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![Army veteran Ray Queen stands with his wife, Rebecca Queen, outside their home in Bartlesville, Okla. An NPR investigation has found that thousands of U.S. military service members and veterans, including the Queen family, are at risk of losing their homes through no fault of their own.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/veteran-e1699712000123-900x422.jpg)
Thousands of veterans face foreclosure and it’s not their fault. The VA could help
By: Chris Arnold | NPR, Robert Benincasa | NPR
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WASHINGTON (NPR) – Becky Queen remembers opening the letter with the foreclosure notice. “My heart dropped,” she said, “and my hands were shaking.” Queen lives on a small farm in… Read More
![An illustration shows three houses and a line going down](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/gettyimages-1154599236_custom-bedac23b4b67530d8f7e0004bc5031bff8e55848-scaled-e1663811952154-900x422.jpg)
Home prices see biggest drop in 9 years, thanks to higher mortgage rates
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPR) — Higher mortgage rates are throwing a bucket of ice-water on the super-heated housing market. Home prices in August were down about 6% from their peak in… Read More
![Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, wants answers from one of the country's largest owners of single-family rental homes. A report from an advocacy group finds that the company has been filing evictions at more than four times the rate in predominantly Black counties as in mostly white counties.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ap_21127639256392-eee1a7cee0b119d54b6129e6018b5621fa7a77d8-scaled-e1623430100503-900x422.jpg)
Sen. Brown Presses Landlord Over Report It Evicts Black Renters At Higher Rates
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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A senator is asking why a corporate landlord has filed to evict renters in predominantly Black counties at four times the rate as renters in predominantly white counties.
![Protesters call for stronger eviction protections in January in Sacramento, Calif. A federal appeals court will now decide whether to scrap a federal eviction moratorium from the CDC. Housing groups say renters need more time to qualify for and get rental assistance money.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/ap_21026043518934-f8eeb92d954b92afc177aea6d3de3f55b5528ad2-scaled-e1620314394673-900x422.jpg)
Judge Strikes Down Federal Eviction Moratorium, Setting Up High-Stakes Appeal
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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A federal judge has ruled the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority by issuing a nationwide moratorium on evictions. The fate of millions of renters rests on appeal.
![A constable posts an eviction order for nonpayment of rent in October in Phoenix. The CDC is extending an order aimed at preventing evictions.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gettyimages-1279347616-76a02d472540e71cd69569d43e0ba9691d12c677-scaled-e1617035015895-900x422.jpg)
Federal Eviction Moratorium Extended Just 2 Days Before Expiration
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is extending an order preventing evictions. It was set to expire this week, which could have displaced staggering numbers of people from their homes.
![Sheila Ambert says she did everything she was supposed to do to be protected from eviction by an order from the CDC. But her landlord is pushing ahead trying to evict her anyway. Housing advocates say the protections need to be strengthened.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/sheila-ambert-1-bfc65ac782531c7ee5049ad34f6052d2c1829745-e1613506137357-900x422.jpg)
Renters Are Getting Evicted Despite CDC Order
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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Some landlords are evicting tenants despite an order from the CDC aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19 by preventing evictions. That has led to calls to strengthen protections.
![Tenants' rights advocates protesting evictions during the pandemic in Boston this month. They want the Biden administration to not only extend, but also strengthen, an eviction order from the CDC aimed at keeping people in their homes during the outbreak.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ap_21013647956327-df7307b055eb94c40fb267cac107de540aa1bff5-scaled-e1611175042335-900x422.jpg)
Biden To Extend Order Limiting Pandemic Evictions
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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On his first day in office, the president plans to sign an executive order extending the CDC’s moratorium on evictions. Housing advocates say the CDC rule needs to be strengthened.
![Todd Anderson is a single dad raising four children in Mackinaw City, Mich. "I'm pretty honest and open with them," he says. "They know we're in a spot right now."](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/todd-in-front-of-house-1f997a53a050acb42eabeee3f7214a0cdf3e87e5-scaled-e1605802506162-900x422.jpg)
12 Million To Lose Jobless Benefits The Day After Christmas Unless Congress Acts
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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If Congress doesn’t compromise and pass another relief bill, a new study finds a staggering number of Americans will lose a critical financial lifeline as the pandemic worsens.
![Jesus Gonzalez of Lexington, Ky., has been struggling to make ends meet after the $600 per week in extra federal unemployment benefits ran out.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/20200921-jesus-gonzalez-466-faa668760fd5525a723a28c4a541bca9e4a00772-scaled-e1600952026211-900x422.jpg)
Congress Deadlocked Over Pandemic Assistance As Millions Wait
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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Federal unemployment money has been cut off for nearly two months. Congress hasn’t worked out a deal to send more help, and the fight over a Supreme Court nominee could make that harder.
![Demonstrators hold up signs as they gather at Brooklyn Housing court during a 'No Evictions, No Police' national day of action in New York City.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/gettyimages-12700937321-aa2a31a298708c68cd9ea9bd4b122f78b4cbd3ae-900x422.jpg)
CDC Issues Sweeping Temporary Halt On Evictions Nationwide Amid Pandemic
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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The move could prevent millions of evictions that housing advocates warn are looming as people who have lost work run out of money. Landlord groups want to know who will pay for the lost rent.
![Caroline Wells and her family at their new home outside San Antonio. The builders just finished it so the yard has yet to be planted, but the couple are looking forward to letting the kids run out their energy with a lot more outdoor space than they had at their home in the city.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/caroline-wells-family-ac1394dfe3c9cf794ee5fa2955ddd1618fb81b52-e1598634511116-900x422.jpg)
More Space, Please: Home Sales Booming Despite Pandemic, Recession
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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Despite high unemployment, a severe recession and economic uncertainty, the housing market is on a tear. Sales are booming, and prices hit a record high. Low rates and remote work are driving factors.
![A historic drop in mortgage rates has millions of homeowners refinancing to save money. It's helping home sales, but it's not helping the broader economy as much as it would in a normal recession.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/ap_20198597584060-f82ad47088cb7796c3ac4776e209037bbe595c9b-scaled-e1595369097714-900x422.jpg)
Record Low Mortgage Rates Put More Cash In Pockets, But May Not Boost Economy Much
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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A historic drop in rates has millions of homeowners refinancing to save money. It’s helping home sales, but it’s not helping the broader economy as much as it would in a normal recession.
!["Most of it is is new gun owners," says Michael Weeks (left), a gun store owner in Gainesville, Ga. By one estimate, Americans have bought nearly 3 million more guns than usual since March.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/georgia-gun-shop-f2137bf19c1a037838a314f0875d84c040b62ce0-scaled-e1594998647120-900x422.jpg)
Pandemic And Protests Spark Record Gun Sales
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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About 3 million more guns than usual have been sold since the pandemic started. And nearly half of all the sales appear to be to those buying guns for the first time.
![Workers line up to enter a Tyson Foods pork processing plant last month in Logansport, Ind. Some of the worst workplace coronavirus outbreaks have been in the meatpacking industry. Safety advocates say the companies still aren't doing enough to protect workers. Major meatpackers JBS USA, Smithfield Foods and Tyson have said worker safety is their highest priority.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ap_20128635675792-53a26c6610f592dd930da40560b56ceb82136f14-scaled-e1591888387962-900x422.jpg)
Thousands Of Workers Say Their Jobs Are Unsafe As Economy Reopens
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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In places ranging from chicken processing plants to hair salons, workers say employers aren’t doing enough to protect them from getting sick. Advocates blame a lack of mandatory federal safety rules.
![Jonathan Baird and his wife, Nichole, say they've had to decide between making their car payment and buying food since she lost her job in the pandemic. His mortgage and auto lenders told him he didn't qualify for help.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/jonathan-baird-in-front-of-truck-1-02fc5f500a4e9e9134e6017d0094f278cbe44ce2-e1591198701676-900x422.jpg)
Millions Of Americans Skip Payments As Tidal Wave Of Defaults And Evictions Looms
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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Hardship programs appear to be helping many people pause payments and survive the economic shutdown so far. But not everybody is getting the help, and advocates see big potential trouble ahead.
![Nevada resident Derek Reich lost his income as a freelance cameraman. He says his lender told him he'd have to make up any missed payments in a giant balloon payment he can't afford. Then he was told if he didn't qualify for a better option, "you're going into foreclosure." So Reich says he's going to spend his 401(k) retirement money rather than get the help that Congress wanted him to have.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/r6a3832-a21181e14a0ac277887b7972752a00cc688c5dcd-scaled-e1588013998643-900x422.jpg)
3.4 Million Homeowners Skip Payments. But Many Are Scared, Say Congress Needs To Act
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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Homeowners say that to catch up on payments, lenders demand big balloon payments they can’t afford. Advocates want Congress to mandate that missed payments simply be added to the end of the loan term.
![Nicolena Loshonkohl, a single mom in Roanoke, Va., lost all her income when the hair salon where she worked shut down. She's been finding ways to social distance and keep her toddler engaged outside. But finding money to pay her rent and all her bills is more of a struggle.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/nicolena-loshonkohl2-5fd03fba24f2354993011de9d7646484af7f6a00-e1585751372860-900x422.jpg)
It’s The 1st Of The Month. Renters Are In A Much Tougher Spot Than Homeowners
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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The government ordered lenders to let homeowners skip payments if they lost income due to the coronavirus. But landlords can require renters to pay even if they’ve lost their job. And many are.
![A nonprofit student loan group alleges that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has abandoned its duty to police widespread mismanagement of a loan forgiveness program for public service workers.](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/gettyimages-1128754555-4689e446ce206802c0e9ffdb06f7e191bd839e93-e1574717672175-900x422.jpg)
Consumer Agency Failed To Protect Student Loan Borrowers, Lawsuit Says
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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A nonprofit student loan group alleges that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has abandoned its duty to police widespread mismanagement of a loan forgiveness program for public service workers.
![](https://woub.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/gettyimages-699425650-c5b48ec532899269ad58f5224fa7ae0a198571df-e1516810889174-900x422.jpg)
Under Trump Appointee, Consumer Protection Agency Seen Helping Payday Lenders
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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Former Rep. Mick Mulvaney accepted campaign money from payday lenders. Now he’s in control of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the agency has delayed implementing payday lending rules.