For most loans, borrowers are required to have high credit scores and pay 1.00% of the total loan amount in origination fees, but borrowers who want to apply for home loans but have low credit scores can take advantage of loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

The 30-year fixed rate home purchase mortgage is available at a rate of 3.700%. This loan bears 0.109 discount points and a corresponding APR of 3.8110%, up from the previous 3.7275% APR. The 15-year version of this purchase loan is quoted by SunTrust Bank at 2.875% interest for 0.100 discount points, which is lower than the recent 0.202 discount points, and the deal also features an overall APR of 3.0678%.

The 30-year fixed rate FHA-backed mortgage deal is coming out at 3.500% and 0.282 discount points, amounting to an effective APR of 4.5735%. The 30-yearfixed rate home purchase loan with a jumbo balance is offered by the lender at 3.700% interest and 0.044 discount points, yielding an APR of 3.7968%.

As mentioned earlier, ARM alternatives are also available under this bank, as these feature a fixed interest rate period for a specified number of years. After that, the interest rate is adjusted to reflect current interest rates during the reset schedule.

The 5/1 ARM home purchase loan is advertised at a mortgage rate of 2.490% and 0.059 discount points, lower than the recent 0.187 discount points, for an overall APR of 2.9260%. The 7/1 ARM alternative can be availed at an interest rate of 2.625% and 0.027 discount points, for an effective APR of 2.9362%.

These rates are subject to change without prior notice and may vary upon loan approval or actual disbursement of funds.

The post 30-Year Mortgage Rates: SunTrust Home Mortgage Rates for May 17, 2013 appeared first on Eastern Morning Herald.

The loan conditions demand that a borrower must have a strong credit score and pay origination fees amounting to 1.00% of the total loan value to the lender. In addition, the loan to property value ratio must not exceed 80%.

The 30-year fixed rate deal is one of the home purchase loans that KeyBank offers. It’s available at an interest rate of 3.780% with a corresponding annual percentage rate (APR) of 3.842%. The lender also offers the 15-year fixed version of this conventional mortgage package, which is listed at 3.000% and carries an APR of 3.108%.

Borrowers who need more flexibility in terms of interest rates may want to use the adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) options from the bank. These come with a fixed interest rate period then the rate is adjusted depending on prevailing interest rates at the reset schedule for the rest of the loan’s duration. KeyBank has several ARM alternatives being offered.

The 10/1 ARM home purchase loan comes with a mortgage rate of 3.040% and an effective APR of 3.083%, slightly lower than the recent 3.095% APR. The 7/1 ARM home purchase mortgage can be secured at an interest rate of 2.750% and an equivalent APR of 2.944%, down from the previous 2.962% APR. The 5/1 ARM home purchase mortgage is available at an interest rate of 2.625% and comes with an equivalent APR of 2.929%. The 3/1 ARM home purchase loan is quoted at an interest rate of 4.875% and carries APR variable of 3.485%.

The rate quotes given are liable to change without notice and can vary when the loan is approved or the funds are disbursed. The APR calculations were made using closing costs and discount points, assuming that the borrower will conform to the loan conditions, including lock-in periods.

The post Today’s Mortgage Rates: Home Loan Interest Rates at KeyBank of May 17, 2013 appeared first on Eastern Morning Herald.

The rate quotes given are liable to change without notice and can vary when the loan is approved or the funds are disbursed. Contact the loan officer in charge or visit the lender’s website for more details.

With regards to the lender’s home purchase loans, the 30-year fixed rate is available at an interest rate of 3.625% and a corresponding annual percentage rate (APR) of 3.665% higher than the previous day. The 15-year fixed rate stands at 2.750% with an APR set to 2.875%.

The bank also offers various home refinance loans including the 30-year fixed rate package, which can be secured at 3.750%. The deal features an APR variable of 3.821%. The 15-year fixed version of this loan is coming out at 2.750%, while it carries an APR figure of 2.875%.

In addition, Chase provides adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) loans for borrowers who need more flexibility with interest rates. These loans have a fixed interest rate period, after which the mortgage rate is adjusted to reflect current market rates until the loan’s maturity.

Presently, the flexible 7/1 ARM is listed at an interest rate of 2.375% with a corresponding APR of 2.785%. As for the 5/1 ARM, it bear an interest rate of 2.125% and the deal comes with an APR variable of 2.745%, which is higher than a day earlier.

As far as mortgage refinancing is concerned, Chase advertises the 7/1 adjustable rate loan at a rate of 2.750% and an APR figure of 2.927%.

The post 30-Year Mortgage Rates: Chase Home Purchase and Refinance Mortgage Interest Rates for May 17, 2013 appeared first on Eastern Morning Herald.

The 30-year fixed rate home refinance mortgage for conforming loan balances carries a mortgage rate of 3.625% and an annual percentage rate (APR) of 3.790%, unchanged from Thursday’s rate. The 30-year fixed rate FHA-backed loan for conforming amounts is quoted at an interest rate of 3.375% and a corresponding APR of 4.460%, same as the previous quotes. The shorter-term 15-year fixed rate home refinance loan comes with an interest rate of 2.750% and an equivalent 3.039% APR.

For larger loan amounts, the property to be financed must be located in an eligible area. The 30-year fixed rate home refinance loan for larger loan amounts in eligible areas is offered at a mortgage rate of 3.750% and an APR of 3.874%. The 30-year fixed rate FHA-backed home refinance mortgage for these kinds of balances can be secured at an interest rate of 3.625% and an APR of 4.691%.

The 30-year fixed rate home refinance loan for jumbo balances comes with a mortgage rate of 3.875% and an effective APR of 3.986%.

Borrowers who need more flexibility in terms of interest rates may want to use the adjustable rate mortgage (APR) options from Wells Fargo. These come with a fixed interest rate period then the rate is adjusted depending on prevailing interest rates at the reset schedule for the rest of the loan’s duration.

The 5/1 ARM for conforming balances is available at an interest rate of 2.125% and an equivalent APR of 2.857% while the 5/1 ARM home refinance loan for larger loan amounts in eligible areas carries a rate of 2.375% and an APR of 2.903%.

The post Fixed Mortgage Interest Rates: Wells Fargo Conventional Mortgage Rates for May 17, 2013 appeared first on Eastern Morning Herald.

The bank offers several financial and banking services to businesses and consumers. One of its most popular service is home mortgages for purchase and refinance of homes in the country. The latest interest rates for May 17, 2013 are listed below.

This Friday the Charlotte-headquartered lender offers the 30-year fixed rate home purchase mortgage at an interest rate of 3.500% with fixed rate points of 1.413 and a corresponding annual percentage rate (APR) of 3.681%. Borrowers, who are considering to take on the 15-year alternative, can expect to pay 2.875% in interest. This package comes with fixed rate points of 0.753 and an APR set to 3.100%, up from yesterday’s 3.023.

Bank of America also offers various home refinance loans for interested customers. Presently, the 30-year fixed rate refinance mortgage is coming out at 3.625% with fixed rate points of 1.289. The package features 3.797% by way of annual percentage rate. With regards to BofA’s 15-year fixed loan for home refinancing, it’s available today at a rate of 2.875% and fixed rate points of 0.853 and an APR of 3.114% round out the loan’s details.

In addition, Bank of America advertises adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) loans for borrowers seeking more interest rate flexibility. With these loans, the interest rate is fixed for a specified number of years then is adjusted to reflect prevailing interest rates at the time of the reset.

The flexible 5/1 ARM (variable) home purchase mortgage is listed at 2.125% with discount points of 1.199 and a corresponding APR of 2.857%. Mortgage shoppers should also consider the 7/1 ARM deal which carries 2.625% in interest and discount points of 0.878 and an APR of 2.960%.

With regards to the 5/1 ARM home refinance loan, the bank offers an interest rate of 2.500% with an APR set to 2.969% and discount points of 0.966.

Take note that these rates are subject to change without prior notice and may vary upon loan approval or disbursement. Visit the lender’s website for moreinformation.

The post Bank of America Mortgage Rates: Home Purchase and Refinance Mortgage Rates for May 17, 2013 appeared first on Eastern Morning Herald.

The Verizon website says that buyers can get a free HTC Droid DNA on a two-year carrier contract, provided certain instructions are followed. The offer will only run until May 21, so if you’re interested in this deal, you’ll have to make it quick. The first step required to take advantage of the offer would be to enter your email address on the jump page for the offer, then wait for Verizon to send a promotional code to the email entered.

After the code has been received, simply enter it upon checkout when purchasing the Droid DNA, and you get the device for free. It’s all very simple and straightforward, though again, the catches here are that it’s only a limited-time promo, and that it requires a two-year carrier commitment to Verizon.

For a quick run-through of the Droid DNA’s specifications, the phone was the first ever to launch with a 5-inch, 1080p display, or 440-441 pixels per inch density. Aside from that, it features a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor clocked at 1.5 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB non-expandable internal memory, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2.1-megapixel front camera and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

The post Verizon Offering HTC Droid DNA Free of Charge for Limited Time appeared first on Eastern Morning Herald.

The LG Optimus it, which comes with the model number L-05E, features a quad-core, 1.7 GHz processor, a 4.5-inch IPS display with 1280 x 720 resolution, 4G LTE, a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 2,100 mAh battery. All told, these are solid, but unspectacular specifications for a high-end phone, and might be a good idea for those living in Japan and looking for a slightly cheaper alternative to the Optimus G Pro.

As mentioned above, the Optimus it ships with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box.

As for other bits and pieces of release information, aside from availability on NTT DoCoMo, the device will be out in the market in late June, which means buyers will have to wait about a month and a half before it hits stores. Pricing, unfortunately, was not confirmed, but it’s safe to assume it might not cost as much as the Optimus G Pro.

Those hoping the device would reach other markets can stop hoping, because the Optimus it has been confirmed as a Japanese exclusive.

The post NTT DoCoMo Announces LG Optimus it L-05E, Specs and Some Release Details Confirmed appeared first on Eastern Morning Herald.

The main features of Google Play Game Services include Achievements, Cloud Save, Google+ Circles support and Leaderboards. Achievements is mainly for game developers, as it allows them to include new achievements that gamers can unlock accordingly.

Cloud Save would allow players to save games in progress on the cloud, and sync the saved games between all Android devices, may they be smartphones or tablet computers. Leaderboards, on the other hand, show gamers how they rank compared to their other friends on Google+.

Last, but certainly not the least, Google+ Circles is probably the most salient feature of Google Play Game Services. Given the increased emphasis on the social element of gaming nowadays, Google+ Circles would allow gamers to use their Google+ account to play multiplayer games with friends and family members on their Google+ Circles.

All you have to do is to choose the people you would wish to play against, then invite them to a multiplayer game. Players invited to the session will receive notifications, which they would need to tap in order to accept and join in the game.

The post Google I/O 2013 Updates – Google Play Game Services Gets Formal Announcement appeared first on Eastern Morning Herald.

Photo credit: Sony

CVG’s report went against another one, courtesy of Edge, which stressed that the PS4 would be released in 2014 in the United Kingdom and other European markets. The site’s insider claims that Sony is taking a preemptive business approach with the PS4, as it expects Microsoft to be more aggressive in marketing its next-generation Xbox in Europe, in the hope of dominating the video game console market.

Breaking down the sales statistics for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Microsoft appears to be more orientated towards the U.S. market, as close to half of the almost 80 million Xbox 360 units sold so far were sold in the United States (40 million), as opposed to 8 million for the United Kingdom.

As for Sony, its PS3 has sold 25 million units in the U.S. and 5 million in the U.K., but a good percentage of units have been sold in other parts of the world, such as Japan and the rest of Europe.

Microsoft will be unveiling its next Xbox, possibly named Xbox Infinity or Xbox 720, at a May 21 event to be held at the Xbox Campus in Redmond, Wash. The PS4 was announced earlier in the year at a special “PlayStation Meeting” in New York, on February 20.

The post PS4 Won’t See Delayed European Release This Year, Sources Close to Sony Claim appeared first on Eastern Morning Herald.

The report from the market research firm shows that the Galaxy S4 Mini may feature an Exynos 5210 dual-core under the hood, with a clock speed of 1.6 GHz. That’s a pretty snappy processor considering the S4 Mini’s rumored spec sheet, but such processor type may pose some issues to consumers going forward.

Though, still unconfirmed, there have been some reports that Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie may support only quad-core processors and up. If these rumors are true, that means the Galaxy S4 Mini may receive only one major software update, which would be from Android 4.2 to Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

The Galaxy S4 Mini’s other rumored specs as of now include a 4.3-inch display with qHD resolution, 1 GB to 2 GB RAM, a variant with 4G LTE onboard, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, 32 GB internal memory, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2,100 mAh battery. The handset may come with some of the exciting new software features that debuted on the full-size Galaxy S4, and may also feature a similar design to the Galaxy S4, with the same glossy plastic material used for the device’s body.

The post Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Could Come with Dual-Core, Not Quad-Core Processor appeared first on Eastern Morning Herald.