Reuters - The Federal Reserve Board on Monday approved new rules to ban misleading and deceptive practices in mortgage lending, including prepayment penalties for many subprime loans.

AFP - The dollar was slightly stronger but coming off gains made early Monday after Washington moved to bolster US mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, dealers said.

Reuters - Shares of National City Corp and Washington Mutual plummeted more than 25 percent each, leading financial stocks lower on Monday amid fears about bank stability and the future of the mortgage market.

Reuters - Stocks tumbled on Monday as concerns about the credit crisis and financial companies outweighed earlier optimism over the government's proposed rescue plan for mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac .

AP - Stocks declined Monday as investors worried that even a safety net set up over the weekend for mortgage financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac couldn't head off further troubles in the financial markets.

Reuters - Buyers flocked to Freddie Mac's $3 billion debt sale on Monday, just hours after the U.S. government pledged support for the nation's top mortgage finance agencies, but the steps failed to stem growing alarm on Wall Street.

AFP - Shares in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac struggled Monday after a near-meltdown last week, as investors mulled a weekend plan offering a government lifeline for the US mortgage finance giants.

Reuters - The U.S. Treasury Department will issue a statement on Sunday expressing support for beleaguered mortgage finance lenders Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae , a source familiar with the matter said.

AP - Confronted by record foreclosures, the Federal Reserve is ready to give home buyers more protection from the types of shady lending practices that have contributed to the housing crisis.

AFP - Troubled mortgage giant Freddie Mac is aiming to sell off three billion dollars in securities on Monday following last week's meltdown, in a potentially decisive move to heal shattered investor confidence.