News

Despite soaring builder confidence, new housing permits and starts fell in June, with new construction falling to the lowest level in 10 months, the Census Bureau and HUD reported Wednesday. The seasonally adjusted annual rate of new housing permits tumbled 7.5 percent--the largest month-over-month decline since January 2011--while starts fell 9.9 percent, the second-largest drop since February 2011. Builders completed homes at an annual adjusted pace of 755,000 in June, 6.3 percent more than May.

The Senate Banking Committee unveiled on Monday a discussion draft of "The Federal Housing Administration [FHA]" Solvency Act of 2013," a new bill designed to provide the agency with tools to strengthen underwriting, make lenders more accountable, and bolster its reverse mortgage program. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota), who praised FHA's role in preventing a more severe housing crash but said action is needed to repair the agency's situation.

The new home market in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex continued to see rapid growth in the second quarter, according to a report from Metrostudy, a Hanley Wood company.

The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to confirm Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). According to the Senate website, Cordray was confirmed in a 66-34 vote. President Obama installed Cordray as a recess appointment in 2012, a move that attracted criticism from opponents, who say the Senate was not actually in recess. Critics of the CFPB had vowed not to confirm any nomination for director until the agency saw substantial changes.

Market participants reacting to speculation that the Federal Reserve may taper its bond purchases later this year should refrain from acting too hastily, Freddie Mac says in its U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook for July. According to Freddie Mac's metrics, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has jumped a full percentage point since mid-May as "taper talk" rules the day. Rates are expected to gradually move higher, closing out 2013 in the range of 4.6 to 4.7 percent.

The StoneHill Group's Wade Hamby received an honor from Mortgage Bankers Association of Florida for his contributions to the association and the mortgage industry.

After surging in June, the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Housing Market Index (HMI)--a measure of builder confidence--shot up again in July, climbing six points to 57, its highest reading since January 2006, the group reported Tuesday. The two-month 13-point gain was the strongest two-month increase since January-February 1992, when the index improved 14 points. All three of the HMI components increased for the third month in a row.

As major lenders start releasing their second-quarter earnings reports, Fitch Ratings anticipates future filings will show the impact of higher interest rates on banks' mortgage earnings.

In New York, Accenture announced its acquisition of Mortgage Cadence, a leading provider of loan origination software and e-document management services.

FNC's Residential Price Index (RPI) continued to show gains in May, though the company noted the pace of growth has started to slow to a more sustainable level. According to FNC, the index climbed 0.5 percent in May, striking a balance between April's 0.7 percent growth and March's 0.3 percent improvement. From December through May, FNC reported an average monthly price growth of 0.4 percent, which annual appreciation rates (4.0 percent in May compared to May 2012) similarly leveling out.