FHFA Records Price Gains for 22nd Straight Month

The ""Federal Housing Finance Agency's"":http://www.fhfa.gov/ (FHFA) monthly ""House Price Index"":http://www.fhfa.gov/webfiles/25952/MonthlyHPI012314Final.pdf (HPI) slowed its upward march substantially in November, rising only 0.1 percent compared to October's 0.5 percent.

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November's increase marked the 22nd straight monthly gain in FHFA's purchase-only, seasonally adjusted index. As of the end of the month, the U.S. index was 8.9 percent below its April 2007 peak, resting at roughly the same level as it was in April 2005.

Year-over-year, house prices improved 7.6 percent.
Across the country, monthly price changes ranged from -1.4 percent in the Census' East South Central division to +0.5 percent in the Mountain, West North Central, and East North Central regions.

Yearly changes were all positive, with the lowest increase reported for the Middle Atlantic division (+3.2 percent) and the highest reported in the Pacific division (+15.4 percent).

FHFA's price index is calculated using sales price information from loans either sold to or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.