March 10, 2010
 
 

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Vitamin D: An overhyped health hope? - chicagotribune.com - News

Vitamin D is being hailed as the answer to nearly every health issue under the sun after a flurry of preliminary studies found links between vitamin D deficiencies and various illnesses. But health experts caution that claims of wide-ranging health benefits are not yet supported by clinical evidence.


'JihadJane' faces terrorism charges - chicagotribune.com - News

American Colleen R. LaRose, 46, is accused of using the Internet to recruit and assist Muslim terrorist operations in Europe and Asia.

A 46-year-old woman from Pennsylvania is accused of using the Internet to assist Muslim terrorist operations in Europe and Asia. The indictment says she bragged in an e-mail that she could go anywhere undetected.


Kass: A naked, angry Rahm? - chicagotribune.com - News

Unclothed politicians aren’t usually the Chicago Way

A naked, wet and angry Rahm Emanuel?


Google gets bike-friendly - chicagotribune.com - News

Map feature adding routes and trips for cyclists in Chicago and 149 other cities

The world's most popular Internet search engine is getting more bicycle-friendly.


Gov. Quinn budget proposal: Borrow $4.7 billion - chicagotribune.com - News

Ballooning debt, cuts in education, services could be opening gambit in bid to raise taxes

Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday unveiled a caustic budget plan that would borrow billions of dollars to stay afloat and push even more debt down the road, hoping to persuade leery lawmakers to instead raise taxes in an election year.


At conference, iPhone games break out - CNN.com - Technology

This week's Game Developers Conference reinforces the iPhone's status as a top gaming platform. For the first time, the GDC advisory board is devoting an entire summit to Apple's smartphone.

Driver: My Prius took me for a scary ride - CNN.com - Technology

The driver of a Toyota Prius says he was taken on a wild ride Monday after the car's accelerator became stuck, reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph on a winding, hilly portion of a southern California interstate.

Residents use social media to fight crime in Mexico - CNN.com - Technology

Renewed violence in Mexican cities bordering Texas has ignited fear among nearby residents, some of whom have turned to social media despite cartels' efforts to limit information.

Social media at work -- ban or boon? - CNN.com - Technology

Social media are, by definition, supposed to be a social experience. Make a profile and start connecting. Reach out to friends, old and new. Post a profile picture, and while you're at it upload a photo album of your trip to Greece so others can see and comment.

Police: Couple raised virtual child, ignored real one - CNN.com - Technology

Police have arrested a South Korean couple whose toddler starved to death while they were raising a virtual child online, authorities said.

Explaining The MBS Settlement Process - Mortgage News Daily

Posted To: MBS Commentary

10yr Notes progressively improved into the PM , ending 5 ticks better on the day with a yield of 3.70. MBS fought off much of the AM weakness in tsy's, and rallied just as well into the PM, reaching 101-15 at 4pm. But then we ended 4 ticks down on the day at 101-01! WHAT?!?!? So you're tellin' me MBS effectively erased all gains from the past two days?! Not exactly... I'll let AQ explain... -------------------------------------------- If you haven't read the following description of the agency MBS settlement process...please don't skip over it as it may save you from having to change your pants when next month's settlement rolls around. If you have read it...go over it one more time just to make sure the underlying logic is clear. The March FN 4.5 MBS coupon has...(read more)

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Commercial and Multifamily Mortgages Outperforming Overall Bank Holdings - Mortgage News Daily

Posted To: MND NewsWire

Commercial and multifamily mortgages continue to have the lowest rates of charge-offs of any loan types at banks and thrifts and perform better than the overall loan portfolios at those institutions according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). In response to what it referred to as a great deal of discussion and conjecture about those loans in recent months, MBA updated an earlier " DataNote " analysis of commercial and multifamily mortgage data from the 4th quarter of 2008 with data from the same period in 2009. The report states that 56 percent of the assets held by banks and thrifts at the end of 2009 consisted of loans and leases, a category that includes 1-4 family mortgages, home equity loans, credit cards and other consumer loans, commercial mortgages, multifamily mortgages...(read more)

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HUD Enforcing Job Creation Requirements for State and Local Governments - Mortgage News Daily

Posted To: MND NewsWire

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released the results of the first stage of its increased oversight and enforcement of job creation requirements under Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968. In a press release on Monday HUD said that more than 3,100 state and local government agencies that receive HUD funds have responded to its campaign to expand hiring and contracting opportunities for low-income persons and three out of four of HUD-funded state and local agencies had submitted their annual reports. HUD said that this was the largest response since HUD made such reporting mandatory. Under Section 3, state and local governments that receive funding from HUD in excess of $200,000 for activities involving housing construction, demolition, rehabilitation...(read more)

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MBS AFTERNOON: Potential Reprices For The Better - Mortgage News Daily

Posted To: MBS Commentary

MBS Off To The Races with 4.5's up 8 ticks to 101-15! 10yr up 5 ticks on the day dropping yield to 3.70 (through post auction resistance) Reprices for the better = highly likely From the Ninja: Mortgages are still on hold as today’s 3yr note auction held few surprises-everyone loves the shorter end of the curve; don’t you? $40 billion notes maturing in 2013 is quite commonplace and the sheer size of the issue is no longer an emotional and or logistical challenge to anyone directly (or indirectly, on the bid) involved. No real change to the way we do and or perceive business here in MBS secondary trading land. The market is better into lower and or range-bound rates, like today, and not as excited should the treasury market break out to the upside to prices (and lower interest...(read more)

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Risk Weighted Returns; Warehouse Lending Credit Manager Needed; Subprime Analysts Lost; Bank News - Mortgage News Daily

Posted To: The Garrett Watts Report

We commented last week how a lot of people didn’t know what HSBC stood for... If you go back to when they bought a bank in Buffalo, New York to established themselves in the U.S. The joke was that HSBC stood for "Holy ____, Buffalo's Cold.” City National Bank (Los Angeles) was in the news for paying off all its TARP money last week, but the real story is how they became L.A.’s prestige bank in the first place. Frank Sinatra’s son was kidnapped on a Friday in 1963, and the singer called up Bank of America, Security Pacific and a few other big banks asking for $240,000 to pay the ransom money. The big banks told him to come in Monday morning and fill out a loan application. When he called City National, Chairman Bram Goldsmith told him “Come down to the...(read more)

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