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Tag Archives: Debt Crisis

Mortgage Rates Hit Record Lows. Again

Lack of action from the Fed on monetary policy, wrangling in the nation├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós Capitol, and ongoing problems overseas helped push mortgage rates to new record lows this week. Finance Web site Bankrate.com recorded an all-time low for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, which slammed into 4.19 percent, down from 4.24 percent. Mortgage giant Freddie Mac countered with rates for the benchmark loan that again fell to 3.94 percent, down from 3.99 percent from the week before.

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FOMC Keeps Interest Rates at 0%

Acknowledging improvements in the larger economy, the Federal Open Market Committee said Tuesday that it would keep a heel on zero interest rates and continue shepherding funds from mortgage-backed securities into agency mortgage-backed securities. The rate for federal funds remains between zero interest and .25 percent since December, and follows an earlier decision by the Fed to buy up $400 billion in Treasuries to ensure lower borrowing costs.

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Mortgage Rates Largely Unchanged This Week. Again

Mortgage rates remained largely unchanged this week as debt crises in Europe drag on, with finance leaders and heads of state there seemingly unable to broker a solution. Mortgage giant Freddie Mac and finance Web site Bankrate.com each released separate surveys chronicling lurches in interest rates for loans. Bankrate.com also fielded record lows for jumbo 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, with rates for the loan falling to 4.68 percent for the first time in the history of the survey.

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Fannie Economist: Europe ‘Clearly’ in Recession

The chief economist with Fannie Mae said Tuesday that Europe is "clearly" in recession and forecasted that the United States will endure market corrections for the next five years as housing largely stays in the doldrums. Fannie Mae economist Doug Duncan spoke at the 2011 MPact Mortgage Banking Conference and Expo, which former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice headlined Monday evening. Rice discussed problems with the euro zone during her keynote address. Duncan predicted that annual growth will hedge toward 1.5 percent over the next year.

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S&P Lookout Report Shows Growth in Global Concerns

Standard & Poor's recent Lookout Report showed a solid reduction in the amount of recession-related concerns those in the U.S. financial markets are feeling and acting upon. The biweekly survey, created by S&P Capital IQ's Global Market Intelligence division, demonstrated that the drop in anxiety over the state of the nation's overall economic conditions was somewhat mitigated by rising fears over the European debt crisis. S&P's outlook also showed that U.S. home pricing has returned to levels seen in 2002.

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Europe’s Crises Keep Mortgage Rates at a Standstill

Mortgage rates largely stayed the same this week as trouble in the euro zone threatened to upend global financial markets, encouraging investors to stay near the safe haven of U.S. Treasury debt. Mortgage giant Freddie Mac and finance Web site Bankrate.com released separate weekly surveys that found rates hovering at or above figures seen for several weeks in a row. The GSE noted averages for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reaching 4 percent ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô the fifth consecutive week for lows for the benchmark loan.

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Stocks Soar on Fed’s Move to Save Global Financial System

Fed

A bold move to shore up global financial liquidity by the Federal Reserve and central banks from five other countries created a surge in confidence for investors Wednesday, inspiring a pickup in stocks and shares for the nation├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós four biggest U.S. lenders. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped nearly 500 points to crest at 12,045.68 by end of day in response, with shares climbing for Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo. Central banks agreed to lower prices for U.S. dollar liquidity swaps by 50 basis points.

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Reports: Fitch May Downgrade Fannie, Freddie

A failure by lawmakers to slash $1.2 trillion from the national debt spurred Fitch Ratings to place U.S. debt on negative outlook Monday, a move that immediately hit GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by association. The ratings agency revised a stable outlook for debt held by Fannie and Freddie to negative, even while it reaffirmed AAA-ratings in place for the GSEs. Multiple news reports suggest that Fitch will likely downgrade credit ratings for the U.S. federal government, along with Fannie and Freddie.

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International RMBS, CMBS Sales Impacting Banks Globally

In international news, the sale of securitized bonds is causing concern for the secondary market. Analysts from Morgan Stanley released a recent report indicating that securities earmarked for sale by the European banks holding the bonds could reach as high as $470 billion. For struggling companies, rising costs for funding and capital have weakened their positions, leading to the sale of assets; the institutions seeking to liquidate securities holdings encompass lenders focused on deleveraging and distressed banks.

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Housing Market Will Stay Flat in 2012: Fannie Mae

Even with a pickup in the general economy, overall growth will remain flat into the New Year, slowing any impact from the housing market and delaying significant changes, according to a think tank internal to Fannie Mae. The mortgage company described circumstances going forward as those vulnerable to weak jobs growth, external shocks from the euro zone, and pickups or drops in consumer spending and confidence. Troubled euro zone markets continued to weigh down on the forecast.

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