In an announcement Wednesday, FDIC introduced the first in what the agency says will be a series of technical assistance videos developed in the wake of this year's mortgage regulations handed down from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Read More »Mortgage Applications Up in Holiday-Adjusted Survey
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a seasonally adjusted increase of 4.9 percent in mortgage applications for the week ending November 14. The figure also includes an adjustment for the Veterans Day bank holiday. The jump accompanied a slight dip in interest rates, which fell to an average 4.18 percent for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.
Read More »Risk Index Forecasts Low Odds of Price Declines in Coming Years
Looking at economic and housing market indicators in the second quarter, Arch Mortgage Insurance Company (Arch MI) says the odds of a decline in home prices in the next two years on the national level are 13 percent, down from 15 percent in the company's summer estimate.
Read More »Housing Starts Fall in October as Permits Hit Six-Year High
According to a report released by the Commerce Department, groundbreaking on new housing projects was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.01 million last month, a drop of 2.8 percent from September's upwardly revised estimate of 1.04 million. Meanwhile, permit issuance for new housing units was at a rate of 1.08 million, a six-year high for that figure.
Read More »Forecast: Economic Growth to Help Housing in 2015
In Freddie Mac's latest Economic and Housing Market Outlook for the United States, the company's economists turn their attention away from 2014—a mixed year for housing, especially compared to 2013—and toward 2015, which they say will see continued strengthening in the market for home purchase mortgages as the economy improves on a broad basis.
Read More »Report Breaks Down Labor Force Hurdles
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 »CoreLogic Launches Servicing Compliance Solution
In California, CoreLogic has launched a new compliance solution designed to offer servicers a more comprehensive way to analyze their mortgage portfolios.
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.
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