FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Decreased in April 2017
Washington, DC – Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages decreased from March to April, 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 3.97 percent for loans closed in late April, down 15 basis points from 4.12…
FHFA: Request for Input to Improve Access to Credit for Qualified Mortgage Borrowers with Limited English Proficiency
Washington, DC – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today issued a Request for Input on issues facing qualified mortgage borrowers with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) throughout the mortgage life cycle process, including lending and servicing. FHFA’s 2017 Scorecard for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Common Securitization Solutions, requires Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the…
CFPB: Seeking Comment on Plan for Assessing the ATR/QM Rule
Today, we released our plan to assess the effectiveness of the Ability-to-Repay/Qualified Mortgage rule (ATR/QM rule). We are asking the public to comment on our plan, to suggest sources of data, and generally to provide information that would help with the assessment. We see conducting the assessment as an opportunity. Conducting the assessment will advance…
FHFA: U.S. House Prices Rise 1.4 Percent in First Quarter
Washington, D.C. – U.S. house prices rose 1.4 percent in the first quarter of 2017 according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI). House prices rose 6.0 percent from the first quarter of 2016 to the first quarter of 2017. FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for March was up 0.6 percent…
CFPB: Four Tips to Get Back on Track if You’re Behind on Your Auto Loan
Paying your bills on time is critical for maintaining or improving your financial situation. Late payments will show up on your credit report, hurt your credit scores, and limit your ability to get other credit. If you’re having trouble making your car payment, you’re not alone. According to trends in auto loan repayment data ,…
CFPB: Office of Servicemember Affairs Guides Military through Financial Hurdles
We’re releasing our fifth annual servicemember report, The Office of Servicemember Affairs: charting our course through the military lifecycle. Servicemembers matter. We created this report to highlight some of the most common financial struggles servicemembers face during their military careers. These struggles are well documented in the over 74,000 complaints we have handled from the military…
FHFA: Refinance Volume Continued to Slow in First Quarter
Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today reported that just over 510,000 refinances were completed in the first quarter of 2017, compared to more than 750,767 in the fourth quarter of 2016. FHFA’s first quarter Refinance Report also shows that 3 percent or 13,425 of the mortgages refinanced from January through March were…
CFPB: Report Finds That 9 in 10 of the Highest-Risk Student Loan Borrowers Were Not Enrolled in Affordable Repayment Plans
Nearly Half of the Highest-Risk Borrowers Not Enrolled in an Affordable Repayment Plan Redefault WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released an analysis of a student loan industry data sample showing that 9 in 10 of the highest-risk borrowers were not enrolled in federal affordable repayment plans. The analysis looks at hundreds…
CFPB: New Data Documents a Disturbing Cycle of Defaults for Struggling Student Loan Borrowers
New data shows a staggering number of struggling student loan borrowers are trapped in a cycle of default. Last year, nearly 1.2 million borrowers defaulted on a Federal Direct Loan—more than two borrowers every minute. In total, more than 8 million borrowers in the U.S. are in default on a student loan. A default can…