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Mortgage foreclosures climbed in the spring as higher interest rates and energy prices made monthly payments harder for some homeowners.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, in its quarterly mortgage survey released Wednesday, reported that the percentage of mortgages that started the foreclosure process in the April-to-June quarter rose to 0.43 percent. That was up from 0.41 percent in the first quarter and was the highest in just over a year.

Best ways for a single mom to repair credit, buy home

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Question: I am a single mom who just put herself through nursing school and will soon be in a position to pay off debt that I could not pay off before. My dream is to own a home so that my child will not have to grow up in apartment buildings and will have a yard to play in.

Let me address the common misconception that all debt collectors own the debt they’re trying to collect.

Before I do that, however, I’d like to start with how my recent columns on debt collection began. I received a letter from an entrepreneur who had fallen on hard times but had recovered financially. She wanted to know if she should pay an old credit card debt in full. She owed $24,000, but a collection agency was offering to settle it for $14,000. Something didn’t sit right with her. She wanted to pay the entire debt to clear her conscience.