Fed's Fisher says credit markets on the mend (Reuters via Yahoo! Singapore News)
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina - Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher said on Thursday that growth would slow in the fourth quarter but some of the tumult that racked global financial markets in August was subsiding.

Bush veto threatens insurance for kids (The News & Observer)
President Bush's veto Wednesday of the expanded State Children's Health Insurance Program jeopardizes North Carolina's ability to continue coverage for more than 110,000 needy children.

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 ...