(This is Part 1 of a three-part series.)

On Dec. 18 of last year, the Federal Reserve Board released its long-awaited proposals for curbing abuses in the home mortgage market. In this set of three articles, I examine board proposals to curb lax underwriting rules, unfair practices by mortgage brokers, and abusive practices by loan ...

"I am perplexed at what appears to be a nomenclature problem that the mortgage industry has created with its definition of 'simple-interest mortgage.' Aren't most monthly payment mortgages simple interest?"

They are, and I agree with you that the existing nomenclature can be confusing to borrowers.

Two separate concepts...

Five years ago, I wrote an article on Internet mortgage referral sites, six of which I examined with some care. In 2007, Loan.com joined the group, claiming a unique distinction: All the loan providers on its site have to abide by a borrower bill of rights. The question is whether this provides any substantive benefit...

(This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1, "Mortgage market recovery hinges on investors.")

The first article in this series indicated that the current stringency in the mortgage market will ease when investors regain their confidence, which ...