Tag Archives: mortgage rates

Construction, Retail Sales Higher

The Mortgage Corner The strength of the economy right now is in the housing and construction sectors, again areas insulated from global factors, such as China’s slowdown. Construction spending, next to vehicle sales, is perhaps the week’s best surprise, rising … Continue reading

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Higher Birth Rates Are Here

The Mortgage Corner The mellennial generation, now aged 18 to 36 years, are beginning to drive higher birth rates. And that means more households being formed, which will ultimately create a higher demand for housing. Actually, a 4 million birth … Continue reading

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Home Prices Increase With Jobs

The Mortgage Corner The S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index is the bell weather for real estate and home prices these days. It not only reports housing prices, but what affects those prices, and jobs have to be the most important … Continue reading

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Housing In Recovery-Pending Home Sales Soar

The Mortgage Corner February Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, rose 3.1 percent to 106.9 in February from a slight downward revision of 103.7 in January and is now 12.0 percent above February 2014 (95.4). … Continue reading

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January Existing Home Sales, Mortgage Applications Dip

The Mortgage Corner Oh, the winter freeze! It seems to put the housing market into a deep freeze, as well. Total existing-home sales, completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, fell 4.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted … Continue reading

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Mortgage Refinancings Surge in 2015

The Mortgage Corner The still record-low interest rates are making a difference. Refinancings jumped 66 percent in January’s first two weeks, according to the MBA. And borrowers who refinanced during the fourth quarter of 2014 were able to reduce their … Continue reading

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CFPB Releases Borrower Guidelines

The Mortgage Corner The Consumer Protection Financial Bureau, set up as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street and Consumer Protection Act, has just published guidelines for mortgage borrowers to help them get the best possible terms. Knowing mortgage guidelines and … Continue reading

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New-Home Construction, Builders’ Optimism Still Rising

The Mortgage Corner Home builders’ optimism is still high, though builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes fell one point in December to a level of 57 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market … Continue reading

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Mortgage Delinquency and Foreclosure Rates Lowest Since 2007

The Mortgage Corner The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.85 percent of all loans outstanding at the end of the third quarter of 2014. This is approaching the historical … Continue reading

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Deflation Is Now Major Concern

Popular Economics Weekly We wrote recently about the Eurozone in danger of becoming Japan, which has suffered through some 2 decades of a deflationary spiral, before Prime Minister Abe opened the stimulus spigots. Why is deflation (or disinflation, which is … Continue reading

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