Purchase loan applications soared 10 percent last week to the highest level since April, even though rates have been stuck in the high sixes, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday. Continue reading
While just 26 percent of Americans said May was a good time to buy, that’s up from 23 percent in April and 14 percent a year ago, an all-time low in Fannie Mae survey. Continue reading
An estimated 7.24 million Americans were unemployed in May, as hiring by private employers slowed and the federal government continued to shrink its payroll. Continue reading
Lawmakers want assurances that privatizing the mortgage giants or taking them public won’t drive mortgage rates up, and put investor profits “over the homes of millions of Americans.” Continue reading
While purchase loan demand was still up 18 percent last week from a year ago, some of that demand may not translate into sales, with Redfin reporting an unusual bump in cancelled purchase contracts. Continue reading
Shares in mortgage giants tumble as investors weigh whether the Trump administration is more interested in mining Fannie and Freddie’s profits than privatizing them. Continue reading
Trump administration keeps up pressure on Fed, but investors don’t expect the U.S. central bank to cut short-term rates until September. Continue reading
Promise that the government will maintain “implicit guarantees” of the companies’ obligations suggests that what Trump has in mind is monetization, not privatization. Continue reading
The sweeping bill was passed in the House on Thursday and now heads to the Senate for consideration. Industry players were pleased by some of the bill’s business-friendly tax provisions and other measures that may aid in homebuyer affordability. Continue reading
President says he’s giving “very serious consideration” to bringing companies public, and investors are hoping that whatever plan emerges will generate a windfall for them. Continue reading