New Treasury Dept SS Rules/Guidelines?

[Liam Ferris]

I just came across an article from the Washington Post talking about new "rules" for short sales from the Treasury Department. They sound like they really could be positive or negative for investors and for homeowners.

I'm a little confused though, because the title of the article calls them "guidelines," but the article calls them "rules."

Any thoughts on these would be appreciated. Are they really rules, or just guidelines? Are they going to help homeowners? What about investors? I would argue that making short sales easier for investors will directly benefit distressed homeowners, and I'm not sure if these new rules are going to help anyone.

Thoughts or ideas?