National News

Mortgage Delinquencies Decline 10 Percent in LPS' August First Look

By Peter Ricci The U.S. mortgage delinquency rate declined by 10.6 percent year-over-year in the August First Look report from Lender Processing Services, an analytics firm that studies the mortgage markets and real estate industries. A study of approximately

FHFA Targets Five States, Including Illinois, For New G-Fees

In an effort to recover past losses, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is considering new g-fees in five states most affected by the housing downturn. Labeling its losses as “exceptionally high,” the FHFA has selected Connecticut, Florida, Illinois,

Obama Scorecard: Fewer Americans Underwater, But Housing Remains Fragile

By Kerri Panchuk The number of underwater borrowers is down from late 2011, but housing is far from on the mend, the Obama Administration said. In the administration’s August Housing Scorecard, the report shows the number of upside-down borrowers

Bigger is Better for Foreign House Hunters: Dutch, Irish and Brits Want Bigger Homes

By Tara Steele, AGBeat While the average homebuyer in America is searching for smaller and smaller homes every year, foreign seekers looking at American properties are searching for big

More Than One Million HAMP Mods Canceled

By Jon Prior The one millionth Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) trial or permanent workout failed in July, according to the latest Treasury Department data. A total of 770,834 borrowers failed to finish either a three-month trial or were

Trulia IPO Starts With a Bang, Shares Up 41 Percent

By Peter Ricci Well, so much for our Trulia IPO skepticism – the real estate website became the latest tech darling yesterday when it’s stock hit the New York Stock Exchange, rising 41 percent and closing at $24 a

NAHB Housing Market Index Hits Highest Mark since 2006

By Peter Ricci National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index rose for the fifth consecutive month in September, rising three points and reaching its highest level since June of 2006. A measure of builder confidence in the

Existing-Home Sales Rise 7.8 Percent As Housing Inventory Stabilizes

By Peter Ricci Existing-home sales continued their positive readings in August, rising 7.8 percent from July  and 9.3 percent from August 2011 as housing inventory continued to stabilize, according to the National Association of

Privately-Owned Housing Starts Up 29.1 Percent in August

Privately-owned housing starts rose in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 750,000, a 2.3 percent increase from July and 29.1 percent increase from August 2011, according to the newest stats from the U.S. Census Bureau. In addition,

What's the Impact of the Fed's New Policies on Housing?

By Peter Ricci Late last week, the Federal Reserve responded to calls for action with another round of fiscal stimulus, by far its most ambitious

FHA Condo Requirements Eased Until 2014

By Peter Ricci The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has eased some of its more stringent condo requirements through August 2014 to better serve the current housing market. Those requirements, some of which generated quite a bit of controversy with

Could Freddie Mac Repurchase Plan Yield the GSE $3.4 Billion?

By Peter Ricci A Freddie Mac repurchase plan, which would involve the GSE essentially forcing lenders to buy back toxic mortgages that it once guaranteed, could net the company as much as $3.4 billion, according to new analysis from the

Federal Reserve Commits to Quantitative Easing 3

By Peter Ricci Federal Open Market Committee, the Federal Reserve committee responsible for overseeing interest rates and money supply in the United States, made it official today – the Fed will be pursuing a new policy of economic stimulus,

CoreLogic – Negative Equity Mortgages Declined in Second Quarter

By Peter Ricci Negative equity mortgages declined in the second quarter, falling from 11.4 million properties to 10.8 million, according to the latest data from CoreLogic. Additionally, 1.8 million borrowers are only 5 percent underwater on their mortgages, and

Senate Dems Give HARP Expansion Another Try

By Peter Ricci Two Democrats in the Senate have reintroduced an ambitious bill that would extend refinancing to more than 13 million borrowers through an expansion of the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). The bill, which is being proposed

Do the Party Platforms for Democrats and Republicans Address Housing?

By Peter Ricci More than a month ago, we asked why housing, despite its overwhelming importance to the U.S. economy, was not coming up on the presidential campaign trail, and now that the conventions have come and gone –

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