Tenants in good standing are often unintended victims when a landlord faces foreclosure. You can pay your rent month after month, but what good does it do if the landlord isn't paying the mortgage? You may come home and find you're supposed to be out on the street in weeks or even days.

Banks have been very stubborn and fought with tenant rights group over this issue. But there are smart business reasons to treat tenants with respect. After all, the banks are notoriously bad at being property managers of foreclosed homes. So why not let the tenant temporarily do the job for you?

Fannie Mae will now permit tenants in good standing to continue paying rent directly to the lender until the end of the lease. Clark thinks it's a smart move all around; it helps the neighborhood, it helps the tenant and it helps the lender.

In related news, the Federal Reserve's latest rate cut is aimed to reinvigorate lending in the housing and car markets. The cost of getting funds to lend is now the lowest it's been since the '60s, however, banks aren't capitalizing on it. As a result, the average consumer probably won't feel the benefit of the Fed's move.

Yet others will benefit from it. For example, Christa has a mortgage that is tied to the prime rate. The amount of interest she pays every month should drop because of the Fed's decision. She'll now be able to hit more of her principal if she continues paying the same amount she's been paying all along.