Category Archives: Housing

New-Home Sales Soaring

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner There aren’t enough new homes being built, apparently, as new U.S. homes sold at an annual rate of 444,000 in October, up 25.4 percent from 354,000 in September, the U.S. Census Bureau said Wednesday. And the inventory … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Conforming Loan Limits Won’t Decline in 2014

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The Federal Housing Finance Agency has just announced it is keeping conforming loan limits at the same level in 2014 for most areas in the country. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can guarantee mortgages up to $417,000 … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Housing, housing market, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Should We Be Thankful For?

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs There is still much we can be thankful for this Thanksgiving, in spite of tax raises and government spending cuts that affect mostly the poorest—whether it’s less food stamps, early child care, environmental protection, and maybe even fewer … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Housing, housing market, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is Builder Optimism, New Home Construction Faltering?

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Will new-home construction falter, now that interest rates are rising and consumers remain unsettled over Washington’s political gridlock that prevents any legislation being passed that would aid economic growth? Builder confidence in the market for newly built, … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Housing, housing market, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Mortgage Delinquencies Continue to Decline

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The good news is that foreclosure rates continue to fall, though delinquencies more than 90 days late are fluctuating with the season, according to Lender Processing Services (LPS) in their Mortgage Monitor report for September. According to … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Housing, housing market, Macro Economics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Consumer Debt At Record Lows

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs The Federal Reserve just released the Q2 2013 Household Debt Service and Financial Obligations Ratios. The overall Debt Service Ratio decreased in Q2 2013, and is just above the record low set in Q4 2012 thanks to very … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Housing, housing market, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Conforming Mortgage Limit Reductions Postponed

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Federal officials will delay any reduction in the maximum size of home-mortgage loans eligible for backing by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac until next spring at the earliest, said FHFA Administrator Ed DeMarco in a Wall Street … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Housing, housing market, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Government Shutdown Dims Builder Optimism

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs New-home construction is already a casualty of the government shutdown, and even sequestration agreement that has cut government hiring and spending more than $1.6 trillion to date. But its effect would be mitigated if interest rates remain low, … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Housing, housing market, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

So-called Qualified Mortgages Are a Problem

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The new rules coming into effect in January 2013 for most conforming loans—i.e., those guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will cause a definite drop in mortgage lending. The Consumer Protection Financial Bureau, created under Dodd-Frank … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Housing, housing market, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Econ Robert Shiller’s Nobel Prize a Big Win

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Although much of what Yale economist Robert Shiller writes is about the importance of financial markets, he won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for studying how financial markets misbehave. He is a pioneer in the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Housing, Keynesian economics, Macro Economics, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment