CFPB: Final Rule Issued to Help Mortgage Servicers Communicate with Certain Borrowers Facing Bankruptcy
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) today issued a final rule to help mortgage servicers communicate with certain borrowers facing bankruptcy. The final rule gives mortgage servicers more latitude in providing periodic statements to consumers entering or exiting bankruptcy, as required by the Bureau’s 2016 mortgage servicing rule. The Truth in Lending Act requires mortgage…
Census Bureau: Housing Vacancy Survey Annual Results Available for 2017
Today the U.S. Census Bureau released annual statistics for the 2017 rental and homeowner vacancy rates, homeownership rates and characteristics of units available for rent for the United States, regions, states and the 75 largest metropolitan statistical areas. Data for all geographies are from the Current Population Survey/Housing Vacancy Survey and are available annually. Homeownership…
FHFA: U.S. House Prices Rise 1.6 Percent in Fourth Quarter 2017
U.S. house prices rose 1.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017 according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI). House prices rose 6.7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of 2017. FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for December was up 0.3 percent from November. The HPI is…
CFPB: Thinking About Buying a House in 2018? Here’s What You Need to Know
Are you thinking about buying a house this year? We’ve got tools and resources that will help you get your financial house in order as you prepare to look for that perfect place to call home—and shop for a mortgage that’s right for you. Just as in 2017, the supply of homes for sale is…
HUD: Trump Administration Proposes 2019 HUD Budget
Spending plan will preserve or increase support for homeless, seniors, disabled, and healthy housing WASHINGTON – The Trump Administration today announced the proposed Fiscal Year 2019 Budget for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a $41.24 billion spending plan that continues or expands support for vulnerable populations including those experiencing homelessness, the…
HUD and Census Bureau: New Residential Sales Report for December 2017
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for December 2017: New Home Sales Sales of new single-family houses in December 2017 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 625,000. This is 9.3 percent (±11.0 percent) below the revised November…
HUD: Wholesale Review of Manufactured Housing Rules Announced
Public comment sought in effort to identify regulations that stifle affordable housing and job creation The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a top-to-bottom review of its manufactured housing rules as part of a broader effort to identify regulations that may be ineffective, overly burdensome, or excessively costly given the critical…
FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in December 2017
Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from November to December, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 4.08 percent for loans closed in late December, up 3 basis points from 4.05 percent in November….
FHFA: House Price Index Up 0.4 Percent in November 2017
U.S. house prices rose in November, up 0.4 percent from the previous month, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) seasonally adjusted monthly House Price Index (HPI). The previously reported 0.5 percent increase in October was revised upward to 0.6 percent. The FHFA monthly HPI is calculated using home sales price information from mortgages…
HUD: $37 Million in Grants Awarded to Fight Housing Discrimination
Grants will support more than 150 fair housing organizations nationwide The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today it is awarding $37 million to fight housing discrimination under its Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP). These grants will support more than 150 national and local fair housing organizations working to confront violations of…