From rebates and layaways to low-price guarantees, retailers are pulling out all the stops  to entice shoppers, who are keeping a tighter reign on their spending. Though no one is predicting blockbuster sales in any category this year, some stores will fare better than others. Here’s a look at the expected winners and losers.

Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker said it was reasonable to expect the U.S. economy to reverse its downward track some time in 2009, and warned of inflation risks in any rebound.

Mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are suspending foreclosures during the holiday season.

The head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp said Thursday she is optimistic the agency will be able to obtain money from the $700 billion bailout fund to launch its proposed home-loan modification program quickly.

Construction starts on new US homes fell to a record low in October, as did new applications for building permits, signaling that the national housing downturn may extend well into the future.

Applications for U.S. home mortgages declined last week, with loans for purchases of single-family homes falling to their lowest level in nearly eight years, an industry group said on Wednesday.

Pervasive fears of job loss, financial market upheaval and recession hammered U.S. home builder sentiment to a record low in November, the National Association of Home Builders said on Tuesday.

Existing U.S. single-family homes prices in metro areas fell 9.0 percent in the third quarter compared with the same period last year, the National Association of Realtors said on Tuesday.

Home Depot reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit Tuesday as it held down costs in the face of lower sales and a weak economy, sending its shares up 3 percent.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson defended his decision to change how the $700 billion bailout fund is used, telling CNBC it was forced by the spreading credit crisis.

If you’re building a new home, improving, adding to or renovating an old home or simply looking to buy one, you might want to check into some of the eco-firendly building materials and construction methods now in use.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp Friday unveiled a plan to prevent about 1.5 million foreclosures by promising to share any losses with mortgage companies that agree to refinance certain home loans.

Delinquencies on U.S. subprime mortgage securities, auto loans and credit cards are soaring as job losses engulf borrowers.

U.S. mortgage applications rose last week, recovering from an almost 8-year low, as potential borrowers took advantage of a sharp drop in interest rates, an industry group said on Thursday.

U.S. foreclosure activity in October rose 25 percent from a year earlier, although filings in California fell by double-digit percentage points for the second consecutive month due to a state law slowing the foreclosure process, according to a monthly report by RealtyTrac.