News / Features
The National Association of Realtors announced in a recent report that its Housing Affordability Index, the 41-year-old index that measures household purchasing power, was at its third highest level ever after the first quarter of
Freddie Mac released its Quarterly Product Transition Report today, and the report contained several findings on home refinancing, most notable that in the second quarter of 2011, fixed-rate loans accounted for about 95 percent of refinance
The Department of Commerce released data today on housing starts, showing a housing market that, despite some low numbers, is showing signs of
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today released its latest report on consumer credit, stating that credit continues to improve in the wake of the 2008 economic
In an effort to combat the frequently negative reports on the U.S. housing market, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is crafting a new index that emphasizes growing and positive aspects of the
America’s real estate market could be on an “unsustainable path,” faced with an oversupply of homes inaccessible to either renters or buyers. That’s what three Morgan Stanley analysts argue in a recent paper that outlines steps that can be
Standard and Poor’s Rating Services (S&P) recently downgraded Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s credit rating from AAA to AA+ because it’s linked to the long-term debt of the U.S. S&P previously downgraded the U.S.’s credit rating to AA+ as
Freddie Mac reported $27 million in expenses for maintaining and reselling REOs in the second quarter, as opposed to the $257 million reported for the previous
Despite the nation’s credit downgrade, the Federal Housing Finance Agency assured investors that securities issued by the Treasury and other government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) are still
After losing $8.7 billion in the first quarter, Fannie Mae has reported a loss of $5.2 billion in the second quarter. Fannie Mae still owes the Treasury $104.8 billion, but now the Federal Housing Finance Agency is requesting another
Earlier this year, CIVIX-DDI, LLC sued Realtor.com and subsequently the Multiple Listing Services by way of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The suit with Realtor.com named CIVIX’s patent on ““systems and methods for remotely accessing a selected group
Earlier this year, Federal Housing Association (FHA) seemed to be in a steep hole when it came to the REO inventory. However, a recent report shows that FHA has sold a record number of REO in June, breaking the
The Market Composite Index shows that the measure of mortgage loan application volume has increased 7.1 percent this week, while similar numbers have moved up and down. According to Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly applications survey for the week ending
Although our recent Green issue seemed to show green-certified homes aren’t a big priority for homebuyers, a new study shows that green-certified homes are worth more than homes which aren’t certified. One analysis from the Earth Advantage Institute found
After weeks of debate over the debt ceiling, Sunday night the compromise deal was agreed upon and the emergency legislation passed in the Senate this morning, 74 to
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act have paved the way for an increase in the required down payment for mortgages, however, many analysts and industry professionals are criticizing this