Deloitte released Thursday the results of its latest monthly Consumer Spending Index, which climbed in September to 4.21 from an August reading of 4.11. The index tracks consumer cash flow through a handful of measures—tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages, and new home prices—as an indicator of future consumer spending.
Read More »Mortgage Rates Return to Summer Lows
In its weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, Freddie Mac reported the average 30-year fixed interest rate came to 4.12 percent (0.5 point) for the week ending October 9, down from 4.19 percent. A year ago, the average 30-year fixed interest rate was 4.23 percent, the same as it was when rates jumped up in mid-September.
Read More »Carrington’s Wholesale Division Eliminates Underwriting Fee
To assist brokers in providing loans to credit-challenged borrowers, Carrington Mortgage Services announced the elimination of its underwriting fee in its wholesale division.
Read More »New Home Purchase Applications Steady in September
In a release on Thursday, MBA estimated new single-family home sales ran last month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 425,000 units, just up from a rate of 424,000 units in August. On an unadjusted basis, MBA estimates new home sales last month totaled 32,000, a decrease of 5.9 percent from August's prediction of 34,000.
Read More »Rhode Island Home Sales Plummet in August
Single-family home sales fell annually in Rhode Island for the fifth month this year in August, dropping by double digits even as selling prices came down, the Warren Group reported. Warren Group CEO Timothy M. Warren Jr. called the decline "discouraging," especially after the market gained some steam in July.
Read More »Homebuyer Demand Picks Up in September
Real estate brokerage Redfin reported a 2.2 percent monthly increase in customers requesting tours with the company's agents last month, about half the improvement recorded this time last year. "Though the September uptick in tour requests was not as strong as last year, this late season pickup suggests that housing activity will hold steady through November before the seasonal slowdown in home searches over the holiday," said Chief Economist Nela Richardson.
Read More »HELOC Lending Jumps 21% in 2014
Home equity lending made solid strides in the last year but still has a lot of ground to cover to return to pre-crisis levels, housing data firm RealtyTrac said in a new report Thursday. In its first-ever U.S. Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) Trends Report, the company revealed that lenders originated an estimated 797,865 HELOCs in the 12 months ending in June, up 20.6 percent from the prior period and the highest level since the year ending June 2009.
Read More »NAR Urges Cordray Not to Cut Out Mini-Correspondents
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently sent a letter to the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) urging the agency to adopt a cautious approach as it puts greater scrutiny on brokers operating under the "mini-correspondent" lender model. The letter comes months after the bureau signaled it will be watching out for brokers trying to skirt its compensation rules by operating the same way under a different label.
Read More »California Forecast: Rising Sales, Flattening Prices
In its 2015 housing market forecast, the California Association of Realtors (CAR) calls for existing-home sales in the state to reach 402,500 next year, an increase of 5.8 percent from 2014's projected sales figure of 380,500. Even with the increase, home sales are still expected to fall short of last year's total of 414,300, demonstrating how much California's market has slowed down in 2014.
Read More »OCC Appoints Senior Deputy Comptroller, CFO
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced the appointment of Kathy Murphy as the agency's senior deputy comptroller for management and CFO.
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