National News

NAR Calls on Washington For Housing Summit

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is urging the White House to host a housing summit composed of policy makers, industry leaders and government stake holders with the intention of revitalizing the U.S. housing

Refinancing: An Alternative Approach to Stimulus

Ideas abound for how to stimulate the housing market, and one idea that has acquired a number of supporters is a government-led refinancing

New Home Sales Consistent from June to July

New home sales remained consistent from June to July, dropping just 0.7 percent to 298,000, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau earlier

NY Congressman Suggests New Round of Housing Stimulus

Democratic congressman Gary Ackerman of New York is suggesting a new round of housing stimulus, this time focused on first-time home buyers and potential

Delinquency Rates Up, But Foreclosures Down

The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties increased in the second quarter of 2011, but loans under foreclosure decreased, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s National Delinquency

Housing Scorecard Mixed, But Shows Improvement

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have released the July edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard, and, like most of the recent housing data, it shows a mixed

Should Homebuyers Choose 15- or 30-Year-Mortgages?

With rates at historic lows, potential home buyers now have a number of unexpected factors to consider when buying a house, namely the costs and benefits of 15-year and 30-year

NAR Data Shows Improving Numbers, but Tough Financing

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released its July housing data yesterday, and though the data showed a marked improvement from July of 2010, it also showed a housing market that continues to continues to grapple with tougher

Mortgage Rates Now at 50-Year Low

Freddie Mac released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey today, which shows both fixed and adjustable mortgage rates are reaching all-time record lows, providing even further incentive for homeowners looking to

U.S. Investigating S&P Bond Rating Practices

According to a New York Times report published earlier today, the U.S. Justice Department is investigating Standard & Poor’s (S&P), the nation’s largest credit ratings agency, for its questionable ratings of risky mortgage-backed securities in the run-up to the

NAR Raises Milestone Sum, Avoids Potential CIVIX Lawsuits

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has raised $7.5 million for an multiple listing services (MLS) licensing agreement that will allow MLSs and Realtor associations full access to valuable property listings without legal

New Report Finds Mortgage Fraud Still High

Interthinx, an analytics company, released its comprehensive Second Quarter Mortgage Fraud Risk Report late last week, and among its chief findings were that on a national level, mortgage fraud risk declined 2.3 percent over

Hand in Hand? Housing’s Impact on the Economy

With new data on housing starts out recently and July sales data on the horizon, economists and journalists are debating what role housing plays in the U.S. economic

NAR Study Latest in Affordable Housing Reports

The National Association of Realtors announced in a recent report that its Housing Affordability Index, the 41-year-old index that measures household purchasing power, was at its third highest level ever after the first quarter of

Freddie Mac: Fixed-rate Mortgages Dominated Refinancing

Freddie Mac released its Quarterly Product Transition Report today, and the report contained several findings on home refinancing, most notable that in the second quarter of 2011, fixed-rate loans accounted for about 95 percent of refinance

Housing Starts Down in July, But Improving, Says Reports

The Department of Commerce released data today on housing starts, showing a housing market  that, despite some low numbers, is showing signs of

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