After years in the doldrums, the housing market appears back on track. Home sales and prices are up, and mortgage rates remain near historic lows, reinvigorating the appeal of home ownership.

WASHINGTON — U.S. home prices rose 9.3 percent in February compared with a year ago, the most in nearly seven years. The gains were driven by a growing number of buyers who bid on a limited supply of homes.

Recovery seems to be on the minds of many these days as the economy continues to shake off the after-effects of the recession. Housing prices and sales are climbing, the unemployment rate is falling and near record-low mortgage rates are bringing potential buyers who had been reluctant to make a move during the housing downturn back into the market.

WASHINGTON — Arizona earned a D in a national report Wednesday that graded states on their families’ financial security in five broad categories.

Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett spoke to an audience of around 80 Wednesday at the Chandler chamber of Commerce’s economic update luncheon, attempting to shed light on a sometimes murky, sometimes confusing state budget scenario in recent years.

WASHINGTON — Buying your own health insurance will never be the same.

Attorney General Tom Horne is warning Arizona residents to be on the lookout for a mailer that asks for illegal up-front fees to join a national lawsuit.

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, a division of Wells Fargo Bank, will hold a hiring event 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 9 and 10 at the Phoenix Convention Center to fill more than 900 new jobs.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bank of America says it will spend more than $10 billion to settle mortgage claims resulting from the housing meltdown.

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, a division of Wells Fargo Bank, will have a hiring event 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 9 and 10 at the Phoenix Convention Center to fill more than 900 new jobs.

Looking to ring in the new year with a new job?

Kori Rockwell said it was exciting to see her dream home being built from the ground up.

A Gilbert man who used the cover of his financial business to provide fraudulent loans to distressed homeowners was sentenced to slightly more than two years in federal prison and ordered to repay the victims he scammed nearly $1 million in restitution.

It certainly won't match the boom years of the last decade.

Dear Debt Adviser: I was divorced in 2001, and my ex took responsibility for all of our marital debt (joint credit cards, mortgage and car loan) as part of the divorce decree. Late in 2010, I started getting phone calls from people who were looking for my ex. It made me suspicious, so I ran my credit report. Sure enough, he’d racked up $20,000 in credit card debt.

Quick. How much are you paying every month just to have a checking account? And for ATM Fees? If you’re not sure, it’s time to find out.

FARGO, N.D. — Two executives from a defunct Arizona mortgage lender pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to charges they swindled Bismarck-based BNC National Bank out of at least $26 million.

Habitat for Humanity is looking for families in Apache Junction to partner with and is accepting applications.

State lawmakers did nothing wrong when they seized $50 million out of the settlement Arizona got with mortgage lenders, a judge ruled Wednesday.

With historical low interest rates, many say now is the time to buy a home.

Feeling trapped under a mountain of student loan debt?

Phoenix and Maricopa County homebuyers can now get a 5 percent down payment assistance grant and a low, competitive mortgage rate through the Home in Five Advantage mortgage origination program issued by the IDAs of the city of Phoenix and Maricopa County.

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. And when you consider the lifetime of benefits you and your family may receive from life insurance, you might agree that a month isn’t too long to spend on this important part of your overall financial picture.