AP - State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that he had opened a fraud investigation into how life insurers pay out benefits after policyholders die.

Reuters - MetLife Inc , the biggest U.S. life insurance company, posted a second-quarter profit of $1.53 billion, helped by higher premium revenue from sales domestically and abroad.

AP - Federal regulators say a Florida company they accused of misleading borrowers who were seeking to avoid foreclosure has agreed to repay the consumers $2.4 million to settle those charges.

AP - PMI Group Inc. on Thursday reported a nearly $151 million loss, narrower than a year ago but far wider than Wall Street expected. Shares of the mortgage insurer tumbled nearly 15 percent.

AP - Lawmakers plan to study ways to get back some of the $145 billion the government has pumped into giant mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

AP - RATES KEEP FALLING: Mortgage company Freddie Mac said the average rate for 30-year fixed loans this week was 4.54 percent, down from 4.56 last week.

AP - Mortgage rates are the most affordable in decades for those who can qualify for a loan.

AFP - US bank Citigroup agreed Thursday to pay a 75-million-dollar fine to settle charges it misled investors about exposure to subprime mortgage-related assets, the Securities and Exchange Commission said.

AP - Mortgage rates drop to 4.54 pct., hitting lowest level on record for fifth time in six weeks.

AP - Loan officers at banks will be required to provide their names and fingerprints to a national database as part of an effort to crack down on shady operators who fed the real estate bubble.