortgage insurance fund by taking money from a proposed trust fund for affordable housing.

Reuters - Impac Mortgage Holdings Inc , a struggling mortgage lender, said it lost $2.05 billion in 2007, largely because of mounting credit losses tied to higher delinquencies and defaults as the housing market slumped.

AFP - Swiss banking giant UBS said Wednesday it had completed the sale of 15 billion dollars (9.58 billion euros) of subprime and Alt-A US residential mortgage-backed securities to a fund managed by BlackRock.

AFP - Swiss banking giant UBS said on Wednesday it had disposed of US mortgage-related assets for 15 billion dollars (9.58 billion euros), a price that is 30 percent below the nominal value, to a fund managed by US investment group BlackRock.