HUD: New Residential Sales in January 2017 Announced
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau today jointly announced the following new residential sales statistics for January 2017: NEW HOME SALES Sales of new single-family houses in January 2017 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 555,000. This is 3.7 percent (±18.5 percent)* above…
FHFA: US House Prices Rise 1.5 Percent in Fourth Quarter
Washington, D.C. – U.S. house prices rose 1.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016 according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI). House prices rose 6.2 percent from the fourth quarter of 2015 to the fourth quarter of 2016. FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for December was up 0.4 percent…
FHFA: Refinance Volume Continued to Slow in Fourth Quarter
Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today reported that 13,220 borrowers refinanced their mortgages through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) from October through December. FHFA’s fourth quarter Refinance Report also shows that total refinance volume fell in December, as mortgage interest rates increased. Total HARP refinances now stand at 3,447,671 since…
FHFA: Deadline Extended for Public Input on Potential Chattel Loan Pilot in Duty to Serve Program
Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is extending the deadline, from Feb. 17, 2017 to March 21, 2017, for stakeholders to respond to a request for input on potential manufactured home chattel loans pilot initiatives for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) as part of the Duty to Serve underserved markets. …
CFPB: How to Decide How Much to Spend on Your Down Payment
One of the toughest parts of buying a home for the first time is coming up with a down payment. You may have heard that in order to buy, you should have 20 percent of the total cost of the home saved up for the down payment. Actually, you can choose how much to put…
FHFA: Public Input Requested on Duty to Serve Program
Washington, D.C. – The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is requesting public input on chattel loan pilot initiatives for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) and the proposed Evaluation Guidance under the final rule on Duty to Serve Underserved Markets. FHFA issued a final rule on Dec. 13, 2016 to implement the Duty to…
CFPB: Buy a Home? The First Step is to Check your Credit
Buying a home is exciting. It’s also one of the most important financial decisions you’ll make. Choosing a mortgage to pay for your new home is just as important as choosing the right home. You have the right to control the process. Check out our other blogs on homebuying topics, and join the conversation on Facebook…
HUD: American Housing Survey Results for 25 Metro Areas Released
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau released the results of the 2015 American Housing Survey focusing on 25 metropolitan areas across the country. The data released today includes detailed information on everything from monthly housing costs, hunger, and neighborhood characteristics including crime and the…
CFPB: Fall 2016 Rulemaking Calendar
An important part of the CFPB’s statutory mandate from the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) is to make rules governing consumer finance markets more effective and to create new rules when warranted. Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act, federal agencies must publish regulatory agendas twice a year. As an independent regulatory…
FDIC: New Resource Announced for Community Banks – Affordable Mortgage Lending Guide Part II
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) published a new guide to help community bankers learn more about grant and mortgage loan programs offered by State Housing Finance Agencies. The Affordable Mortgage Lending Guide, Part II: State Housing Finance Agencies describes programs offered by State Housing Finance Agencies across the country. The guide focuses on first-lien mortgage…