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What the foreclosure settlement means for you 02/13/2012 04:37pm • WASHINGTON - Last week's mega foreclosure settlement has many homeowners in the Washington region asking if they are owed money. Here are some answers: First, the entire region is included in the settlement. Second, homeowners need to have their home loan serviced at one of these five banks: Ba D.C. region to get $1.4B in mortgage settlement 02/09/2012 06:26am • Neal Augenstein, wtop.com WASHINGTON - Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia will receive more than a billion dollars in the settlement between U.S. states and the five banks targeted for deceptive mortgage lending practices. Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler tells WTOP Maryland Answer Desk: Refinance or pay the principal down? 02/07/2012 11:42pm • Darci Marchese, wtop.com WASHINGTON - You've been hearing about historically low interest rates for many months now, so you may be wondering whether it's best to refinance or pay the principal down instead. While there are a number of variables, the WTOP Answer Desk takes a look at the general gu Dylan jacket to be part of new Smithsonian exhibit 02/07/2012 08:04pm • WASHINGTON - The Smithsonian will soon have a new jacket on display -- a very famous coat worn by Bob Dylan during a controversial performance of his career. Dylan was known as a folk music superstar in 1965 when he took the stage at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island with an electric guita The President's Weekly Address 02/04/2012 01:28pm • In his weekly media address, President Obama said he'd keep up the pressure on Congress to pass a measure that would make it easier for under water homeowners to refinance their loans Don't forget about these tax deductions 02/01/2012 12:07am • WASHINGTON - With W2s arriving in the mail, taxes are on people's minds. Don't forget to look for these deductions when it comes to the big day. People who have donated clothing or furniture to Goodwill, the Salvation Army and other charities can deduct the value of those items from the taxes ow Holly Acres owner sues Prince William County 01/22/2012 03:27pm • Max Smith, wtop.com WOODBRIDGE, Va. - The owner of a mobile home park decimated by flooding from Tropical Storm Lee is suing Prince William County for $8 million. Hundreds of people lost their homes at the Holly Acres Mobile Home park in Woodbridge when the storm swept through in September. Pri Morning Notes 01/20/2012 08:35am • Dems Hold County Board Caucus — A sizable crowd showed up at last night’s Democratic caucus at Washington-Lee High School. The Democratic blog Blue Virginia notes with some surprise that those who stood in line to vote for a County Board nominee appeared to be “overwhelmingly wh County Board Candidates Address Issues in Cherrydale Debate 01/19/2012 03:59pm • (Updated at 4:10 p.m.) Tonight, Arlington voters will head to Washington-Lee High School for the first of two caucuses to pick a Democratic nominee for County Board. In advance of the caucuses, the six County Board candidates held a debate last night at the Cherrydale Volunteer Fire Department. He More sticker shock, less pain at the pump in the future 01/12/2012 08:45pm • WASHINGTON - Proposed federal fuel economy regulations will save you money, even though they will drive up the price of new cars, according to a pair of leading consumer groups. Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports, and the Consumer Federation of America came out More people ditching banks, joining credit unions 01/07/2012 02:47pm • Nathan Hager, wtop.com WASHINGTON - That much-derided $5 per month debit card fee from Bank of America may have come and gone, but it seems many customers have plenty of reasons to feel less than satisfied with their banking experience. From near-zero interest rates on savings accounts to rising Get your credit in check in the new year 01/06/2012 10:44pm • WASHINGTON - It's a new year and time to take stock of your finances and get your fiscal house in order. Financial Regulatory Authority President Gerri Walsh suggests starting a rainy day fund to handle medical bills or surprise repairs. Also, avoid payday loans or rent-to-own plans. "They tend D.C. Councilman Harry Thomas Jr. to pay $17K for student loans 01/05/2012 09:12am • Neal Augenstein, wtop.com WASHINGTON - As federal prosecutors and defense lawyers for D.C. Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. discuss a deal that would avoid a criminal charge for misappropriating $300,000 in city funds, Thomas agrees to begin making payments tomorrow on a long-defaulted student loan. Companies get very creative with data about you 01/01/2012 12:25pm • NEW YORK (AP) - Companies are getting smarter at predicting your next move. As it becomes easier to gather information on consumers, businesses are crunching personal data in new ways to forecast a wide variety of behavior. In much the same way that credit scores predict how likely you are to pay y Bay shows evidence of bouncing back 12/30/2011 10:11am • Kristi King, wtop.com WASHINGTON - There's evidence at least some of the Chesapeake Bay is bouncing back after two massive storms this fall. Chesapeake Bay grasses in the upper bay survived "pretty well," according to the Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Those grasses still are chugging awa