The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives about

The Geographic Distribution of the Mortgage Interest Deduction

The mortgage interest deduction is one of the largest tax expenditures in the U.S. tax code but the rate at which it is claimed and the average amount deducted vary widely across and within states. With changes to tax expenditures

Strategies to Improve the Housing Market

Strategies to Improve the Housing Market is a summation of recommendations from experts representing the mortgage origination, servicing and insurance industries, investors, industry associations, federal agencies and regulators, and nonprofits.

More States Consider Diverting Foreclosure Money

TODAY'S TAKE: Officials in a growing number of states are considering diverting money from a $25 billion foreclosure settlement between big banks and attorneys general to help pay for programs that have nothing to do with housing.

Deadline Arrives for Long-Awaited Foreclosure Settlement

TODAY'S TAKE: State attorneys general must decide by today (February 6) whether to join a settlement with five major banks they accuse of using illegal lending practices to cheat homeowners and speed foreclosures.

Lawsuit May Strain Foreclosure Talks

TODAY'S TAKE: Massachusetts has filed suit against five major banks over improper mortgage practices, potentially complicating a 50-state settlement that has been in the works for more than a year.

Foreclosure Probe Explained: What State AGs Want From Big Banks

A year ago, all 50 states launched an investigation into some of the nation's biggest banks, accusing them of using illegal practices to cheat homeowners and worsen the foreclosure crisis. In this explainer, Stateline examines the states' investigation and its potential outcomes.

Delegates Speak: On the Pocketbook

Aug. 28, 2008, 6:00 p.m. EDT Q. What serious issue in your state would you like the next president to address? Florida on the mortgage crisisI live in Florida, so where should I start? The mortgage crisis, the insurance crisis, the lack of confidence in FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) being there to help people in an emergency … It just doesn't seem like McCain gets it, that these are real problems, that they affect real people. I guess if you have seven houses and one of the mortgages get foreclosed on, you just go to one of your other ones. I don't think (McCain) has thought through the mortgage crisis and the ramifications it has. If people are foreclosed, then neighborhoods go into decline. Just because I still have my job and my house is occupied and my neighbor loses his, suddenly the yard isn't cut and it becomes a haven for crime. It affects everybody and everything. It affects the schools in the area. I just don't think he gets that. -Florida delegate Lisa King, 45, of Jacksonville, interviewed by Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Pennsylvania on the economyWe come from a rural area mainly, in Adams County, Pennsylvania. We have farmlands etc. and working families struggling to pay for gas, food, clothing for their children and health care. Most people don't have health care in this region. We need to fix the economy and Barack Obama has promised us, and we have the faith that he will do this for us. -Pennsylvania delegate Patricia Manning, 66, Hamilton Township, interviewed by Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org AFTER THE JUMP: Audio from the Stateline.org interviews with King and Manning Comments

States Unveil Mortgage Licensing System

States have a new tool to regulate mortgage companies and access their track records, including information on companies punished in other states for fraud or predatory lending.

States take lead to fix housing crisis

States are in the forefront of policymaking to minimize damage from the mortgage meltdown. Although President George W. Bush on Thursday (Dec. 6) announced a groundbreaking agreement with major lenders to temporarily freeze sub-prime interest rates that are set to rise, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger got there first: He unveiled a similar deal last month.