The number of U.S. households on the verge of losing their homes soared by nearly 15 percent in the first half of the year as more people lost their jobs and were unable to pay their monthly mortgage bills.

A local, state and national football star is in trouble…accused of bilking local banks out of a lot of money. Count on WJBF News Channel 6’s Fraendy Clervaud for the details.

A former NFL football player with ties to Augusta is facing federal charges. A federal grand jury has returned a 22-count indictment against Arthur Marshall. Marshall is charged with fraud and money laundering in his real estate ventures. He is also accused of defrauding three banks in obtaining loans for seven different properties in Columbia and Richmond Counties.

A real estate group says sales of existing homes rose 6.5 percent from November to December, closing out the worst year for the U.S. real estate market in more than a decade.

Sounds like some good news if you’re selling your house. According to MSN Money, Augusta ranks #2 in the nation for the greatest appreciation over the past year. The article says that metro Augusta homes have appreciated 5.5 percent. It proves that the Augusta economy is stable…but if you talk to some realtors, not all of their businesses are booming. WJBF News Channel 6’s Barclay Bishop has the story.