One in five U.S. mortgage borrowers

One in five U.S. homeowners with mortgages owe more to their lenders than their properties are worth, and the rate will increase as housing values drop in states that have so far avoided the worst of the crisis, a new study shows. » Full Story on Yahoo! News

Help?: The Treasury Department claims its mortgage relief plan will help 9 million homeowners temporarily avoid foreclosure. What they really mean is that it will serve to trick these people in continuing to make payments while the house keeps losing value.

Home prices crash

Home Prices Post Biggest Drop in 21 Years

The S&P/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index plunged 18.2% during the final quarter of 2008, the biggest annual decline in the closely watched index's 21-year history. The most severe declines were in Phoenix, Las Vegas, and San Francisco, which all dropped by more than 30% in December compared with December 2007.