Speculation is widespread in the industry that the Fed will raise short-term interest rates in September, and Fed Chair Janet Yellen's speech in Wyoming on Friday fanned those flames of speculation.
Read More »Housing Affordability Receives a Boost
With affordability becoming a major concern in many housing markets in the United States due to increasing price appreciation and low supply, house-buying power in the U.S. is receiving help from an unlikely source.
Read More »Continued Writedowns of MSRs Eroding Investor Confidence
At the peak of the Fed's quantitative easing, MSRs were trading to the tune of four times cash flow.
Read More »What is the Industry’s Hangup with eMortgages?
The demand for eMortgages is there, according to a survey conducted by the GSEs. So why has the industry been slow to adopt the eMortgage as the standard for originating a mortgage loan?
Read More »Home Values Climbing But Still Not Quite There
The median value of a U.S. home has increased year-over-year every month for four years but is still well-below its pre-recession peak.
Read More »High Rents are Creating First-Time Homebuyers
Many would-be homebuyers cannot afford a down payment because they are putting so much money toward rent, while the reason they are putting so much money toward rent is they can't afford a down payment. A recent survey shows which way they might be leaning.
Read More »Mortgage Rates Still Near Record Low, and Going Nowhere
Markets are erring on the side of caution in anticipation of the second Q2 GDP estimate, to be released Friday, and a speech by Fed Chair Janet Yellen on Friday in Wyoming.
Read More »Housing Shows Signs of Cooling After a Hot Summer
It has been a record breaking summer for residential housing in the United States, according to one analysis. Lately, however, the market has shown signs that things may be slowing down.
Read More »FHFA Extends HARP, Rolls Out High LTV Refi Option
The FHFA announced on Thursday that it will extend its Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) another nine months, and the agency will also be offering a new streamlined refinancing option for high LTV borrowers.
Read More »Millennial Homeowners Utilizing Home Equity for Extra Funds
Those in the 30-34 age group who own homes would rather go with home equity when they need extra cash instead of using credit cards, according to one analysis.
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