Borrowers

Good news, bad news: New mortgage-delinquency problems are back to normal levels in Maryland , but the older cases -- borrowers seriously behind on their loans -- aren't receding. Worse news: The state has the nation's 15th highest share of borrowers in the foreclosure process, awaiting auction, and second-highest percentage of borrowers not yet in foreclosure but at least 90 days behind on payments. That's as of March, the newest figures from the Mortgage Bankers Association.

The share of Maryland homeowners newly behind on mortgage payments fell to the lowest level for March in four years — an important milestone because the state's new-delinquency figure is now better than its pre-crisis average. Just under 3 percent of Maryland homeowners with a mortgage were one payment behind at the end of March, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday. The average was just over 3 percent between 1979, when the trade group's quarterly survey began, and 2006, before the mortgage and financial meltdowns that pushed the country into recession.

Wells Fargo borrowers potentially eligible for mortgage rate reductions under the national settlement with big banks are being notified this month, Maryland's attorney general said Friday. The lender is mailing out rate-reduction offers in waves, meaning that some borrowers already might have received their letter, said the office of Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler. In a statement, Gansler urged homeowners to "respond as soon as possible. " Those who don't get an offer in the mail by the end of May but think they're eligible should call the bank at 800-288-3212, he added.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says it now wants to hear from borrowers who have had problems with their private student loans. The CFPB has oversight on these loans and even has a ombudsman who is supposed to help borrowers and review complaints. Students typically take out private loans once they have exhausted their federal loan options. Federal loans - which should be a student's first choice if they need to borrow - offer some friendly terms, particularly if a new grad can't land a job. In fact, you can have your federal debt wiped out if you work in certain fields after graduation.

Once again, the responsible borrowers who didn't gamble on real estate values, who acted responsibly, who didn't speculate get the shaft, and the irresponsible, the speculators and the greedy get rewarded ("Md. joins national mortgage settlement," Feb. 9). And how are the banks going to recover this money? They will pass the cost onto the responsible customers and borrowers. The furor about robo-signing is a joke. Has anyone said that the "victims" did not owe the money? How is it that someone who owes money all of a sudden doesn't owe it because of paperwork irregularities?

Baltimore City's schools chief told state legislators Tuesday that he hopes to borrow $1.2 billion— six times more than the school system's current bonding authority — to pay for a massive and rapid overhaul of the city's crumbling public school buildings. "What is unique is the extent of the need in Baltimore City," said Andrés Alonso, the school system's CEO, ticking off a list of problems from faulty heating systems to broken windows. "This will allow us to really target, in a short period of time, huge systemic needs.

Gov. Martin O'Malley wants to spend nearly $23 million to improve Maryland's often-maligned state parks, proposing widespread renovations for a system that critics say has been deteriorating for more than a decade. The money would go toward highly visible projects at some of the state's most visited public spaces. Among other improvements, it would renovate shabby bathhouses at Assateague State Park near Ocean City , repair the lighthouse complex and parking lots at Point Lookout in Southern Maryland, and replace a fishing pier at North Point State Park that was severely damaged by Tropical Storm Isabel in 2003.

Under an agreement announced Thursday by the Maryland attorney general's office, Wells Fargo has agreed to make loan modifications and pay nearly $1 million in restitution to customers of two lenders acquired by the bank. The office's Consumer Protection Division, which reached the agreement with Wells Fargo, said lenders Wachovia and Golden West Financial used deceptive marketing in offering consumers adjustable-rate home loans. Wells Fargo will pay $940,056 to borrowers with "Pick-a-Payment" mortgages written by Wachovia and Golden West who lost their homes in foreclosure, the agreement says.

Recently, The Sun challenged my decision to vote against a proposal to raise the State of Maryland's debt ceiling from $925 million to $1.075 billion in the upcoming fiscal year ("Franchot drifts right," Dec. 26). While I appreciate that others may not share my point of view, I was surprised that The Sun would resort to name calling in expressing its disagreement. The accusation that I had "gone over to the side of anti-government activism" was simply outrageous, as was the suggestion that I was now in philosophical alignment with the tea party.