Origination

State housing finance agencies had a resurgent fiscal 2023 and the recent fed funds rate reduction could have a mixed impact on them, Fitch Ratings said.

The core personal consumption expenditures price index increased 0.1% from July, and on a three-month annualized basis, it rose by 2.1%.

Some recipients of the new multimillion-dollar funding announced this week include several organizations partnering with historically Black colleges and universities.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed measures designed to bolster consumer protection rules. The bills target several issues that have also been percolating at the federal level.

The 13 largest homeowners insurance underwriters denied almost half of their climate-related claims last year, adding to property owner and mortgage servicer woes.

New single-family home sales decreased 4.7% last month to an annualized rate of 716,000 after rising at the fastest pace since early 2022, government data showed Wednesday.

"A slight upward turn reflects a modest improvement in housing affordability, primarily because mortgage rates descended to 6.5% in August," NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said in a prepared statement.

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.

Mortgage bankers feared a proposal related to lenders' access to a major secondary market and related reporting was too harsh. They're eyeing a redraft closely.

Mortgage rates being at a two-year low has not moved potential buyers off the sidelines, Freddie Mac says, but Redfin says demand for home tours is up.