The most wonderful time of the year is always followed by the practice of resolving to improve in the new year. So in the spirit of the season, here are five suggested 2012 resolutions for federal policymakers.

The National Association of Realtors said Wednesday that it overestimated home sales by nearly 15% last year, an indication that the housing market is in even worse shape.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is considering a plan that would enable underwater homeowners who have filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection to make only principal payments — and no interest — on a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac mortgage for five years.

VeriFone said Wednesday that it has installed a million payment acceptance systems in Russia.

Ohio thrift Cheviot Financial, in the process converting to 100% stock-owned company, is giving initial subscribers to its public offering the option to buy up more shares.

Free ATMs NYC's approach raises concerns among industry experts who have explored the possibility before. They say there are customer-service issues and even safety concerns around placing ads on ATMs.

Bank of America Corp. sold $700 million in credit card assets to U.S. Bancorp on Wednesday, in the struggling Charlotte company's latest effort to slim down.

The number of new foreclosures increased 21.1% in the third quarter as mortgage servicers lifted voluntary moratoria implemented late last year, according to a report released Wednesday by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has again delayed implementation of an initiative to update and streamline the loan and appraisal data collected by the government-sponsored enterprises.

The Justice Department today will announce a settlement with Bank of America Corp. involving allegations of discriminatory lending practices by its Countrywide Financial Corp. unit, people familiar with the matter say.

Daniel Mudd, the former Fannie Mae CEO who is the subject of a new, massive SEC fraud suit, announced Wednesday morning that he is taking a leave of absence from his current employer, Fortress Investment Group, New York.

After a months-long internal investigation into its accounting for loan losses, Suffolk Bancorp in Riverhead, N.Y.. has restated its 2010 earnings to show a much smaller profit than first reported.

Investment-management firm Fortress Investment Group announced that CEO Daniel Mudd, who was recently sued by the SEC over his role as the former chief of Fannie Mae, is taking a leave of absence.

Bank of America is close to settling a Justice Department probe into whether its Countrywide unit violated fair-lending practices, said two people with knowledge of the discussions.

Nothing lasts forever as evidenced by the short term marriage of Hollywood stars. Differences in attitudes, status and in some cases just irreconcilable differences often cause breakups following many years of being together. One of fraying relationship is the 100 year plus association between the 6,000 plus smaller community banks and the nation's largest banks. This long standing relationship between big and small is on the rocks as the two groups have drawn apart, rarely working together or supporting one another anymore.

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. – Kinecta FCU said it relocated its Midwest mortgage operations center from Rosemont, Ill., to Chicago.

HARTFORD, Conn. – Nutmeg State FCU gave one person a two-minute run to collect all the groceries they want at a Price Shopper store to celebrate the opening of the credit union’s new branch there.

First Premier Bank has for decades offered credit cards with higher rates and fees than almost any other bank. For instance, if you borrowed $250 on one of their cards and held that balance for a year, you'd pay roughly 75% of that amount, $187.50, in finance charges and fees—assuming no late payment or other charges.

A classic psychological theory, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, sheds light on consumers' prioritizing credit card bills over mortgage payments.

In what would be its first acquisition since 2007, Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. in Olney, Md., announced late Tuesday that it is buying CommerceFirst Bancorp Inc. for $25.4 million in cash and stock.