Personal Finance Daily: 5 reasons it's tough to get lowest mortgage rates

Personal Finance Daily OCTOBER 31, 2011 5 reasons it's tough to get lowest mortgage rates By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Why you can't get the lowest mortgage rates Car Review: 2012 Dodge Charger Dig deep if checking out smaller charities Target-date funds fall short delivering income If you're among those who, at the sight of record-low mortgage rates, rushed out to buy a house or refinance your current mortgage, only to find that those ultralow mortgage rates are not available, then read Amy Hoak's column right away. You'll feel better. If you've been planning to talk to a mortgage lender to ask for a purchase or refinance loan, read her story so you can steel yourself. Because it turns out that plenty of people can't get those low-low rates, and it's not always their own fault (though some of the reasons do include not being willing to pay points and having a less-than-stellar credit score). Read her story for five reasons why; plus, don't miss Chuck Jaffe's column on why you may not want to buy bank stocks, despite the bargains you might see in that sector. — Andrea Coombes , Personal Finance editor Why you can't get the lowest mortgage rates Mortgage rates are near historical lows, but the rates lenders are quoting you aren't as great as those you see in the news. Here are five reasons why. Read more: Why you can't get the lowest mortgage rates. Car Review: 2012 Dodge Charger There are plenty of pleasant surprises in this updated pony car. Read more: 2012 Dodge Charger. Dig deep if checking out smaller charities The expectation is that because there's less of the red tape associated with large organizations, the money will be put to the right use faster. Read more: Dig deep if checking out smaller charities. Time to buy into bank stocks? Not necessarily For months now, bargain-hunters and market contrarians have been looking at the financial-services sector, thinking it was on sale and due for a rebound. But there are plenty of pitfalls for investors to watch for before they buy in. Read more: Time to buy into bank stocks? Not necessarily. Target-date funds fall short delivering income Retirees can't catch a break these days. As if rock-bottom interest rates and a lousy stock market weren't bad enough, even many mutual funds touted as providing retirement income aren't offering much in the way of attractive payouts to investors. Read more: Target-date funds fall short delivering income. JetBlue, AA face fines over stranded planes JetBlue Airways Corp. (JBLU) and AMR Corp.'s (AMR) American Airlines are facing huge U.S. fines on Monday after their passengers sat for hours in jets stranded on a snow-covered tarmac near Hartford, Conn., this weekend. Read more: JetBlue, AA face fines over stranded planes. ECONOMY & POLITICS White House says growth to be pushed at G-20 The White House will push G-20 nations to take steps to protect the fragile global economy, U.S. officials said. Read more: White House says growth to be pushed at G-20. Fed may hibernate until spring The Federal Reserve could hold policy steady until next spring, given new signs that a double-dip recession has been avoided for now, analysts said. Read more: Fed may hibernate until spring. Get the latest news on our mobile site: http://www.marketwatch.com/m MarketWatch has sent you this newsletter because you signed up to receive it. To ensure you receive this newsletter in the future, please add marketwatchmail.com to your list of approved senders. Sent to: kumaresan.selva.blogger@gmail.com Unsubscribe | Subscribe Copyright 2011 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (updated 6/26/07). MarketWatch - Attn: Customer Service, 201 California St., San Francisco, CA 94111