USA Today - 13.11.2019

USA TODAY z WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2019 z SECTION B

MILK GIANT DEAN FOODS

DECLARES BANKRUPTCY

Dean Foods, America’s biggest milk

processor, filed for bankruptcy Tues-

day amid a decades-long drop-off in

U.S. milk consumption. The Dallas

company said it may sell itself to the

Dairy Farmers of America, a marketing

cooperative owned by thousands of

farmers.

NISSAN PROFITS TUMBLE

IN WAKE OF SCANDAL

Japanese automaker Nissan reported

Tuesday that its July-September prof-

it tumbled to half of

what it earned the year

before as sales and

brand power crumbled

following the arrest of

its former chairman,

Carlos Ghosn. Yokoha-

ma-based Nissan Motor

Co.’s fiscal second quar-

ter profit totaled 59 billion yen ($

million), down from 130 billion yen in

2018. Quarterly sales slipped nearly
      7% to 2.6 trillion yen ($24 billion).
      Ghosn was arrested on Nov. 19, 2018.
      The allegations against Ghosn include
      under-reporting of promised compen-
      sation and breaching trust in making
      dubious payments.

Ghosn

Disney Plus has a rough start

Captain Marvel couldn’t save launch day. 5B

T-Mobile sprinting to finish line

CEO and COO talk about potential merger. 4B

Across the nation

News from every state. 6B

IN MONEY

STATES

BRIE LARSON BY DISNEY’S MARVEL

MONEYLINE

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INDEX CLOSE CHG

Dow Jones Industrial Avg. 27,691.49 x 0

S&P 500 3,091.84 x 4.

Nasdaq composite 8,486.09 x 21.

T-note, 10-year yield 1.93 y 0.

SOURCESUSA TODAY RESEARCH, BLOOMBERG

Dow Jones Industrial Avg.

25,

27,

28,

29,

AP MAY NOV.

26,

0

27,

TUESDAY’S MARKETS

Rates reported Tuesday.

Current Week ago

30 yr. fixed 3.83% 3.74%

15 yr. fixed 3.26% 3.14%

5/1 ARM 4.17% 3.87%

7/1 ARM 4.10% 3.86%

30 yr. jumbo 4.22% 4.06%

30 yr. FHA 3.37% 3.23%

BANKRATE.COM

Mortgage rates

USA TODAY SNAPSHOTS ©

With fewer houses on the market

than a year earlier, finding your dream

home may not be as easy as it once

was. But considering a home with a

“catch” –a busy street or poor curb ap-

peal, for example – may make sense,

especially if the issues can be fixed or

improved, experts say.

To be sure, not every house is in an

ideal location or in prime condition.

Among the top issues that prompt

househunters to walk away from a deal

are busy streets and homes that need a

lot of TLC, says Judy Dutton, deputy ed-

itor of Realtor.com.

Nationwide, inventory dropped al-

most 7% in October, or a decline of

98,000 listings, compared with a year

earlier, according to the latest data from

Realtor.com. And the median listing

price rose 4.3% to $312,000 last month.

In some markets, that’s producing a

perfect storm of pricey homes and few

choices.

“Homebuyers are in a pickle in that

home prices are so high that they have

to make compromises if they want to

find a home they can afford,” Dutton

says. “The thing to remember is that

there are always upsides to any down-

sides.”

For instance, a home on a busy street

or one that needs some renovation work

might offer a bargain compared with an

otherwise comparable home, she says.

And many of those catches can be fixed.

Case in point, Dutton says, is her deci-

sion to buy a home next to a busy gas

station.

“We installed soundproof windows

and we don’t hear a thing,” she says.

“There is a lot you can do for noise.”

Here are three tips from experts

whenconsidering homes with “catch-

es.”

A home on a busy street or one that needs some renovation work might offer a bargain compared with an otherwise

comparable home, says Judy Dutton, deputy editor of Realtor.com.GETTY IMAGES

Should you buy a

home with a ‘catch’?

With some compromise,

bargains are out there

Aimee Picchi

Special to USA TODAY

See CATCH, Page 2B

families start paying back their federal

student loans after the end of a six-

month grace period. Borrowers have op-

tions; they just need to make the right

moves now.

A new report from The Pew Charita-

ble Trusts offers insights when it comes

to showing how some college borrowers

make the wrong moves that could drive

them into default. The report, released

Nov. 6, focuses on in-depth interviews

and data from borrowers in Texas, a

deep dive that’s not available at the na-

tional level. National benchmarks of-

fered more data as well.

Every year, 1 million student borrow-

ers default on nearly $20 billion in fed-

eral loans. Defaulters are more likely to

be older and many have trouble getting

out of default, according to a report from

the Center for American Progress.

A federal student loan enters default

when a borrower fails to make a pay-

ment on it for 270 consecutive days, ac-

cording to the center’s report.

“When this happens, the borrower’s

Student loan strategy can backfire

Susan Tompor

Columnist

USA TODAY

Tempting as it is to hit a pause but-

ton on student loan payments, it’s a

move that could trigger financial grief

• especially if you do it repeatedly.
  Borrowers who frequently seek a
  deferment or forbearance to suspend
  student loan payments for a time often
  have a hard time getting back on track.
  Many end up owing more than their
  original balances in the long run.
  It’s an important warning to consid-
  er as we enter “repayment season”
  where recent college graduates and SeeSTUDENT LOANS, Page 2B

Defaulting on a student loan is serious

businessbecause it triggers hefty

collection fees, garnishing of your

wages, the possibility of the federal

government taking your tax refund.