From The Christian Science Monitor:

From the Associated Press about today's jobs report:

An Open Letter to the Texas Real Estate Commission

In times of fear, the courageous get wealthy. We're seeing smart money get invested in this economy, including in real estate. Don't get me wrong - there are a million ways to screw it up (that's why you need an expert broker/adviser). But the underlying dynamics are getting more solid with each new economic report.

This is welcome news, courtesy of MIT Professor Simon Johnson, a notice that Sen. Ted Kaufman (Delaware) is set to lay down a few tenets that underscore the nation's financial situation. And he's spot on.

The inestimable Dawn Kopecki of Bloomberg posts this headline yesterday about some possible White House moves to ban some foreclosures -- at least for people under review for permanent loan modification. Right now, foreclosures are still allowed even while homeowners are under review for a loan modification program. Apparently the action under consideration at The White House would now allow foreclosure during that period. This would help. It would help homeowners acting in good faith to keep their homes - and it would help communities who suffer high foreclosure rates, which affect, at least for now, property values.