A visual guide to the financial crisis

Almost overnight, the talking heads went from perpetuating the euphoria of investors to rushing to pronounce the economy dead.

Applications to refinance mortgages surge as rates drop below 6% - USATODAY.com

Applications to refinance home mortgages surge

Homeowners rushed to take advantage of last week's drop in interest rates following the government's takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but rates are rising again on investor fears about the eroding conditions in financial markets.

How to tell if now is the time to refinance

When Elaine Chen, a 39-year-old marketing executive in New York, saw interest rates falling in January, she called her mortgage broker to see if she could get a lower rate to finance Manhattan condo. She estimated the lower rate could save her $300 per month. 

Risky business: mortgage cash out

Mortgage brokers started phoning after their Bushwick, Brooklyn, house had more than tripled in value. Letters poured in, too, urging the Paredes family to refinance and take some extra cash. The simulated checks for hundreds of thousands of dollars were impossible to ignore.