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Habib, an often-accurate and frank forecaster bridging Main Street and Wall Street, explains why he found recent times to be challenging, but he's hopeful.

US new-home construction unexpectedly fell in November as a drop in multifamily projects mitigated a rebound in starts of single-family houses, solely in the storm-ravaged South.  

Homeowners experiencing a death in the family, divorce or domestic violence complained of being strong-armed into costly refinances, facing long delays or simply not being helped.

For the third time in five years, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued an enforcement action against the beleaguered bank. It bars USAA from adding new products or loosening its membership criteria without evaluating the risks of getting bigger.

Monetary policy officials greenlighted a 25 basis-point federal funds cut but mixed economic signals dimmed hopes for more affordable home financing costs.

Borrowers with new foreclosure filings also grew, but the number of loan modifications decreased, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

Premium volume increased by 5.3% year-over-year, while operating income was up, but industry expenses also rose in the third quarter, the American Land Title Association said.

Releasing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship without legislation is very high risk for the shareholders, writes the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

Bob Marshall is co-founder and CEO of Whisker Labs. After a family member experienced a
devastating home electrical fire, Bob founded Whisker Labs to create Ting, a sensor and service
that helps detect and prevent electrical hazards before they can start a fire. The company is
partnered with over a dozen US insurance providers seeking to better protect their customers
and mitigate fire-related losses.

As an engineer, Bob is passionate about identifying crucial data that solves big problems – in
this case, Whisker Labs' network of 800,000+ Ting sensors is the most comprehensive data
resource on electrical fires today.

After a legislative initiative on trigger leads was cut from a defense bill, the bipartisan Homebuyers' Privacy Protection Act passed the Senate and is now heading to the House.