Article: Delinquencies increase among 'subprime' loans: Credit crunch could bring extended housing slump.

Byline: Jamie Smith Hopkins

Mar. 15--The housing boom here and nationwide was fueled in part by easy credit -- too easy, some economists say. Now signs of financing troubles are cropping up at a time when the tenuous housing market can least afford them. Delinquencies and foreclosures are rising, particularly among "subprime" loans for borrowers with less-than-perfect credit. An increasing number of subprime lenders have admitted that they have dangerously overextended themselves, such as New Century Financial Corp., a major provider that stopped taking new loan applications last week and faces federal investigations. Maryland regulators said yesterday that ...

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