Mortgage applications

Refinance applications fell by almost 50% in the past four weeks, part of a greater slide since the last Federal Reserve interest rate cut.

Eighty percent of respondents say their current mortgage payment is putting a strain on their personal finances, per a Transunion survey.

The refinance boomlet is over, but purchase activity is straggling along.

The lawmaker said leadership on the House Financial Services Committee is supportive of the legislation, which would limit the ability of credit-reporting agencies to sell homebuyer information to financial service providers.

U.S. mortgage applications for both home purchases and refinancing dropped last week to the lowest levels since August, hobbled by a recent surge in mortgage rates.

Rising rates have apparently erased the optimism stemming from last month's Federal Reserve interest rate cut.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Department of Justice issued a consent order against Wisconsin-based nonbank mortgage originator Fairway Independent Mortgage over redlining allegations. Fairway is the country's fifth-largest mortgage originator by volume.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose over 20 basis points last week, putting downward pressure on home loan activity.

Last week's lukewarm results come after a two-year high in application activity.

Affordability improved for a fourth straight month, but questions remain about whether recent trends will bring a significant number of buyers into the housing market.