Mortgage refinancing in 2001 and early 2002

Over the past ten years, millions of homeowners have taken advantage of lower mortgage interest rates and higher home values and have refinanced their mortgage loans. For many, the decision to refinance was motivated by a desire to reduce their monthly mortgage payments, either by obtaining a lower interest rate or by extending the maturity of their mortgage. When they have refinanced, many homeowners have liquefied some of the equity they accumulated in their homes by borrowing more than they needed to pay off their former mortgage and cover the transaction costs of the refinancing. They have used the funds raised in so-called cash-out refinancings to make home improvements, to repay other debts, or to purchase goods and services or other assets. This article presents estimates, based on recent survey findings, of the incidence of refinancing, the changes in terms and conditions of mortgages after refinancing, the amount of funds homeowners raised in the process, and the ways in which homeowners used the funds. It also provides comparisons with previous surveys of refinancing activity and a statistical analysis of the relative importance of different determinants of refinancing and the amount of home equity liquefied during refinancing. Finally, it gives rough estimates of the effects of recent refinancing on the U.S. economy, including the effects on aggregate consumption spending.Mortgages ; Housing - Finance

Pilot Planning Grant

Report summarizing key findings of focus groups assessing Georgians' attitudes and opinions regarding the development of a plan for providing affordable insurance coverage statewide

RUSSIAN FARM ENTERPRISE PERFORMANCE AND RESTRUCTURING: A DEBT PROBLEM OR A PROFITABILITY PROBLEM?

Farm Management,

Deformation of continental crust along a transform boundary, Coast Mountains, British Columbia

New structural, paleomagnetic, and apatite (U-Th)/He results from the continental margin inboard of the Queen Charlotte fault (~54°N) delineate patterns of brittle faulting linked to transform development since ~50 Ma. In the core of the orogen, ~250 km from the transform, north striking, dip-slip brittle faults and vertical axis rotation of large crustal domains occurred after ~50 Ma and before intrusion of mafic dikes at 20 Ma. By 20 Ma, dextral faulting was active in the core of the orogen, but extension had migrated toward the transform, continuing there until <9 Ma. Local tilting in the core of the orogen is associated with glacially driven, post-4 Ma exhumation. Integration with previous results shows that post-50 Ma dextral and normal faulting affected a region ~250 km inboard of the transform and ~300 km along strike. Initially widespread, the zone of active extension narrowed and migrated toward the transform ~25 Ma after initiation of the transform, while dextral faulting continued throughout the region. Differential amounts of post-50 Ma extension created oroclines at the southern and northern boundaries of the deformed region. This region approximately corresponds to continental crust that was highly extended just prior to transform initiation. Variation in Neogene crustal tilts weakens interpretations relying on uniform tilting to explain anomalous paleomagnetic inclinations of mid-Cretaceous plutons. Similarities to the Gulf of California suggest that development of a transform in continental crust is aided by previous crustal extension and that initially widespread extension narrows and moves toward the transform as the margin develops

Developmental Evaluation of a Collective Impact Initiative: Insights for Foundations

The 2011 publication of John Kania and Mark Kramer’s influential paper, Collective Impact, caught the attention of organizations across sectors, including nonprofit organizations and philanthropies. The Colorado Health Foundation was one of the organizations that saw the potential of collective impact to help tackle the state\u27s complex, systems-level health issues. This article describes a collective impact initiative and the role that developmental evaluation – and a realist framework – played in aiding both the initiative’s steering committee and the Colorado Health Foundation in making decisions about the initiative\u27s accomplishments and future. The article highlights the developmental evaluation approach, how that informed decisions, and how it helped surface broader insights about the many challenges of doing highly collaborative work

CsrA impacts survival of Yersinia enterocolitica by affecting a myriad of physiological activities.

BackgroundA previous study identified a Yersinia enterocolitica transposon mutant, GY448, that was unable to export the flagellar type three secretion system (T3SS)-dependent phospholipase, YplA. This strain was also deficient for motility and unable to form colonies on Lauria-Bertani agar medium. Preliminary analysis suggested it carried a mutation in csrA. CsrA in Escherichia coli is an RNA-binding protein that is involved in specific post-transcriptional regulation of a myriad of physiological activities. This study investigated how CsrA affects expression of the flagellar regulatory cascade that controls YplA export and motility. It also explored the effect of csrA mutation on Y. enterocolitica in response to conditions that cue physiological changes important for growth in environments found both in nature and the laboratory.ResultsThe precise location of the transposon insertion in GMY448 was mapped within csrA. Genetic complementation restored disruptions in motility and the YplA export phenotype (Yex), which confirmed this mutation disrupted CsrA function. Mutation of csrA affected expression of yplA and flagellar genes involved in flagellar T3SS dependent export and motility by altering expression of the master regulators flhDC. Mutation of csrA also resulted in increased sensitivity of Y. enterocolitica to various osmolytes, temperatures and antibiotics.ConclusionsThe results of this study reveal unique aspects of how CsrA functions in Y. enterocolitica to control its physiology. This provides perspective on how the Csr system is susceptible to adaptation to particular environments and bacterial lifestyles

Report of Data Analyses to the Georgia Commission on the Efficacy of the CON Program

A highlight of presentations and discussions during the Philanthropic Symposium on School Health held October 16, 2000 in Atlanta, GA.Community and Public Healt