Mortgage applications dip 2.7% 7:44 AM CT (Dallas Morning News)
Mortgage applications in the U.S. fell 2.7 percent last week as purchases declined to the lowest since April and refinancing cooled. The Mortgage Bankers Association's index of applications to buy a home or refinance a loan dropped to 636.7 from 654.2 the prior week.

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.

AIG United Guaranty, SGIC In Alliance For Mortgage Ins In Skorea (Asia Pulse via Yahoo!7 News)
(Full text of a statement. Contact details below.) AIG United Guaranty and SGIC Announce Alliance to Expand Mortgage Insurance Availability in South Korea SEOUL, Oct 2 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ - South Korean Home Buyers Stand to Benefit from Broader Access to MI Coverage AIG United Guaranty, (Note 1) whose affiliate companies provide mortgage guaranty insurance (MI) and other financial ...

Nearly Four in 10 Mortgages to Minorities Were Subprime in 2006 (PR Newswire via Yahoo! News)
Mortgage lending to minorities was down seven percent in 2006, according to a new analysis released today at the 3rd Annual Mortgage Lending Industry Emerging Markets and Diversity Conference outside Washington, D.C. The only exception was among African Americans, which showed an increase of 0.6 percent over the prior year.

Your guide to today, tomorrow and beyond (El Paso Times)
Three 6 Mafia: Three 6 Mafia, with special guests Lil' Scrappy, Track Team, Question and LOE Family, will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at NMSU's Pan American Center.