Top News
The tale of Goldman’s fraud charges – CNN – – In a 22-page complaint filed Friday, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Goldman Sachs with defrauding investors on real estate securities likely to go bust. The legal document reads less like a court filing, and more like a twisted story 
U.S. shuts 8 more banks; 50 total have been closed this year – USA Today – – Regulators have shut down eight banks three in Florida, two in California, and one each in Massachusetts, Michigan and Washington
Market News
Real Estate Weekly: Home-buyer tax credit likely won’t be extended – MarketWatch – – By MarketWatch Don’t miss these top real estate stories: Those hopeful that the home-buyer tax credit will get extended may be disappointed.
U.S. housing starts rise for a third consecutive month – MarketWatch – – WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) – New construction of U.S. houses expanded for the third straight month in March, the Commerce Department estimated Friday.
Technology News
Regulators release online privacy form builder – NAFCU – – Federal regulators on Thursday released a free, online privacy form builder that credit unions, banks and thrifts can use to develop customized privacy notices that conform with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. The form builder is based on the model form
Other News
Outlook for REITs Still Hazy – GlobeSt.com – – NEW YORK CITY-Although some of the highest-profile US REITs tracked by Fitch Ratings have been assessed with stable outlooks over the past three months, the sectors overall credit forecast remains negative for 2010, the agency said in a report last week.
Builders likely to offer incentives after federal tax credits expire – Los Angeles Times – – Reporting from Washington With the April 30 deadline looming, home buyers need to get a move on if they hope to qualify for the federal tax credits of $8,000 for first-timers or $6,500 for owners wishing to move up. But even if you don’t have a binding 
More Singles Buying in Suburbia – Wall Street Journal Online – – considered the bedroom count important, while 18% of men did. Males were more likely to consider foreclosures or short sales: 38 percent. Women came in at 29 percent. Coldwell Banker said it conducted a national online survey that generated 1,050 
Rebuilding Florida – one house at a time – CNN Money – – Though the state is still digging out from the overbuilding excesses of the housing boom, home builders are ramping up their operations for the first time in four years. They are buying land, hiring workers and actually selling homes. Most of the action 
Reverse Mortgages Now Look Cheaper – Wall Street Journal Online – – Reverse mortgages have long been considered one of the most expensive ways to extract cash from your house. But that is changing as some of the country’s biggest reverse-mortgage lenders are slicing closing costs helping even some affluent homeowners who