Tag Archives: Federal Reserve

The Senate Banking Committee has voted to approve Janet Yellen's nomination to chair the Federal Reserve, bringing Yellen one step closer to being the first woman to serve as head of the country's central bank.

On net, a "moderate fraction" of banks polled in the Fed's Senior Loan Officer Survey reported easing standards on prime residential mortgages from August to October, with a net 8.8 percent saying credit standards have "eased somewhat." Among large banks, a net 26.5 percent reported somewhat looser standards. Meanwhile, however, demand has declined for both prime and nontraditional mortgages as mortgage rates bounce upward. Among all respondents, a net 7.2 percent reported moderately or substantially weaker demand.

Softening trends in the housing market brought fixed mortgage rates to their lowest level since June last week, according to data from Freddie Mac.

Analysts holding out for a sign that the Federal Reserve may soon taper its asset purchasing program will have to continue waiting. The Fed released on Wednesday the latest Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) statement, revealing a generally cautious attitude as the economy struggles against headwinds. On the subject of housing, the FOMC noted growth has slowed in recent months; however, unlike the September statement, October's release does not cite rising mortgage rates as a concern.

Five federal agencies issued Tuesday a statement assuring creditors that they do not run the risk of being found in violation of fair lending laws should they choose to only originate qualified mortgages (QM) as defined earlier in the year. With creditors having to consider a balance of secondary market opportunities, capital requirements, and credit and liability risk, regulators say they expect there will be a need for most businesses to fine-tune their products in response--something they should be used to.

Now that most of the nation's biggest mortgage players have put out their earnings numbers for the third quarter, investment bank FBR Capital Markets says its mortgage banking forecasts--$1.6 billion for 2013 originations followed by $1.4 billion in 2014--are still well within reach. Examining the reports, FBR says the third quarter was a case of "more of the same, with anemic loan growth ... weak mortgage banking, and lack of top-line expansion as the more notable items."

Sentiment is "cautiously optimistic" surrounding the future of the nation's economy, although the federal government shutdown was cause for some concern, according to the Federal Reserve's Beige Book released Wednesday. Revealing economic conditions in each of the Federal Reserve's 12 districts, the report found "modest to moderate" economic expansion over the reporting period from August 27 through October 7. Reports of the housing market were generally positive, with most markets growing--or at least not faltering.

SunTrust announced Thursday that it has taken further steps to clear up its mortgage problems with the government and with the GSEs. On top of an agreement reached with Freddie Mac at the end of September, SunTrust has settled with HUD, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Reserve for allegedly unsound practices with respect to its servicing and origination operations. The Atlanta-based lender estimates its third-quarter earnings will take a $179 million hit as a result.

According to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) was 4.32 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending September 26, down to the lowest level since the week ending July 25. A year ago, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.40 percent. Declines were just as drastic in Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The site reported a drop of nearly 20 basis points for the 30-year fixed, which ended the week at 4.47 percent.

Continuing the drop in first-time claims for unemployment insurance, initial filings fell 5,000 for the week ending September 21 to 305,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists had expected the number of claims to jump up to 330,000 from the 309,000 originally reported for the week ending September 14. The number of filings for that week was revised up to 310,000.