News release: “Homeowners will be protected by a new Federal Trade Commission rule that bans providers of mortgage foreclosure rescue and loan modification services from collecting fees until homeowners have a written offer from their lender or servicer that they decide is acceptable. The FTC is issuing the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS) Rule to… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: November 2010
Robo-Signing and Other Alleged Documentation Problems in Judicial and Nonjudicial Foreclosure Processes
Robo-Signing and Other Alleged Documentation Problems in Judicial and Nonjudicial Foreclosure Processes, David H. Carpenter, Legislative Attorney, November 15, 2010 “In recent weeks, several employees and individuals with power of-attorney signing authority for major servicers, including GMAC Mortgage, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo have been deposed as part of foreclosure contests. These depositions raised… Continue Reading
Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform – Getting Back in the Black
Getting Back in the Black, November 2010 “The federal budget is deep in the red, and getting it back in the black will not be easy or swift. On its current course, the debt is likely to reach 100 percent of the nations gross domestic product (GDP) early in the next decade and would continue… Continue Reading
DHS – Preventing and Defending Against Cyber Attacks November 2010
DHS_ Preventing and Defending Against Cyber Attacks November 2010 DHS Highlights Two Cybersecurity Initiatives to Enhance Coordination with State and Local Governments and Private Sector Partners Continue Reading
Pew Study: The Decline of Marriage And Rise of New Families
The Decline of Marriage And Rise of New Families, by Pew Social Trends Staff The transformative trends of the past 50 years that have led to a sharp decline in marriage and a rise of new family forms have been shaped by attitudes and behaviors that differ by class, age and race, according to a… Continue Reading
CBO: Preliminary Analysis of the Rivlin-Ryan Health Care Proposal
A Long-Term Plan for Medicare and Medicaid, Alice Rivlin and Paul Ryan, November 17, 2010 Preliminary Analysis of the Rivlin-Ryan Health Care Proposal, November 17, 2010: “Congressman Ryan and his staff recently provided specifications for a proposal that would substantially change federal payments under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Although an extensive analysis of that… Continue Reading
New Web Site Offers Grantseekers a Nexus for Knowledge, Community, and Guidance
News release: “The Foundation Center, the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide, has launched an online learning community for the social sector. GrantSpace provides free access to the most comprehensive set of information and resources available to anyone seeking grants on behalf of nonprofit organizations…Resources featured on GrantSpace are organized under the 13 most… Continue Reading
Ten Warning Signs That Your 401(k) Contributions Are Being Misused
Ten Warning Signs That Your 401(k) Contributions Are Being Misused: “Increasingly employees are asked to make voluntary or mandatory contributions to pension and other benefit plans. This is particularly true for 401(k) savings plans. These plans allow you to deduct from your paycheck a portion of pretax income every year, invest it and pay no… Continue Reading
CBO: Public Spending on Transportation and Water Infrastructure
Public Spending on Transportation and Water Infrastructure, November 2010 “In fiscal year 2007the most recent year for which data on combined spending by the federal government and by state and local governments are availabletotal public spending for transportation and water infrastructure was $356 billion, or 2.4 percent of the nations economic output as measured by… Continue Reading
International Religious Freedom Report 2010
“The International Religious Freedom report is submitted to Congress annually by the Department of State in compliance with Section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. This report supplements the most recent Human Rights Reports by providing additional detailed information with respect to matters involving international religious freedom. It includes individual country… Continue Reading
Bipartisan Experts Agree that Social Security Shortfall Exists; Congress Should Act Soon To Fix It
News release: “Social Security faces a significant shortfall, which policy makers would be better off addressing sooner rather than later, according to a new paper, Social Security Shortfall Warrants Action Soon, released by the Pew Economic Policy Group. Robert Greenstein, executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and Charles Blahous, public trustee… Continue Reading
The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the U.S. – A Summary of Domestic Deposits and a Global Perspective
News release: “USGS: America Has Abundant Supply of Rare Earth Elements – Americas Rare Earth Elements Can Create U.S. Jobs, Expand Renewable Energy: “On the heels of a Wall Street Journal report outlining Americas dependence on Chinas tightening rare earth element (REE) market, the USGS released a report revealing 13 million metric tons of REEs… Continue Reading
