Economy

FHFA Director Bill Pulte has prioritized targeting fraud, including proposing a tougher Suspended Counterparty Program and debuting a mortgage fraud tip line.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expects negotiations with trading partners over tariffs to conclude by the end of the year but acknowledged that talks with China had not yet begun.

President Donald Trump's proposed budget would nix funding for Community Development Financial Institutions in minority-heavy areas while expanding it for rural areas.

Pricing on the 30-year fixed rate mortgage retreated this week as investors digested some economic news, including a GDP contraction in the first quarter.

The Long Island-based regional bank, which reported another quarterly loss Friday, continues to hire in the commercial-and-industrial lending sphere as it seeks to diversify its commercial real estate-heavy business.

Doug Duncan may be retired from Fannie Mae, but not from the housing market—his new firm is ramping up with writing, speaking, and advisory work.

It is quite likely March's drop in the Purchase Application Payment Index will be transitory as mortgage rates have increased since the start of April.

Whether current conditions favor buyers or sellers is up for debate, as economic uncertainty begins to influence consumer behavior, The Real Brokerage said.

Don Layton, former Freddie Mac CEO, and self-proclaimed "GSEologist" predicts that a release of the two entities will occur within four to six years.

The International Monetary Fund lowered its economic growth projections for 2025, citing policy uncertainty. It also urged central banks to stand ready to use macroprudential tools to facilitate lending in a potential recession.

House Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters, D-Calif., led a group of Democrats in challenging Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over the current state of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage average rose 21 basis points this week, lagging other indicators, which are all now lower than seven days ago.

In a post on his social media platform Thursday morning, the president criticized the Federal Reserve's reluctance to lower rates and said the chair's departure "could not come soon enough."

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that actions that undermine the apparent stability of the U.S. economy could have lasting effects on its status as a global safe haven.

The highly volatile interest rate environment will actually result in higher refinance mortgage volume than previous forecast for 2025 and 2026.

Federal Reserve Board member Christopher Waller said he would not be deterred from classifying inflation as "transitory" despite the board's recent experience underestimating inflationary pressures.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said it will not enforce or supervise nonbank financial firms that miss upcoming compliance deadlines for the nonbank registry of repeat offenders.

Freddie Mac reported a 2 basis point drop in mortgage rates, but other timelier measurements had the 30-year fixed close to or above the 7% mark.

Inflation cooled faster than expected last month, giving the Federal Reserve room to ease monetary policy if the economy weakens suddenly. But tariffs and other policy changes still cloud the outlook for monetary policy.

President Trump placed a 90-day pause on most of his sweeping tariff package, but for banks and other financial market participants, the threat of volatility remains.