Written by Adam Sullivan on January 27, 2012.
Existing-home sales increased for the third consecutive month in December 2011, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) said in a recent report.
According to the NAR, existing-home sales rose 5.0 percent month-over month in December and came in 3.6 percent higher than one year earlier in December 2010.
The pattern of home sales in recent months demonstrates a market in recovery, Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said in a statement. Record low mortgage interest rates, job growth and bargain home prices are giving more consumers the confidence they need to enter the market.
Last week, 30-year fixed mortgage rates inched down to new record low and mortgage rates are forecasted to remain low in early 2012.
Overall, 2011 saw a 1.7 percent year-over-year increase in existing-home sales, the NAR said.
December continued the trend of a declining housing inventory. Total housing inventory in the month fell 9.2 percent month-over-month.
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Written by Adam Sullivan on January 22, 2012.
Robert Miller with the main City and business news as many Asia markets are shut for the Chinese New Year Europe’s bourses continue to fret about the Eurozone and lack of progress on talks to restructure Greek debt and talks that Portugal will need another bailout; Carphone Warehouse is on track even though underlying sales fell in third quarter; Imperial Leather soap maker PZ Cussons sees first half profit fall almost 12pc but the interim dividend is raised by 5pc and the annual World Economic Forum gets udnerway in Davos with Germany’s chancellor Angela Merkel due to give a keynote speech.
Written by Adam Sullivan on January 18, 2012.
The green masthead’s on its last legs, we’re in the process of a gradual redesign and a big element of this is the new masthead. It’s prime real estate on the site as it’s on every single page, so before we go for it, I’d love your views…
We’ve a few tweaks to make on exactly what goes where (the forum button needs to be more prominent), yet this is the overall look we’re going for.
There’s been much debate in MSE Towers about whether the picture with folded arms means business, or is defensive – overall, while I’m not so keen, the team think it’s a winner. We wanted to try something a bit different going for a very casual picture as the site is being smartened up and losing it’s done in a bedroom style – the aim of this pic is to keep something of the informality.
We’ve even had discussions about whether the colour of my shirt is right and whether it’s ironed enough (we can deal with the first in Photoshop, though this version is un-tweaked).
So I’d love your views. Do you like the overall image of
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Written by Adam Sullivan on January 9, 2012.
It’s hard to find rates in the 3.00% range but there are still a few insititutions keeping their rates above that mark. Navy Federal Credit Union takes the spotlight this week for its 3.00% APY 20-Month IRA CD. The retirement CD has a low minimum deposit requirement of $50. That’s a great rate considering that the best 5-year CD from a bank is 2.78% APY and from a credit union it’s 3.10% APY.
IRA CDs are certificates of deposit that are held within individual retirement accounts. They accrue interest just like regular CDs although because the certificate is held in a retirement account, the interest is tax deferred (Traditional IRA) or tax free (Roth IRA). The limit for contributing to an IRA each year is:
- Traditional IRA – An amount equal to your taxable income up to $5,000 or up to $6,000 if you are 50 or over.
- Roth IRA – Same as the Traditional IRA, with one exception: you cannot contribute if your income exceeds a certain level for your tax filing status.
Once money is in a Traditional or Roth IRA, you can move between different investment options, with an IRA CD being one of them.
The 20-month Navy certificate has a maximum balance limit of $18,000.
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Written by Adam Sullivan on January 2, 2012.
Bancorp South strives to be the leading financial institution in their markets and to be close to the communities in which they serve. For over a century, Bancorp South has displayed excellent leadership and innovate qualities. Now serving an eight state-market area, they are able to reach more customers and be able to provide the right financial solution.
It all started in a hardware store in the then tiny Verona, MS. With the spirit of truly helping people, Bancorp South was able to spread east of Dallas to Saint Louis to west of Atlanta. In 1987, Bancorp South merged with First Mississippi National Bank. At the time, this was the first statewide bank that merged with another financial institution. Since the passing of the Federal Interstate Banking Law in 1992, Bancorp South has been able to expand to Tennessee, then into Alabama in 1998 with the merger of Highland Bank in Birmingham.
Another merger took place with the new millennium and that was with First United Bancshares of El Dorado, AR.
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Written by Adam Sullivan on December 12, 2011.
Just as many experts support using second mortgages as those who discourage this option. Circumstances usually dictate whether getting a home equity loan or line-of-credit (HELOC) is a wise decision.
See also: Home equity loan vs. HELOC
First, determine and identify your purpose for this loan. When you compare refinance rates, you may determine that refinance loans may be a better choice. However, with stiffer qualification guidelines, first mortgage loans may be unavailable. A second mortgage or HELOC may satisfy your purpose faster, cheaper, and with little paperwork.
Second, learn if you qualify to make, not one, but two mortgage payments each month. For some, qualifying for current mortgage rates is already a challenge.
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Written by Admin on December 6, 2011.
If a business is facing insolvency then it is very important that they quickly find a good insolvency practitioner. A good insolvency practitioner can resolve all your issue to your creditors. You can find a number of insolvency practitioners in UK. Asking form other who has been used the service of insolvency practitioners is the best way to find a good insolvency practitioner. Consulting a personal accountant who represent the agency is a also a good way for searching a good insolvency practitioners. You can also search a good insolvency practitioner in internet; there is a number of website in internet, which offers good online insolvency practitioners.
Insolvency practitioners are those who Handel insolvency services, bankruptcy and individual voluntary arrangement (IVA). These insolvency practitioners are skilled finance professionals and are the part of the UK’s Department for Business Innovation and Skills or (DBIS). A Read more…
Written by Adam Sullivan on December 4, 2011.
11:29AM GMT 09 Dec 2011
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