STEVE INSKEEP, host:
NPR's business news starts with more bad signs for the housing market.
(Soundbite of music)
INSKEEP: Okay, the good news first. Sales of new homes rose slightly in September. But before you think you're hearing positive housing news here, remember that new home sales still remained near their lowest level in a decade, so home prices are dropping by as much as 10 percent.
That makes Senator Chuck Schumer angry enough to accuse the Bush administration of, quote, "handcuffing" officials so they cannot take strong action on the mortgage crisis.
Yesterday, Congressional committee published a report predicting that two million homes would be foreclosed by the end of next year. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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