A report released recently by the Pew Research Center indicates that while the U.S. unemployment rate is low, the number of people who are "not in the labor force," meaning they are not counted among the unemployed in the BLS survey, is near an all-time high.
Read More »Lenders Show ‘Tepid Optimism’ in Business Outlook
Along a one to 10 scale with one being "much worse" and 10 being "much better," 34 percent of respondents said they expected business conditions to be "a little better" in six months (a six on the scale), while 22 percent said they expected business conditions to be "a little worse" (a five on the scale), the Collingwood Group reported.
Read More »Builder Confidence Rebounds After October Drop
The National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Housing Market Index, a closely watched gauge of builder sentiment, rose four points in the latest reading to a level of 58, the group reported. The increase followed a five-point drop in October and put the index close to its September reading of 59, a nearly nine-year high.
Read More »Home Sales, Prices Improve in October; Inventory Worsens
RE/MAX's latest National Housing Report, which follows changes in home sales, prices, and inventory in 53 metro areas across the United States, shows October transactions came in 2.6 percent higher than a year ago. The annual increase came despite a 0.8 percent drop from September's sales total.
Read More »FHA’s Insurance Fund Back in Black
Following an independent review of its finances, FHA reported to Congress Monday that its Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund is valued at $4.8 billion for the fiscal year 2014, a step up from last year's shortfall of $1.3 billion.
Read More »Consumer Spending Indicator Drops in October
Deloitte's Consumer Spending Index, a gauge of cash flow as a measure of future spending, came in at 4.1 in the firm's October reading, down from 4.4 in September. The biggest contribution to October's decline was new home prices, which fell 9.8 percent month-over-month to a median $109,000.
Read More »Consumer Sentiment Beats Forecasts in Early November Reading
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment registered 89.4 in a mid-month reading, the best showing since July 2007. Economists had forecast the measure would hit 87.5, with some predicting as high as 89.
Read More »Rising Home Values Spark HELOC Activity
TD Bank reported Monday the results of its inaugural Consumer Borrowing Index, a survey of more than 1,300 U.S. HELOC borrowers created to provide insights into their motivation, usage, and perceptions of the loan. According to the bank's survey, 53 percent of homeowners polled said the value of their home has increased in the past few years, giving them more equity to pull from.
Read More »Lenders: Increasing Mortgage Availability Not Worth Regulatory Risk
In a poll conducted by the Collingwood Group throughout October, 71 percent of mortgage lenders said the odds of them lowering credit score requirements for borrowers are between "somewhat" and "extremely unlikely," with several saying they feel their standards are already relatively low and that they generally follow the credit parameters set by agency investors.
Read More »California Lender to Pay $730K Over Alleged Mortgage Steering
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ordered California-based mortgage lender Franklin Loan Corporation to pay $730,000 in restitution for rewarding its employees with bonuses for suggesting loans with higher interest rates to borrowers.
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