Data

Large firms are more positive about ALTA best practice compliance framework than their smaller counterparts, according to the second annual 2015 ComplianceSuccess Survey from Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP (HA&W), a Georgia-based tax, accounting, and business consulting firm.

Arch Mortgage Insurance (MI) Company, a provider of private mortgage insurance and a wholly owned subsidiary of Arch Capital Group Ltd., recently released the Summer 2015 edition of its Housing and Mortgage Market Review. The review contains the latest Arch MI Risk Index model results which revealed that the national average risk of price declines remains unchanged at 8 percent and North Dakota and Texas have elevated risks due to oil and gas exposure and higher home prices in relation to incomes.

The Total Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI) decreased in June, indicating that lending standards are tightening, according to a release from the Mortgage Bankers Association on Tuesday. The Total MCAI, which was benchmarked to 100 in March 2012, declined by 0.5 percent in June down to 122.

In May, the amount of open, unfilled construction sector positions increased over a slightly downwardly revised April estimate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) analysis presented by Robert Dietz on their Eye on Housing blog. The number of construction jobs increased from 137,000 in April to 149,000 in May on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased by 6.3 percent in May 2015 compared to this time last year, according to CoreLogic’s May 2015 Home Price Index Report (HPI). This will make 39 months of consecutive year-over-year increases in home prices nationally.

Consumer attitudes toward the current condition of the home selling market and future home rental prices may launch purchase activity forward for the rest of 2015, according to Fannie Mae’s June 2015 National Housing Survey. Optimism among consumers about the housing market has reached new survey highs and strong job and income growth are making consumers appear more favorable in the selling market, indicating a possible increase in the existing home supply.

There are still many opportunities for real estate investors to acquire properties, despite the decrease in inventory of foreclosed homes, according to new quarterly data from HomeVestors, the ‘We Buy Ugly Houses’ organization, and Local Market Monitor, a real estate forecasting solution. According to the data, Denver, Colorado leads the top 10 list for real estate investing, while Texas dominates the top 10 holding four spots.

Consumers grow uneasy as the spring season comes to a close and recent gains in the housing market begin to decline. Clear Capital, Inc., a provider of data and solutions for real estate asset valuation and collateral risk assessment, recently released its Home Data Index (HDI) Market Report with data through June 2015 that shows that 2015 will be a non-growth year.

The average fixed mortgage rates have reached new 2015 highs, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS). According to the survey, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.08 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending July 2, 2015. This is an increase from last week when it averaged 4.02 percent.

Job gains totaled 223,000 in June as the unemployment rate dipped to 5.3 percent, according to the June 2015 Employment Situation released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Thursday. With June's payroll increase, the average monthly job gain for the last 12 months in the United States is 250,000. Job gains in April and May were revised downward to 187,000 and 254,000, respectively, which was a combined 60,000 lower than previously reported.