Daily Dose

The American Enterprise Institute's (AEI) National Mortgage Risk Index for home purchase loans stood at 11.4 percent in October, little changed from the previous three-month average but nearly 1 percentage point above its year-ago level, the group said Monday.

The strategic plan outlines three goals for FHFA for the forthcoming fiscal years: ensure safe and sound regulated entities; ensure liquidity, stability, and access in housing finance; and manage the enterprises' ongoing conservatorship.

The latest Nowcast report, powered by Google data and released Monday by Auction.com, projects existing-home sales for November will fall between seasonally adjusted annual rates of 5.05 million and 5.46 million units, with a targeted number of 5.25 million sales.

Dodge Data & Analytics reported a 4 percent drop in the value of new construction starts last month, estimating groundbreaking at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $589.8 billion. The decline followed a 10 percent increase in September, which was the strongest month for total construction starts so far this year.

Based on transaction data throughout the month, Black Knight Financial Services' Home Price Index (HPI) recorded a 0.01 percent month-over-month decline, keeping it nearly flat at $241,000. The drop follows meager increases of 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent in July and August, respectively.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) agreed to partially waive the additional sanctions that could have been imposed on Bank of America following a record settlement in August over the sale of residential mortgage-backed securities, according to sources familiar with the case in a report from Bloomberg News.

The Conference Board's Leading Economic Index (LEI), a measure of economic growth expectations for the coming months, increased 0.9 percent in October to a reading of 105.2, the group reported Thursday. The spike follows a 0.7 percent increase in September and a flat reading in August.

Despite slower economic growth in recent months following a strong showing in mid-2014, Fannie Mae's Economic and Strategic Research Group says that it still expects 2015 to be a slightly better year overall economically in the United States.

In its latest market update, Zillow reported that the number of for-sale homes nationwide rose 15.8 percent year-over-year in October. While the increase may be welcome news for home shoppers in some of the country's most supply-starved metros, the number comes with a catch: The biggest gains were seen in the highest price tier of homes.

At the direction of their conservator, both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced on Thursday updates to their life-of-loan representation and warranty framework in order to provide clarity for lenders regarding the potential risk for repurchase.