Homebuyers respond as mortgage rates hover near 2025 lows

Purchase loan requests are up 7 percent from a year ago, as loosening housing inventory and a pullback in mortgage rates presents FHA buyers with more opportunities. Continue reading

FHFA gutting Fannie, Freddie minority homeownership programs

Flood of orders published without explanation on social media target programs and practices designed to boost lending in minority communities, protect borrowers from unfair or deceptive practices. Continue reading

Trump’s FHFA could rein in Fannie and Freddie’s high-end lending

Cutting the mortgage giants’ $806,500 conforming loan limit could relieve pressure on home prices but leave more homebuyers seeking jumbo mortgages at higher rates from private lenders. Continue reading

New-home sales rebound in February after winter weather bout

Sales of new single-family homes hit a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 676,000 in February — an uptick of 5.1 percent — and roughly met economists’ expectations, according to data released Tuesday. Continue reading

Surprise Fed move takes some pressure off of mortgage rates

Central bank dials back Treasury rolloffs but is not ready to cut short-term interest rates, as Fed policymakers indicate they’re more worried about inflation than they were in December. Continue reading

Pulte chair of Fannie, Freddie after 14 board members are purged

Less than a week after being confirmed by the Senate to lead the FHFA, homebuilder scion launches campaign focused on making homebuying more affordable by cutting alleged wasteful spending at the mortgage giants. Continue reading

Bill Pulte confirmed to lead Fannie and Freddie’s federal regulator

Mortgage industry groups support the Trump administration’s picks to lead the FHFA and CFPB, but questions remain about the prospects for dramatic policy shifts at the agencies. Continue reading

Encouraging CPI inflation report does little for mortgage rates

Homebuyers have responded to a pullback in mortgage rates from January highs, but tariffs on imported goods could keep inflation elevated and halt the downward trend in rates. Continue reading

Weak February jobs report moves the needle on mortgage rates

Mortgage rates eased Friday as investors took stock of new data showing employers added 151,000 workers to their payrolls in February and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1 percent. Continue reading

Homebuyers and homeowners jump on big drop in mortgage rates

Requests to refinance surged 37 percent last week and were up 83 percent from a year ago after the biggest one-week decline in mortgage rates since November, the MBA’s latest weekly lender survey shows. Continue reading