Fitch Affirms Wells Fargo's 'RPS2' HELOC Primary Servicer Rating; Assigns Second Lien Rating (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)

NEW YORK—-Fitch Ratings has taken the following rating actions on the U.S. residential primary servicer ratings for Wells Fargo Home Equity Group, , formerly known as Wells Fargo Consumer Credit Group, a division of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.: [Link]

Syncora Holdings Ltd. Announces Third Quarter 2008 Results (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)

Syncora Holdings Ltd. today announced results for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2008. [Link]

ID Thieves Are Targeting Home Equity Lines (Fox News)

With identity theft on the rise, scammers are targeting homeowners with substantial equity in their homes. [Link]

RAM Holdings Ltd. Announces Third Quarter Net Loss of $40.4 Million (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)

HAMILTON, Bermuda—-RAM Holdings Ltd. today reported a third quarter 2008 net loss of $40.4 million, or net loss of $1.48 per diluted share. This compares to a net loss of $14.7 million, or $0.54 per diluted share, for the third quarter 2007. [Link]

by Tisa Silver (Investopedia)

How Do Interest Rate Cuts Affect Consumers? ( Contact Author | Biography ) The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meets regularly to decide what, if anything, to do with short-term interest rates. [Link]

ID thieves are targeting home equity lines (Bankrate.com via Yahoo! Finance)

With identity theft on the rise, scammers are targeting homeowners with substantial equity in their homes. [Link]

ID thieves target home equity lines (Bankrate.com)

Have you checked your home equity line of credit lately? If not, you probably should. [Link]

*vwd/BUSINESS WIRE: FSA Holdings Third Quarter 2008 Results part_2/3 (vwd.de)

actual performance of each transaction. The table below summarizes loss reserves as of September 30, 2008 and December 31, 2007. [Link]

FSA Holdings Third Quarter 2008 Results (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)

NEW YORK—-Financial Security Assurance Holdings Ltd. , a member of the Dexia group and the holding company for Triple-A-rated bond insurer Financial Security Assurance Inc. , announced net losses of $333.5 million for the third quarter of 2008 and $1,085.6 million for the first nine months of 2008, due primarily to other-than-temporary impairment charges related to the Financial Products … [Link]

SCREECHING TO A HALT (New York Post)

Last month, Chase froze my friend’s credit line. Just like that, he lost access to the $70,000 he believed was still available to him on his $150,000 line.This was a sobering moment in a country where borrowed money has flowed like cheap wine… [Link]

How Does Interest Rate Cuts Affect Consumers? (Investopedia via Yahoo! Finance)

Traders rejoice when the Fed drops the rate, but is it good news for all? Find out here. [Link]

More homeowners get help to avoid foreclosure (Orange County Register)

Lenders are lowering or freezing interest rates to help borrowers avoid foreclosure. [Link]

Audio: McBride: Low HELOC rates won't spur borrowing, spending sprees (Market Watch)

Greg McBride, senior financial analyst for BankRate.com, says that interest rates on home-equity lines of credit have dropped sharply in the last month, but that the low rates are not a reprise of 2002-03, when low home-equity rates spurred borrowing and spending that helped the economy. "That's not happening in 2008," McBride said. Also, Chuck Jaffe discusses a big spike in investor optimism. … [Link]

From Main Street to Skid Row (Margaret River Mail)

M ark Ancona is an environmental remediation specialist, a bloke who tears things down - carefully. A couple of months ago, he drove into a lush and relatively isolated area in Palm Beach County, Florida, to inspect a warehouse his company was contracted to demolish. [Link]

Is Your Home Equity Line of Credit Safe? (TheStreet.com)

Your home equity line of credit may be frozen if the value of your house has fallen. [Link]

American Community Bancshares, Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2008 Results and Declares Fourth Quarter Dividend (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)

American Community Bancshares, Inc. reported third quarter 2008 financial results. Highlights for the third quarter include: [Link]

Yadkin Valley Financial Corporation Announces Third Quarter 2008 Results (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance)

Yadkin Valley Financial Corporation [Link]

Assured Guaranty Ltd. Reports Third Quarter 2008 Net Loss of $63.3 Million ($0.70 per Diluted Share) (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)

HAMILTON, Bermuda—-Assured Guaranty Ltd. reported a net loss of $63.3 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2008 compared to a net loss of $115.0 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2007 . [Link]

5-Star Stocks on the Upswing (The Motley Fool)

Check out these newly minted five-star stocks. [Link]

A mortgage plan with unique benefits for homeowners (Newsday)

Australian loan works like a home-equity line of credit For decades, most mortgages in this country have been structured in one way: Interest charges are based on the total loan amount and that's paid off before the principal. [Link]