Number of minority home buyers down in 2006 (Market Watch)
CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- The total number of minority home buyers who took out a mortgage dropped 7.1% in 2006, led by a 21.5% decrease in the number of Asian-American buyers. But the number of African-American home buyers actually rose slightly last year, reflecting a 0.6% increase over 2005, according to a study released on Thursday.

American Home Food Products Announces American Express Departures Agreement (FinanzNachrichten)
American Home ( Nachrichten ) Food Products ' (OTCBB:AHFP) wholly-owned subsidiary, Artisanal Cheese, LLC entered into an agreement with American Express ( Nachrichten / Aktienkurs ) Publishing Corporation to promote the Artisanal brand of affinage cheeses as part of a new American Express Departures Magazine Wine Reserve Club offering.

Simple Solutions to Home Buying Challenges (Benton Evening News)
(ARA) - Home ownership is central to the American dream. And the good news is, it's a dream that can easily become reality. That's because today's lenders offer a variety of products to fit virtually every borrower's needs, points out Michael A. Drury, senior vice president of mortgage lending for M&T Bank Mortgage Division . Finding the right lending partner can make home buying easy and ...

Governor to sign mortgage-related bills (Los Angeles Times)
They are aimed at protecting homeowners and increasing affordable housing but would not stop foreclosures for current borrowers. With Californians facing a torrent of mortgage defaults and home foreclosures, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that he would sign three bills aimed at protecting homeowners and increasing affordable housing.

Financial services firms establish mortgage program in D.C. (bizjournals.com via Yahoo! Finance)
Several financial services companies and organizations announced a $200 million commitment to launch a mortgage program that makes 30-year fixed-rate mortgages available to eligible D.C. residents with little or no credit history.