Reuters - Mortgage finance company Freddie Mac has asked a U.S. bankruptcy judge for the ability to conduct an investigation into $1.2 billion it claims it is owed by bankrupt investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc .

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Reuters - A Bear Stearns mortgage portfolio backed by the U.S. government racked up $2.7 billion of losses in the third quarter, amounting to a 9 percent decline on about $30 billion of assets, the Federal Reserve said Thursday.

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Reuters - U.S. officials said on Thursday they were weighing the possibility of government guarantees for troubled mortgage loans to try to induce lenders to modify terms and slow a rising tide of home foreclosures.

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AP - Rates on 30-year mortgages dropped sharply this week, falling to the lowest level in five weeks.

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AP - When you sit at your kitchen table and write your monthly mortgage check, your signature may be the first stop on a journey that takes your money to the other side of the world.

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AP - A senior Treasury official says the department intends to get a program to help struggling homeowners revise mortgages up and running soon.

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