FHFA working with White House to help troubled homeowners refinance
The federal agency that oversees taxpayer-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac said Friday it is working with the White House to explore ways to help troubled homeowners take advantage of historically low interest rates.
The announcement by Edward DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, came a day after President Obama referenced the effort in an address to Congress, saying his administration would “work with federal housing agencies to help more people refinance their mortgages at interest rates that are now near 4 percent.”
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Redskins vs. Giants: Five storylines to follow
The Washington Redskins on Sunday open the season against the New York Giants, and will try to end their NFC East rival’s dominance after having lost nine of the last 10.
The Redskins haven’t beaten the Giants at FedEx Field since 2005, but are looking to kick off Year 2 of the Mike Shanahan Era on a positive note.
Here are five storylines to follow Sunday afternoon.
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Bob Turner leads David Weprin by six in Weiner House race
There’s some very bad news for Democrats in next Tuesday’s New York special election — Friday’s independent Siena Poll has Republican Bob Turner beating Democrat David Weprin by six points.
Businessman Turner leads Assemblyman Weprin for the seat vacated by ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner (D) by 50 to 44 in the survey. A month ago, Weprin led Turner by six points. The sample size was 866 likely voters and the Turner’s lead is outside of the 3.3 plus or minus margin of error.
In a sign of the perhaps desperate times, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee just poured half a million dollars into ads into the Queens-based 9th district, and the Democrat-backed House Majority PAC is also buying airtime.
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Huntsman discloses his personal wealth
Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman listed between $15 million and $66 million in personal assets in a government filing released Friday.
The former Utah governor has extensive holdings worth between $5 million and $25 million in Huntsman Corp., the family chemical company started by his billionaire father, Jon Sr.
Huntsman has already given up to to $2 million to seed his campaign and may have to rely further on his personal wealth if his candidacy doesn’t attract more momentum. Huntsman’s wealth puts him behind Mitt Romney’s $264 million in assets but well above many other GOP candidates.
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Haley Barbour to join ‘super PAC’ for 2012 fundraising
American Crossroads, the well-funded conservative group that played a crucial role in the Republican wave election last year, is bringing rainmaker Haley Barbour on board and doubling its fundraising goal for the 2012 contest, the group announced late Thursday.
The “super PAC” and its nonprofit affiliate, Crossroads GPS, will aim to raise an eye-popping $240 million during the 2012 cycle, putting the alliance far ahead of its rivals on either side of the political spectrum. The groups raised a combined $71 million in 2010 and say they have exceeded their own goals by raising $24.5 million so far this year.
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