Financial Schools Reviews

Sources say at least one bill aimed to extending foreclosure protections for consumers and adding greater oversight over loan servicers remains alive today in the Oregon Legislature.

Senate Bill 827 gives Attorney General John Kroger clear authority to go after lenders who don’t follow loan modification rules and foreclosure-notice requirements.

It also extends protections enacted in 2009 that expire next month, including the right of homeowners in foreclosure to request a loan-modification meeting with the loan servicer. Without its passage, the right of homeowners to request a mortgage modification meeting with loan servicers before foreclosure would expire on Jan 1. Full Article…

This past weekend, my five year old son caught six fish. He hauled in more fish than his age.

The fish were small ones and we tossed them back into the water, but the sheer joy he had in catching them, the pride he took in his catch, and the seriousness he applied to things like unhooking the fish and returning them to the water were beautiful to watch.

He’s growing up.

How to Write Your Congressman This is the single most useful political action you can take as an individual. You’d be surprised how well it actually works, particularly when you’re addressing an issue that isn’t extremely “hot button” and you’re rational and calm with your reasoning. (@ art of man

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– European Union leaders decided on Friday to appoint Bank of Italy Governor Mario Draghi as the President of the European Central Bank following final hour discussions.

The decision was taken during a two-day summit of European Union leaders in Brussels. The 63-year old banker is set to succeed Jean-Claude Trichet, who will step down on October 31.

Draghi is set to take office on November 1 and his term will last until October 31, 2019. He took over as the Governor of the Italian central bank in December 2005. He is a member of the Governing Council of the ECB and a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank for International Settlements. He also chairs the Financial Stability Board.

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Funding Fights: There’s potential bad news for two governments trying to close budgetary gaps — namely, those of the United State and Greece. The Wall Street Journal reports that Vice President Joe Biden’s behind-the-scenes bipartisan deficit reduction talks “grew more contentious Wednesday as Democrats and Republicans became increasingly entrenched on key issues.” The real purpose of the talks is to facilitate a vote on raising the debt ceiling before Aug. Full Article…

Baidu, which dominates the Chinese search market after Google retreated following a spat with Beijing over censorship and cyberattacks last year, will take a majority stake in the travel search engine, Baidu said late Friday.

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