New York

Stephanie W. Cowart, former executive director of the Niagara Falls Housing Authority, admitted to working with her son and daughter-in-law to steal $17,580 from the authority and the state.

Buffalo's housing market is rebounding, but the recovery so far is largely confined to a handful of neighborhoods in a slice of the city, according to a consultant hired by the Brown administration.

A Kiryas Joel, N.Y., man was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to forfeit $1.2 million to federal authorities for his role in a mortgage-fraud operation in which prosecutors had charged 15 people in all.

Mortgage closing costs average nearly $4,900 nationwide. But in some states, those fees can reach or exceed five figures. Here's a look at the areas where it costs the most to close a mortgage.

Carver Bancorp, which has spent 70 years serving minorities in Harlem and surrounding neighborhoods, is struggling to turn a profit. As black-run banks nationwide struggle to stay afloat, Carver's CEO insists the institution is on the right track.

Long Island real estate prices climbed last month, as buyers got into bidding wars over a dwindling supply of homes.

The plan is up from the previously announced 200,000 homes.

When a full-floor penthouse at Manhattan's One57 sold at a foreclosure auction, it didn't just settle an international mortgage gone bad.

Sterling Bancorp in New York is determined to turn Astoria Financial's largely residential operation into a commercial powerhouse. While investors are skeptical, CEO Jack Kopnisky has proven in the past that such an ambitious plan is doable.

The elimination of private activity bonds “would throw gasoline on a housing shortage," said John Chiang, California's treasurer.