A recent industry survey detects rising optimism in the commercial real estate and single-family housing sectors over the next few years. The survey, conducted by the Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young, finds a consensus among analysts that the real estate market will improve as transaction volumes rise and vacancies decline. "After a prolonged period of uncertainty, we're seeing a revival of investor confidence as the economy continues to recovery," said Dean Schwanke, SVP at the Urban Land Institute.
Read More »FBR’s Market Forecast Brightens After Predictions of Slow Quarter
After recently reporting predictions of declining originations, FBR Capital Markets & Co., now says the market looks a little brighter, and a resurgence of refinances through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) will contribute to originations volumes this year. While FBR maintains its prediction that origination volume will be lower than the volumes recorded in the second half of last year, the company now suggests originations "will largely be better than the 20-25 percent drop-off we projected late last week."
Read More »Survey Finds Lenders Still Uncertain About Dodd-Frank
QuestSoft's fifth annual compliance survey reveals at least 49 percent of lenders have ranked Dodd-Frank-related uncertainty as a high concern for the past three years.
Read More »High Concentrations of CRE Loans Correlate with Higher Failure Rates
Banks with higher concentrations of commercial real estate (CRE) lending have higher failure rates, according to a report from the OCC.
Read More »Survey: Home Buyers Overall Pleased with Purchase Experience
Almost two-thirds of homeowners who purchased homes in the past 10 years consider their home-buying experience excellent or very good, according to survey results released Tuesday by TD Bank, based in Portland, Maine. About 55 percent of survey respondents rated their ability to find a good real estate agent and their experience with the inspection and appraisal process as "excellent" or "very good." However, finding the right lender proved to be trickier for many respondents.
Read More »NAHB Touts Affordability of Newer Homes
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) wants people to know they may not be saving money by purchasing older homes. NAHB compared the cost of owning a home built before 1960 to the cost of homes built since 2008 and found that after taxes, the total cost of owning a home in its first year is about 23 percent more for an equally-priced older home.
Read More »Construction Spending Rises in February
Construction spending rose 1.2 percent month-over-month in February, according to the Census Bureau. Spending rose both in the public and private sectors. On an annual basis, construction spending was up 7.9 percent in February, reaching an annual rate of $885.1 billion. Combined, construction spending in January and February totaled $120.1 billion, which is 6.6 percent above the spending observed in the first two months of last year.
Read More »Fannie Mae: Growth Outlook Strong Despite Fiscal Woes
Jobs, consumer confidence, and the stock market have all been on the rise, and the manufacturing and service industries are experience growth "at a healthy pace," according to Fannie Mae.
Read More »NAHB Throws Support Behind Housing Finance Reform Efforts
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) endorsed a housing finance system that phases out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac but maintains a degree of federal support.
Read More »USA Wholesale Lending Now in 20 States, Expanding to 32
USA Wholesale Lending, a recently-created division of Fort Wayne, Indiana-based Hallmark Home Mortgage, is now operating in 20 states and has plans to expand this year.
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