WASHINGTON — Rates on 30-year-fixed mortgages dropped this week to their lowest levels in at least 37 years, as the Federal Reserve pledged to pour money into the mortgage market in an effor spur the moribund U.S. housing market.
Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, reported today that average rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped to 5.19 [...]

Sales of existing homes plunged far more than expected last month as buyers recoiled from October’s financial wreckage on Wall Street. The median sales price fell by the largest amount on record.
The National Association of Realtors said Tuesday existing home sales fell 8.6 percent to an annual rate of 4.49 million in November, from a [...]

The government’s recent moves to backstop the mortgage market have made it easier for many people with decent credit scores to get a loan. But for many self-employed people — even those with pristine credit — the mortgage freeze has yet to thaw.
A reversal of the loose lending practices that led to the banking industry’s [...]