Banks reduce credit lines to H&R Block mortgage unit (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
H&R Block Inc the largest U.S. tax preparer, said on Wednesday bank lines at its Option One Mortgage Corp lending unit were terminated or reduced, as the subprime mortgage company reduces it lending volume.

Block's mortgage unit loses access to billions in credit (bizjournals.com via Yahoo! Finance)
H&R Block Inc.'s Option One Mortgage Corp. subsidiary lost billions of dollars in available credit from various lenders.

Fitch Affirms 4 Classes From 3 Option One Net Interest Margin Transactions (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
NEW YORK----Fitch Ratings has taken the following rating actions on three Option One Net Interest Margin Notes:

Bankrate: Mortgage Rates Move Lower (FinanzNachrichten)
NEW YORK, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Fixed mortgage rates declined, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate falling to 6.42 percent.

BUSINESS BRIEFS (New York Post)
Countrywide Countrywide Financial Corp., the largest U.S. mortgage lender, must open some books and re cords to help a share holder investigate possi ble manipulation of stock option grants to execu tives, a judge ruled. AT&T-EchoStar AT&T is...