Mortgages

Broker Fee Rules Take Effect

By MARYANN HAGGERTY

Regulators and consumer advocates say borrowers are bound to benefit from the federal rules covering how mortgage brokers are compensated.

• More Mortgages Columns

Q & A

By JAY ROMANO

Shareholders avoiding conflict of interest; tutoring, yes, barbering, no; a board discovers hidden cameras.

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Square Feet | The 30-Minute Interview

Michael E. Shields

By VIVIAN MARINO

Mr. Shields is the managing director of ING Real Estate Finance (U.S.A.), which has a $6.7 billion portfolio of term loans, construction loans and subordinate debt.

Report Criticizes Banks for Handling of Mortgages

By DAVID STREITFELD

In response to the problems, mortgage servicers have signed consent agreements promising to put in new oversight procedures and make other changes.

On Location

In Spain, a Home Nestles Into the Environment

By ANDRÉS CALA

This environmentally friendly 1,380-square-foot building is made almost entirely from honey-colored pine.

• Slide Show

House Hunting in ... Nova Scotia

By VIRGINIA C. McGUIRE

A Canadian haven whose second-home market is concentrated on its south shore.

• Slide Show: In Nova Scotia, a 19th-Century House on the Bay

Square Feet

A New South City Looks to a Future Not Built on Banking

By J. MICHAEL WELTON

Charlotte, N.C., badly hurt in the financial crisis by troubles in the banking industry, is luring companies from energy, the military and other sectors.

Square Feet

For Flushing and Its Waterfront, Time to Think Big

By JONATHAN VATNER

Several major developments in Flushing, Queens, promise to refashion the landscape of the downtown and waterfront.

• A New South City Looks to a Future Not Built on Banking
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Piece of the Empire State Building Could Be Yours

By CHARLES V. BAGLI and PETER LATTMAN

The Malkin family is said to be planning a publicly traded company with the New York landmark as its centerpiece.

Rules for Mortgage Servicers Are Criticized as Ineffective

By DAVID STREITFELD

Fourteen mortgage servicing companies signed consent orders with regulators, promising to do a better job in dealing with delinquent borrowers.

Showdown Looms After Assembly Votes to Extend Rent Regulation

By CHARLES V. BAGLI

The State Assembly extended limits on rent that landlords can charge until 2016, but the bill is unlikely to pass in the State Senate.