All Neighbors in Paradise Valley, AZ
Top Neighbors: The magic behind the mirrors
You will never have to pay to be listed as a top neighbor. Period. That important detail clarified, let's discuss how we arrive at two "top neighbors" for a given region:
Localism is a bustling collection of hyper-local communities, and the top neighbors should reflect those members who are most active. When ranking users in a given region, several factors are considered. To get your foot in the proverbial door, you need to have posted at least one "Localism" article or photo for the region.
The very best way to quickly rise to #1 is to post high-quality local content. Keeping a steady strem of incoming posts and photos will massively tilt the scales in your favor.
What doesn't count toward the top neighbor ranking? ActiveRain points and community sponsorships. The top neighbor spots will always go to the most active members in a region. We want to create a level playing field that encourages the growth of communities — talent and dedication are required to win the day.
The Federal Reserve's senior loan officer survey, which provides information on credit availability and demand at the nation's largest banks, showed still tight credit standards at most institutions; however tightening was not becoming worse. Tight credit standards continued to apply to businesses and consumers alike. Because of this, demand for loans continues to fall off but at a slower rate in the current quarter. Demand for prime, residential mortgages increased as demand for non-traditional mortgages declined.
Jobless claims fell 14k to 502k for the week ending November 7. Claims have moved into a new lower range however, at just over 500k, initial claims are still elevated indicating a very weak pace of hiring. Improvement is happening in labor market conditions but very slowly.
Long term mortgage rates fell to their lowest level in 5 weeks this week amid strong demand for Treasuries that raised prices and lowered yields in the bond market. The 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 4.91% this week down from 4.98% last week according to Freddie Mac's mortgage market survey.
The government ran a $176.4 billion deficit in October compared to a $155.5 billion budget shortfall in October one year ago. Last month's shortfall was the biggest on record for any October. Rapidly rising outlays due to various stimulus programs and significantly lowered revenues as a result of a weakened economy have the Treasury budget on track for another monster deficit for FY2010.
