News in brief from Northern California

RED BLUFF, Calif. - The widow of an Army sergeant killed last month in Iraq is accused of stealing nearly $85,000 from five people, including an 86-year-old Red Bluff man.

Rhonda Kay Kiser, 36, of Redding, faces 16 counts of embezzlement, money laundering, grand theft and other crimes in Tehama County, each of which carries a maximum three-year prison sentence.

She has not entered a plea, and her attorney said he has yet to review the charges alleging the thefts between October 2003 and December 2004.

She was accused of stealing the money while working at a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Red Bluff. Court records show the bank recovered $7,000 in December and Kiser has since repaid $14,491, bringing the remaining loss to $62,948.

She is the widow of Timothy Craig Kiser, 37, who was killed April 28 when his vehicle ran over a bomb north of Baghdad. He was buried with military honors Monday. He had been serving in Iraq since New Year's Day.

She was charged in late March and is free on $80,000 bail for a May 24 court appearance.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.