Reuters - U.S. mortgage finance companies should soon adopt a foreclosure prevention plan developed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ease loan terms for troubled borrowers, the companies' overseer said on Thursday.

AP - The nation's financial picture grew darker Thursday, a day marked by breathtaking numbers: a quarter-trillion-dollar budget deficit for a single month and projections of up to $1 trillion for a year, a half-million new applications for unemployment benefits and a 900-point swing on Wall Street.

AP - The nation's financial picture grew darker Thursday, a day marked by breathtaking numbers: a quarter-trillion-dollar budget deficit for a single month, a half-million new applications for unemployment benefits and a 900-point swing that led Wall Street to its third-biggest point gain ever.

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AP - Hundreds of lenders told federal housing officials Thursday that a $300 billion mortgage aid program requires too many losses for consumers and lenders to realistically help 400,000 Americans avoid foreclosure.

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AP - Mortgage rates dropped for a second straight week, reflecting the impact the weakening economy is having on financial markets.

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AFP - Fresh data showed the rich world plunging into recession on Thursday as the United States warned that an upcoming crisis summit was just the start of a tough reform cycle for the world finance system.

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