Attorney General Cracking Down on Home Improvement Scams

Pennsylvania's attorney general is cracking down on home improvement fraud.

His office has filed 17 lawsuits against contractors. In most cases the contractors took money and either didn't do the work or didn't complete it.

A local woman says she lost money to J. Anthony Roofing ,one of the contractors named in the lawsuits Thursday.

" I gave him $200… unanswered and unreturned," said Jennifer Bezek.

A pending bill in the general assembly would require contractors to register with the attorney general. It would make home improvement fraud a criminal offense.

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.