Bernanke urges action to halt foreclosures (Reuters)

<p>Reuters - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday urged more aggressive steps to halt home foreclosures and said government-funded programs could help strapped homeowners.

FDIC's Bair warns investors fighting loan changes (AP)

AP - Investors in mortgage securities who are challenging home loan modification programs aimed at avoiding foreclosures could provoke a "backlash" from Congress, the head of the FDIC said Thursday.

Bernanke: more action needed to cut foreclosures (AP)

</a>AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke called on the government Thursday to ramp up efforts to stem soaring home foreclosures, which are feeding into the country's deep economic troubles.

Mortgage rates drop to lowest level since January (AP)

AP - Rates on 30-year mortgages plunged this week to the lowest level since January after the government launched a sweeping new effort to aid the U.S. housing market.

Seabreeze's Kass favors U.S. stocks over Treasuries (Reuters)

Reuters - Hedge-fund manager Doug Kass, who successfully shorted U.S. equities this year including shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , is now buying U.S. stocks on the belief that they have hit bottom.

Toll loss narrows, shares rise sharply (Reuters)

Reuters - Toll Brothers Inc , the largest U.S. luxury home builder, said its quarterly loss narrowed slightly as it wrote down less inventory, and its shares rose sharply as homebuilders extended a rally spurred by improved mortgage rates.