Bush is urged to appoint 'mortgage czar' (USA Today)
Former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan defended the U.S. subprime mortgage market, arguing the repackaging and sale to investors of risky home loans not the loans themselves was to blame for the current global credit crisis.

Democrats Want Fannie, Freddie to Buy Subprime Loans (Update2) (Bloomberg.com)
Oct. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the largest U.S. mortgage-finance companies, would be allowed to expand their $1.5 trillion mortgage portfolio to buy subprime loans under a Democratic plan to help struggling borrowers.

It's back to mortgage basics (Daily Press)
Once-popular types of loans are disappearing as lenders are loathe to offer creative financing options. �An abrupt shift back to the basics of mortgage lending has many house hunters nervous because several once-popular types of loans are disappearing.

HSBC Mexico Sells Mortgage-Backed Bonds After Drought (Update1) (Bloomberg.com)
Oct. 3 (Bloomberg) -- HSBC Mexico SA likely became the first non-government issuer to sell bonds backed by mortgage loans in Mexico after a two-month drought brought on by the collapse of the U.S. subprime mortgage market.

Interthinx Ends Summer Season With Series of Enhanced Technologies to Combat Mortgage Fraud (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance)
In response to the increasing turmoil faced by the mortgage industry in recent months, Interthinx? Inc. has fast-tracked a number of cutting-edge technological enhancements to protect financial institutions across the country from further devastation caused by the epidemic of mortgage fraud and risky loans.