Newsdesk | January 24, 2012

Top News Economists see economy slowing, but recession risk falling USA Today - "The Fed is underwhelmed by the recovery," he says. "They see the recovery hampered by the housing market, which is not going away anytime soon, and it's causing employment gains to be lightweight." Regulators Seize Three Banks in First Failures of 2012 American Banker - Bank in Stockbridge, Ga., the $79 million-asset Central Florida State Bank in Belleview, Fla., and the $19 million-asset American Eagle Savings Bank in Boothwyn, Pa., were estimated to cost a total of $243

Market News Real Estate Weekly: Home improvement spending expected to rise MarketWatch - Home improvement spending is expected to improve in 2012, as the economy gets better and the housing market shows signs of recovery, according to a measure from the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University America's Hardest Hit Neighborhoods CNN Money - single foreclosure in an otherwise foreclosure-free neighborhood will rarely impact surrounding values, he said. "In a normal, healthy housing market an REO sale is the exception and there are many other non-distressed sales that dilute the impact," he The Week in Charts: The L-shape of the U.S. housing market MarketWatch - There are some signs of optimism in the housing market, but a look at 2011 data as a whole shows there’s barely any movement since the bubble burst. Oregon AG Warns of Foreclosure Review Scam DSNews.com - public warning to consumers in the state to be on the lookout for scammers portending to offer independent foreclosure reviews as part of the mandate to major mortgage servicers issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve.

Other News Tips for DIY Tax Filers Yahoo! News - Many taxpayers plan to file their returns on their own this year, but with a complicated tax code, it’s easy to make a simple mistake that can delay a refund or, even worse, hit you with a penalty. State gives owners of unclaimed property a chance to retrieve it Sacramento Bee - Hundreds of folks with unclaimed money - old bank accounts, overlooked stock shares, forgotten refunds - are getting a chance to retrieve it without going through state government. Letters are going out this month from the California state controller's